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By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon, Thread Video
Honduras - The Source - The Root - Podcast

SDNY COURTHOUSE, March 8 – During the trial that convicted Tony Hernandez, the brother of Honduras' president Juan Orlando Hernandez (JOH), on all four counts of guns and narcotics trafficking and false statements, the Honduran National Police came up again and again in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

  Six days before the trial of Geovanny Fuentes is to begin, the US filed a letter which begins, "Dear Judge Castel:  The Government respectfully submits this letter in support of additional motions in limine to admit recently seized evidence obtained from electronic accounts belonging to  (“CC-14”), , including: (i) photographs of CC-14 with CC4." Full filing on Patreon here.

 The day after those filing, Geovanny Fuentes' lawyer Avraham C. Moskowitz asked to delay the trial -- or to preclude, that is, to keep out of evidence, the new calls including with CC-4 / JOH. More and letter on Patreon here.

 But now on March 8, the jury has been selected, and open arguments will begin on March 9. In the socially distanced SDNY Jury Assembly Room, which usually seats up to 500 but today on 50, Judge Castel questioned jurors in the front. Before, the issue of a son of Geovanny Fuentes contacting the wife of protected witness 2, who has traveled to New York, arose and was characterized as possible obstruction or intimidation.

  Inner City Press will have more on that as the actual trial opens (we choose not to report on particular jurors selected). Among the names that the selected juror said they are not aware of, beyond academic witnesses in the Tony Hernandez trial, are Fernando Chang Monroy; Miguel and Luis Valle Valle; Alexander Ardón; Victor Diaz; Devis y Javier and Devis Rivera; and Mario Mejia Vargas; song here.

 There are also JOH's tweets of March 8, essentially a threat, noted here.  On March 9, it begins.

    As noted JOH is trying to use misconduct by SDNY prosecutors in an entirely unrelated case, of Iranian banker Nejad, to argue away the evidence against them. Inner City Press, covering both cases, predicts it this defense strategy will not work.

  The Nejad case misdeeds - which Inner City Press along with only one other media organization fought to get unsealed - are about a piece of exculpatory evidence provided late and misleadingly to Nejad's lawyers. It is misconduct. But in the Honduras cases, the evidence is damning. Is JOH saying that beyond that, there is some other evidence that would clear him? What might it be? Podcast here We'll have more on this.

  Tony Hernandez' sentencing has been repeatedly delayed, and has now been extended again, to March 23. But a related trial is set to begin March 8, that of Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez. And evidence about President JOH, it emerged in a February 12 proceeding before Judge Castel, will come in. Memo on Patreon here; proceeding live tweeted here and below:

The US Attorney's Office has asked for "Witness-1" to testimony under a pseudonym, and for jurors and "venire" (prospective jurors) be left unnamed, due to threats of retaliation and "inability of Honduran government to protect witness." Or unwillingness?

 Judge Castel: I presided over the Hernandez Alvarado trial, but this one will be different. Defense?

Defendant's counsel: I understand reading between the lines what your Honor is saying [about corruption in Honduras] and the alleged homicide...

 Defense counsel: There have been public statements from the government of Honduras that this is all false. We could get that testimony even if the witnesses did not come here, using letters rogatory.

 Defense lawyer: Either the jury will believe my client important tons of cocaine or not - whether he gave political campaign contributions in Honduras is a sideshow." [To him, maybe] Defense: The evidence should be kept out.

  Back on June 29 SDNY Judge P. Kevin Castel held a bond hearing on Otto Rene Salguero Morales. Inner City Press live tweeted it, here.

  Now on January 20, that defendant and the "other Salguero" have their discovery and a next date on March 24, Judge Castel ordered in a proceeding that Inner City Press live tweeted here:

Proceeding involves Otto Rene Salguero Morales and Ronald Enrique Salguero Portillo. 

 Judge Castel asks if these two defendants have gotten their Rule 16 discovery information from the US Attorney. Yes, but only on January 14.

Judge Castel suggests meeting again March 26 - in person, he says (or hopes). Or, 2 weeks before that, if MCC prison can

Judge Castel switches it to March 24, calls it the "outside date," plans for it in the courtroom, the same one Tony Hernandez was found guilty in.

Judge Castel: Thank you all very much. We are adjourned.

  On September 16 at 11 am, then, Judge Castel turned to Tony Hernandez' co-defendant Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez. Inner City Press live tweeted it here.

   More on Patreon here.

 On October 26 after the murder and release of the video, Inner City Press went to (try to) pose the question to UNSG Antonio Guterres. The response? Video here. Three UN security vehicles, and even a publicly funded NYPD detective, "protecting" Guterres who already wastes untold public funds on security. Disgusting. A protest has been called for, and is needed - @InnerCityPress response here.  More on Patreon here.

Inner City Press on October 18 asked the defendant's lawyer Omar Malone about this client's post arrest statement, the admitted murders by the cooperating witnesses, and upcoming sentencing submission. Video and answers here.

    Here was the post arrest statement as initially put in to the jury, as uploaded to YouTube by Inner City Press, here. The case is US v. Diaz Morales, 15-cr-00379 (Castel).