Inner City Press





In Other Media-eg New Statesman, AJE, FP, Georgia, NYTAzerbaijan, CSM Click here to contact us     .



These reports are usually available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis
,



Share |   

Follow on TWITTER

Home -

These reports are usually available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis

CONTRIBUTE

(FP Twitterati 100, 2013)

ICP on YouTube

More: InnerCityPro

BloggingHeads.tv
Sept 24, 2013

UN: Sri Lanka

VoA: NYCLU

FOIA Finds  

Google, Asked at UN About Censorship, Moved to Censor the Questioner, Sources Say, Blaming UN - Update - Editorial

Support this work by buying this book

Click on cover for secure site orders

also includes "Toxic Credit in the Global Inner City"
 

 

 


Community
Reinvestment

Bank Beat

Freedom of Information
 

How to Contact Us



MCC Staff Akparanta Pled To Sex Abuse Of Prisoners OK-ed to Take Bus To Butner April 23

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive, video

SDNY COURTHOUSE, April 2 – When Colin Akparanta was brought in shackles, accused of sexually abusing female prisoners under his control in the Metropolitan Correctional Center prison, into the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York's Magistrates Court on May 21, 2019 his wife had been waiting for him for hours. Inner City Press was there and has followed the case since, since this exclusive report.

  On December 8, 2020 Akparanta was sentenced to 40 months in prison, to begin on April 23, 2021 see below.

 And on April 1, Akparanta's lawyer wrote to Judge Schofield seeking a modification of conditions of release so he can "travel by bus from his home in New Jersey to Butner, North Carolina, where he has been designated to serve his custodial term of imprisonment."

On April 2, Judge Schofield granted it: "MEMO ENDORSEMENT as to Colin Akparanta (1) granting [64] LETTER MOTION addressed to Judge Lorna G. Schofield from Nicholas Kaizer dated 4/1/2021 re: Permission to Travel to Effectuate Surrender. ENDORSEMENT: Application Granted. The Clerk of the Court is directed to terminate the letter motion at docket number 64. (Signed by Judge Lorna G. Schofield on 4/2/2021)." On the road...

Back on February 21, 2020 the US Attorney's Office wrote to SDNY District Judge Lorna G. Schofield about a plea deal.  On March 4 Akparanta formally pleaded guilty, getting a deal of 37 to 46 months and undefined restitution to seven victims. But he was allowed to plead guilty regarding only one of the seven victims.

  Now on December 4, in advance of the repeatedly postponed sentencing set for December 8, victims' letters have been filed.

  One, from an inmate in the MCC from March 2018 to August 2019, says how Akparanta exposed himself, gave a yeast infection, leading to panic attacks, nightmares and cold sweats.

 On December 8 Judge Schofield held the sentencing of Akparanta. Inner City Press covered it, Tweeting in real time here. She cited his loss of his employment, after having won some awarded. She noted the government wanted 46 months, Probation said 37. She arrived at 40 months, apparently to begin on April 23. Judge Schofield asked, not ordered, that victim not be named. It's a request that Inner City Press is honoring.

   Back on May 21 the government argued for a curfew, saying that Akparanta is a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Nigeria to which he retains strong ties. He didn't try to flee when first questioned - but it seems he thought he was under investigation only for bringing contraband into the MCC for female prisoners, not for the sex acts he traded the contraband and control for.

 The unsealed indictment in USA v. Akparanta lists as his nicknames or aliases "Africa" and "Akon." (A commenter on Inner City Press' thread about the arraignment noted that the singer Akon is not, in fact, from Nigeria - but neither is Africa a country.)

***

Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com

Box 20047, Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017

Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540



Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

 Copyright 2006-2020 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com for