| After
Adelekan Convicted at Trial Now Co
Defendant Oyeneyin Pleads Guilty in SDNY
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon Thread
Pod
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
SDNY COURTROOM,
June 13 – Two wire fraud
defendants were convicted in
October 2021 and ordered
remanded to jail - but there
were no U.S. Marshals present
for nearly an hour after the
order, see below.
Inner City Press
was there: thread,
podcast.
U.S.
District Court for the
Southern District of New York
Judge Loretta A. Preska
presided over the jury trial
of Oluwaseun Adelekan and
Temitope Omotoya from October
20 to October 26, 2021.
On June 13, 2022,
Judge Preska held a change of
plea proceeding for Adelekan's
co-defendant Gbenga Oyeneyin,
and Inner City Press covered
it. Judge Preska inquired into
whether the defendant was
admitting to opening bank
accounts for shell companies.
Yes, he said. The plea was
accepted.
In the
Adelekan case, the jury was
deliberating on the afternoon
of October 26, so Inner City
Press went up to SDNY
Courtroom 26A around 4:20 pm.
There was a wait
more than an hour until, near
6 pm, Judge Preska said, "I
think we're in business. The
jury has a verdict."
A court
reporter came upstairs, as to
two more of Judge Preska's
staff. But, Inner City Press
noted, no U.S.
Marshals.
The jury
foreperson passed the verdict
sheet to Judge Preska's clerk,
who read out "Guilty" to each
count, from wire fraud through
money laundering to identity
theft.
The jurors
confirmed this was each of
their decision, and Judge
Preska said, Have a good
night, I hope you don't get
rained on.
Then the
Assistant U.S. Attorney asked
for remand: to send the two
now convicted defendants to
jail, even before the January
27 sentencing.
The two
defense lawyers argued against
it, one saying that far from
being a flight risk, his
client is afraid of going back
to Nigeria.
Judge
Preska said the two had not
shown they are not flight
risks, and ordered them
remanded. But how?
There was
pause, then two then three
then four Court Security
Officers came int the room,
apparently in case one or both
defendants sought to make a
run for it.
A fifth
CSO arrived and asked the two
to empty their pockets, to
take off their belts and shoe
laces. Judge Preska kindly let
each man use the landline
phone on the bench to call
their families.
More
silence. The prosecutors left.
Only the two defendants, three
defense lawyers, five CSOs and
Inner City Press remained in
large Courtroom
26A.
A CSO began
asking each man, How old are
you? How much do you
weight? 160, one said.
The other was
heavier.
It was
helpfully explained to Inner
City Press that this was a
unique case, with a 6 pm
verdict on defendant who were
not in custody during the
trial.
Finally
near 6:45 pm two US Marshals
came in, albeit without the
normal belt of handcuffs. They
escorted the two men into the
holding cell and elevator.
Jump cut to
May 25, 2022 when Adelekan was
sentenced by Judge Preska. In
the hallway outside, family
members wondered out loud if
all the letters they generated
were given to the judge and if
not, why not. The docket shows
many letters: Kennedlyn Gould,
Christopher Boyo Fashola or
Old Navy, Emily Akinola form
Nigeria, Gifty Ansah - and
another defendant in SDNY,
recently given 390 months,
Nazeem Francis. Inside,
Adelekan received a sentence
of 108 months.
The overall case
is US v. Adelekan, et al.,
19-cr-291 (Preska).
***
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