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Gonzalez Pleads Guilty To Bronx Drugs For Deal To Get Out Of MCC Pending Sentencing

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
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SDNY COURTHOUSE, March 31 – Luis Gonzalez was arrested and jailed on February 14 as one of dozens of defendants in alleged drug conspiracy centered around Weeks Avenue in The Bronx. He pled not guilty.

 But that was before the Coronavirus pandemic became unavoidable news worldwide, but especially in New York City and the Metropolitan Corrections Center where Gonzalez has been detained.

  On March 31 will no notice in the case's docket, Luis Gonzalez appeared by telephone before U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang.

   Inner City Press, which has covered the overall case Gonzalez is a part of, and also the case of a rival gang they fought with, was the only media in the courtroom. Judge Wang said since the plea was by phone, Inner City Press could follow it that way.

  But how would Inner City Press had even have known to call in, since there was no notice of this plea? Judge Wang suggested the Press could just phone in to some court line at the beginning of the day and leave the line open. We'll have more on this, which we reject.   

Gonzalez was represented by Joaquin Perez, who said he had spoken with Gonzalez in Spanish. Assistant US Attorney Frank Balsamello, who recently requested and got the Magistrates Courtroom sealed and Inner City Press ousted for a proceeding, apologized for a typo in the plea agreement.

  The plea agreement is for a guideline sentence of between 108 to 135 months, for being part of the drug conspiracy. But the key provision is that the US Attorney's Office agreed that Gonzalez should get out of the MCC pending sentencing. 

  But when? To Judge Wang it was unclear if Gonzalez would be released or would have to await a two week internal quarantine (of the type Inner City Press first reported), or wait for a negative test for COVID-19. The timing was not resolved as the plea was taken. The case is US v. Gonzalez, 17-cr-123 (Preska / Wang).

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