| Gonzalez Pled Guilty To
Bronx Drugs For Deal To Get Out Of MCC But Now
Quarantine
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
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SDNY COURTHOUSE,
April 1 – 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?
On April 1, AUSA Matthew
Hellman wrote to Judge Preska
to seek a modification. He
wrote that "the Government has
learned that Gonzalez is
currently subject to
quarantine at the MCC because
another individual in
Gonzalez's unit tested
positive for COVID-19. Given
his quarantine status,
courthouse employees
understandably may not permit
the defendant to enter the
courthouse... The Government
now seeks a modification." But
even this does not specify
when Gonzalez "shall be
released directly from the
MCC." The case is US v.
Gonzalez, 17-cr-123 (Preska /
Wang).
***
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