| Sentenced To Life Plus 14
Years Pizarro Tells Family of Victim Bishun He
Did Not Do It
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Exclusive Patreon
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
July 30 – Before Robert
Pizarro was given his
pre-ordained sentence of life
plus 14 years after being
convicted by a jury of
kidnapping and killing a
Federal informant, he turned
to friends and family of the
victim to told then, I didn't
do it.
It took
place July 30 in the U.S. District Court
for the Southern District
of New York courtroom of
Judge Alison J. Nathan.
She told Pizarro to turn
and face her, and said she
understand that he will
appeal. And why not? Life
plus 14 years is a long
time.
The
government's sentencing
submission recited how
Pizarro and his
co-defendant Juan Rivera
staked out the Bronx auto
body shop of Robert
Bishun, intent on robbing
the narcotics proceeds
they were convinced he
had. (In fact, the
government says, "by the
time of his murder, Bishun
had not only ceased
dealing drugs, but he had
become a cooperating
witness with federal
authorities."
After
losing at trial, Pizarro
fired his lawyers and was
assigned a new one, Mark
DeMarco. On July 30
DeMarco asked, given the
mandatory minimums of life
and seven years, what he
was supposed to say. Just
prepare the appeal is the
answer. The case is US v.
Pizarro, 17-cr-151 (AJM).
In smaller
potatoes crime, Ronny
Ramirez Deluna
worked
a cocaine
distribution
business
disguised as
a livery cab
service in
lower and Midtown
Manhattan from
April 2016 to
August 2017. He
pleaded
guilty,
arguably
safety valve eligible,
before SDNY
Judge Ronnie
Abrams on July
30.
Judge
Abrams, as a
routine part
of the plea
allocution
with Inner
City Press the
only media
present, asked
if Ramirez Deluna
is a U.S.
citizen. His
lawyer B. Alan
Seidler
replied that
he claims
derivative
citizenship
and that it is
being
litigated.
Seidler had
written to Abrams
back on June 17,
putting off a
June 19 status
conference
because "the
parties are
involved in
plea
discussions."
Judge Abrams
endorsed
that, pushing
back the
conference to
July 16, then
apparently
to July 30 when
the discussions
bore or at last
publicly showed
fruit. It had
been some time
coming:
despite a May
2018 indictment,
Ramirez Deluna
was not apprehended and
applied for
bail before
Judge Abrams
on February 5,
2019.
Then Judge Abrams
asked, "Why
did it take so
long for Mr.
Ramirez Deluna to be
arrested?"
Assistant US
Attorney
McGinness said
that Ramirez
Deluna had
retained a
defense lawyer
at that time
who made an
appearance on the
docket "but
the DEA was
not able to
apprehend him.
He did not
surrender."
Then the US
Marshals took
over and
interviewed "
family member
or a relative
or a social
friend of
his." Then he
turned himself
in.
Before Judge
Abrams on
February 5,
his then
lawyer Mr.
Velez offered
as financially
responsible
people ready
to sign Stephanie
Delacruz who
works at
Montefiore Hospital.
"She is his girlfriend.
She makes $60,000," Mr.
Velez said.
AUSA McGinness
replied that
"he is not
only a risk of
flight, he has
been in
flight."
Judge Abrams
said, "I find
this baffling.
I haven't had
a situation before
where a
defense
attorney filed
a notice of
appearance and
yet his client
stayed where
he was instead of
fleeing,
didn't
surrender."
The Bronx is
large.... None
of this was
covered at the
time, nor now:
it is part of the
vast otherwise
unreported
part of the
SDNY's docket.
Judge
Abrams denied
bail, but put
it on a fast
track back
in February.
Now this
guilty plea,
with the
specter of a
safety value.
The sentencing
is set for
November 15.
Inner City
Press, working
on these
stories while
perched
over a Pacer
terminal for months,
intends to be
there. Watch
this site. The case is USA
v. Ramirez
Deluna,
18-cr-351
(RA).
O
***
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