| SDNY Judge Koeltl Ordered
Press Out Of Criminal Presentment Now Issues
Warrant For El Saidi
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Exclusive series
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Jan 13 – A criminal defendant
who citing anxiety did not
appear in Federal court on
January 13 now faces an arrest
warrant. The January 13
proceeding was not on the
court's calendar but was
attended exclusively by Inner
City Press, which previously
with the same Assistant US
Attorney and defense attorney
was ordered out of the
courtroom. More on Patreon here.
Back on
August 7, 2019 a criminal
presentation with Arabic
interpreter was set at 2:45 pm
in the U.S. District Court for
the Southern District of New
York courtroom of District
Judge John G. Koeltl. Inner
City Press, alerted by its
sources, went into the
courtroom. Soon Assistant US
Attorney Robert B. Sobelman
was asking Inner City Press
questions.
At 3:09 pm
Judge Koeltl's acting clerk
called the case as "United
States versus John Doe." The
defendant's lawyer, who told
the US Marshals not to bring
his client out of the holding
cell, asked Judge Koetlt for a
sidebar. Judge Koeltl, unlike
Circuit Judge Richard J.
Sullivan on July 26, granted
the sidebar. The white noise
was turned on.
After a
more than eight minute
animated sidebar discussion,
with the two lawyers, two
clerks, the acting deputy and
a court reporter, Judge
Koeltl took the bench and
asked Inner City Press to
leave. He said there was a
compelling need for secrecy,
without explaining what it
was, and said that the
government would provide some
update about this need for
secrecy -- in sixty days.
The
deputy came and indicted it
was time to leave. While doing
so, this reporter asked Judge
Koeltl, What's the case
number?
After a
pause, Judge Koeltl said
replied with a number.
But down
at the PACER terminal in SDNY
Press Room 480, where Inner
City Press earlier on August 7
was belatedly assigned a desk,
the response to this quiery
was, Cannot find [that] case."
More
on Patreon here.
The
defendant, it was said before
Inner City Press was ordered
out, was arrested the night
before. His defense lawyer
joked with the deputy about
Mad magazine's series, "Spy
versus Spy." In the gallery
were a half dozen camouflage
dressed agents whom Judge
Koeltl allowed to stay, along
with a representative of
pre-trial services.
Inner City Press
in writing back in August
asked: Is the defendant going
to be released on bond? Is he
- or she - a cooperator? What
is the basis for this
unannounced total sealing of
the courtroom for a criminal
presentment?
Now in
January 2019, AUSA Sobelman
asked Judge Koeltl for a
warrant for a "Mr. el-Saidi."
But searching PACER for
Sobelman's cases, he has none
listed with such a defendant.
Defense lawyer George Goltzer,
who said his client is from
Yemen, has no such client
listed.
When
reference was made on January
13 to the change "status" of
the case, Judge Koeltl cut off
the discussion.
Where is the accountability?
Where is the transparency?
Watch this site.
Inner
City Press
will have more
on this - see
also @InnerCityPress
and @SDNYLIVE. More
on Patreon here.
***
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