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Convicted of Seeking Sex With 12 Year Old Waqar Is Denied Release Amid Coronavirus

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon

SDNY COURTHOUSE, April 14 -- A man convicted of seeking sex with what he was told was a 12 year old girl, and who repeatedly turned down a five year minimum plea deal offered by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, was convicted by the jury on September 11 of attempted enticement of a child.

  SDNY Judge Sidney H. Stein spared him immediate remand to prison. Waqar's lawyer tried to push his sentencing into December 2019; Judge Stein only accepted to November 26.

Now on April 14, 2020: "as to Muhammad Waqar. After a three-day jury trial, defendant Muhammad Waqar was convicted of one count of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity in violation of 18 U.S.C § 2422(b). He was sentenced to 120 months' incarceration--the statutory minimum for such a conviction--and was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). (ECF No. 83.) After sentencing, he filed a notice of appeal, challenging his conviction and sentence. (ECF No. 85.) He then moved for release from custody pending appeal, relying 18 U.S.C. § 3143(b). (ECF No. 88.) Congress has directed that defendants convicted of certain serious crimes--including the crime for which Waqar was found guilty--be detained. See 18 U.S.C. § 3143(b)(2); see also id. § 3142(f)(1)(B). Despite this strict mandate, a court may release a defendant if he "meets the conditions of release set forth in section 3143(a)(1) or (b)(1)" and "it is clearly shown that there are exceptional reasons why such person's detention would not be appropriate." Id. § 3145(c). The Court denied the motion because no such exceptional reasons were present. (ECF No. 98.) Waqar now moves for reconsideration of that order in light of "the newly discovered unprecedented threat of the COVID-19 virus." (ECF No. 99, at 1.) The government opposes the motion. (ECF No. 100.) The Court held a teleconference on the motion, during which defense counsel waived Waqar's appearance. For the reasons set forth below, the motion is denied....[See this Opinion & Order]... III. CONCLUSION: For the reasons discussed above, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Waqar's motion for reconsideration is denied. SO ORDERED: Signed by Judge Sidney H. Stein on 4/14/2020)"


 Back on September 11, 2019 the government argued for immediate remand to detention, even pending sentencing.

  A senior Assistant US Attorney showed up in the back of the courtroom on the bench next to Inner City Press; he send something by phone to the AUSA at the front table. They argued that remand was mandatory under 18 USC 3143(2).

   That tracks to another section, 3142(f)(1)(B) which does seem to make remand required for cases involving possible life sentences. But  SDNY Judge Sidney H. Stein, helping Waqar's lawyer, pointed to Section 3145, allowing for release in exceptional circumstances. And what might those be?

  Waqar has been working in a Dunkin Donuts. He has a wife and a young child. The government said these are not exceptional circumstances. Judge Stein, showing mercy, said that and Waqar's heretofore justice system-less life made the case. He expedited sentencing, and surrender, to October 23. He emphasized to Waqar if he tries to flee it will be catestrophic. He left the courtroom. More on Patreon here.

 Out on the 23rd floor hallway, the San Genaro festival on Mulberry Street could be seen. Waqar smiled; her relatives still looked stern. The senior AUSA was down on the 8th floor using his cell phone to make more plans. Inner City Press returned to the SDNY Press Room to write this story.

  Waqar who appeared for final pre-trial motions on August 21 with Inner City Press as throughout the trial the only media in the empty gallery of Judge Stein's courtroom, had interpretation headphones on while his lawyer objected to given the jury some of the exhibits and aids the government and Judge Stein proposed.

  The jury asked for "all chats under evidence" -- all parties interpreted "under" as "is," as in, in evidence -- and also for a PowerPoint that was not in evidence. Waqar's lawyer objected to this being sent into the jury room, as he objected to a laptop going in.

 Judge Stein told him to check the government's laptop, before it was carried out of the courtroom by the US Attorney's Office paralegal to print photocopies, presumably on their office on the fifth floor of 500 Pearl Street.

  The defense lawyer said, "I wouldn't know where to begin" and said that was his point. Judge Stein said that sending in aids, and this laptop, were within his discretion.

  In the gallery were at least seven of the defendants family members and friends, one of whom was in military fatigues. Other than them, and Inner City Press, there was no one else in the gallery. This is a pedophilia case, but apparently without the cache of some other cases. Watch this site.

On September 9 Waqar remained at the defendant's table as his lawyer helped pick jurors. While nine stories beneath Judge Jed Rakoff picked a jury and held opening arguments all in the morning, up in Courtroom 23A jury selection took until 2 pm. Whether slow makes sure, time will tell.

  Prospective jurors were asked if they had been the victim of a crime, and many had. Almost none of the cases had been solved. One woman, who got excused, had initially been accused of a subway bombing. Another man who got excused said he would only decide for the prosecution if their case was more than circumstantial. He was nevertheless questioned for a long time at sidebar.

   Judge Stein took another case, which Inner City Press could not find in the day's calendar on PACER, into his robing room, with no provision for press access. These are issues we and @SDNYLIVE hope to address going forward. And now with the jury of 12 and two alternates selected, Inner City Press will be covering this trial.

  The case, as is too common, is full of secrecy. Waqar's lawyer Douglas G. Rankin back on April 30 said he "wanted to speak to the Court and to the government off the record for moment in regards to this whole appeal mitigation thing." This lead to: "The next part should be recorded but don't disclose it, in other words it's, not to be transcribed, unless requested by the lawyers or the Court right?" Seems wrong.

  The case is US v. Waqar, 18-cr-342 (SHS).

***

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