| Woman
Detained For Catfishing Unnamed CEO Moved
To Dismiss Now Trial Set For June 26
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell
Book
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
March 2 – With the name of the
targeted CEO not public, on
September 1, 2022 the U.S.
Attorney for the Southern
District of New York announced
"the unsealing of
a three-count Indictment
charging defendant SAKOYA
BLACKWOOD with interstate
communications with the intent
to extort, cyberstalking, and
extortion. The case has
been assigned to U.S. District
Judge Jesse M. Furman."
On September 1
Judge Furman held an
arraignment and bail
proceeding. With exhibits
still withheld in full, a
detention letter was filed, on
Patreon here.
Inner City Press went and live
tweeted it here
and below.
After the
proceeding, the prosecutors
filed a redacted copy of the
defendant's various IDs,
including licenses from NYS,
Arizona and California (and an
NYC ID with address in
Brooklyn - a mail drop -
redacted) -- and a Mount Sinai
doctor's ID and pass, in the
unredacted name "Jessica
Bottomly, M.D." How did
Mount Sinai allow this? How
did this doctor treat? And, of
course, who are the CEO(s)?
For now, we noted
that Sakoya Blackwood (Fews) appears
as a 2006 graduate of Evander
Childs High School in The
Bronx.
On February 3,
2023 Blackwood's counsel filed
a motion to dismiss, to
suppress evidence from her
Facebook account - but all
seven exhibits are
unilaterally filed under seal.
On February 6, Judge Furman
ordered: "ORDER as to Sakoya
Blackwood: On February 3,
2023, Defendant Sakoya
Blackwood filed a motion to
dismiss and amotion to
suppress. See ECF Nos. [24],
[26]. The Government shall
file its opposition to both
motions by the February 17,
2023 deadline in the form of a
single, consolidated
memorandum of law, not to
exceed thirty pages; Blackwood
shall file any reply by the
February 24, 2023 deadline in
the form of a single,
consolidated memorandum of
law, not to exceed thirteen
pages. Blackwood filed her
motion papers in redacted form
or under seal but did not seek
leave of Court to do so. No
later than February 10, 2023,
Blackwood shall file a
letter-motion seeking leave
nunc pro tunc in accordance
with Paragraph 10." Will they
be unsealed? Watch this site.
From September 1:
Judge Furman: We're here for
arraignment and bail appeal.
Blackwood: I
plead not guilty. Judge: Have
you notified Victim-1?
AUSA Bracewell:
Yes, Victim-1's lawyer...We've
seized laptops and
tablets. AUSA: There was
a post arrest interview, it
was recorded on video. She
then invoked... Her messages
were saved on Google.
Federal Defender:
There are 12 seized devices.
Judge: Motions by Nov 18. US
by Dec 8. Next here on Nov 22,
11 am. Now on bail. [It is US
appealing]
AUSA: She used
different identities...
AUSA: She uses
VOIP, her cell is in her
mother's name, the IP address
in her brother's. She has no
legal status. She was in
Californis representing
herself as a
pediatrician
AUSA: She was
operating off the grid in a
unique way. She is a flight
risk. We are asking to seal
our exhibits.
AUSA: All she
needs to continue is an
Internet connection. FD: We
agree with Judge Willis that
she should be released.
Pre-Trial mis-wrote their
report. She is a domestic
violence victim.
FD: She gets
child support. Judge:
What about the Brooklyn
address on her NYC ID?
FD: It's a mail
drop. It's related to intimate
partner violence, to receive
confidential mail.
Judge: If she lives in The
Bronx, why is the mail drop in
Brooklyn?
FD: Brooklyn is
unknown to her abuser. She is
trying to get a green card.
She has no ties in
Jamaica. Judge: It seems
her family either didn't know
she was getting mail in other
people's names or didn't care.
FD: Making fake
profiles is easy. The US does
it to entrap [short eyes]. She
didn't use TOR.
[Judge Furman
knows of TOR from the Joshua
Schulte Wikileaks Vault 7
trial ("Brutal Kangaroo" book here).
Judge: If
convicted, she would be
deported to Jamaica. Here's my
ruling: there's an
overwhelming case for
detention. The incentive to
flee, inclination to
impersonate, etc. She will be
detained.
On November 9:
"MEMO ENDORSEMENT as to Sakoya
Blackwood on [19] Letter re
Adjournment Request:
Application GRANTED. Motions
are due January 6, 2023, with
the Government's opposition
due by January 20, 2023, and
replies due on January 27,
2023. The pretrial conference
is ADJOURNED to January 31,
2023, at 3:00 p.m. (The
parties should not expect
another adjournment.) SO
ORDERED. (Signed by Judge
Jesse M. Furman on
11/9/2022)."
But despite the
"parties should not expect
another adjournment," on
December 15 counsel assigned
to Blackwood wrote in
requesting to make motions due
February 2, "with a trial
scheduled for July, if
convenient for the Court."
On December 16,
Judge Furman "somewhat
begrudgingly" endorsed:
"ENDORSEMENT...The application
is (somewhat grudgingly)
granted. Motions are due
February 2, 2023, with the
Government's opposition due by
February 17, 2023, and any
reply due by February 24,
2023. The pretrial conference
(at which the Court will set a
firm trial date) is ADJOURNED
to March 2, 2023, at 3:00
p.m."
Inner City
Press was there on March 2.
Judge Furman set the trial
date for June 26, a date he
called firm unless there is a
disposition or he grants the
pending motion to dismiss the
indictment. Blackwood is still
in detention; two Marshals led
her out. Watch this site.
The case is US v.
Blackwood, 22-cr-460
(Furman)
***
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