| Venezuela
Ex Spy Chief
Carvajal
Request to
Depose Blengio
Is Denied So
Dec 12 is Next
by
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book
Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Nov 1 – Venezuela's
former spy
chief Hugo
Armando
Carvajal
Barrios a/k/a
El Pollo is in
US custody in
a
narco-trafficking
conspiracy
case begun in
2011, after a
long
extradition
fight in
Spain.
Carvajal was
arraigned by
U.S. District
Court for the
Southern
District of
New York
Magistrate
Judge Stuart
D. Aaron on
July 20. Inner
City Press was
there and live
tweeted, thread:
more on
Substack here
Carvajal's
lawyers have
gone out into
the hall with
two of the
three
prosecutors.
Bail deal
seems
doubtful. But
they are
talking...
Carvajal's
legal team's
statement
emphasizes
that he "broke
publicly with
the government
of Nicolas
Maduro and
looks
forward...to
an unbiased
American jury.
A bail
application
will be
forthcoming."
So apparently
going to
consent to
detention
today
Both
Carvajal's
counsel and
the two
prosecutors
have come back
into the
courtroom.
Carvajal
is brought in
by 2 US
Marshals, in a
white T-shirt.
Has a lawyer
sutting on
each side of
him.
Assistant
US Attorney
says Carvajal
arrived in the
US yesterday
at 1:15 pm.
Judge Aaron
reads out the
charges.
Defense: He
pleads not
guilty.
AUSA:
The government
seeks
detention.
Defense: We
consent
without
prejudice.
Next hearing
before Judge
Hellerstein
July 25 at
12:30 pm.
Medical order
signed.
Afterward
Inner City
Press asked
Carvajal's
lawyer about
his client's
letter in
Spain about
information he
has, video here
from 1:50.
Vlog
in Spanish and
English here
On July 25
Carvajal
appeared
again, before
Judge
Hellerstein.
His lawyer did
not object to
excluding
Speedy Trial
Act time to
November 1 -
he said he is
applying under
CIPA. (In the
ongoing case
of Honduras'
Juan Orlando
Hernandez,
another CJA
counsel was
brought in
just for the
Classified
Information
Procedures Act
issues). Nor
was there any
mention of
applying for
bail.
The
line of the
proceeding was
when Judge
Hellerstein
asked if any
of the
co-defendants
will also
appear on
November 1.
The Assistant
US Attorney
said that with
Cliver having
pled guilty,
no one of the
other
defendant -
which include
Nicolas Madura
- are
anticipated to
be in New York
on November 1.
And after?
Watch this
site.
El Pollo's
case has the
potential to
spill the
beans even
more than
Honduras'
JOH's ongoing
case, in which
JOH's ties to
El Chapo
Guzman are
alleged.
El Pollo told
a Spanish
judge that he
has
information
about
Venezuela -
and drug money
from
Colombia's
FARC - going
to, among
others,
Brazil's
President Luiz
Inácio Lula da
Silva; Néstor
Kirchner in
Argentina; Evo
Morales in
Bolivia;
Fernando Lugo
in Paraguay;
Ollanta Humala
in Peru;
Zelaya in
Honduras;
Gustavo Petro
in Colombia;
the Five Star
Movement in
Italy; and the
Podemos party
in Spain.
The wrinkle is
that, given El
Pollo's flip
to Guaido, the
Nicolas Maduro
government is
asking for his
re-extradition.
And as with
the current US
administration's
prosecution of
Miles Guo
Wengui Kwok,
who the
Chinese
government
also wants
prosecuted or
worse, will
DOJ be eager
to cut the
cooperation
deal it should
or might?
On
October 19,
Pollo's
counsel wrote
in asking for
permission to
depose
Fernando
Blengio,
recently
released by
BOP and
removed to
Mexico. He
cannot reenter
the US to
testify at
trial, so a
Rule 15
deposition in
Mexico was
sought.
On
November 1,
Judge
Hellerstein
denied the
request and
set the next
conference for
December 12:
"Minute Entry
for
proceedings
held before
Judge Alvin K.
Hellerstein:
Oral Argument
as to Hugo
Armando
Carvajal-Barrios
held on
11/1/2023.
Pretrial
Conference as
to Hugo
Armando
Carvajal-Barrios
held on
11/1/2023.
Motion to take
deposition is
denied; Next
PTC is set for
12/12/23 at
10:00 a.m.;
Deft. cont'd
remanded."
Inner
City Press is
on the case,
which is US v.
Carvajal
Barrios, et
al., 11-cr-205
(Hellerstein /
Aaron)
More
detail, and
Spanish
translation,
on Substack here
***
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