| Woman
Seeking Asylum After Husband Killed in
Colombia After Fentanyl Plea Gets 15
Months
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon Substack
SDNY EXCLUSIVE,
Sept 14 - In the U.S.
District Court for the
Southern District of New York
on November 28, 2022 a
detention or bond proceeding
was held by Magistrate Judge
Stewart D. Aaron on woman
illegally in the US from
Colombia, where her husband
was killed by a gang called
Los Esperantos, the SDNY
prosecutor said.
Inner City
Press was there, the only
media in the Mag Court.
The
defendant Ms. Valencia,
according to the Assistant US
Attorney, had been apprehended
by ICE in Arizona for illegal
entry.
The Federal
Defender said she had applied
for asylum, as her husband was
killed by a gang; she has a
sister living in Allentown,
Pennsylvania and working at
FedEx who can vouch for her.
But when
Judge Aaron took a break in
the Magistrates Court robing
room, the prosecutors says he
learned that if ordered free
on bond, ICE would detain Ms.
Valencia.
Accordingly, the Federal
Defender withdrew the
application for release on
bond - but weeks later,
appealed. Inner City Press was
again there.
District Judge
John P. Cronan upheld her
detention, citing death
figures for fentanyl and sales
in October 2022 with payments
of $2500 and $5000.
On April 12,
2023, Judge Cronan held
another proceeding with Yuli
Valencia Perez, who it seems
will file no motions, and her
co-defendant. The AUSA said
they'd found they need large
hard drives to put the
discovery on. The discovery,
he said, is largely pole
camera video.
She pleaded
guilty on June 14, to a
guideline of 46 to 57 months.
She has already served nine
months, and on August 31
sought a time served sentence.
Her lawyer wrote that on
September 9, 2020 "her
husband, Fanhor Ocoro Aragon
was murdered by a cartel after
a dispute over his pension."
The submission includes color
photographs with flowers and
dolls.
On September 8,
the US Attorney's Office asked
for a sentence of 37 to 46
months
On September 14
Inner City Press went to the
sentencing. While Judge Cronan
took a break to deliberate,
the sound of a child's
laughter played on a smart
phone. Judge Cronan returned
to praise the defendant for
good works in the MDC,
including the chapel, but cite
a need for general deterrence.
Judge
Cronan imposed a sentence of
15 months, 9 or 10 months of
which appear to have already
been served. After "adjourned"
came "gracias."
More detail on
Substack here
The case is US v.
Aguilar, et al., 22-cr-669
(Cronan)
***
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