Colello
On Trial For
Defrauding
Texas Oil Co
Says Calling
Himself Greene
Is No
Conspiracy
by
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book
Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
May 22 – Michael
Colello is on
trial, charged
with a scheme
to defraud a
Texas oil and
gas company
out of nearly
$2 million.
On May 22,
2023, U.S.
District Court
for the
Southern
District of
New York Judge
Jed S. Rakoff
began
Colello's
trial. Inner
City Press was
there.
On the witness
stand was Mr.
Smith, who had
wired money at
Colello's
directly.
The
Assistant US
Attorney
sought to
introduce an
email with a
hyperlink.
Colello's
lawyer
objected,
saying the
hyperlink or
its underlying
document was
in
evidence.
Judge
Rakoff called
for a sidebar,
without white
noise. (The
document, when
admitted and
published, was
not put on the
TV monitor
facing the
gallery).
Smith
testified that
now the link
does not work,
but that it
had in 2015.
On
May 23 Smith
was still on
the stand,
with the jury
out of the
room, when
counsel argued
about the
admissibility
of a document
about the SEC
for cross
examining
Smith. The
AUSA suggested
that Smith
leave the
courtroom; he
did, to the
witness room.
After a
recounting of
the argument
that a SEC
filing
couldn't be
made due to
the absence of
an auditor,
the document
was excluded,
at least for
the moment.
On
May 25, a
government
paralegal
witness
introduced and
was
cross-examined
about a number
of documents,
including one
claiming that
Colello was
the COO of
Barclays. Then
the US put on
Verdun Edgtton
of Barclays,
who testified
that Colello
was never the
COO of
Barclays, to
his knowledge.
Colello's
lawyer put in
proposed jury
amendments,
including that
they be told
that
"Colello's
alleged use of
the name 'Stan
Greeme' or
'Mike Greene'
is not a
conspiracy."
The trial
continues. The
case is US v.
Colello,
20-cr-613
(Rakoff)
***
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