| Man
Arrested in
Bronx House
with 50 Pounds
of Fentanyl
Was Remanded
For CP Now 2
Cases
by
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book
Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
April 29 – Cristian Eustate
Espinal and three others were
arrested in a residence in The
Bronx with 50 pounds of
fentalyl and pill and kilo
presses.
Cristian, late on
October 6, 2023, was released
on bond, on his own signature,
in the U.S. District Court for
the Southern District of New
York. Inner City Press was
there, the only media in the
SDNY Magistrates
Court.
Cristian's
Criminal Justice Act lawyer
argued that he had merely been
present in the drug house, and
not tied to it. The Assistant
US Attorney argued it would
have been impossible for him
not to have known it was a
narcotics factory, what with
the garbage bags taped over
the windows.
SDNY Magistrate
Judge Stewart D. Aaron ordered
release on bond. But the AUSA
said they would appeal to the
week's Part 1 District Judge,
Arun Subramanian.
Judge
Subramanian held the appeal in
the Magistrates courtroom.
Again, Inner City Press was
there.
After detailed
inquiry into where the drugs
had been found -- in an alcove
of the bathroom, as shown on
the AUSA's phone -- Judge
Subramanian upheld Magistrate
Judge Aaron's release order,
adding that the CJA lawyer
must turn in Cristian's
Dominican passport by noon on
Saturday or he would be
arrested.
The CJA
lawyer replied that she would
be in the MDC jail on
Saturday, until 3 at the
latest - and that if she did
not have the passport by then,
she would turn Cristian in to
the Marshals.
At 3 pm on
Saturday, October 7, the
defense lawyer was in front of
Chatham Towers then the 200
Worth Street entrance of the
courthouse, and to her credit
acknowledged not having the
passport. She was using her
phone, perhaps trying to get
her client there as was
represented to the Court. We
asked, What next?
Jump cut to
October 25, 2023 when the same
Cristian Eustate Espinal was
brought in on a brand new
case, CP material found on his
phone. This time, he was
detained on consent. His
counsel asked for the search
warrant and application for
his phone; a letter is due in
24 hours. There was a
whispered sidebar with another
application, undisclosed,
granted.
On November 9,
Espinal had a bail appeal
before the week's Part 1
Judge, Paul A. Crotty. He was
remanded.
Jump cut again to
April 29, 2024 when Espinal
appeared before Judge Jennifer
G.L. Clarke on the child porn
case. His lawyer said he will
be making a motion to suppress
phone contents, in both this
CP case and the other case
before Judge Lewis J. Liman.
The two judges, it appears,
will confer - watch this site.
This case
is US v. Espinal, 23-cr-619
(Clarke)
***
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