| German
Man Charged
With Travel to
NY with
Husband to
Have Sex Mulls
Plea Agreement
by
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book
Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
May 20 – German national
Thomas Alexander Brandenstein
was arrested for enticing a
minor into sex.
He was presented
on October 2, 2023 before U.S.
District Court for the
Southern District of New York
Magistrate Judge Stuart D.
Aaron. Inner City Press was
there, the only media in the
SDNY Mag Court.
The Federal
Defender argued that the three
NYS statutes cited were "class
E" felonies that required the
use of force or compulsion,
not just "emotional
compulsion." She argued that
sex with a 15 year old in not
illegal in Germany.
The
prosecutor noted the
Brandstein and his husband
traveled to New York
specifically to have sex in a
hotel with this 15 year old,
and that he wanted to bailed
out to a hotel. She also noted
that law enforcement now has
the defendant's phone and may
charge "production."
Judge
Aaron took a break with
pre-trial services, then
returned and ordered
detention. The husband /
co-defendant remained at
large.
On March 4, 2024,
the case was indicted as to
both defendants and assigned
to Judge Lewis A. Kaplan.
On September 9,
Federal Defenders wrote in
that Brandenstein's mitigation
report is running late, now
due September 16 - and so
proposing that a September 11
conference be cancelled. They
add that Brandstein in the MDC
is enrolled in an in-person
course through Columbia
University on Wednesdays, that
he does not want to miss.
On December 31
the US Attorney's Office wrote
in to say it got the
mitigation submission on
October 23 and has not
completed its review, to
discuss "potential
dispositions in this matter."
On March 24
Federal Defenders wrote in
that its appeal to the
mitigation committee has been
ruled on and they have
"requested that the government
provide us with a plea
agreement for our review," and
requesting a 30 day
adjournment.
On April 22 the
US Attorney's Office wrote in
again, now saying they are
finalizing a plea agreement
and expect it to be provided
by the end of the week.
On May 20 Federal
Defenders wrote in asking to
adjourn the May 22 conference
for two weeks, as they got a
draft plea agreement "last
last week."
The case is USA
v. Brandenstein, et al.,
1:24-cr-121 (Kaplan).
***
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