Thread by @innercitypress

OK - #NarcosHonduras trial, Day 7 of evidence, Fuentes' lawyer gave DEA Agent Gonzalez a 50-page report to question him on, so 30 minute break ending now. Yesterday: innercitypress.com/sdnylive10hond… patreon.com/posts/48887388 Inner City Press will live tweet, thread below

They're back. Judge Castel tells jury to blame him for the delay, not any of the parties.
Now Fuentes' lawyer read a stipulation (agreement), that the DEA conducted at least 10 joint interviews of Javier and Leonel Rivera.

Fuentes' lawyer: The casa presidencial is in downtown Tegucipalpa, right? Have you been in downtown Tegucigalpa?
Agent Gonzalez: I've been to my hotel. And one restaurant.

Fuentes' lawyer: So when you say the defendant's phone was in the Casa Presidencial, it could have been within 500 meters, anywhere, right?
Agent Gonzalez: I don't know that.
[Here's what he's asking about: Waze location Casa Presidencial

Fuentes' lawyer asked if Agent Gonzalez found any evidence on the phone of communications between the defendant and "Attorney General Crivelli."
AUSA started to object, then stopped.
Fuentes' lawyer understood, and said he withdrew the question. Said, "Mayor."

Fuentes' lawyer: You had Leonel Rivera audio record his conversations with Tony Hernandez and Fabio Lobo, right?
Agent Gonzalez: Yes.

Cross examination is over. Meanwhile: sentencing of presidential brother Tony, for whom the US is asking for life in prison, is moved a week back, from March 23 to March 30 - so as to not occur (probably) during Fuentes jury deliberations

https://twitter.com/innercitypress/status/1372576685443461134

Re-direct:
AUSA: Is one of the narco-traffickers who stamp their initials on kilos of cocaine Tony Hernandez, the brother of Juan Orlando Hernandez?
Agent Gonzalez: Yes.
[Photo of the kilo stamped TH is shown to the jury.]

AUSA: The government calls Jonathan Fox.
[Lawyer's and witness' boxes being cleaned and disinfected]

Fox is a forensic / gun expert in Nassau County; before that, 22 years at NYPD firearms analysis section.
Now he is telling the jury about the various guns that witnesses testified about so far in the trial.
Fox: This particular rifle, the AR-15, is semi automatic

It continues:
AUSA: What is this?
Fox: It's a grenade launcher.
AUSA: How does it work?
Fox: Like any kind of firearm. The grenade is essentially a huge bullet. It's effective up to 400 or 500 yards.

AUSA: What was it designed for?
Fox: Military use. In Vietnam.
AUSA: No further questions.
Judge Castel releases the jury for lunch then asks about closing arguments. AUSA wants 90 minutes, then 30 for rebuttal. Things are moving fast. Thread will continue.

Judge Castel said resume at 1:45. But at 1:50 pm, the prosecutors are in their chairs, but the defense is not. Conferring with Geovanny Fuentes if he wants to put on a defense or even... to testify? Initial question (we'll answer here), will defense put on a case.

Now Geovanny Fuentes is in, sitting alone at defense table with 2 Marshals behind him. Interpreter hands him the headphones.
Now defense lawyers are in place; still no judge or jury. Down in SDNY cafeteria there were carts just rolling in. Maybe lunch delay?

[As trial comes near an end, all the detail seem more poignant. On March 30 convicted Tony Hernandez faces life in prison. Geovanny is talking to 1 of his lawyers while the other talks with prosecutor. The lawyers will go on to other cases. Defendant, not so much.

OK, interstitial fill is over. Now Fuentes' lawyer to cross examine Fox the gun expert.
Fuentes' lawyer: These guns came from a government repository, right?
Fox: That is correct.
Fuentes' lawyer: Do you know whose phone the photos came from?
Fox: No.
Nothing more

AUSA: The government rests.
Judge Castel asks an open ended question to Fuentes' lawyers. There is no clear response, except for a request to a whispered sidebar that we cannot / will not live tweet.
Thread will continue.

Judge Castel: We will begin closing arguments tomorrow morning. I believe we will finish them, and instructions, by mid-afternoon and you (jurors) can begin to deliberate.
[That's to say, a fast Friday verdict is possible. Or they return Monday. We're in end-game]

Judge Castel moves tomorrow's starting time up by 15 minutes to 9:15 am (local time in New York). To give the jurors as much time as possible to deliberate on Friday. How late might they go? They can stay (well) past 5, if they are close to a decision

With juror gone (for the last time?), Judge Castel says he'll ask the District Executive to move the lawyer's box forward toward the jury box to be closer to them. In fact, he's calling the District Executive's office now, from the bench.

Fuentes' lawyer: As we discussed at sidebar, I think we should add a statute of limitations charge, like Judge Sand.
Judge Castel: Either party can submitted that they want to me. It's 2:18 pm now, we'd need it be 5:30 this afternoon. That's it. We're adjourned.

One of Fuentes' lawyer says he would have started at 9 am but Long Island Rail Road is cutting service, only one train every two hours.
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