TIG Post

Tag: Manhattan Criminal Court

  • Ex-Marine pleaded not-guilty to allegations related to death of a homeless man on subway

    Ex-Marine pleaded not-guilty to allegations related to death of a homeless man on subway

    ordan Neely was killed on a New York City underground car, and a former member of the Marine Corps for the United States pleaded not-guilty to manslaughter charges.

    The homeless guy Neely was put in a chokehold by Daniel Penny, 24, on May 1 in Manhattan after he yelled at other riders on a tube car.

    The 24-year-old veteran held Neely’s neck as he passed away, and two other passengers assisted in holding his body.

    A bystander managed to capture the confrontation on video, which drew public outrage after it circulated on social media.

    Penny was questioned by police officers after Neely’s death, but was not detained. He was arrested over a week later and charged with second-degree manslaughter and negligent homicide on May 12.

    He was indicted again by a grand jury on second-degree manslaughter charges on June 15.

    If convicted, Penny faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for manslaughter, and five years in prison for negligent homicide.

    On Wednesday, Penny was arraigned before a judge in Manhattan Criminal Court. When asked how he pleaded, Penny said ‘not guilty.’ He said nothing else over the course of the short hearing.

    Penny is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on October 25. He was released after posting a $100,000 bond.

    Penny claimed he acted in self-defense, and said that Neely had been shouting that he was ‘ready to die’ and willing to go to jail before he restrained him.

    Danny isn’t the only one on trial,’ his defense attorney Steven Raiser said. ‘The rights of people to defend one another will be on a trial too.’

    Others have criticized Penny’s actions, noting that Neely struggled with homelessness and mental illness.

    ‘A good Samaritan helps those in trouble,’ said Reverend Al Sharpton at Neely’s funeral in May. ‘They don’t choke him out.’

    Meanwhile, supporters have raised over $2.9million through a fundraiser on the platform GiveSendGo.

    ‘For everyone who thought donating $3 million would somehow make this go away or buy his pass: It’s not going to happen,’ said Donte Mills, a lawyer representing Neely’s family.

  • Donald Trump wants a delay in the rape trial

    Donald Trump wants a delay in the rape trial

    The trial for an alleged rape of a columnist, which was supposed to begin this month, seems to be delayed by the former president Donald Trump.

    The trial, which is set to start on April 25, centers on allegations that Trump sexually attacked columnist E Jean Carroll in a changing room at a Manhattan department shop in 1996.

    However, Carroll’s lawyers made it evident that a prominent donor to the Democratic Party helped finance her lawsuit, thus Trump’s attorney Alina Habba is asking for a postponement.

    The revelation that Carroll received money from American Future Republic, a social welfare organization funded by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, puts the lawsuit’s motives and credibility into question, Habba wrote in a letter on Thursday.

    Habba said the disclosure feeds into Trump’s defense calling Carroll’s accusations a ‘hoax’ and ‘con job’. Trump had also questioned if the Democratic Party was funding the suit and if Carroll brought it with a political agenda.

    Carroll’s lawyer Roberta Kaplan in a letter to the court on Thursday asked the judge to deny Trump’s request for a trial delay.

    ‘One thing is clear – Trump will stop at nothing to avoid having a jury hear Carroll’s claims,’ wrote Kaplan.

    Earlier this week, Trump’s lawyer Joe Tacopina asked for a month delay in the trial, citing some negative publicity around the ex-president’s arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court on April 4. Trump plead not guilty to 34 felony counts around Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation into his alleged role in a hush payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

    ‘Holding the trial of this case a mere three weeks after these historic events will guarantee that many, if not most, prospective jurors will have the criminal allegations top of mind when judging President Trump’s defense against Ms Carroll’s allegations,’ wrote Tacopina.

    ‘President Trump can only receive a fair trial in a calmer media environment than the one created by the New York County district attorney.’

    Also on Thursday, the Washington, DC, Court of Appeals refused to decide if Trump can be shielded from the first of two defamation suits brought by Carroll.

    The developments unfolded the same day that Trump sat for his second deposition in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ $250million civil lawsuit alleging fraud by him, his three eldest children and the Trump Organization.

  • Trump makes a not-guilty plea on payment to porn star

    Trump makes a not-guilty plea on payment to porn star

    Former President Donald Trump, who was charged with 34 felonies for fabricating company records, entered a not guilty plea and became the first American president to do so.

    Trump responded “not guilty” to the allegations that he participated in a $130,000 hush payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in order to silence her regarding her allegations of an affair while he was seated stony-faced in Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday afternoon.

    Maximum prison time for all related counts is 136 years.
    Trump was processed and had his fingerprints taken, but neither a mugshot nor handcuffs were taken.

    Trump did not address the media on his way into the Manhattan district attorney’s office or courthouse, or on his way out around 3.27pm.

    Ex-President Donald Trump's lawyers Joe Tacopina, Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles spoke to the media briefly outside the courthouse
    Ex-President Donald Trump’s lawyers Joe Tacopina, Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles spoke to the media briefly outside the courthouse (Picture: Jessica Kwong)

    His lawyers, Joe Tacopina, Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles, walked out of 100 Centre Street after Trump’s motorcade departed and spoke to the media briefly.

    ‘It’s not a good day,’ said Trump’s newly hired attorney Todd Blanche. ‘I don’t expect this to happen in this country… to somebody who was president of the United States.’

    Trump was frustrated with the events that unfolded after a grand jury on Thursday voted to indict him, said Blanche, and added that the charges are ‘completely political’.

    ‘We’re going to fight it,’ Blanche said. ‘Fight it hard.’

    As the indictment was unsealed, the crowd – a mix of anti-Trump protesters and fans who wore MAGA hats and clutched 2024 campaign flags – were quiet. There was no notable reaction even in the minutes after it was revealed that Trump was charged with 34 counts.

    A Trump supporter, David Rem of Queens, the ex-president’s hometown, held a Trump flag and shouted, ‘We love you Donald, we love you’.

    ‘I think the charges are nonsense and I ask people just to think about this one fact,’ Rem, 53, told Metro.co.uk.

    ‘If Donald Trump would’ve announced a month ago that he was not going to run as a Republican candidate, this whole carnival and circus and kangaroo court, would not even have been here today.’

    The crowd dispersed quickly after Trump was whisked away from the vicinity, but some Trump opponents stuck around.

    Nadine Seiler, 57, who traveled from Waldorf, Maryland, held a large banner that read ‘Trump indicted’ on one side and ‘finally Trump is arrested’ on the other.

    ‘They charge him with 34 but we know he probably did about 100 but I’m good with that,’ Seiler told Metro.co.uk.

    In the early afternoon before Trump’s arrival, people crowded around along a gate at a park outside the courthouse where hundreds of media members camped out waiting.

    Protesters waved flags occasionally and blew horns but were largely calm as they waited for Trump’s arraignment and processing.

    On Tuesday morning, Trump supporters and opponents clashed at a park outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse.

    His arraignment came more than two weeks after Trump claimed he would be arrested and called on his followers to protest.

    Posting on his Truth Social platform on March 18, Trump wrote that ‘illegal leaks’ from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office indicate that ‘THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK’.

    In the days following, law enforcement officials met at the New York Police Department headquarters to discuss security around Trump’s court appearance.

    Notably, Trump’s indictment comes as he makes a 2024 presidential bid.

    There were recent indications that an indictment was forthcoming.

    Daniels and her lawyer in mid-March revealed that they had met with prosecutors at the request of the district attorney’s office.

    ‘Stormy responded to questions and has agreed to make herself available as a witness, or for further inquiry if needed,’ tweeted Clark Brewster last week.

    Daniels shared Brewster’s post and wrote: ‘Thank you to my amazing attorney (who also always spells my name correctly) for helping me in our continuing fight for truth and justice.’