by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE, Sept 29 – Jonathan Spalletta was arrested and arraigned on March 30 for two hacks of Uranium Finance in April 2021.
The second hack, the indictment alleges, netted $53 million which it says Spalletta “laundered including through the cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash in order to buy Pokemon cards, antique Roman coins and a piece of the Wright brothers’ original plane that Neil Armstrong had taken to the moon.
To the moon! [Echoes of SafeMoon, prosecuted in EDNY] Inner City Press was in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Magistrates Court when Spalletta was presented and sent up to Judge Jed S. Rakoff’s courtroom for arraignment.
On September 11, before a September 28 trial, Judge Rakoff ruled that the US’ Daubert motion is due September 14 with Defendant’s opposition due September 23.
On September 28 the trial began, with (very) short jury selection, openings and a witness, which Inner City Press live tweeted. So too on September 29 when after the lunch break lead defense counsel Bell requested out, and got it:
1:44 pm -Spalletta’s lead lawyer is seeking to withdraw from the case, mis-trial. Mistrial? Sidebar only with Bell, Sharma, Spalletta
2:02 pm - waiting for public proceeding to resume, here is Spalletta’s lead counsel James Bell’s motion to withdraw
2:09 pm Judge Rakoff: We are back on the record. Mr. Bell has been relieved. Mr. Sharma is going to endeavor to bring in some help from his firm. I’m going to give a soft explanation to the jury so they don’t speculate. Sharma: Can we adjourn at 3 today? Yes.
Jury entering! Judge Rakoff: Mr. Bell has had to go home and no longer be with us. We’re going to make arrangement for more assistant from Mr. Sharma’s firm, we’ll end at 3 today. Go ahead. AUSA: Mr. Pettyjohn, GX 554A..We’re having some connection issues
AUSA: What’s shown in this chart? Pettyjohn: Underneath Tornado Cash are accounts I was asked to investigate. These are the primary accounts... Here, he bought a piece of the Apollo rocket, using his Flaming Cows account. AUSA: And this? Pettyjohn: A Roman coin
Judge Rakoff: It’s 3 pm so the jurors may go... I don’t want to bring religion into the courthouse, but if jurors would pray for the Yankees in their first playoff game tonight (laughs)
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