Results tagged “bail”

Disgraced former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik was released from jail last night on $1.5 million bond and placed under house arrest as he awaits his February sentencing on various federal crimes. For the next few months, Kerik must wear an electronic monitoring bracelet and is not allowed to set foot outside his $2.5 million home in Franklin Lakes, N.J., except to visit lawyers, his church, and a hospital emergency room, if necessary. He's also allowed to meet with accountants fixing his fraudulent tax returns, but yesterday a judge denied Kerik's request to walk his children to school, telling him, "This is not home confinement with morning strolls and afternoon strolls."

Frank DiPascali, the "chief financial officer" for Bernard Madoff Investments, was denied bail by a judge yesterday, in spite of both the defense's and prosecution's arguments that DiPascali was cooperating. U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan was skeptical of that, "The only people he could cooperate with are in a prison in Butner or in the bottom of a swimming pool someplace." Ouch!

Former NYC police commissioner Bernard Kerik spent the night in jail, after a judge in his federal corruption trial revoked his bail. Federal District Judge Stephen C. Robinson was unsparing in his criticism of Kerik's behavior, calling him a "toxic combination of self-minded focus and arrogance... And I fear that combination leads him to believe his ends justify his means. He sees the court’s rulings as an inconvenience, something to be ignored, and an obstacle to be circumvented."

Kyle Shaw, the 17-year-old suspected of setting off a crude explosive outside an Upper East Side Starbucks in May, made bail yesterday. The AP reports that the teen Fight Club enthusiast "was released on $300,000 bail last week after being arrested on charges of arson, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal mischief... Defense lawyer Adam Perlmutter suggested the electronic bracelet, and the judge said OK. Perlmutter said the monitoring device would be affixed before Shaw left the courthouse Monday." Shaw's peers have been discussing his future on Facebook, especially after Shaw appeared in court with a black eye, apparently courtesy a fellow Rikers inmate. Runnin' Scared noticed reactions like "omg this makes me so sad, i feel bad for him" and "You guys are worrying too much, knowing Kyle he's probably loving this."

Kyle Shaw, the 17-year-old who was apparently so inspired by Fight Club that he allegedly bombed a Starbucks in May, appeared at his bail hearing today—with a bruise near his left eye! The Post reports, "Shaw got the shiner while at Rikers Island this week after another inmate punched him," and the Daily News explains, "Before he socked him, the jailbird asked if [Shaw] was part of the lockup's own fight club - brawls organized by correction officers under the rubric 'The Program,' a source said." We wonder if Shaw's affection for the film (and book) is fading. Prosecutor Chris Ryan asked that Shaw remained in custody, because he was taped saying he wanted to plant another bomb before he headed off to Outward Bound this summer—"I'm going to ... camp. I think I need to do one more before I go." However, the judge allowed Shaw to head home for the weekend before he makes a decision on Monday. Ryan complained to the News, "I can't imagine that any New Yorker believes that someone who sets off a bomb ought to go anywhere but jail."

Not even in the clink for 24 hours and Bernard Madoff is looking to get out of jail. The disgraced financier's lawyers filed an appeal to get the 70-year-old out of his Metropolitan Correctional Center jail cell today. The filing reads, "Since his arrest, Mr. Madoff has complied at all times with the extraordinarily restrictive bail conditions imposed upon him. He has not attempted to flee nor has he attempted to harm any individual or the community."

23-year-old David Silverman (pictured) is due in court today in Manhattan to seek bail after being charged with child pornography and statutory rape. Prosecutors say Silverman was raised in a Hasidic family upstate but left home in his teens, shaved his hair, tattooed his body, pierced his ears, and, in the Post's words, immersed himself in "the sex and drug-drenched rave and trance music scene." Then in 2007 he allegedly started trolling MySpace for underage girls in Westchester and luring them to a nightclub-style porn set near the Javits Center, where he'd get them drunk and videotape the sex. In case that wasn't TMI enough for your Monday morning, also note that Silverman called himself "King Dingling" on his Facebook page. But now the King says he's abdicated the throne and rejoined the Hasidic fold, so he can't possibly discuss the charges or look at the evidence "for religious reasons," according to his lawyer. That's all we've got on the case of the alleged Hasidic MySpace porno predator for now...stay tuned for more creepy updates later in the week.

Marc Dreier, the once prominent attorney now accused of duping investors of $400 million in a grifting scheme, was given $20 million bond, which he says he cannot pay. Dreier's lawyer Gerald Shargel pointed out that Bernard Madoff (pictured)—who swindled people out of an estimated $50 billion—was given $10 million bail and thinks Dreier's conditions shouldn't be stricter than Madoff's. However, U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas Eaton, who had set Madoff's bail, said, "I think the risk of flight is greater in Mr. Dreier’s case than in Mr. Madoff’s case." Hmm, Dreier impersonate a lawyer while trying to scam a Canadian pension fund. And one of Dreier's bond co-signers was to be his 19-year-old son, who the feds say is not responsible; Spencer Dreier, per Bloomberg News, allegedly tried to transfer his dad's Hamptons properties "after a freeze order was in effect, and...directed the staff aboard his father’s yacht not to bring the vessel to the U.S."

Marc Dreier, the once prominent attorney with over 200 employees, is hoping for bail once again. A lawyer for Dreier, who is charged with stealing $380 million through "high stakes grifting", says his client has been cooperating with authorities, noting that no money appeared to be put into off-shore accounts and therefore poses no flight risk. And FYI: Dreier used the money to, according to the NY Law Journal, cover "operating expenses, capital expenditures, construction costs and security deposits; invested in losing stocks; or used to buy property and artwork." Property like boats and cars (a 2007 Aston Martin DB9 Volante) and artwork like the Tom Otterness sculpture, Big Thief (pictured), and Henri Matisse's "Grand Masque."

Federal Magistrate Ronald Ellis's decision to allow scammer Bernard Madoff to remain out on bail means that his neighbors at 133 East 64th Street must endure more, most likely, unwelcome attention to their rarefied Upper East Side co-op. The NY Times' Susan Dominus revealed that Madof sent them a note ("printed out on simple white paper, with letterhead formatted by word processor") a few weeks ago:

Dear neighbors,

Continue reading "More Semi-Free Range Madoff"

According to CNBC and the Dow Jones Newswire, Federal Magistrate Ronald Ellis has decided not to revoke bail for financial scammer Bernard Madoff. You can read the ruling here (PDF), but the basic gist is that Ellis doesn't think the DOJ proved its point that Madoff is a flight risk. Bloomberg News reports, "Ellis imposed new bail conditions, including ordering Madoff to compile an inventory of all items he has in his home and barring him from transferring property." Re: "barring him from transferring property"—shouldn't that have been a restriction when Madoff was first arrested?

Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff should find out today whether or not his bail will be revoked. The man behind an alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme spent the weekend under (pent)house arrest, but the U.S. Attorney's office claims he is a flight risk and point to his recent mailing of over $1 million in jewelry and other personal effects to relatives as a sign he's distributing his assets, a violation of his bail agreement. Today's decision comes after yesterday's revelation that Madoff also ripped of his own sister: The Post reported that Sondra Wiener (who received one of those packages) has recently put her Palm Beach home up for sale. Her son confirmed, "Yes, my family's a victim. More so than anybody else. It's very painful."

The federal judge deciding whether to revoke Bernard Madoff's bail will announce his decision on Monday, giving the fraudulent investor another weekend under house arrest at his $7 million Upper East Side penthouse.

It's hard to swallow Bernard Madoff's lawyer claim that his scamming client "innocently" mailed gift packages to relatives, given that one of the packages alone had $1 million worth of jewelry in it. Also, since when do you mail $1 million worth of goods? Isn't that something you do face-to-face? Anyway, according to Bloomberg News, that package had "13 watches, a diamond necklace, an emerald ring, and two sets of cufflinks" while another two had "a diamond bracelet, a gold watch, a diamond Cartier watch, a diamond Tiffany watch, four diamond brooches, a jade necklace, and other assorted jewelry." The U.S. Attorney's office is trying to argue that Madoff is dispersing his assets, therefore violating his bail (and further making him seems like a flight risk), and wants him in jail pronto. Madoff's lawyer says the disgraced investor and his wife are trying to retrieve the items, which might be hard since the feds are in possession of some. In other Madoff news, he borrowed $250 million from a friend right before his arrest.

Prosecutors say that (alleged) $50 billion Ponzi scheme mastermind Bernard Madoff should be in jail after violating his bail conditions by sending packages to relatives. The feds say he's transferring his assets, but Madoff's defense lawyer Ira Sorkin claims they were just innocent gifts—the Post describes some objects as "expensive watches, pens, cufflinks and a $200 pair of mittens meant as a Hanukkah gift" and the Daily News adds there was jewelry and that the packages were apparently worth $1 million.

A judge denied bail to the 20-year-old man whose pipe bomb, knife, fireworks, and .22-caliber rounds in his belongings caused MacArthur Airport to be partially shut down on Thursday. Newsday reports that Magistrate Kathleen Tomlinson thinks that Steven Nobles "poses a danger to the community" and said she was "not sure how a rational person carries a pipe bomb" onto an airplane. She added, "His actions are bizarre." A lawyer for Nobles, a Las Vegas resident who had been working for his uncle on Long Island, said his client "forgot" the pipe-bomb and 7-inch knife were in his carry-on bag (the other things were in his checked bag). The U.S. Department of Justice has not stated whether the items could have exploded on their own, but the authorities are testing them.

David Brooks, who is the subject of a pump and dump stock scheme investigation that allegedly netted him hundreds of millions of dollars, had the restrictions on his $400 million bail loosened this week by a judge who feels he's only a minor flight risk. Brooks was the CEO of DHB Industries, a maker of bullet proof body armor worn by the U.S. military and the NYPD.

John White is free on bail after being convicted of manslaughter, and yesterday called for the arrest of the father of the 17-year-old Long Island man he killed. His son Aaron filed a complaint with police after Daniel Cicciaro Sr. seemed to threaten his life. White was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to two to four years for the death of Daniel Cicciaro Jr., who he shot in the head during an altercation in August 2006. The victim's father was apoplectic following the sentencing, which he deemed inappropriately light. In front of news cameras, Cicciaro Sr. went on a profanity-laced tirade. "Let's see what happens when Aaron White gets shot!" he yelled at one point.

A judge has decided not to grant murder suspect Natavia Lowery bail. Lowery is accused of killing her boss, broker to the stars Linda Stein, by bludgeoning her to death.