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Judge Edward Korman denied defense attorney Gerald Shargel's request to submit new evidence involving Donell Nichols and sternly admonished him about Chris and Irv Lorenzo's affiliation with Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff on day six of the Murder Inc. money laundering trial.
"This murderer and druglord was admittedly involved with your client," Judge Korman sternly said to Shargel of Supreme as he pounded his hand against the podium. "That's a fact."
The aging judge dealt a minor blow to the defense this morning when he reprimanded Shargel for asserting that IRS Agent Mase, who ordered the sting on Murder Inc offices in 2003, was "assuming" when he stated in his affidavit that Supreme was head of Murder Inc and Irv was simply a "frontman." The judge also rejected Shargel's "brand spanking new evidence" about prosecution witness Donnell Nichols. Nichols was scheduled to testify again today about a taped conversation between him and an undisclosed party, but the conversation wasn't allowed into the courtroom. Shargel was also rebuffed by the judge when he asked that his client be "acquitted" based upon "zoning concerns" - essentially that the charges against Murder Inc were outside of the trial's regional jurisdiction.
The morning continued with the defense calling their first witness, self-employed forensic accountant John Ryan, to the stand. Under questioning from Shargel, Ryan, a former special agent for the IRS, listed a series of Murder Inc account withdrawals from January 2000 to December 2002, including ATM transactions, totaling $852,267. Ryan then read records showing that many of the withdrawals were made from casinos in Las Vegas; Atlantic City; Paradise Island, Bahamas and Foxwoods, CT supporting the theory that Chris Lorenzo "Gotti" spent the large sums of cash for his gambling habits.
During cross-examination, Ryan fumbled when questioned by prosecutor Carolyn Pokorny about the logic of examing bank withdrawals, rather than deposits in a money laundering case. When asked if he examined Chris' deposits, Ryan hesitated for several minutes, and finally said he couldn't recall whether the defense asked him to analyze deposits. He also admitted that he analyzed most of the records, but not all.
With Ryan in agreement, Pokorny then established that over a period of three years, approximately $100,000 in third party checks were deposited into Chris' account. Pokorny then indicated that the amount of withdrawals exceeded Chris' income. The government then showed Chris' tax returns, including a 2000 filing in which is taxable income amounted to $110,000. Chris withdrew $153,000 that year.
Pokorny then showed that Murder Inc's bank account only had $20 dollars in it in early October 2000. Records show that weeks later, $65,000 was deposited into the account. The time period coincides with two checks being cut to convicted drug lord Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff's Picture Perfect film company. In December 2001, the memo of a $50,000 check used to bail out Born Knowledge, a drug runner for McGriff and Irv's personal driver, indicated that the money was to be used for promotions.
Irv, wearing a black suit and tie with a white shirt, and Chris, sporting a grey suit with a beige shirt and light green tie, remained poker-faced throughout the testimony.
The jury, comprised of a diverse ethnic group of fourteen men and women who appeared to be mostly over 40, watched the proceedings stoic and unyielding any evidence of their position.
Ashanti and her mother, Tina Douglas, were on hand to support. Meanwhile, Warner Music executives Kevin Liles and Lyor Cohen also arrived around noon.
The defense rested their case for the day. The summation and verdict is scheduled to take place tomorrow.
Source: sohh.com
"This murderer and druglord was admittedly involved with your client," Judge Korman sternly said to Shargel of Supreme as he pounded his hand against the podium. "That's a fact."
The aging judge dealt a minor blow to the defense this morning when he reprimanded Shargel for asserting that IRS Agent Mase, who ordered the sting on Murder Inc offices in 2003, was "assuming" when he stated in his affidavit that Supreme was head of Murder Inc and Irv was simply a "frontman." The judge also rejected Shargel's "brand spanking new evidence" about prosecution witness Donnell Nichols. Nichols was scheduled to testify again today about a taped conversation between him and an undisclosed party, but the conversation wasn't allowed into the courtroom. Shargel was also rebuffed by the judge when he asked that his client be "acquitted" based upon "zoning concerns" - essentially that the charges against Murder Inc were outside of the trial's regional jurisdiction.
The morning continued with the defense calling their first witness, self-employed forensic accountant John Ryan, to the stand. Under questioning from Shargel, Ryan, a former special agent for the IRS, listed a series of Murder Inc account withdrawals from January 2000 to December 2002, including ATM transactions, totaling $852,267. Ryan then read records showing that many of the withdrawals were made from casinos in Las Vegas; Atlantic City; Paradise Island, Bahamas and Foxwoods, CT supporting the theory that Chris Lorenzo "Gotti" spent the large sums of cash for his gambling habits.
During cross-examination, Ryan fumbled when questioned by prosecutor Carolyn Pokorny about the logic of examing bank withdrawals, rather than deposits in a money laundering case. When asked if he examined Chris' deposits, Ryan hesitated for several minutes, and finally said he couldn't recall whether the defense asked him to analyze deposits. He also admitted that he analyzed most of the records, but not all.
With Ryan in agreement, Pokorny then established that over a period of three years, approximately $100,000 in third party checks were deposited into Chris' account. Pokorny then indicated that the amount of withdrawals exceeded Chris' income. The government then showed Chris' tax returns, including a 2000 filing in which is taxable income amounted to $110,000. Chris withdrew $153,000 that year.
Pokorny then showed that Murder Inc's bank account only had $20 dollars in it in early October 2000. Records show that weeks later, $65,000 was deposited into the account. The time period coincides with two checks being cut to convicted drug lord Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff's Picture Perfect film company. In December 2001, the memo of a $50,000 check used to bail out Born Knowledge, a drug runner for McGriff and Irv's personal driver, indicated that the money was to be used for promotions.
Irv, wearing a black suit and tie with a white shirt, and Chris, sporting a grey suit with a beige shirt and light green tie, remained poker-faced throughout the testimony.
The jury, comprised of a diverse ethnic group of fourteen men and women who appeared to be mostly over 40, watched the proceedings stoic and unyielding any evidence of their position.
Ashanti and her mother, Tina Douglas, were on hand to support. Meanwhile, Warner Music executives Kevin Liles and Lyor Cohen also arrived around noon.
The defense rested their case for the day. The summation and verdict is scheduled to take place tomorrow.
Source: sohh.com