Illustrated Courtroom

COURTROOM ARTISTS COVERING HUSH MONEY TRIAL- WHAT IT'S LIKE By Monica Torres

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Wed, 22 May 2024 12:20:00 +0000

We're Courtroom Artists Covering Trump's Hush Money Trial. Here's What It's Like.

Monica Torres

Wed, 22 May 2024 at 3:01 am

Courtroom artists revealed the fascinating details of their jobs — and the moments we rarely see. Illustration: Jianan Liu/HuffPost; Photo: Getty Images, AP

For Elizabeth Williams, one of the three courtroom artists inside the Manhattan courtroom for former President Donald Trump’s trial, every day is a new challenge.

Take last Tuesday, when defense attorney Todd Blanche cross-examined Trump’s fixer-turned-enemy Michael Cohen on the witness stand. She nailed the former president’s facial expression. “He tends to purse his lips forward when he gets really pissed off. And he was doing that,” Williams told HuffPost on Sunday.

But on that particular drawing, she was less satisfied with how Cohen turned out, even though she felt she got his energy down. “Did I get a really great likeness of him? No, but that’s what the back-and-forth [between Blanche and Cohen] looked like.”

That’s the daily challenge of a courtroom artist. “It’s not like you can say, ‘I’ve been doing this for so long. It’s just so easy now.’ That’s just unfortunately not true,” Williams said, noting that she goes through “a lot of paper.”

Trump is on trial in New York for allegedly covering up hush money payments Cohen made on his behalf to Stephanie Clifford, an adult film star who goes by Stormy Daniels, ahead of the 2016 presidential election. And unless you’re a juror or journalist, you’re most likely only seeing the trial through Williams’ and other courtroom artists’ sketches.

New York remains one of the only jurisdictions that bans cameras in most courtrooms. In this high-profile criminal trial, as with many others where photography, broadcasting and livestreaming is limited or banned, courtroom art is one of the only ways that the public can see how the proceedings unfold.

These artists become responsible for conveying what it’s like to be in that room. It’s their job to capture the colors, moods and participants’ gestures, however fleeting.

What sets courtroom art from other mediums is how it can distill a scene into “the key most important elements and put them into an image. And it’s representative of the day’s story,” said Christine Cornell, one of the other courtroom artists covering the Trump trial.

Cornell noticed that her first drawings of Daniels made her simply look pretty, but she was later struck by a moment during Daniels’ testimony when she was making a face with her jaw.

“You want to just get it enough to show the agitation and that she’s expressing herself,” Cornell told HuffPost about why she chose that moment to zoom in on.

In one of her own drawings of Daniels, Williams highlighted how closely the jury listened to her testimony. She could not get the jurors’ faces, but she made sure to draw their hands jotting down notes.

“They were very attentive to her,” Williams said about the moment. “She’s talking to them. ... Some witnesses don’t really address the jury. She did.”

What it’s really like to cover a historic trial

Each day, the three veteran courtroom artists –– Williams, Cornell and Jane Rosenberg –– are seated in the third row on the right side of the courtroom. They rotate spots daily. Williams was scheduled to sit on Tuesday on the far right next to the wall, which she said would give her a chance to see the jury and what they’re doing, for example.

Between them, the three artists have covered many famous cases, such as Tom Brady’s “Deflategate” saga, Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape trial and the trial of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

However, all three said this trial stands out for the intense security presence around the proceedings, including from police and the Secret Service. “They won’t even excuse us to leave until all the prosecutors are gone and Trump’s been gone for 20 minutes,” Cornell said.

Court artists are used to being able to draw people in seconds, she said. But it’s been hard to even catch a good glimpse of the star of the case, Trump, who is often blocked from view by court officers.

“Every day, I have to wait till [the officers] move or squeeze a peek in between them,” Rosenberg told HuffPost. “But [Trump]’s really fun to draw. He’s got great expression on his face, that pouty look. He’s got great bushy eyebrows and his helmet hair.”

In Williams' sketch, she drew Reps. Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert sitting at Trump's hush money trial. Williams said she is proud of this drawing because it shows "the public what it's really like to be in that courtroom" with the high level of security. Elizabeth Williams

Williams, who works with the Associated Press, said she has to adhere to strict AP editorial guidelines. “I can’t take a picture of Donald Trump and ram him up next to the witness box,” she explained. Some of her work does not include Trump, simply because she cannot see him.

As the weeks-long trial nears its conclusion, the artists have been pulling long hours to complete four to five sketches a day, which they shoot off to wire services or news outlets on breaks. Cornell said she’ll email her drawings in the bathroom.

“There’s a nice big window there with a counter. I set my drawings down, take a photograph and email it in. Very glamorous,” Cornell said.

The long days can be “physically draining,” Rosenberg said. To get the best view, Rosenberg, who is right-handed, has to work with her left hand at times, which hurts her back. To help, she wakes up at 4 a.m. and does back exercises and meditates.

“I’m exhausted right now, because I get up so early and I have such a long day, of course, but I don’t start drawing until like 9:30 [a.m.], when [Trump] walks in the room,” Rosenberg said.

Cornell said for her job, she uses a “couple hundred” pastels, binoculars and a seat cushion to help her see over people. She estimates that her portfolio and art supplies weigh more than 20 pounds.

And on the world stage, you have to be ready to face everybody’s opinion about your work. Critics often accuse courtroom artists of unfairly editorializing about the people they draw. At this year’s White House Correspondent’s Dinner, comedian Colin Jost said the artists were trying to make Trump look “like the Grinch” and “as bad as possible.”

Rosenberg said that this critique is “ridiculous.”

She said she’s has gotten more praise than criticism for her sketches during the trial — her arraignment sketch of Trump became a New Yorker magazine cover — but she does occasionally read negative feedback. Recently, she got an email from a person that said she inaccurately portrayed Cohen “as an old, sad, sick man” and Trump as “a strong middle-aged man.” She replied, saying that she was sorry that her work had let the the person down.

“It does make me feel bad,” she said of the criticism. “But I have to keep going.”

A rewarding but dwindling profession

Being a courtroom artist requires quick thinking and the ability to start over instantly if there’s a better scene to capture. It’s an “adrenaline rush,” Rosenberg said, noting that she sees her job as a “service for the public.“

But it’s a shrinking profession. Williams, who started doing courtroom art in 1980 after working as a fashion illustrator estimates there are only about 10 courtroom artists working across the nation right now. She said courtroom art is not her full-time job and she draws weddings and events on the side.

Above, (L-R) courtoom artists Elizabeth Williams, Jane Rosenberg and Christine Cornell wait to enter the courthouse for Trump's trial. JEFFERSON SIEGEL via Getty Images

Cornell and Rosenberg both said they would not recommend the profession to others, because it can be hard to find steadily paying gigs. Even though she is well established, Cornell said she can go weeks without work.

“I don’t think it’s a good way to earn a living,” Rosenberg said.

But if you want to learn how to draw like one, grab a sketchbook, head to your local criminal courthouse and go to arraignment or a hearing. They are often open to the public and are the “bread-and-butter” assignments for courtroom artists, Williams said.

“A lot of artists feel like, ‘Oh, I can draw from photographs, so I can do all this.’ ... Going from a photograph and drawing from life are totally different,” she said, noting how she has to deal with subjects who are constantly moving.

“Draw a lot and draw quickly and look at the scene — the scene is the drawing,” Williams advised aspiring courtroom artists. “Do it a lot and then you’ll finally start to get ... something that you feel like, ‘Yeah, this is pretty good.’”

It can be hard work, but for courtroom artists, the enduring appeal of their job is getting to draw people. “I don’t really want to draw trees and flowers,” Williams said. “A seascape is only interesting if it has people in it.”

“People are so interesting. Just never boring,” Williams said. “A face has a multitude of muscles. That’s one of the things about Cohen, is that he has all these expressions, and just to grab one is really important. The eyebrows do all sorts of things.”

Soon the demanding days of the Trump trial will come to a conclusion. Both Cornell and Rosenberg said they are looking forward to the end.

On a recent day off, “I got up at 7:30 a.m. So late for me, I was so happy,” Rosenberg said. “It’s a luxury.”

“My dog misses me,” Cornell said. “It’s going to be fabulous when it’s over, and I’m just really interested to see what happens.”

Sketch Artists Prepare for Historic Trial by Peter Charalambous/ ABC News

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 02:39:00 +0000

https://ruralradio.com/kbear/abc_news/nowhere-near-as-angry-sketch-artists-prepare-for-historic-trump-criminal-trial-abcid33bfe4d7/

‘Nowhere near as angry’: Sketch artists prepare for historic Trump criminal trial

Peter Charalambous/ABC News

April 13th, 2024 | ABC News Radio

(NEW YORK) — When veteran sketch artist Christine Cornell draws former President Donald Trump, she searches for details.

“He’s got some very pretty qualities,” Cornell said. “I like the way his eyes have a kind of cat-like slant. I like his bushy eyebrows that are like caterpillars. I like that little pouty thing he does.”

Cornell, along with her colleagues Jane Rosenberg and Elizabeth Williams, have had dozens of opportunities to sketch Trump since he became the first former president to be arraigned on criminal charges last April, with Trump attending multiple days of his subsequent civil trials in New York. The former president has pleaded not guilty to falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels just days before the 2016 presidential election.

For Cornell and her colleagues, capturing details like Trump’s hair — which Cornell describes as a “helmet” — or his unique facial expressions — which include a “pissed off look” according to Rosenberg — has become a routine exercise.

But in interviews with ABC News, the three New York-based artists acknowledged that Trump’s criminal hush money trial, scheduled to begin in lower Manhattan on Monday, carries a different weight.

Taking place in a spartan courtroom no larger than the size of a basketball court, the trial will be witnessed in person by approximately 60 reporters. Apart from a few photographs at the start of the day, cameras are banned from the room once the proceedings begin.

As a result, the task of visually portraying the trial largely rests in the hands of the three veteran sketch artists — deadline artists in the most literal sense of the term — whose pastels and inks will depict an unprecedented moment in American history.

“My whole life is going to revolve around this trial,” Rosenberg said. “My job is to capture the intangible quality … to capture the emotion that’s happening. I think an artist can do that.”

‘Smooth-talking real estate tycoon’

Trump, who this year attended nearly three weeks of his civil trials in New York, has become a regular subject for the three sketch artists, who all drew their first sketches of a younger Trump in 1986 when he testified in an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL.

Trump, then the owner of the New Jersey Generals football team, presented himself as a charming witness, according to Williams and Cornell.

“He’s got this swagger and charisma. He’s this smooth-talking real estate tycoon,” Williams said, describing the younger Trump as “more subdued.”

Donald Trump in 1987 USFL vs NFL trial in Manhattan by Elizabeth Williams

“He was a young handsome thing back then, but still just as arrogant,” Cornell said. “Nowhere near as angry.”

According to Rosenberg, that anger was palpable last year when she sketched Trump during his New York arraignment. Her sketch of Trump glaring at prosecutors went viral online in the hours following Trump’s historic court appearance, and the New Yorker put the sketch on the magazine’s cover.

“He had that pissed off look — ‘I’m mad, I can’t believe they’re doing this, how could they’ — and I think I caught it,” Rosenberg said.

Trump’s New York hush money trial — which is scheduled to take six to eight weeks — will provide Cornell, Rosenberg, and Williams with repeat business by working with wire services or other news outlets. Having Trump in the courtroom on a daily basis also gives them a steady subject to refine in their sketches.

“The more I draw somebody, the more I can ace them,” Cornell said.

They each acknowledged that they enjoy sketching the former president, whose unique features add character to their work. Rosenberg said she enjoys the expressiveness of his face and the “crazy hair” in his eyebrows.

“Nobody looks like Trump,” Rosenberg said.

Cornell added that Trump’s hue — famously described as orange — is less intense in person, and his hair appears to be less “artificial” than in the past.

“I see more gray coming in on the sides. He’s allowing that to happen. It’s also a little thinner than it used to be,” Cornell said.

Williams believes that the sketches of Trump’s court appearances will capture a more realistic view of Trump than cameras could ever offer.

Donald Trump on the witness stand People v Trump Org trial by Elizabeth Williams

“He’s posing for them. When they’re gone, you really see who he really is, his real reaction, his real expression,” Williams said. “The words are the harmony. The illustrations are the melody. That’s how you tell the complete picture.”

‘The only survivors’

As outdated as a drawing might seem in today’s digital world, sketch artists serve a unique purpose by distilling hours of court into a cohesive image, according to Sara W. Duke, a curator of popular and applied graphic art at the Library of Congress.

Subtle changes in expression, pivotal moments of testimony, or a remark from a judge can drastically change a jury’s perception of a trial. For example, according to Duke, Timothy McVeigh — who was convicted for killing 168 people in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing — expressed little emotion during most of his month-long trial.

“Timothy McVeigh was stone cold until his mother testified — and then he broke down,” Duke said. “If you’re watching a televised trial, you might not remain interested long enough to watch that moment in time, but a courtroom artist is paid to notice the difference between somebody who refuses to show emotion and the moment in which they are compelled to show emotion.”

The work of sketch artists was driven by historical necessity, after photographers were banished from the courtroom due to the distracting nature of magnesium flash photography at the turn of the century. By 1937, the American Bar Association issued a policy prohibiting the use of still cameras and recording equipment in court. In the 1960s, a Texas businessman successfully appealed his conviction based on the presence of cameras in court, further entrenching the rules against cameras.

But that only heightened the public’s appetite for court reporting, which increased in the 1960s with the expansion of network news outlets, according to Duke.

CBS News, faced with the challenge of covering the trial of Jack Ruby — who murdered JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963 — helped pioneer the commercial sketch artist industry by hiring Howard Brodie, a former war artist, to sketch the trial. By the 1980s, more than 18 sketch artists flowed through the New York Court system, including Cornell, Rosenberg, and Williams.

Asked why she began sketching trials, Cornell said, “Out of desperation. It was a job also that immediately turned into repeat work.”

“Because I couldn’t make any money being a fashion illustrator,” Williams said.

“We’re the only survivors from back then,” Rosenberg said about herself and her two colleagues’ status as veteran New York sketch artists.

‘I gotta lose some weight’

As creatures of the court, Cornell, Rosenberg and Williams have drawn numerous historic figures who have had brushes with the law.

“If you’re famous and you get in trouble, I’m going to be there,” Cornell said.

Some subjects avoid being the focus of a sketch, while others play into the novelty of it, they said.

“Eddie Murphy was mocking me for drawing him. He was looking up and down, and did a little sketch of me on a Post-it,” Rosenberg said. Murphy offered her the sketch, which Rosenberg keeps among her own sketches in her New York apartment.

Others will attempt to influence their sketch.

“Leona Helmsley said, ‘If my hair is that messy, my husband should divorce me,'” Cornell recalled about the famous hotel magnate.

Rosenberg said that disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein asked if she could make his hair fuller.

Mafioso John Gotti went as far as to send men to ask courtroom artists to reduce the appearance of his double chin — a message he reinforced by gesturing to the artists in court with his hand near his neck.

“That was intimidating,” Rosenberg said.

Williams described a different encounter with Gotti, when he silently approached her from behind to comment on why she did not draw him with a smile.

John Gotti 1986 Brooklyn Federal Court by Elizabeth Williams

“I just froze. I said, ‘Well, I got one of you smiling at home. I will bring it in tomorrow,” Williams recalled.

Trump has also taken some interest in the courtroom sketch artists, according to Rosenberg, who said she frequently catches glances from the former president.

During his civil fraud trial last year, the former president offered Rosenberg feedback on some sketches during a break in the proceedings.

“I gotta lose some weight,” Trump remarked, according to Rosenberg.

Illustrated Courtroom: Artwork drawn of Elon Musk 50 Billion Dollar trial by Elizabeth Williams..

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 02:44:00 +0000

ILLUSTRATED EVENTS: Illustrated Courtroom: Artwork drawn of Elon Musk ...: Illustrated Courtroom: Artwork drawn of Elon Musk for the Associated Pres... : Elon Musk cannot keep Tesla pay package worth more than $55 Billion

Elon Musk cannot keep Tesla pay package worth more than $55 billion, judge rules

BY RANDALL CHASE OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARTWORK BY ELIZABETH WILLIAMS FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Elon Musk is not entitled to a landmark compensation package awarded by Tesla’s board of directors that is potentially worth more than $55 billion, a Delaware judge ruled Tuesday.

The ruling by Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick comes more than five years after a shareholder lawsuit targeted Tesla CEO Musk and directors of the company. They were accused of breaching their duties to the maker of electric vehicles and solar panels, resulting in a waste of corporate assets and unjust enrichment for Musk.

Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick of the Delaware Chancery Court

The shareholder’s lawyers argued that the compensation package should be voided because it was dictated by Musk and was the product of sham negotiations with directors who were not independent of him. They also said it was approved by shareholders who were given misleading and incomplete disclosures in a proxy statement.

Defense attorneys countered that the pay plan was fairly negotiated by a compensation committee whose members were independent, contained performance milestones so lofty that they were ridiculed by some Wall Street investors, and blessed by a shareholder vote that was not even required under Delaware law. They also argued that Musk was not a controlling shareholder because he owned less than one-third of the company at the time.

Elon Musk on the witness standing testifying in front of Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick

Musk, who as of Tuesday topped Forbes’ list of the world’s richest people, had earlier this month challenged Tesla’s board to come up with a new compensation plan for him that would give him a 25% stake in the company. On an earnings call last week, Musk, who currently holds 13%, explained that with a 25% stake, he can’t control the company, yet he would have strong influence.

In trial testimony in November 2022, Musk denied that he dictated terms of the compensation package or attended any meetings at which the plan was discussed by the board, its compensation committee, or a working group that helped develop it.

McCormick determined, however, that because Musk was a controlling shareholder with a potential conflict of interest, the pay package must be subject to a more rigorous standard.

“The process leading to the approval of Musk’s compensation plan was deeply flawed,” McCormick wrote in the colorfully written 200-page decision. “Musk had extensive ties with the persons tasked with negotiating on Tesla’s behalf.”

Ira Ehrenpreis on witness stand questioned by counsel for the plaintiff Gregory Varallo

McCormick specifically cited Musk’s long business and personal relationships with compensation committee chairman Ira Ehrenpreis and fellow committee member Antonio Gracias. She also noted that the working group working on the pay package included general counsel Todd Maron who was Musk’s former divorce attorney.

Todd Maron, Tesla General Counsel and Elon Musk's divorce attorney testifying on the witness stand

“In fact, Maron was a primary go-between Musk and the committee, and it is unclear on whose side Maron viewed himself,” the judge wrote. “Yet many of the documents cited by the defendants as proof of a fair process were drafted by Maron.”

Todd Maron questioned by plaintiff attorney representing Tornetta Jeroen van Kwawegen

McCormick concluded that the only suitable remedy was for Musk’s compensation package to be rescinded. “In the final analysis, Musk launched a self-driving process, recalibrating the speed and direction along the way as he saw fit,” she wrote. “The process arrived at an unfair price. And through this litigation, the plaintiff requests a recall.”

Antonio Garcias Tesla compensation committee board member on witness stand

Greg Varallo, a lead attorney for the shareholder plaintiff, praised McCormick’s decision to reverse the “absurdly outsized” Musk pay package.

“The fact that they lost this in Delaware court, it’s a jaw dropper,” said Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives. “It’s unprecedented, a ruling like this. I think going in investors thought it was just typical legal noise and nothing was going to come out about it. The fact that they went head to head with Tesla and Musk and the board and voided this, it’s a huge legal decision.”

During his trial testimony, Musk downplayed the notion that his friendships with certain Tesla board members, including sometimes vacationing together, meant that they were likely to do his bidding.

Ira Ehrenpreis questioned by Tesla defense attorney Evan Chesler

The plan called for Musk to reap billions if Tesla, which is based in Austin, Texas, hit certain market capitalization and operational milestones. For each incidence of simultaneously meeting a market cap milestone and an operational milestone, Musk, who owned about 22% of Tesla when the plan was approved, would get stock equal to 1% of outstanding shares at the time of the grant. His interest in the company would grow to about 28% if the company’s market capitalization grew by $600 billion.

Each milestone included growing Tesla’s market capitalization by $50 billion and meeting aggressive revenue and pretax profit growth targets. Musk stood to receive the full benefit of the pay plan, $55.8 billion, only by leading Tesla to a market capitalization of $650 billion and unprecedented revenues and earnings within a decade.

Tesla has achieved all twelve market capitalization milestones and eleven operational milestones, providing Musk nearly $28 billion in stock option gains, according to a January post-trial brief filed by the plaintiff’s attorneys. The stock option grants are subject to a five-year holding period, however.

BEARD GROUP- DISTRESSED INVESTOR CONFERENCE ART

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 15:22:00 +0000

Distressed Investor 2023 Conference in New York City.

Artwork by Courtroom Artist Elizabeth Williams

Illustrations below by various presenters

THE GUARDIAN Tough mouths, tears and ‘accordion hands’: a courtroom sketch artist’s banner year

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 14:45:00 +0000

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/23/courtroom-sketch-artist-donald-trump-sam-bankman-fried

Donald Trump, who has a ‘challenging face’ Artwork by Elizabeth Williams

Elizabeth Williams has been sketching since the 1980s – but with Trump, De Niro, Sheeran and Trump again, nothing quite compares to 2023

In 2022, Elizabeth Williams only worked 11 days as a courtroom sketch artist, relying on her other job as an illustrator to pay the bills. This year, work exploded.

Williams has covered these cases since the 1980s, providing sketches for outlets such as the Associated Press and CNN as countless celebrities made their way through New York City’s court system. Just when she thought she’d seen it all, the scene outside Manhattan courts started to resemble a red carpet, with news cameras and paparazzi jostling to get their photo of the many famous faces who stopped by in 2023. Whether it was one of Donald Trump’s numerous appearances or Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto trial, sketch artists like Williams had no shortage of inspiration as they gave the public a peek at proceedings inside the cameras weren’t privy to.

Anything but the fraud: ex-Trump aide focuses on ‘travesty’ courtroom sketch

Robert De Niro, Ed Sheeran and the Real Housewife Jen Shah all passed through New York courts in 2023 – sometimes, two on the same day, which meant that Williams skipped lunch to cover both of them. As the year ends, she’s swimming in sketches. “I might put together a calendar of all these people,” she said. “I’ve got enough Trump sketches to do just a calendar of him in court.”

A lot goes into Williams’s sketches, even if, in some cases, she only has mere minutes to complete them. After all, she’s sketching a first draft of history’s crooks, alleged perps and vindicated VIPs.

FOR ENTIRE STORY CLICK LINK
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/23/courtroom-sketch-artist-donald-trump-sam-bankman-fried

BANKMAN FRIED FORMER FTX CEO AT TRIAL: COURT SKETCHES

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 01:04:00 +0000

Sam Bankman Fried's demeanor during his trial has shown him to be more and more concerned as the witnesses pile up and the days go on. At the beginning of the trial he appeared focused on his laptop, showing little emotion

Courtroom Sketch of Sam Bankman Fried at the beginning of his trial

However as witnesses began to take the stand, his emotions started to show. During the first few witnesses he did not have much of a reaction. It was Gary Wang, the co-founder of FTX , was the witness who started to unnerve him. During Wang's direct testimony he would put his hand up to his head, he seemed upset. It must be tough hearing your best college friend testify against you.

Sketches of Bankman Fried during Gary Wang direct examination

Then during Wang's cross examination he would write down notes and motion to his attorney so he could give them to him. He had Post it notes all over the place. Sometimes he would fold them in his hands and then fold them again and again until the Post it was a tiny little square.

Courtroom Sketch of Bankman Fried writing on Post it notes, messages for his attorney
during cross examination of Gary Wang

Sketch of Bankman Fried talking to his attorney and handing him one of his many notes.

Then when Caroline Ellison took the stand, he seemed on a roller coaster. Closing his eyes at times seeming to meditate intensely clasping his hands together.

Courtroom Drawing of Bankman Fried seated eyes closed hand clasped

Once he shook his head slightly, then he would stare at his computer screen and at times he would grimace. When Ellison walked in and out of the courtroom there was no eye contact between them.

Sketch of Bankman Fried and Caroline Ellison during her testimony

Ellison would hold her head down when speaking or when the lawyers were at the sidebar. During those times Bankman Fried would stare into space or look at his computer screen. It was summed up in two words, extreme awkwardness.

Courtroom Sketch of Bankman Fried grimacing during Caroline Ellison's testimony

More weeks to come for Bankman Fried and his emotional roller coaster will continue.

TEXAS MAN CHARGED WITH KIDNAPPING 13 YEAR OLD GIRL, ARRESTED AND ARRAIGNED. Artwork by Bill Robles

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 02:16:00 +0000

A federal grand jury indicted a Texas man Thursday who allegedly kidnapped a 13-year-old girl at gunpoint in Texas, drove her to California, and sexually assaulted her multiple times before his arrest in Long Beach last week.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Steven Robert Sablan, 61, of Cleburne, is charged with one count of kidnapping and one count of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

Steven Sablan alleged kidnapper at his arraignment. Artwork by Bill Robles

His arraignment was arraigned on July 31 in the United States District Court in Los Angeles.

According to the indictment and an affidavit previously filed with a criminal complaint in this matter, on July 6 in San Antonio, the victim was walking down a street when Sablan, driving a gray Nissan Sentra, approached her. Sablan allegedly raised a black handgun to his side and told the victim to get in the car, saying "If you don't get in the car with me, I am going to hurt you."

Fearing for her life, the victim obeyed Sablan, court documents allege Sablan allegedly began driving with the victim in the car and asked her how old she was. Court documents state the victim said she was 13 years old, and – after later mentioning she had a friend in Australia – Sablan allegedly told the victim he could take her to a cruise ship to visit this friend, but she had to do something for him first.

He then repeatedly sexually assaulted the victim, according to court documents. Over the next two days, Sablan allegedly drove the victim from Texas to California and sexually assaulted her at least two more times.

On the morning of July 9, Sablan parked the car in a lot in Long Beach and took their clothes to a laundromat for washing. While Sablan was in the laundromat, the victim stayed in the car and wrote "Help me!" on a piece of paper to try and get someone's attention, according to court documents.

A stranger saw the note, and notified law enforcement and Sablan was arrested.

Manson family killer Leslie Van Houten freed on parole

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 01:55:00 +0000

Leslie Van Houten, a follower of Charles Manson who was convicted in two killings, was released on parole Tuesday, officials said.

Van Houten, 73, spent more than five decades in prison.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had previously blocked parole efforts, said Friday that he would not challenge Houten's release in state Supreme Court.

An appeals court ruled in May that Van Houten was eligible for parole, reversing a decision by Newsom to reject parole.

Leslie Van Houten testifying on the witness stand during the Manson trial. Artwork by Bill Robles

Van Houten was originally sentenced to death for the Aug. 10, 1969, murders of Leno and Rosemary La Bianca.

"The original conviction and death sentence were reversed on appeal and she was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole," the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a statement.

In 1969, Manson and fellow cult member Charles “Tex” Watson went inside the couple's home and tied them up.

Manson went outside and told Van Houten and another person to go inside and follow Watson’s directions, according to court records. Watson told them to kill Rosemary LaBianca, and Watson killed Leno LaBianca.

The previous day, Watson and other cult members — not Van Houten — killed actress Sharon Tate and others in her home.

Van Houten is the second of six Manson cult followers convicted of murder and initially sentenced to death to be paroled.

Leslie Van Houten during bail hearing in 2015 by Bill Robles

Most of the death sentences were commuted to life in prison under a 1972 court decision that outlawed capital punishment; the death penalty was later reinstated in California.

The lawyer who used ChatGPT's fake legal cases in court said he was 'duped' by the AI

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 21:59:00 +0000

The lawyer who used ChatGPT's fake legal cases in court said he was 'duped' by the AI, but the judge questioned how he didn't spot the 'legal gibberish'

The lawyer who used ChatGPT to help write up an affidavit — and didn't realize the AI had completely made up fake legal cases to cite — said he was "duped" by the tool during a sanctions hearing before a New York judge on Thursday, Inner City Press reported.

Steven Schwartz, second from left listening to Judge P. Kevin Castel asking questions how these cases were verified by the attorneys. Schwartz is flanked by his legal team.
Artwork by Elizabeth Williams ( click on image to see larger)

But the federal judge in the hearing pressed the lawyer, questioning how the lawyer missed the fakes and saying ChatGPT's fabricated ramblings were "legal gibberish," journalist Matthew Russell Lee reported for his nonprofit outlet.

"Chat GPT wasn't supplementing your research - it was your research, right?" US District Court Judge P. Kevin Castel asked lawyer Steven Schwartz of personal injury law firm Levidow, Levidow & Oberman, according to Inner City Press.

Judge P. Kevin Castel during the hearing asking Schwartz and his colleague Peter LoDuca, how they verified the bogus cases they cited in a legal document.
Artwork by Elizabeth Williams ( click on image to see larger)

The affidavit used by Schwartz and colleague Peter LoDuca was for a lawsuit from a man who alleged he was hurt by a serving cart on a flight. The court filing included six court cases that were "bogus judicial decisions with bogus quotes and bogus internal citations," Castel wrote in a previous court order.

"You say you verify cases," Castel said, according to Inner City Press

"I, I, I thought there were cases that could not be found on Google," Schwartz replied, according to the outlet.

"Six cases, none found on Google. This non-existent case, Varghese, the excerpt you had was inconsistent, even on the first page," Castel said, the outlet reported. "Can we agree that's legal gibberish?"

Schwartz responded that he thought ChatGPT's output was "excerpts," Inner City Press reported.

Another lawyer at the firm, Peter LoDuca, is also facing sanctions, though he said in court that he didn't do the research that was used in the affidavit.

"I have worked with Mr. Schwartz for 27 years," LoDuca said in court, Inner City Press reported. "I should have been more skeptical. I can't go back and change what was done. This will never happen again."

The hearing adjourned without Castel making a decision on possible sanctions for the lawyers.

Inside look into the E Jean Carroll trial: Courtroom artwork by Elizabeth Williams

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Wed, 10 May 2023 16:24:00 +0000

A collection of the images from the E Jean Carroll trial in consecutive order. From the first day of testimony to the final verdict

E Jean Carroll on the witness stand 1st day of testimony, below cover of New York Daily News

E Jean Carroll on witness stand with photo of her and Donald Trump from the 1980's

E Jean Carroll breaking down on witness stand describing the attack by Donald Trump

Trump Deposition played for jury where he stated that when questioned if the Access Hollywood statements were true:

"Well, historically, that's true with stars," Trump replied."It's true with stars that they can grab women by the p----?" Trump was asked. "Well, if you look over the last million years, I guess that's been largely true," Trump said. "Not always, but largely true. Unfortunately, or fortunately." "And you consider yourself to be a star?" Trump was asked. He replied " Yes"

Joe Tacopina seated at trial watching the cross examination of Dr Leslie Lebowitz by his co counsel.

E Jean Carroll seated upper left hand corner.

Note: Carroll was seated deep into the well of the courtroom and barely able to be seen by artists. It was a challenge to draw her during trial when she was not in the witness stand.

Dr Leslie Lebowtiz on the witness stand on direct examination discussing the effect of trauma from a sexual assault on E Jean Carroll, and other victims.

Former People Magazine reporter Natasha Stoynoff describes the sexual assault made by Donald Trump during a magazine interview at Mara Lago.

E Jean Carroll's friend, Carol Martin describes the conversation she had with Carroll soon after the attack by Donald Trump.

Final witness: E Jean Carroll's former boss, Roberta Myers on the witness stand.

Joe Tacopina addressing Judge Kaplan regarding giving Trump more time to decide to testify after he rested.

E Jean Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan giving her summation to the jury. The jury was anonymous so no faces were drawn.

Joe Tacopina gives his summation to the jury, while showing excerpts from the Donald Trump video deposition

Verdict being read in open court. Jury in foreground, Carroll seated left between her attorneys.

E Jean Carroll's reaction after the verdict was read. She turned around and smiled at the jury as the courtroom deputy was polling the jury.

Hermes vs Rothschild: Is it metaverse art or Birkin ripoff? A US jury will decide

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 03:45:00 +0000

Trademark infringement has extended to the metaverse – with luxury brand Hermès of Paris battling digital artist Mason Rothschild in court over the creation and sale of nonfungible tokens (NFTs) that depict images resembling its hard-to-get Birkin bags.

Rothschild, a Los Angeles-based artist and entrepreneur, took the stand on Wednesday.
He was cross examined by Hermes attorney Oren Warshavsky.
Hermes Birkin Bag on table and Rothchild NFT on screen.
Artwork by Elizabeth Williams

A trial over the alleged infringement of Hermès’ intellectual property began in Manhattan federal court this week, with the multibillion-US dollar corporation claiming the name of the NFTs – MetaBirkin – misled consumers into incorrectly believing they were affiliated with Hermès.

“Hermès brought the lawsuit because they thought it infringed and thought people would wrongly think Hermès was involved,” Oren Warshavsky told the jury in his opening statement. The sticky situation is made stickier because the company apparently has plans to join the metaverse as well, Warshavsky revealed.

Mason Rothschild on direct examination.
Hermes Birkin bags on table and Rothchild NFT on screen
Artwork by Elizabeth Williams

The Hermès dispute also pits artists’ First Amendment rights against company intellectual property claims.

Rothschild’s lawyer, Rhett Millsaps, told the jury that as long as the product is artistically relevant and doesn’t explicitly mislead consumers, then it’s protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution, guaranteeing freedom of expression.

Rothschild took the stand on Tuesday afternoon telling the jury he’s worked at various fashion store like Christian Dior and Saint Laurent and has done graphic design for local stores and individuals.

“I’ve been in the art space for awhile doing my own art and going to galleries,” Rothschild told jurors. “It’s always been a main staple of my life.”

He said he respected Hermès, though “maybe a bit less after the lawsuit.”

“I value fashion and art and I appreciate what they do,” he said.

Most of Rothschild’s projects make some kind of social commentary, Millsaps said. The MetaBirken NFT, he said, is about the luxury-consumer culture, and whether people would ascribe the same value to an NFT as they do to the actual product.

That’s unclear so far. Some of the NFTs, which Rothschild initially sold for US$450 each, have resold for tens of thousands of US dollars. The Baby Birkin NFT sold at an auction in May 2021 for US$23,500. That’s more than the US$8,500 Hermès Halzan 25 sells for on Madison Avenue Couture’s website, but still far less than the Hermès Birkin 25 Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Encrusted Hardware – which is listed at US$500,000. The 25-centimetre Hermès bags are also known as Baby Birkins.

Hermes Bags on desk and Rothschild's Baby Birkin NFT on screen

The Rothschild NFTs are designed with the same shape as the actual Hermès bag, but are covered with fur instead of leather and have some type of visual or pattern on them. The Baby Birkin NFT has a moving picture of a foetus inside the bag. Rothschild also proposed on social media a plan to recreate the designer bag’s famed horse keychain – which the company used as evidence to demonstrate the violation to Hermès’ trademark of not just the Birken name but its configuration, even though the plan was never implemented

The NFTs hurt Hermès’ ability to bring its own digital products into the metaverse, Nicolas Martin, Group General Counsel at Hermès who specializes in intellectual property, told the jury on Tuesday.

“If we want to bring our most iconic handbag to the digital market it’ll always be compared to MetaBirken,” he said. “We lost the opportunity of being first on the market, which is really impactful for Hermès.”

It’s not the first time Rothschild’s creations have landed him in trouble. He printed college logos on apparel and received a cease-and-desist order from one of the schools, Warshavsky said.

All artwork is copyright of Elizabeth Williams

Ex-convict who abused college women and men gets 60 years in prison

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Sat, 21 Jan 2023 02:24:00 +0000

NEW YORK — An ex-convict who obtained millions of dollars by subjecting his daughter's ex-college roommates to forced labor and prostitution was sentenced Friday to 60 years in prison by a judge who labeled him an "evil genius" who used sadism and psychological torture to control every aspect of his victims' lives.

Lawrence "Larry" Ray, 63, was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by Judge Lewis J. Liman.

"There is no reason to believe Mr. Ray will age out of criminal behavior," Liman said, noting that the crimes began when Ray moved in late 2010 into his daughter's on-campus housing at Sarah Lawrence College, a small New York liberal arts school.

The judge said Ray charmed his victims with his "exaggerated sense of self" and his intelligence before "robbing them of their relationships, self worth, memories and then their bodies" after convincing them they had poisoned him and owed him for it.

Ray victim Daniel Levin speaking during sentencing hearing. Spoke of the torture he endured while under control of Ray at Sarah Lawrence College.

"Through psychological terror and manipulation, he convinced them what they knew to be true was in fact false," Liman said. "He beat his victims. He tortured them and at times he starved them. He degraded them sexually to the point where they lost any self worth."

During the trial, one women testified that she became a sex worker to try to pay reparations to Ray after becoming convinced that she had poisoned him. She said that, over four years, she gave Ray $2.5 million in installments that averaged between $10,000 and $50,000 per week.

In a statement read aloud at sentencing Friday by a lawyer, the woman said she had been subjected to "unremitting sadistic torture" by a man who offered a "twisted, empty and broken version of life."

"Experiences I had while being sex trafficked haunt me today," according to her statement. She said Ray had forced "us to hold his evil for him. ... Each time we tried to put it down, he brutalized us."

One victim who spoke said he was living a happy, exciting life as a college sophomore when he met Ray "and all of that went up in smoke." He said he'd attempted suicide more than once.

Another victim said in court that he fears Ray will find a way to harm him from prison.

Lawrence Ray listening to the sentence handed down by Judge Liman of 60 years in prison.

Artwork by Elizabeth Williams

Columbia ob-gyn Robert Hadden preyed on patients at ‘most vulnerable’: feds

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 16:49:00 +0000

Disgraced Columbia University ob-gyn Robert Hadden preyed on patients who trusted him as a respected doctor when they were at their “most vulnerable,” federal prosecutors charged in their opening statement at his sex crimes trial in Manhattan on Monday.

Hadden is accused of sexually assaulting dozens of women, some of whom were pregnant at the time, when they were in his care from the 1990s up to 2012.

“They trusted him to provide this care,” Assistant US Attorney Paul Monteleone told jurors in Manhattan federal court, adding some of the victims visited Hadden for the “health of the babies they were carrying.”

“All along he was motivated … by his own sexual desires,” Monteleone said.

Robert Hadden accused of abusing numerous patients seated at defense table surrounded
by his defense team.

The prosecutor described in excruciating detail the alleged abuse Hadden inflicted, including sexually stimulating his victims, licking them and making crude remarks that had no medical basis.

"The defendant used his position of power to sexually abuse his patients for years,” Monteleone told jurors.

The first witness to take the stand, a victim identified in court as Kate Evans, graphically told jurors how Hadden sexually assaulted her during two of her last visits to him at Columbia University’s Herbert Irving Pavilion in Washington Heights in 2010 and 2011.

“I was petrified,” she said. “I knew he sexually assaulted me. It was very clear he was a sexual predator.”

Evans, who had been referred to Hadden by her sister and who said she spoke with the doctor about her home life and kids, said she was “stunned and shocked” by the abuse.

“I can’t believe someone I trusted and my family trusted would do that to me,” she told the jury.

Hadden is accused of enticing four victims to travel from out of state so he could sexually abuse them in New York. He previously pleaded guilty in state court to abusing a number of patients, as part of a controversial no-jail deal with Manhattan prosecutors.

Argentine visitors describe Hudson River bike path attack that killed their friends on celebratory NYC trip- NYDN by Molly Crane

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 01:49:00 +0000

Ten high school friends from Argentina traveled to New York for several

days of fun — but only five went home after accused terrorist Sayfullo

Saipov ran them down with a rented truck, witnesses at Saipov’s trial recounted Wednesday.

“We were celebrating 30 years since we graduated, 35 years since we knew each other, and there were some birthdays we were celebrating,” Juan Pablo Trevisan testified.

Juan Pablo Trevisan testifying about seeing his friends before they were hit by the truck that Sayfullo Saipov was driving at 60 mph down the bike path. Artwork by Elizabeth Williams

One of the birthdays was his own, Trevisan said.Trevisan and his friends were cycling in pairs on the Hudson River Park bike path between Watts and Vestry Sts. on Oct. 31, 2017, when prosecutors say Saipov sped his rented trick along the bike lane.

Juan Pablo Trevisan describing the attack on the bike path.

As Trevisan reached an arm out and asked one of his friends to stop and wait up, he heard a loud thumping noise. “At that moment, the pickup truck [hit] my arm and my wrist, and there was a sign that was dragging that came off and hit my arm.”

Another member of the Argentine group, Martin Marro, recalled a fellow surviving friend tending to him as he bled profusely on the sidewalk.

Martin Marro testifying about the injuries he sustained after being hit by the truck while riding a Citibike on the Hudson River Bike Path.
Artwork by Elizabeth Williams

“He said to stay calm, that he was there to take care of me and to protect me and to make sure that I wouldn’t drown in my own blood,” Marro said, adding that among other serious injuries he sustained were fractures to his skull, brain and eye socket.

Trevisan and Marro told their stories on the third day of evidence and arguments at Saipov’s federal death penalty trial.

After the men spoke, federal prosecutors showed the jury photos of the victims’ covered bodies.

Sayfullo Saipov watching witnesses testify 1/11/23

Slaughtered were Hernan Diego Mendoza, Alejandro Damian Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij, Hernan Ferruchi and Diego Enrique Angelini.

Also killed were Darren Drake, a 32-year-old from New Jersey, and 23-year-old Nicholas Cleves of New York.

Jurors on Tuesday heard from the devastated loved ones of a 31-year-old mother of two, Ann-Laure Decadt, of Belgium, killed as she rode with her two sisters and mom.

Harvey Weinstein Los Angeles sentencing on rape and sexual assault charges delayed until 23 February

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 22:13:00 +0000

Harvey Weinstein won a six-week sentencing delay Monday for his Los Angeles rape conviction after his lawyers said he plans to file a motion for a new trial.

The disgraced movie mogul, 70, was due to be sentenced Monday for the 2013 rape and sexual assault of an Italian actress at a Los Angeles hotel, but Judge Lisa Lench postponed the day of reckoning to Feb. 23 to give his defense time to prepare their argument for another trial.

Harvey Weinstein in court 1/9/2023
artwork by Bill Robles

Judge Lench said Monday she would hear Weinstein’s pitch for a trial at the Feb. 23 sentencing hearing and would move ahead with bestowing her punishment if his motion is denied.

Weinstein, who’s already serving a 23-year prison sentence out of New York after being convicted of rape and sexual assault in Manhattan in 2020, is facing up to 24 years in prison for his Los Angeles conviction.

Weinstein was convicted Dec. 19 of rape, forcible oral copulation, and sexual penetration by a foreign object for his February 2013 attack on an Italian actress at the Mr. C hotel on the outskirts of Beverly Hills. Jurors heard during the nearly two-month trial that Weinstein pushed his way into the victim’s hotel room and raped her while she was in town for an annual festival celebrating Italian films.

Real Housewife Jen Shah Sentenced to 6 1/2 Years

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 21:19:00 +0000

Jen Shah of "Real Housewives" gets 6 1/2 year prison term

Fri, January 6, 2023 at 1:16 PM EST·2 min read

Jen Shah, one of the stars of Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City," was sentenced to prison Friday after pleading guilty to a fraud charge earlier this year.

In a Manhattan courtroom, U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein announced that the reality star, 49, will serve a sentence of 6½ years in prison, the Associated Press reported. Before her sentencing, Shah was facing 11 to 14 years in prison.

Jen Shah in court with her attorneys during sentencing
artwork by Elizabeth Williams

“Reality TV has nothing to do with reality,” Shah said during Friday's hearing. "I am deeply sorry for what I’ve done. My actions have hurt innocent people.”

Jen Shah making tearful statement during sentencing
court sketch by Elizabeth Williams

According to multiple reports, Shah will have to surrender on Feb. 17.

In a statement provided to The Times Friday, Shah's defense lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, said the reality star "deeply regrets the mistakes that she has made and is profoundly sorry to the people she has hurt.

"Jen has faith in our justice system, understands that anyone who breaks the law will be punished, and accepts this sentence as just," Chaudhry added. "Jen will pay her debt to society and when she is a free woman again, she vows to pay her debt to the victims harmed by her mistakes.

In July, Shah pleaded guilty to the count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She told a judge that in 2012 she took part in a massive telemarketing fraud for nearly a decade that prosecutors say cheated thousands of people nationwide.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kiersten Ann Fletcher said during the July hearing that Shah engaged in a fraudulent scheme from 2012 to 2021 that sold bogus services advertised to help people make substantial amounts of money through online businesses.

Shah, who admitted she was aware of the fraud, said, “I knew this was wrong and that many people were harmed, and I’m so sorry."

On Friday, Shah also pledged to pay $6.5 million in restitution and forfeiture when she gets out of prison.

Griner for Bout: WNBA star freed in US-Russia prisoner swap

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 13:50:00 +0000

Russia freed WNBA star Brittney Griner on Thursday in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, with the U.S. releasing notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, American officials said. The swap, at a time of heightened tensions over Ukraine, achieved a top goal for President Joe Biden, but carried a heavy price — and left behind an American jailed for nearly four years in Russia.

Viktor Bout during his animated sentencing in 2012 making his statement pointing to FBI agents

Biden's authorization to release a Russian felon once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death" underscored the escalating pressure that his administration faced to get Griner home, particularly after the recent resolution of her criminal case and her subsequent transfer to a penal colony.

The swap was confirmed by U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the negotiations who were not authorized to publicly discuss the deal before a White House announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity. Biden spoke with Griner on the phone Thursday while her wife, Cherelle, was in the Oval Office. The president was to address reporters later in the morning.

Viktor Bout watching his defense attorney Albert Dayan during his sentencing in 2021
Artwork by Elizabeth Williams

In releasing Bout, the U.S. freed a a former Soviet Army lieutenant colonel whom the Justice Department once described as one of the world's most prolific arms dealers. Bout, whose exploits inspired a Hollywood movie, was serving a 25-year sentence on charges that he conspired to sell tens of millions of dollars in weapons that U.S officials said were to be used against Americans.

French Company LaFarge and the Islamic State

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 21:50:00 +0000

https://www.hjnews.com/nation/french-company-islamic-state/image_4d122757-ca36-520b-98c1-060e8e781319.html

NEW YORK (AP) — French cement company Lafarge pleaded guilty Tuesday to paying millions of dollars to the Islamic State group to keep a plant operational in Syria — at a time when the militant group was engaged in torturing kidnapped Westerners — and agreed to pay roughly $778 million in penalties.

The Justice Department described it as the first case of its kind, accusing the company of turning a blind eye to the conduct of the Islamic State as the militant group gained new territory and as Syria was mired in a brutal civil war. The company's actions, already investigated by French authorities, occurred before it merged with Swiss company Holcim to form the world’s largest cement maker.

Magali Anderson CEO of LaFarge pleading guilty on behalf of the company.
Artwork by Elizabeth Williams

United States District Judge William Kuntz addressing Magali Anderson
Courtroom art by Elizabeth Williams

Justice Department officials described it as the first instance in which a company has pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Lafarge and a long-defunct Syrian subsidiary entered the plea, agreeing to criminal fines of $90.78 million and a forfeiture of $687 million.

Magali Anderson CEO of LaFarge standing during hearing speaking to Judge Kuntz

Nikola founder Trevor Milton found guilty of fraud: Courtroom Artwork by Elizabeth Williams

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 20:54:00 +0000

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/14/nikola-nkla-founder-trevor-milton-found-guilty-of-fraud-.html

Trevor Milton looking at jury while verdict is read
courtroom sketch by Elizabeth Williams

Trevor Milton, the founder and former chairman and CEO of electric heavy truck maker Nikola, was found guilty in federal court Friday of three of four counts of fraud relating to false statements he made to drive up the value of Nikola’s stock.

Milton was charged with two counts of securities fraud and two counts of wire fraud, all related to statements he made about Nikola’s business while he was chairman and CEO of the company. Jurors found him guilty on one count of securities fraud and both of the wire fraud counts.

Assistant US Attorney Jordan Estes Summation
courtroom sketch by Elizabeth Williams

“Trevor Milton lied to Nikola’s investors — over and over and over again. That’s fraud, plain and simple,” said Damien Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Williams said that the case against Milton should “serve as a warning” to others who make misrepresentations to investors.

“It won’t end well,” he said.

WIlliams’ office in Manhattan had alleged that Milton lied about “nearly all aspects of the business” he founded in 2014 during his time leading the company. Those lies, prosecutors said, were intended to induce investors to bid up the price of Nikola’s stock.

“On the backs of those innocent investors taken in by his lies, he became a billionaire virtually overnight,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Roos said in his opening statement in September.

Judge Ramos reading jury instructions before deliberation
courtroom sketch by Elizabeth Williams

Nikola’s stock price briefly surged to over $90 per share in June 2020, just days after it went public via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company. For a short period, Nikola — a company with no revenue — was more valuable than century-old Ford Motor.

That ambitious valuation didn’t last. Nikola’s shares fell sharply once Milton was forced out of the company in September 2020, after the company’s board of directors found that some of the fraud allegations made by short-seller Hindenburg Research had merit.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission both opened investigations in the months following Milton’s departure. In July 2021, a grand jury indicted Milton on three counts of fraud; a fourth count was added in June 2022.

Milton will be sentenced on Jan. 27. He faced up to 25 years in prison if convicted on all four counts.

Former OpenSea employee charged in first-ever NFT insider trading case

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 03:11:00 +0000

U.S. prosecutors in New York’s Southern District have charged and arrested Nathaniel Chastain, a former product manager at the online marketplace OpenSea.

The 31-year-old faces one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, in connection with a scheme to commit insider trading in non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, “using confidential information about what NFTs were going to be featured on OpenSea’s homepage for his personal financial gain.”

Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, the Department of Justice wrote in a press release.

Nathaniel Chastain being arraigned in Manhattan Federal Court by Elizabeth Williams

U.S. prosecutors are now going after insider trading in the crypto industry.
On Wednesday, prosecutors in New York’s Southern District charged and arrested Nathaniel Chastain, a former product manager at the online marketplace OpenSea. The 31-year-old faces one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, in connection with a scheme to commit insider trading in non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, “using confidential information about what NFTs were going to be featured on OpenSea’s homepage for his personal financial gain.”
Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, the Department of Justice wrote in a press release.
DOJ officials say it is the first time they have pursued an insider trading charge involving digital assets.
Chastain’s alleged scheme was relatively simple.
According to the indictment, Chastain was tasked with selecting NFTs to be featured on OpenSea’s homepage. OpenSea kept those homepage selections confidential until they went live, since a main page listing often translated to a jump in price for both the featured NFT, as well as NFTs made by the same creator.

From roughly June to September of 2021, the indictment says, Chastain would secretly buy an NFT just before OpenSea featured the piece on the front page of its website. Once those NFTs hit the main page, he would allegedly sell them “at profits of two- to five-times his initial purchase price.”

To cover his tracks, he conducted transactions with anonymous digital currency wallets and anonymous accounts on OpenSea, according to the DOJ, which alleges this happened dozens of times.

New York man admits to insider trading, after being linked to reporter's tips: Reuters

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 03:30:00 +0000

Jason Peltz Pleading Guilty in Brooklyn Federal Court
Drawing by Elizabeth Williams

NEW YORK, March 29 (Reuters) - A New York City man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to insider trading and tax evasion charges, a year after prosecutors accused him of using information from a Bloomberg News reporter about certain deals to trade.

Jason Peltz, 39, entered the plea in Brooklyn federal court to two counts of insider trading and tax evasion a year after initially pleading not guilty. He has been engaged in plea negotiations with prosecutors since at least September 2021, court records show. read more

"This office will vigorously prosecute traders who seek to cheat the system, harm the investing public and undermine the integrity of our financial markets," Breon Peace, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.

In March 2021, a federal grand jury indicted Peltz for trading on "material nonpublic information" obtained from a company insider and a financial reporter. read more

The indictment does not name the journalist or the media outlet, but Reuters and other media outlets have identified him as Ed Hammond, a deals reporter with Bloomberg in New York, based on a review of articles mentioned in the indictment. Hammond is not accused of any wrongdoing.

"Ed Hammond is a very accomplished reporter," a Bloomberg News spokesperson said in a statement. "We're not aware of any facts to suggest any wrongdoing on his part."

The scheme ran from November 2015 to October 2020, according to the indictment.

In a statement read to U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis in court on Tuesday, Peltz said he purchased securities in chemical manufacturer Ferro Corp based on information, obtained from a friend, that Ferro had received a takeover offer. He said he knew trading off that information was illegal.

Trump Ally Barrack Arrested on Foreign Lobbying Charges -U.S. Justice Department

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 01:50:00 +0000

Thomas Barrack, a billionaire friend of Donald Trump who chaired the former

president's inaugural fund, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with illegally

lobbying the Trump administration on behalf of the United Arab Emirates.A seven-

count indictment filed by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York, alleged that

Barrack, a former employee and an Emirati businessman failed to register as

lobbyists and used their influence to advance the UAE's foreign policy goals in the United States.

Drawing of Thomas Barrack in Los Angeles Federal Court by Bill Robles

Barrack, who was arrested in Los Angeles, is also alleged to have repeatedly lied during an FBI interview about his dealings with the UAE.

Barrack's spokesperson refuted the charges. "Mr. Barrack has made himself voluntarily available to investigators from the outset. He is not guilty and will be pleading not guilty," the spokesperson said.

U.S. Department of Justice official Mark Lesko said in a news release that "the defendants repeatedly capitalized on Barrack’s friendships and access to a candidate who was eventually elected president, high-ranking campaign and government officials, and the American media to advance the policy goals of a foreign government without disclosing their true allegiances."

Barrack, 74, is a longtime Trump ally and founder of the digital infrastructure-focused private equity firm DigitalBridge Group Inc , which was known as Colony Capital Inc before a rebranding announced in June.

Barrack stepped down as DigitalBridge's chief executive in 2020. In April, he resigned as executive chairman of the firm but has remained as a non-executive director. Forbes estimates his wealth at $1 billion.

DigitalBridge has about $32 billion in digital assets under management, which includes data centers across North America and the UK. Barrack owns about 5.7% of DigitalBridge, whose shares closed down 1.4% at $6.93 on Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for DigitalBridge declined to comment.

Barrack was a prominent supporter of Trump’s successful 2016 presidential campaign and directed his inaugural committee.

Federal prosecutors are seeking to have Barrack held in detention, saying in a court filing that his vast wealth, access to private jets and history of international travel indicate he could become a fugitive.

VULTURE: WeinsteinTrial: Accuser Says He Has No Testicles

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Sat, 01 Feb 2020 12:05:00 +0000

Jessica Mann testifies about an attack by Harvey Weinstein which took place at the DoubleTree Hotel in Manhattan
Artwork by Elizabeth Williams ( click on image to see larger)

WeinsteinAccuser Says He Has No Testicles

https://www.vulture.com/2020/01/jessica-mann-harvey-weinstein-trial-testimony.html

By Victoria Bekiempis

Jessica Mann testified in a Manhattan courtroom Friday that Harvey Weinstein engaged in forced oral sex and raped her in early 2013 and alleged that she was in a twisted relationship with him because of her sexual inexperience.

As Mann tearily described alleged incidents, she also made the bombshell claim that Weinstein doesn’t have testicles and appeared to have a vagina, saying she thought he was “intersex” the first time she saw him naked.

Weinstein faces charges in New York City for allegedly raping Mann, and for an alleged sexual assault on former actress Mimi Haleyi. Prosecutors have used Sopranos actress Annabella Sciorra’s allegation that Weinstein raped her around late 1993 to bolster their claim that Weinstein has a pattern of predatory behavior. Weinstein has maintained his innocence.

“He would talk very dirty to me about fantasies and things, and compare me to the other things actresses that he said were doing kinky, dirty things with him,” Mann testified. “He always wanted to film me. I never gave him permission.”

Jesssica Mann testifying abou ther relationship with Harvey Weinstein. Questioned by prosecutor Joan Illuszzi

“He would say, ‘Do you like my big, fat, Jewish dick?’” claimed Mann, 34.

“The first time I saw him fully naked,” she said, “I thought he was deformed and intersex. He has an extreme scarring that I didn’t know, maybe [he] was a burn victim …”

“He does not have testicles, and it appears that he has a vagina,” she claimed, saying she had oral sex with Weinstein.

As Mann claimed that he had deformed genitals, Weinstein dropped his head.

“He also peed on me once,” she also said of Weinstein, who is 67.

Prosecutor Joan Illuzzi asked Mann to describe Weinstein’s hygiene.

“It was very bad,” she said. “He smelled like shit — excuse me, sorry, like poop. He just was dirty.”

Jessica Mann broke down as she testified about an attack by Weinstein.
As he was dragging me into the bedroom, I didn’t fall but I was having a lot of trouble keeping my balance, he was pulling me so fast.”“He threw me down on the edge of the bed, and he was demanding that I take off my clothes and I was begging him,” she said sobbing, her breath strained. “And I said, ‘No, please, no!”

For more of this story see link: https://www.vulture.com/2020/01/jessica-mann-harvey-weinstein-trial-testimony.html

NY DAILY NEWS:Staten Island woman who stole $400k from charity for slain police officers gets 2 years

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 01:08:00 +0000

Staten Island woman who stole $400k from charity for slain police officers gets 2 years

By STEPHEN REX BROWN

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

JAN 14, 2020 6:24 PM

Lorraine Shanley standing with her defense attorney as she was sentenced to 2 years behind bars by Judge Sidney Stien.
SOS widows in the audience. Artwork by Elizabeth Williams ( click on image to see larger)

She scammed the shield — and it’ll cost her two years behind bars.

A Staten Island woman who stole $406,000 from a charity for slain police officers didn’t shed a tear as she was sentenced on Tuesday to two years in prison before a courtroom of NYPD widows and their supporters.Lorraine Shanley raided the Survivors of the Shield charity from 2010 to 2017 thanks to her volunteer role as treasurer. She spent more than $25,000 of the pilfered money on landscaping, $32,000 on dental bills and $10,000 on eyewear.“

Maria Dziergowski, a widow who also served as VP at the charity, said her friendship with Shanley, 69, had destroyed her own reputation. She’d been frozen out of the tight-knit police community because people wrongly suspected she was involved in the scam.“My reputation is ruined. I have widows that won’t talk to me...won’t even look at me,” Dziergowski said. She called Shanley’s crime “just disgusting.”

Assistant US Attorney Brett Kalikow addresses Judge Stien pressing for more jail time for Shanley due to several facts one, being that she had not taken responsibilty for her crime, claiming she stole the money
for a special needs grandchild.

Shanley’s husband, Officer Thomas Shanley, died of a heart attack on the job in 1986. She previously said that her son’s serious legal trouble, a disabled grandson and other hardships drove her to steal from the charity — though that didn’t explain vacations, tickets for Broadway shows and shopping sprees, among other luxuries. All told, Shanley wrote 121 fraudulent checks and 642 credit card transactions on the Survivors of the Shield’s dime, according to prosecutors.

The charity relied on donations almost exclusively from active duty police officers.Judge Sidney Stein ordered Shanley also serve three years of supervised release, pay restitution of $406,851 to Survivors of the Shield and $103,983 to the IRS.The judge lamented Shanley’s “terrible detour into criminal wrongdoing” and urged her to commit herself to helping other prisoners while incarcerated.The charity generated as much as $275,000 per year that mostly went to the families of slain NYPD officers and scholarships for children who lost a parent in the line of duty.

The charity’s donations have dropped significantly since Shanley was charged, Survivors of the Shield members said in court.“With every paycheck, thousands of New York City Police Department officers and employees donated to charity to support the surviving spouses and children of officers killed in the line of duty. Yet for years, Lorraine Shanley exploited that generosity, using her position as the charity’s volunteer treasurer to steal over $400,000 for herself and her family. Today’s sentence sends a clear message that those who commit such fraud will face serious consequences," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said.

New York Times Nxivm: How a Sex Cult Leader Seduced and Programmed His Followers

noreply@blogger.com (Illustrated Courtroom) — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 23:51:00 +0000

Keith Raniere writes notes on little blue post its during trial Panel of sex slave masters behind him

Nxivm: How a Sex Cult Leader Seduced

and Programmed His Followers

Former Nxivm members testified they were brainwashed into being branded and assigned to have sex with him.

By Colin Moynihan

June 14, 2019

Courtroom Artwork by Elizabeth Williams

When she first attended classes run by the self-help group Nxivm, Sylvie noticed multiple pictures on display of the group’s leader, Keith Raniere, known as Vanguard.

Sylvie being shown a large photograph of Kieth Raniere that was displayed at the classes

People in the classes, held in Albany, appeared to venerate Mr. Raniere, Sylvie testified during his racketeering and sex trafficking trial. She said class participants clapped, bowed, huddled, recited a “mission statement” and then said in unison “Thank you, Vanguard!”

Sylvie on the stand giving her testimony about being manipulated into becoming a sex slave for Raniere

The experience left her thinking she would never take another class, Sylvie said. Yet she did, eventually joining a clandestine subgroup within Nxivm in which she was called a “slave” and required to blindly obey a “master.” She even allowed Mr. Raniere to perform oral sex on her, believing she could not refuse.

For six weeks, the question of how Mr. Raniere persuaded so many seemingly perceptive people to let him control their lives has hung over his federal racketeering trial in Brooklyn.

Six former Nxivm members have taken the stand, providing a window into how the group indoctrinated people, undermined their moral beliefs and convinced them to blindly follow Mr. Raniere’s edicts, even when that meant breaking the law or tolerating unwelcome sexual contact.

Over the years, Nxivm’s curriculums provided the philosophical framework for a group in which members were taught to substitute Mr. Raniere’s principles for their own and see deviation from his teachings as heresy. The community was an echo chamber, witnesses said, and dissenters were subject to recrimination.

The anonymous jury that convicted Raniere of all counts.

Richard Ross, who runs the Cult Education Institute in Trenton, testified that he was hired by the parents of Nxivm members to extricate them from the group. “It became clear to me that this was a personality-driven group defined by a leader, eerily reminiscent of Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard,” he said.

Besides Sylvie, the jury has heard from three other witnesses: Daniela, “J” and Nicole, whose full names were withheld because they were considered victims.

Two former high-ranking Nxivm leaders, Lauren Salzman and Mark Vicente, also testified. Ms. Salzman, whose mother founded Nxivm with Mr. Raniere, was indicted along with him but pleaded guilty in March.

Raniere seated with attorneys who was found guilty of conspiracy, racketeering, identity theft, extortion, forced labor, money laundering, wire fraud and sex trafficking charges.

Lauren Salzman, a former high-ranking member of Nxivm, testified that some programs were “creating a community of people and kind of even an army of people to insulate and protect Keith and his views.”

Dr. Janja Lalich, a sociologist at California State University, Chico, and an author of books on cults, said Nxivm shares characteristics with many of these types of groups.

Cults often display a zealous commitment to a special and unaccountable leader, discourage dissent and control members through shame, guilt and peer pressure, she said.

“The more that they have absorbed and internalized the belief system the harder it is to question it,” she said of cult members. “Your personal sense of self has been replaced by your cult self and when you’ve become enveloped in a sphere of influence all the aberrant behavior becomes normalized.”

Mr. Raniere, 58, co-founded Nxivm (pronounced NEX-ee-um) in the 1990s as a self-help organization based near Albany. Members regarded him as the most ethical man in the world and someone who could help them lead more fulfilling lives.

Prosecutors have said that he exploited his followers, who paid thousands of dollars for courses. Among other things, Mr. Raniere is accused of founding the secret subgroup, called D.O.S., which included women who were branded with his initials and assigned to have sex with him.

He is now facing conspiracy, racketeering, identity theft, extortion, forced labor, money laundering, wire fraud and sex trafficking charges.

His lawyers have said that Mr. Raniere’s teachings benefited untold people and his sexual relationships were consensual. While some may question his methods, they said, Mr. Raniere acted in good faith.

During the trial, several witnesses described Mr. Raniere’s exalted standing among his followers.

“People would talk about how he could affect weather, how he would affect technology,” said Mr. Vicente, a filmmaker from Los Angeles. “By the time you saw him, it was a little bit like you were seeing, you know, some kind of god.”

AUSA Mark Lesko gives rebuttal /closing statement

Ms. Salzman, who was among as many as 20 women said to have had a sexual relationship with Mr. Raniere, testified that some Nxivm programs were “creating a community of people and kind of even an army of people to insulate and protect Keith and his views and legitimize and advocate for the lifestyle that he wanted.”

According to the testimony, Nxivm leaders sought to learn what people most wanted or feared, then presented courses as a solution.

Mr. Vicente said that some upper-level courses were aimed at changing students’ “programming,” likening the process to hacking a computer. The courses eroded people’s “instinctual” sense of ethics, he said. “It in essence played with our moral compass,” he said.

Allison Mack bail hearing

Some ex-Nxivm members said that they remained in the group despite reservations partly because they did not want to doubt people and programs they had trusted.

An actress from California named Nicole said she joined D.O.S. at the invitation of Allison Mack, known for her role on the television series “Smallville,” whom she looked upon as a mentor. Ms. Mack assuaged any fears she had.

“I was already stuck,” Nicole testified. “I wanted to believe her.”