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Posted on 09/22/2023 8:26:47 PM PDT by algore
Allegheny County court officials are still trying to figure out how a man accused of carrying $1.6 million in fentanyl in Pittsburgh was released from custody this month, and now another judge is reportedly involved in the snafu.
A nationwide arrest warrant was issued for Yan Carlos Pichardo Cepeda, 27, after he failed to appear for court. Pichardo Cepeda, of New York, is accused of carrying hundreds of thousands of fentanyl doses at a Pittsburgh bus station. He was given a nonmonetary bond by a district judge and released. He missed a second court date on Tuesday.
Local politicians are pointing fingers and accusing each other of malpractice. Republicans blame progressive policies such as cashless bail, while Democrats claim the district attorney is deflecting responsibility and not being proactive enough in Pichardo Cepeda’s case.
As the case becomes a political football, new information is emerging that shows two district judges — Xander Orenstein and Gene Ricciardi, who ideologically are on opposite ends of the political spectrum — were involved in Pichardo Cepeda’s release. That further complicates a case that figures to stay on voters’ mind as the election nears and could lead to changes in the county’s court system.
“Court administration is reviewing procedures to provide safeguards to prevent another such occurrence,” said Joe Asturi, a spokesman for the court system.
Police said agents arrested Pichardo Cepeda on Aug. 31 outside the Greyhound station in Downtown Pittsburgh with 9 kilograms — or 450,000 doses — of fentanyl. Police estimated its street value at $1.6 million.
At Pichardo Cepeda’s arraignment the next day, pretrial services recommended that Pichardo Cepeda be held without bond because of his criminal history that included seven prior arrests, two misdemeanor convictions and pending cases in New York for grand larceny and sexual assault.
Orenstein granted a nonmonetary bond, meaning Pichardo Cepeda was released without having to pay any cash.
This is Orenstein’s first term. Orenstein was first elected in 2021.
David A. Harris, a criminal law professor at the University of Pittsburgh, said what happened in the Pichardo Cepeda case reveals problems in the court system.
“The different actors functioning in the pretrial space are not connected enough to each other. Some seem to be making mistakes, and the whole pretrial system needs an all-stakeholder, systems-level review,” Harris said.
While it appears Orenstein made a mistake, Harris said, the objective of a review should be forward-looking accountability so it doesn’t happen again.
Orenstein is a member of the left-wing Democratic Socialists of America and likely the first nonbinary judge elected in the United States. Orenstein ran on a platform of criminal justice reform, including being more compassionate in eviction cases and limiting the use of cash bail.
In other words, Orenstein is a MARXIST - Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Get this commie out of office before he gets someone killed.
I hope, at least they did not give him back his fentanyl.
The judge is all in to destroy America.
Xander Orenstein (Photo courtesy of Xander Orenstein)
Pittsburgh voters have elected Xander Orenstein, a housing advocate, Carnegie Mellon University alum and passionate Jew, as a city magisterial judge. Orenstein may also be the first out nonbinary person elected to a judicial seat in the United States.
Orenstein uses they/them pronouns.
“Any time a candidate makes history, it’s good — and it really signifies another moment showing the full diversity of the LGBTQ community,” said Sean Meloy, vice president of political programs for the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which endorsed Orenstein. “Xander put together a really well-organized campaign, in that they had a clear message that differed from the incumbent and, we feel, spoke to voters.”
Bex Tasker, Orenstein’s campaign manager, acknowledged earlier this year the weight of Orenstein being the first openly nonbinary elected official in Pennsylvania.
“This is a huge honor but also a huge responsibility for our team to take on,” Tasker told the Pittsburgh Current. “We want to make sure we get this right because we’re setting the precedent of how to be openly trans and campaign in this city. Everyone who works on our campaign is LGBTQ, which wasn’t a deliberate choice — it just turns out all the best people for the job happened to be gay. As a trans yinzer, knowing that there would be someone like me in our justice system would be a welcomed radical change.”
Ahh, the privileged life of a judge. Great pay, prestige and you are not held responsible for anything you do ... any mistake you make, no matter how big.
Pittsburgh voters are stupid as sh*t.
Just a daily occurrence in the United States of FUBAR
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