In fake pill case, judge frees one Windsor brother on bond, but jails other
Jul. 7—A federal magistrate judge has released one of two brothers from Windsor, described by a federal agent as "multi-thousand tablet" dealers in fake oxycodone tablets that actually contained fentanyl, on $100,000 bond, but has ordered the other brother held without bond while the case is in court.
BOND DECISIONS
RELEASED: Michael Lee, 24, of 84 Skitchewaug St., Windsor.
DETAINED: Alexander Lee, 21, of 43 Graham Road, Windsor.
BIG ISSUE: Magistrate Judge Robert R. Richardson wrote that a pending state case charging Alexander Lee with possessing narcotics with the intent to sell them played "a large role" in his decision to order him detained.
Magistrate Judge Robert R. Richardson, who sits in U.S. District Court in Hartford, set the unsecured bond this week for Michael Lee, 24, of 84 Skitchewaug St., after ordering last week that his brother, Alexander Lee, 21, of 43 Graham Road, be held without bond, online court records show.
Two other defendants, described in an affidavit by Special Agent John G. Gray of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as "retail-level" dealers, had been released on bond last week, authorities said. Those defendants are Daryl Beaufort, 24, of 598 Bloomfield Ave., and Justin Little, 24, of 230 Windsor Ave., Apt. 5.
Prosecutors Stephanie T. Levick and Lauren C. Clark had moved to detain Michael Lee during the court case, arguing in court papers that there were no bond conditions that could reasonably assure the safety of others in the community.
But defense lawyer Michael R. Hasse wrote in court papers that there was no evidence that Michael Lee "engaged in verbal or physical threats to anyone, or was ever seen with a dangerous weapon."
The defense lawyer added that the criminal complaint against Michael Lee didn't allege that he had a "management or ownership role" in the "pill enterprise." Moreover, the defense lawyer wrote, Michael Lee has no criminal record, having had past criminal cases dismissed after he successfully completed pretrial diversion programs.
The defense lawyer wrote that Michael Lee was willing to submit to home detention with GPS monitoring of his whereabouts, but the judge didn't order that.
The judge did, however, set a number of other conditions, including putting Michael Lee in the custody of his father and another man.
The judge ordered Michael Lee to look for work, not obtain a passport or other international travel document, and not leave Connecticut without court approval. He also ordered Michael Lee to have no direct or indirect contact with his co-defendants, not possess a gun or other weapon, not use alcohol excessively, not illegally use or possess drugs, and submit to drug testing.
In contrast, the judge found in a decision last week that Alexander Lee would represent a danger to the community, regardless of any bond conditions, and thus should stay in jail while his case is in court.
The judge wrote in his detention order that the trafficking in fentanyl pills at issue in the federal case occurred while Alexander Lee was on release in a 2020 state case in which he was charged with possessing narcotics with intent to sell them. He was in a pretrial diversion program in that case and "should have had an incentive not to commit any crimes," the judge wrote, adding that the federal offense was committed in a "fairly open and brazen" way.
The judge wrote that the pending case played "a large role" in his decision to order detention.
The judge also wrote that the allegations against Alexander Lee included at least one shipment of pills to "the residence" and sales from the residence.
"Home detention and GPS would not indicate who is visiting the residence and would not prevent the defendant from carrying out his activities with the assistance of others," the judge wrote.
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