Opinion
21 Cr. 45
12-14-2021
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. JOSHUA PANTOJAS, Defendant.
ORDER
THE HONORABLE LEWIS A. KAPLAN, United States District Judge Southern District of New York.
WHEREAS defendant JOSHUA PANTOJAS and the Government seek to proceed with a change-of-plea proceeding via video conference (or phone conferencing, if video is not reasonably available) instead of a personal appearance in court.
WHEREAS, in view of the ongoing pandemic, judges in the Southern District of New York have regularly employed video and phone conferencing to conduct change-of-plea and other court proceedings.
WHEREAS the defendant will plead guilty pursuant to a plea agreement, and there is a possibility that the Court may enter a sentence of time served.
THE COURT HEREBY FINDS that the defendant's change-of-plea proceeding cannot be further delayed without serious harm to the interests of justice, for the reasons proffered by the parties. See § 15002 (b)(2) of the Coronavirus Air, Relief, and.Economic. Security ("CARES") Act.
SO ORDERED: