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Case 1:20-cr-00330-AJN Document 158 Filed 02/05/21 Page 2 of 2

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before being provided to the inmate recipient. Due to the large number of MDC inmates and the volume of mail received at the MDC, this process can take multiple days. As noted above, however, the defendant is able to send and receive emails with defense counsel every day and has regular communication with counsel via VTC.

MDC staff conduct two pat-down searches of the defendant per day: once when she is moved from her isolation cell to the day room each morning, and once when returns from the day room to her isolation cell each night. As part of those searches, the defendant is required to remove her mask and open her mouth briefly so that MDC staff, who remain masked during the searches, can confirm she has not hidden contraband in her mouth. These pat-down and mouth searches are consistent with MDC’s policy that all inmates be searched whenever they move to a different location within the jail facility. Previously, the defendant attended VTC conferences in a separate part of the MDC, requiring that she be searched when taken to and from her VTC calls with counsel. Recently, however, the MDC changed the location of the defendant’s VTC calls so that the defendant does not need to leave her unit in order to attend VTC calls with her counsel, thereby reducing the number of searches. During the suspension of visitation, the defendant has not been strip searched. When visitation resumes, the defendant, like all other inmates, will be strip searched after any in-person visit.

In addition, MDC staff search the defendant’s cell for contraband once per day. MDC staff also conduct a body scan on the defendant once per week to check for any secreted contraband. At night, MDC staff are required to confirm that the defendant is not in distress every fifteen minutes. To do so, staff point a flashlight to the ceiling of the defendant’s cell to illuminate the cell sufficiently to confirm that the defendant is breathing every fifteen minutes. The MDC continues to assess that these searches are all necessary for the safety of the institution and the defendant.

Should the Court have any questions or require any additional details regarding this topic, the Government will promptly provide additional information.

Respectfully submitted,

AUDREY STRAUSS
United States Attorney

By:
Maurene Comey / Alison Moe / Lara Pomerantz
Assistant United States Attorneys
Southern District of New York
Tel: (212) 637-2324

Cc: All Counsel of Record (By ECF)

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