Drew Drechsel Sentenced

[arsenette]

Sept 22, 2020 16:31:51 GMT -5 anwsuperfan said:

I was waiting until today to see what the hearing was about. It turned out to be a detention hearing again. The first document pretty much showed that Drew hasn't provided any sufficient evidence in regards to him not being at risk to society if released. Even with the safe April bought and the GPS tracking device Drew proposed they would use on him for monitoring, the evidence surmounting against him is too strong and of course the nature of his crimes/his manipulation. The 2nd doc was the 3rd continuation of the detention hearing order which was denied, but unlike the previous hearings, it didn't allude to a date for the next hearing. It just stated that he will remain at Essex County Correctional Facility.

Maybe the hearings are over, and now they're trying to pick a date for trial while he remains in custody? I'm not sure how this all works at this point so if someone could go into detail what happens now that would be appreciated. I was also wondering if anyone knows what a detention hearing even is and how it differs from a bond hearing if they could explain it to me. I'm also curious on why they had multiple hearings which was noted as "Continuation of Bail/Detention Hearing", I'm guessing for crimes like these that's normal?

TLDR: One is state and the other is federal for pretty much the same thing.

Bail Hearing

Bail hearings are at a state level. After a defendant is arrested for a misdemeanor crime, they are given a bail hearing in which a judge, the defendant, and the defendant’s attorney attend. At this hearing, the presiding judge will review several factors of the defendant’s case, including their criminal history, and then decide whether or not to release them on bail, or hold them in jail during the duration of their trial. Factors considered at bail hearings include a defendant’s current and past criminal record, the severity of their crime, and various enhancements involved in the arrest, such as school zones, minors, weapons, and more.

If the court believes the defendant will not likely show up for their scheduled trial dates, they will choose to keep them detained. If bail is granted, an amount if also set. These are usually according to a preset bail schedule, and vary among jurisdictions. They also depend on factors like the severity of crime, criminal history, income, and more.

Detention Hearing

A detention hearing is very similar to a bail hearing, which is another reason why so many people get the two confused. But detention hearings are on a federal level, rather than a state one. When a person commits a federal crime, they are given a detention hearing to determine whether or not to detain them during the duration of their trial. During a detention hearing, the defendant can have their attorney present with them. It is in the hands of the prosecution to bring a motion to initiate a detention hearing since they are generally reserved for certain kinds of cases. These cases include violent crimes, crimes that carry a maximum penalty of life in prison, terrorism, and more.

Sounds like he's doing everything he can to get the hell out of jail until the trial which typically is a year or so away. It has more to do with the availability of the judge than anything else. That's why local level cases can run up to 3 years years wait from arrest to trial. Federal can go between 1-2 years because of the smaller sample of cases. However, NJ is notoriously backlogged so good luck with that Drew.

I usually see a lot of back and forth between the time of arrest to time to trial. He keeps failing bail and they keep trying so that's normal. First he tried COVID and that didn't work, now he's trying for home confinement and that's not working with April's family and the nature of his crime not helping. Sounds like the 2nd hearing was pretty much it for now as he hasn't been able to overcome the burden proof for release. I'm sure there is a list of things required and he's not going to meet it.

[casuallystranded]

Given the current situation involving bail, how long is he looking at if (constitutionally speaking, I have to say “if”, even though im 99.9% sure he is) found guilty? Is it still max 95 years?

[arsenette]

Sept 23, 2020 12:28:09 GMT -5 casuallystranded said:

Given the current situation involving bail, how long is he looking at if (constitutionally speaking, I have to say “if”, even though im 99.9% sure he is) found guilty? Is it still max 95 years?

The count of use of interstate commerce to entice carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; the count of enticement to travel for illicit sexual conduct carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; the count of travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; and the count of manufacture of child pornography carries a minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison. All of the counts also carry a maximum fine of $250,000 per count.

Link to the AG for NJ
That one count I highlighted alone is life. The rest have max of 20, 30 and 30 years. IIRC it's 8 counts total but if they added Maryland and California for interstate that's 2 additional counts making it worse. Just one of them suffice and he has 3 separate counts of that (Connecticut, Maryland and California) all carrying life imprisonment as the max.

So yeah he's trying to negotiate the max limits. So far it doesn't look like he's disputing he did it just trying to find a way to get out of prison. He seems to be fighting the additional victims. No word so far on that considering we don't know what jurisdiction they may be in. This is just for the 16, Cherry Hill victim #1.

[logiebear]

Hi everyone.

A lot of you may recognise me from back in the day as ScotchNinjaLogan or the Scottish Ninja. It’s been about three years since I last touched this forum, however I have returned to have my say on this, as I feel as a lifelong fan of ninja, I have a responsibility to speak out on this issue.

In my eyes, Drew Drechsel is a sick and disgusting individual, he had the whole world in his hands, a million dollars, the title of American Ninja Warrior champion, his ninja gym franchise, a loyal partner, a newborn son, a huge legion of fans from all across the world, and a huge reputation and appreciation from his fellow athletes...and now he has pretty much lost it all...and he has nobody but himself to blame for all of this.

The evidence against him is so damning I am almost certain he is guilty as charged. Yes, legally he is ‘innocent until proven guilty’, however I fail to see how he will walk off scot-free, and the fact that he committed these horrifying and inexcusable crimes against an innocent minor (and potentially more...) all whilst posing as a role model for said age groups, just sickens me to the inner core of my soul. He has broken everyone’s trust, and he will never ever be forgiven for that. Whatever happens, his ninja career is over and he damn well knows it.

Spare a thought for NBC who have to probably wipe him from everything he was on, which is no easy job considering he was one of the biggest names on their primetime competition of the summer. Also think of the young fans that looked up to Drew all this time he was on the show and of course other ventures such as SASUKE and other events across the world. And think of his partner April, who has to go through this entire ordeal herself, and especially his newborn son Korey, who will probably have to live with the fact his biological father was nothing but a monster.

I would just like to say, if you were a fan of Drew, please do not be ashamed, as William (2D2Will) rightfully said, you were a fan of the athlete and his achievements, and not his personality, because you never knew of what he was doing off the course. So you are not at fault, because Drew could not control himself and he could’ve avoided this mess if he did.

I would also like to say thank you to all the athletes and fans who took a stand against these vile acts, it really shows how tight-knit this great community is, especially with the majority of participants being young children who are still developing, I believe sports, especially ninja, can teach a lot of life skills to kids, including sportsmanship, respect, resilience, leadership, and of course, to overcome obstacles in our lives.

As a community, we feel sickened, we feel broken and we feel betrayed, and I hope we can all move forward towards a brighter future, and focus on why we love this humble sport we call ninja. We should focus on the real heroes in our lives, including Jessie Graff, Jamie Rahn, Flip Rodriguez and Makoto Nagano just to name a few, inspiring and supporting future generations to never give up and strive to their goals.

As far as I know, Drew does not represent those beliefs in any shape or form, and he will likely never be allowed to go near a ninja gym ever again, as he will have to register as a sex offender, and will of course be forbid from interacting with minors for the rest of his life...

I apologise if this is long, but I felt I needed to let my feelings out, because this is against everything I stand for, and should never ever happen to any child. Hopefully the victims who had their innocence taken away from the acts of a man who abused his power, get the justice they deserve.


Thanks for reading.


Logan

[arsenette]

Sept 11, 2020 0:01:49 GMT -5 anwsuperfan said:

www.courtlistener.com/docket/17413319/united-states-v-andrew-drechsel/#entry-9

Sep 23, 2020 Order to Continue - Ends of Justice
Sep 23, 2020 Order

I had to do a search on wtf is "Ends of Justice". This is what I found.

Overview
Federal courts have not addressed whether states of emergency or disruptive events such as natural disasters and epidemics can toll the statute of limitations for federal crimes. To that end, the Department of Justice has reportedly sent Congress proposed legislation that would toll the statute of limitations for federal prosecutions during, and for one year following, national emergencies.In response to the coronavirus outbreak, at least two district courts have issued orders explicitly tolling all statutes of limitations.
Delays resulting from a pandemic would likely be excluded from the deadlines established by the Speedy Trial Act. Courts have attempted to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic by holding telephonic proceedings to the extent possible. But trials raise unique public safety concerns that will be challenging for courts to address. To that end, many courts across the country have issued “ends-of-justice” orders of general applicability, which have continued all criminal trials and excluded delays resulting from the disruption caused by COVID-19.
***
The Speedy Trial Act
In addition to statutes of limitations, prosecutors must also consider the Speedy Trial Act, which governs the timing of a federal criminal prosecution. Under the Act, the government must indict a defendant within 30 days of arrest or service of summons; a trial must begin within 70 days of the indictment or the defendant’s first appearance in court, whichever is later. The Act contains some provisions automatically excluding time from these deadlines under certain circumstances. More broadly, it permits a judge to exclude time under the Speedy Trial Act by granting a continuance, so long as “the ends of justice served by taking such action outweigh the best interest of the public and the defendant in a speedy trial.”
***
Unavailability of Government Personnel
When a judge is asked to grant an ends-of-justice continuance, the Act requires her to consider whether failure to do so would deny the government reasonable time to prepare for trial. Courts have rarely, if ever, excluded delays associated with government trial preparation in this context. Nonetheless, the coronavirus is likely to place significant burdens on government counsel, who will face delays from quarantines or shelter-in-place orders, not to mention the logjam of matters that will develop as courts grant further continuances. Public restrictions on nonessential travel may also limit federal agents’ ability to conduct their work in advance of indictment or trial. There is relatively little precedent for this, but the government might plausibly request ends-of-justice continuances for “the reasonable time necessary for effective preparation.” Many courts, whose dockets will be similarly burdened, may be inclined to grant them.

[subtleagent]

I'm honestly pretty shocked April knew of one of the encounters, let alone was 15 when this all started. This opens a whole other can of worms. I don't doubt she's kept quiet for her own reasons (who can blame her? Wouldn't you?), but now I'm pretty certain Drew's going to jail after this. I feel even worse for the boy, now he's gotta grow up not only knowing dad was a predator, but mom was one of his victims.

[anwsuperfan]

Sept 29, 2020 14:33:41 GMT -5 subtleagent said:

I'm honestly pretty shocked April knew of one of the encounters, let alone was 15 when this all started. This opens a whole other can of worms. I don't doubt she's kept quiet for her own reasons (who can blame her? Wouldn't you?), but now I'm pretty certain Drew's going to jail after this. I feel even worse for the boy, now he's gotta grow up not only knowing dad was a predator, but mom was one of his victims.

        Since the criminal complaint didn't go into this detail, I guess I can say now that the first document posted nearly 3 weeks in which government denied his bail motion, noted that Drew and victim 1 had a sexual encounter at his home while April was there which is very creepy to think about.

Everything else I read seemed to allude to the fact that he kept this hidden from everyone including her. Maybe she did know about that one encounter (i dont see how he would be able to hide it if April was right there), but personally I believe whether or not she knew is her own business, and we shouldn't confide into that. It is pretty scary knowing that Drew's predatory behavior was likely going on ever since he started competing, not just from 2014/15 onwards. 

Overview

Federal courts have not addressed whether states of emergency or disruptive events such as natural disasters and epidemics can toll the statute of limitations for federal crimes. To that end, the Department of Justice has reportedly sent Congress proposed legislation that would toll the statute of limitations for federal prosecutions during, and for one year following, national emergencies.In response to the coronavirus outbreak, at least two district courts have issued orders explicitly tolling all statutes of limitations.

Delays resulting from a pandemic would likely be excluded from the deadlines established by the Speedy Trial Act. Courts have attempted to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic by holding telephonic proceedings to the extent possible. But trials raise unique public safety concerns that will be challenging for courts to address. To that end, many courts across the country have issued “ends-of-justice” orders of general applicability, which have continued all criminal trials and excluded delays resulting from the disruption caused by COVID-19.

***

The Speedy Trial Act

In addition to statutes of limitations, prosecutors must also consider the Speedy Trial Act, which governs the timing of a federal criminal prosecution. Under the Act, the government must indict a defendant within 30 days of arrest or service of summons; a trial must begin within 70 days of the indictment or the defendant’s first appearance in court, whichever is later. The Act contains some provisions automatically excluding time from these deadlines under certain circumstances. More broadly, it permits a judge to exclude time under the Speedy Trial Act by granting a continuance, so long as “the ends of justice served by taking such action outweigh the best interest of the public and the defendant in a speedy trial.”

***

Unavailability of Government Personnel

When a judge is asked to grant an ends-of-justice continuance, the Act requires her to consider whether failure to do so would deny the government reasonable time to prepare for trial. Courts have rarely, if ever, excluded delays associated with government trial preparation in this context. Nonetheless, the coronavirus is likely to place significant burdens on government counsel, who will face delays from quarantines or shelter-in-place orders, not to mention the logjam of matters that will develop as courts grant further continuances. Public restrictions on nonessential travel may also limit federal agents’ ability to conduct their work in advance of indictment or trial. There is relatively little precedent for this, but the government might plausibly request ends-of-justice continuances for “the reasonable time necessary for effective preparation.” Many courts, whose dockets will be similarly burdened, may be inclined to grant them.

     Seems like we're gonna be waiting for a while just for a trial to begin (let alone a verdict) regardless of the Speedy Trial Act. Oh boy...

[ninja1985]

I'm honestly pretty shocked April knew of one of the encounter



Where did you get this information?

[subtleagent]

Sept 29, 2020 18:19:30 GMT -5 ninja1985 said:

I'm honestly pretty shocked April knew of one of the encounter



Where did you get this information?

This video.

[Shuberb674]

Sept 23, 2020 15:33:10 GMT -5 arsenette said:

Sept 23, 2020 12:28:09 GMT -5 casuallystranded said:

Given the current situation involving bail, how long is he looking at if (constitutionally speaking, I have to say “if”, even though im 99.9% sure he is) found guilty? Is it still max 95 years?

The count of use of interstate commerce to entice carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; the count of enticement to travel for illicit sexual conduct carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; the count of travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; and the count of manufacture of child pornography carries a minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison. All of the counts also carry a maximum fine of $250,000 per count.

Link to the AG for NJ
That one count I highlighted alone is life. The rest have max of 20, 30 and 30 years. IIRC it's 8 counts total but if they added Maryland and California for interstate that's 2 additional counts making it worse. Just one of them suffice and he has 3 separate counts of that (Connecticut, Maryland and California) all carrying life imprisonment as the max.

So yeah he's trying to negotiate the max limits. So far it doesn't look like he's disputing he did it just trying to find a way to get out of prison. He seems to be fighting the additional victims. No word so far on that considering we don't know what jurisdiction they may be in. This is just for the 16, Cherry Hill victim #1.

I think a good comparison here is Jared Fogle, another pretty marketable guy who got busted for child sexual abuse, with 14 victims aged 9-17. Had the case gone to trial he would have been looking at 50 years, but he took a plea deal, paying $1.4 million in compensation (100k to each victim) and admitting he was guilty. In return the prosecutors agreed they would seek no more than a 12 year sentence, with a minimum of 5 years served. Due to the severity of the crimes the judge actually handed out a sentence which was even greater than what the prosecutors sought- Fogle was sentenced to 15 and a half years in jail, with a minimum of 13 years to be served.

[arsenette]

Sept 11, 2020 0:01:49 GMT -5 anwsuperfan said:

www.courtlistener.com/docket/17413319/united-states-v-andrew-drechsel/#entry-9

Oct 1, 2020 Order on Motion for Release from Custody

Did they finally settle this one facet?

[Eclipse]

Oct 2, 2020 10:28:03 GMT -5 arsenette said:

Sept 11, 2020 0:01:49 GMT -5 anwsuperfan said:

www.courtlistener.com/docket/17413319/united-states-v-andrew-drechsel/#entry-9

Oct 1, 2020 Order on Motion for Release from Custody

Did they finally settle this one facet?

Yup, in this document it was stated that the Court felt there was no situation in which Drew could be safely returned to the public and so bail is firmly denied. 

The federal government had identified 3 additional victims. Two were minors 15 and 16 who had similar experiences to Victim #1, the third was one of April's friends who filed an allegation of forcible rape to police. It's unclear if these new victims are going to be actively involved in the proceedings, but they were willing to respond to authorities enough to be used as evidence.

[arsenette]

Oct 2, 2020 10:49:14 GMT -5 Eclipse said:

Oct 2, 2020 10:28:03 GMT -5 arsenette said:

Did they finally settle this one facet?

Yup, in this document it was stated that the Court felt there was no situation in which Drew could be safely returned to the public and so bail is firmly denied. 

The federal government had identified 3 additional victims. Two were minors 15 and 16 who had similar experiences to Victim #1, the third was one of April's friends who filed an allegation of forcible rape to police. It's unclear if these new victims are going to be actively involved in the proceedings, but they were willing to respond to authorities enough to be used as evidence.

Oh dear God..

[r34gtr]

"Hey, how's Drew been since having the ki-"

SPOILER: Click to show

I never liked him much. He might have been a strong competitor but he always struck me as being full of himself. Not that he didn't have the skill, but he definitely thought certain people were below him.

[hoseasasuke]

Oct 2, 2020 10:49:14 GMT -5 Eclipse said:

Oct 2, 2020 10:28:03 GMT -5 arsenette said:

Did they finally settle this one facet?

Yup, in this document it was stated that the Court felt there was no situation in which Drew could be safely returned to the public and so bail is firmly denied. 

The federal government had identified 3 additional victims. Two were minors 15 and 16 who had similar experiences to Victim #1, the third was one of April's friends who filed an allegation of forcible rape to police. It's unclear if these new victims are going to be actively involved in the proceedings, but they were willing to respond to authorities enough to be used as evidence.

Haven't followed the Ninja Warrior scene in months, and just heard of the news. Shocking. Absolutely shocking. It's honestly painful to know that one of your favorite competitors is a pedophile. I hope the victims get justice, and I hope that jacka** Drew gets what he deserves.

[Ninja Warrior Ryan]

Oct 5, 2020 16:07:48 GMT -5 r34gtr said:

"Hey, how's Drew been since having the ki-"

SPOILER: Click to show

I never liked him much. He might have been a strong competitor but he always struck me as being full of himself. Not that he didn't have the skill, but he definitely thought certain people were below him.

You should hear the stories of how he treated the production & build crews...

[zoran]

Oct 10, 2020 11:12:02 GMT -5 Ninja Warrior Ryan said:

Oct 5, 2020 16:07:48 GMT -5 r34gtr said:

"Hey, how's Drew been since having the ki-"

SPOILER: Click to show

I never liked him much. He might have been a strong competitor but he always struck me as being full of himself. Not that he didn't have the skill, but he definitely thought certain people were below him.

You should hear the stories of how he treated the production & build crews...

Tell them

[Kane-Not-Kosugi]

I've heard stories about production not liking Joe Moravsky much, but I'd love to hear what went down with Drew.

[anwsuperfan]

Only negative thing I've ever heard about him before this news broke out is him coming off a bit too cocky at times. Hearing him being rude to production is new to me considering how hard they've pushed him as the face of the show and for him to win especially with the introduction of the safety passes. Would be interesting to hear all the other shady moments he's done to others.

[PsychoDelusion]

I'd really take everything a random member says with a pinch of salt. It's easy for everyone now to come and say whatever they want about Drew and it'll be legit to people's minds because of what's happened. The general consensus has been that Drew has been cocky but respectful to productions and fans (even in the debacle that was SASUKE 31 he apologised for his outburst and kindly asked to return).

The updates have sealed the grave for him. Such a shame. Could have gone down as a legend, but now only his skills will go down as such. Feel very sorry for all the individuals that were affected by this.