The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2022
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Alexanda Kotey, a member of the ISIS cell known as “the Beatles,” pleaded guilty to several counts of lethal hostage-taking and other charges. The “Beatles” have since been stripped of their British citizenship.
The defense, meanwhile, requested that the court recommend Kotey not serve in a maximum-security prison where he would be in almost total isolation. In the ruling, Judge TS Ellis granted the defense’s request, citing Kotey’s conduct since being taken into custody in 2019 and “strongly” recommending that he not be confined in Colorado’s maximum-security prison. In a memo, Judge Ellis wrote, “Solitary confinement under conditions such as those at Florence ADX is deleterious to a person’s mental and physical health, and its use should be limited to the most serious cases where no other conditions
of confinement will be sufficient.” Kotey initially pleaded guilty to charges of terrorism and hostage-taking resulting in the deaths of U.S. journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig in September 2021. In a court filing last week, the defense admitted, “It will not be enough to amend the damage done, but through his efforts and his acceptance of his own responsibility, Mr. Kotey has tried to bring some small amount of good from this gut-wrenching case.” According to Kotey’s lawyers, he has not only pleaded guilty but has also “accepted responsibility for his role in the Islamic State’s hostage-taking scheme that resulted in the grisly deaths of four Americans.”
Formula Recalls A former Abbott Nutrition employee documented his concerns that the company was hiding safety issues, months before the recalls were issued, a recent report noted. The employee had sent a detailed complaint regarding his concerns to the
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U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The complaint was released last Thursday by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut), who chairs the House Appropriations Committee.
Abbott in February recalled three brands of infant formula following reports that four infants who had ingested the formula had fallen ill with infections caused by the Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria. Two of those babies died. Production at the Abbott Laboratories’ Sturgis site was halted in February and has not resumed since. According to the complaint, the former employee claimed he saw records falsified “on multiple occasions” and had observed events which were inaccurately described or understated in order to “limit or avoid oversight.” Managers may also have engaged in “sanitizing” files before they reached FDA inspectors, the complaint added. The complaint also claims the employee was fired for raising safety concerns: “Ultimately despite an admirable employment record at Abbott and elsewhere, Complainant was terminated based upon his repeated elevation of compliance concerns.” The termination is being investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the document says. In a March statement, Abbott said, “We’re taking this seriously and are working closely with the FDA to implement corrective actions.” “It is important to note that no Cronobacter sakazakii or Salmonella was found in any of our testing of products distributed to consumers. Additionally, the unique genetic makeup of the Cronobacter sakazakii microbes found in non-product contact areas at the Sturgis facility did not match the Cronobacter sakazakii microbes from the reported cases.” The FDA said, “We know there have been questions about the timeline related to the Abbott Nutrition infant formula recall. However, this remains an open investigation with many moving parts. Our top priority is ensuring that any recalled product produced at the Sturgis, Mich. facility has been removed from the market. We are continuing to investigate and
will continue to update our consumer alert should additional consumer safety information become available.” FDA testing revealed Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria on equipment in the plant. In a preliminary assessment, the FDA determined that the company did not take steps to prevent products from becoming contaminated during the manufacturing process.
NY’s New Lt. Governor
U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado will serve as New York’s next lieutenant governor, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced this week. Delgado, a Democrat, will take on the largely ceremonial role previously formerly held by Brian Benjamin, who recently resigned following his arrest for federal corruption charges he denies. Hochul touted Delgado’s work in Congress on bills to help veterans, small business, and those with student loan debt. Delgado, a Rhodes Scholar who briefly pursued a rap career after earning a Harvard law degree, had campaigned on universal access to Medicare, creating good jobs, and eliminating tax loopholes for the rich. “Having won competitive primary and general elections for Congress, Rep. Antonio Delgado is a battle-tested campaigner who has the experience to serve New Yorkers and the work ethic to get our party’s message out to voters, unite communities, and lift up Democratic candidates statewide,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. Delgado was first elected in 2018 to represent the Hudson Valley and the Catskills. He was the first person of color elected to represent upstate New York in Congress and is a member of the Black and Hispanic Congressional Caucuses. A day before the appointment, Hochul signed a law removing Benjamin’s name from the ballot in the upcoming Democratic primary, paving the road for Delgado to potentially run for the lieutenant governor’s job if he wants it permanently.
