A suspected drug dealer accused of supplying tainted cocaine to an New York City fashion student and sexually assaulting her as she lay dying from an overdose appeared almost amused during his first court hearing.
Moises Freire, 19, showed little emotion in a Manhattan federal courtroom Wednesday as he pleaded not guilty to providing the drugs that killed Annabel Richter, 21, in a dormitory at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology in March.
Freire was brought into court in chains and wearing a beige prison jumpsuit.
Escorted by US Marshals, the Bronx resident appeared unfazed by the serious allegations as he walked into the courtroom with what prosecutors described as an arrogant swagger.
Throughout the proceedings, he projected an air of confidence and at times seemed almost amused.
That apparent composure came as prosecutors warned that the charges could result in a sentence ranging from 20 years to life in prison if Freire is convicted.
Brian Peralta Cabrera, 18, outside court in Manhattan on Monday. He is standing trial over the drug overdose death of fashion student Annabel Richter
Richter, 19, died after being given what she believed to be cocaine, which was actually tainted with fentanyl, prosecutors say
The alleged drug dealer was returned to custody after Wednesday’s hearing.
He pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Brian Peralta Cabrera, 18, displayed a starkly different demeanor.
Cabrera, who also pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death, appeared terrified throughout the hearing.
The Queens teenager entered the courtroom nervously wearing black slacks and a white shirt, with a book bag slung over his shoulder.
He stood beside Freire in the courtroom but the two men did not acknowledge each other.
Prosecutors allege that Cabrera supplied the drugs to Freire, who then took them to the all-female FIT dormitory in Chelsea, where Richter shared a room with an unnamed female roommate.
Cabrera spoke only to confirm his identity and enter his not guilty plea during Wednesday’s hearing.
Cabrera donned a mask to cover his face as he left court on Wednesday. He said ‘no comment’ when asked why he’d pleaded not guilty
When asked if he wanted to give a message to Richter’s family, Cabrera passed on his condolences
Cabrera was not at the dormitory when Richter died. He is not in custody and was allowed to leave after the hearing.
Wearing a black hoodie and face mask, Cabrera kept his gaze lowered as he walked along the sidewalk outside the courthouse.
When reporters asked why he had pleaded not guilty, he replied, “No comment.”
Asked whether he had anything to say to Richter’s family, Cabrera said: “May she rest in peace. And condolences to the family.”
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Neither Freire nor Cabrera had family or friends supporting them in court Wednesday. Neither man was a student at FIT.
No members of Richter’s family attended the hearing. The student was from Brazil, which made it more difficult for her loved ones to travel to the proceedings.
Assistant US Attorney Ariana Bloom made disturbing allegations against Freire during an earlier hearing in April.
She alleged that Freire wanted drugs that would “last the entire night” and told Cabrera that getting the women addicted would be a “win-win situation.”
According to the indictment, Cabrera supplied the fentanyl despite knowing that Freire intended to give the drugs to the two students.
There was no one in court from Richter’s family. The student was from Brazil, making it more difficult for her loved ones to attend hearings
Richter was found dead in an all female dorm at the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in April
Freire then went to the women’s dorm room and assured them that the substance was “pure cocaine,” the indictment states.
Bloom told the court that Freire had described the fentanyl as “straight poison” but falsely told Richter and her friend that it was cocaine.
The two women quickly lost consciousness after taking the substance, Bloom said.
According to Bloom, Freire later admitted in writing that he had sex with an unconscious woman, although he claimed he did not realize she had passed out until afterward.
He then saw her friend on the floor “with her eyes rolled back in her head,” prosecutors said.
Prosecutors allege that Freire photographed the unconscious women and sent the images to others before waiting about 40 minutes to alert building security.
Bloom said Freire never called an ambulance, even after a friend allegedly warned him that the fentanyl he had supplied “doesn’t look like coke.”
“The defendant’s friend told him to give that s*** to the ‘sluts,’ meaning the girls, and don’t take it yourself,” Bloom told the federal court.
“Once things started going south, instead of calling 911 or alerting someone or prioritizing their lives, he took time to take pictures of them and to protect himself,” she added.
Richter remained in a coma for three days before being taken off life support.
Her grieving mother described her daughter as “full of life” and said she had a “contagious laughter.”
FIT President Jason Schupbach addressed the charges in a message to the campus community, saying they “reflect what a horrific tragedy this was” while bringing “accountability and justice for those involved.”
Freire and Peralta Cabrera are due back in court March 1.
A third defendant, Harry Rosales Pino, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death and serious bodily injury.
His sentencing is scheduled for December 15.
