Accused Berkeley landlord wants smuggling charges thrown out


Bob Egelko OF THE EXAMINER STAFF <mailto:sfexaminer@examiner.com>
June 14, 2000
©2000 San Francisco Examiner <http://www.sfgate.com/examiner/>
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Seeking to dismiss 'vague' indictment

OAKLAND - The attorney for a Berkeley landlord accused of smuggling in
Indian teenage girls says he will seek to dismiss charges of importing
illegal immigrants for immoral purposes because they are too vague.

Lakireddy Bali Reddy's attorney, Ted Cassman, had filed motions earlier to
dismiss other charges, also saying that they were not detailed enough.
The new motion, directed at two of the nine charges against Reddy, will
argue that the indictment failed to describe the alleged immoral purposes,
he said Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong gave Cassman
until Aug. 8 to file his papers, with a prosecution reply due two weeks
later. She plans to rule at a hearing Sept. 12.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Kennedy also told Armstrong investigators would
need more time. Last April, he told the judge that a new indictment with
additional charges was expected. Tuesday, he said he expected the new
indictment in August, but did not say what it would contain.

Reddy, who owns about 1,100 apartment units in the East Bay, was arrested in
January on charges of illegally bringing in at least three teenage girls
from his home village of Velvadam so he could have sex with them. The case
came to light when one of the girls - later found to be pregnant - died of
carbon monoxide poisoning in one of his apartments in November.

Reddy's son Vijay Kumar Lakireddy also faces federal charges of conspiring
to bring in illegal immigrants.

Venkateswara Vemireddy, the man who posed as the father of two of the girls
when they were brought over from India, also was arrested on federal
conspiracy charges.

None of the defendants was present at Tuesday's brief hearing.
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