United States v. Balogun

971 F. Supp. 1215, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11051, 1997 WL 432363
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedJuly 28, 1997
Docket96 CR 518
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 971 F. Supp. 1215 (United States v. Balogun) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Balogun, 971 F. Supp. 1215, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11051, 1997 WL 432363 (N.D. Ill. 1997).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

ALESIA, District Judge.

The twenty-four 1 defendants in this case allegedly were part of a Nigerian heroin ring. Each was charged with various offenses such as conspiracy to import or distribute heroin and money laundering. Trial is approaching, and each defendant has filed the gamut of pre-trial motions, which are now before the court.

A. Motions to dismiss Count One on the ground that it is duplicitous or, in the alternative, to require the government to elect on which charge it wishes to proceed

Defendants Olajumoke Hall, Mukaila Balogun, Victoria Olabunmi Onimole, Adebayo Majekodunmi, and Anthony Smith have moved to dismiss Count One of the indictment against them. Count One charges all 24 defendants with violations of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 963, for conspiracy to import heroin and to possess with intent to distribute heroin. Defendants make essentially the same argument: that Count One is duplicitous because it charges two offenses. Defendants contend that a count that charges two or more offenses must be dismissed or severed.

The government responds that it intends to seek return of a superseding indictment charging all 24 defendants with separate counts of conspiracy to import heroin and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin. The government thus argues that defendants’ motions to dismiss Count One or to require the government to elect only one charge on which to proceed should be denied as moot.

Based on the. government’s representation, the court agrees that defendants’ motions should be denied as moot. However, the motions are denied without prejudice and with leave to renew if the government does not obtain the superseding indictment.

B. Motions for severance

Defendants Olajumoke Hall, Mukaila Balogun, Kafayat Adedolapo Windokun, Adebayo Majekodunmi, and Victoria Olabunmi Onimole have brought motions to sever themselves from the trial of the remaining defendants. Each defendant makes essentially the same argument: he or she should not have been joined in the indictment to begin with, but even if joinder was proper, it is severely prejudicial to that defendant.

*1221 Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 8(b) provides:

Two or more defendants may be charged in the same indictment or information if they are alleged to have participated in the same act or transaction or in the same series of acts or transactions constituting an offense or offenses. Such defendants may be charged in one or more counts together or separately and all of the defendants need not be charged in each count.

Fed. R. Crim. P. 8(b).

Thus, where, as here, a defendant in a multiple-defendant ease challenges his joinder in the case, the court asks whether the co-defendants participated in the “same series of acts or transactions constituting an offense or offenses.” Fed. R. Crim. P. 8(b); United States v. Diaz, 876 F.2d 1344, 1355 (7th Cir.1989). The “‘usual meaning [of ‘same series of acts or transactions’] is acts or transactions that are pursuant to a common plan or common scheme, which is to say (in the usual ease) that the acts or transactions are parts of a single conspiracy.’ ” Diaz, 876 F.2d at 1355 (quoting United States v. Velasquez, 772 F.2d 1348, 1353 (7th Cir.1985) (citations omitted)). Consequently, “ ‘a conspiracy charge is a proper basis for joinder under Rule 8(b).’ ” Diaz, 876 F.2d at 1355-56 (quoting United States v. Garner, 837 F.2d 1404, 1412 (7th Cir.1987), cert. denied, 486 U.S. 1035, 108 S.Ct. 2022, 100 L.Ed.2d 608 (1988)). Proper joinder is determined from the face of the indictment. Diaz, 876 F.2d at 1356. “‘Rule 8(b) only requires that the conspiracy be alleged— there is no requirement that the government demonstrate, at the pleading stage, sufficient evidence to support joinder.’” Diaz, 876 F.2d at 1356 (quoting Garner, 837 F.2d at 1412.)

“ ‘[O]nce the Rule 8 requirements [are] met by the allegations in the indictment, severance thereafter is controlled entirely by Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 14....’” Diaz, 876 F.2d at 1357 (quoting United States v. Lane, 474 U.S. 438, 447, 106 S.Ct. 725, 731, 88 L.Ed.2d 814 (1986)). Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 14 provides that even properly joined defendants may obtain a severance “[i]f it appears that a defendant ... is prejudiced by a joinder of offenses or of defendants.” Fed. R. Crim. P. 14. However, “[the] district court should grant a severance under Rule 14 only if there is a serious risk that a joint trial would compromise a specific trial right of one of the defendants, or prevent the jury from making a reliable judgment about guilt or innocence.” Zafiro v. United States, 506 U.S. 534, 539, 113 S.Ct. 933, 938, 122 L.Ed.2d 317 (1993). Furthermore, “ ‘the trial judge should give deference to the “strong public interest in having persons jointly indicted tried together.””’ Diaz, 876 F.2d at 1357 (quoting United States v. Percival, 756 F.2d 600, 610 (7th Cir.1985) (quoting United States v. Papia, 560 F.2d 827, 836 (7th Cir.1977))).

Defendants make virtually identical arguments, but because the allegations against each defendant differ in some respects, the court will address each defendant’s motion separately.

1. Olajumoke Hall

Hall contends that she is named in only three counts of the 39-count indictment, and that she is not charged with any substantive heroin distribution or money laundering counts as are the other defendants. Hall thus argues that she was misjoined with the other defendants in the indictment; and that even if she was not misjoined, her joinder severely prejudices her right to a fair trial.

a. Joinder under Rule 8(b)

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Bluebook (online)
971 F. Supp. 1215, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11051, 1997 WL 432363, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-balogun-ilnd-1997.