United States v. Biba

219 F. Supp. 3d 347, 2016 WL 6583635
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedNovember 7, 2016
Docket09-cr-836 (DLI)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 219 F. Supp. 3d 347 (United States v. Biba) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Biba, 219 F. Supp. 3d 347, 2016 WL 6583635 (E.D.N.Y. 2016).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

DORAL. IRIZARRY, Chief Judge:

Llesh Biba (“Defendant”) is charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit robbery, attempted robbery, and use of a firearm during crimes of violence in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c)(1)(A)(i), 924(c)(l)(A)(ii) and 1951(a), for his alleged role in two attempted armed robberies committed in August 2006. Defendant now moves to dismiss, either entirely or in part, Count Three and Count Six of the indictment, which are the charges related to use of a firearm during crimes of violence. (See Def. Mot. to Dismiss (“Motion to Dismiss” or “Mot. to Dismiss”), Dkt. Entry No. 14.) For the reasons set forth below, the Motion to Dismiss is granted insofar as the charges pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(ii) in Counts Three and Six are dismissed, without prejudice, and the motion otherwise is denied.

BACKGROUND

A. The Charged Conduct

On May 8, 2008, the government filed a sealed complaint against Defendant for his role in two attempted robberies of homes located in Staten Island, New York, and Ansonia, Connecticut. (See Sealed Complaint and Affidavit in Support of an Arrest Warrant (“Complaint” or “Compl.”), United States v. Llesh Biba, 08-mj-442, Dkt. Entry No. 1.) The Complaint was supported by, inter alia, consensual recordings made by a confidential informant (the “Cl”), of two conversations with one of Defendant’s coconspirators (the “CC”). (Id. at ¶¶ 3-5, 12-14.) With respect to the Staten Island attempt, the CC told the Cl that on August 17, 2006, Defendant drove him and another man to a home that they believed contained money belonging to a labor union official. (Id. at ¶¶ 3, 13.) As recorded by the Cl, the CC and the other man, both of whom were dressed like law enforcement officers, entered the home where they encountered a female caretaker. (Id. at ¶ 13.) After they restrained her, the CC displayed a handgun to the caretaker. (Id.) When the caretaker managed to escape the restraints, one of the two men tackled her, causing a commotion that alerted the neighbors. (Id.) The men then allegedly fled the scene, jumped into the car Defendant was driving, and Defendant drove the trio away from the home. (Id.)

The Complaint further alleges that, on August 29, 2006, Defendant was involved in a second attempted robbery, this time of a drug trafficker’s residence in Ansonia, Connecticut. (Id. at ¶ 7.) According to an interview investigators conducted with a female witness, Defendant and a co-conspirator entered the witness’ apartment with handguns and asked to meet with her landlord who lived upstairs. (Id.) When Defendant and the co-conspirator met with the landlord outside of the apartment, the pair physically assaulted the landlord, cracking his skull. (Id. at ¶¶ 7-8.) The witness also allegedly suffered injuries when she attempted to intervene in the assault and either Defendant or his co-conspirator hit her in the head with a handgun. (Id.) The two men later ran down the street to a vehicle, which took them away from the scene. (Id. at ¶ 8.)

[350]*350B. Defendant’s Agreement with the Government and Subsequent Flight to Canada

Following Defendant’s arrest on May 13, 2008, Defendant entered into a cooperation agreement dated September 2, 2008, with the government (Agreement between L. Biba and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York (the “Agreement”), Dkt. Entry No. 16, Ex. A), in which Defendant stipulated to his involvement in both robbery attempts set forth in the Complaint. Of relevance here, Defendant agreed that: (i) with respect to the Staten Island attempt, he “knew that one of his coconspirators was carrying a firearm to assist him in the robbery conspiracy,” and (ii) with respect to the Ansonia attempt, Defendant and his coconspirator “used and carried firearms” (Agreement ¶ 5). The Agreement also set forth terms by which Defendant would “cooperate fully with [the government].” {Id. at ¶ 2.)

After initially cooperating for a period of time, Defendant was arrested on a state rape charge on November 7, 2009 {see Case No. 334-2009, New York State Supreme Court, Richmond County, Criminal Term), released on bond, and subsequently fled to Canada (Letter from J. London to Hon. Sandra L. Townes, dated Apr. 18, 2016). Defendant spent the next six years fighting extradition to the United States, but was returned on April 15, 2016. {Id.)

C. The Indictment

On December 10, 2009, just over a month after Defendant’s state arrest, a federal grand jury returned the indictment in this case (the “Indictment,” Dkt. Entry No. 1), which charges, for each of the incidents described above, conspiracy to commit robbery (Counts One and Pour), attempted robbery (Counts Two and Five), and use of a firearm during crimes of violence (Counts Three and Six). The only counts at issue for purposes of the present motion are Counts Three and Six. Count Three, the count related to the Staten Island attempt, states:

On or about August 17, 2006, within the Eastern District of New York and elsewhere, the defendant LLESH BIBA, together with others, did knowingly and intentionally use and carry a firearm during and in relation to one or more crimes of violence, to wit: the crimes charged in Counts One and Two, and did knowingly and intentionally possess such firearm in furtherance of said crimes of violence.
(Title 18, United States Code, Sections 924(c) (1)(A) (i), 924(c)(1)(A)(ii), 2 and 3551 et seq.)

(Indictment at 2.) Count Six, the count regarding the Ansonia attempt, is the same in all respects except for the date (“August 29” instead of “August 17”) and the related counts (“Counts Four and Five” instead of “Counts One and Two”). {Id. at 3-4.)

D.Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss

On August 25,2016, Defendant moved to dismiss Counts Three and Six of the Indictment. (Mot. to Dismiss.) Defendant’s principal argument is that (i) a conspiracy or attempt to commit Hobbs Act robbery is not a “crime of violence” as defined in 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(3) and (ii) the “risk-of-force clause,” 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(3)(B), is unconstitutionally vague. Defendant acknowledges that Second Circuit recently has rejected these arguments in the context of a completed Hobbs Act robbery, see United States v. Hill, 832 F.3d 135 (2d Cir. 2016), but argues that Hill can be distinguished from the conspiracy and attempt counts set forth in the Indictment here. (Mot. to Dismiss at 7.) Defendant also notes that because the Hill decision on [351]*351vagueness is at odds with decisions in other circuits, he seeks to preserve the argument in the event it is addressed by the Supreme Court. (Id. at 1, 5 n.2.)

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
219 F. Supp. 3d 347, 2016 WL 6583635, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-biba-nyed-2016.