United States v. Byramji Moneck Javat

CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
DecidedMarch 9, 2022
Docket20-13310
StatusUnpublished

This text of United States v. Byramji Moneck Javat (United States v. Byramji Moneck Javat) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Byramji Moneck Javat, (11th Cir. 2022).

Opinion

USCA11 Case: 20-13310 Date Filed: 03/09/2022 Page: 1 of 18

[DO NOT PUBLISH] In the United States Court of Appeals For the Eleventh Circuit

____________________

No. 20-13310 Non-Argument Calendar ____________________

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus BYRAMJI MONECK JAVAT,

Defendant -Appellant,

PENNCO, LLC, CALH HOLDING CORP.,

Intervenors-Appellants. USCA11 Case: 20-13310 Date Filed: 03/09/2022 Page: 2 of 18

2 Opinion of the Court 20-13310

Appeals from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida D.C. Docket No. 1:18-cr-20668-DMM-1 ____________________

Before BRANCH, LUCK, and LAGOA, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: After Byramji Javat pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, the district court entered a forfeiture money judgment against him. The government then moved for a preliminary for- feiture of substitute property—a condominium in Washington, D.C., and a warehouse in Calhoun, Georgia—because it was una- ble to collect on the money judgment. Pennco, LLC and Calh Holding Corp. moved to intervene, claiming that they were the sole owners of the condominium and warehouse. The district court denied Pennco and Calh Holding’s motion to intervene, granted the government’s motion, and entered a preliminary order of forfeiture of the condominium and warehouse. We affirm. FACTUAL BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY In 2019, a federal grand jury indicted Javat for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. At Javat’s bond hearing, his counsel identified the condominium and warehouse as “two pieces of real estate that [were] owned by the family trust of Mr. Javat” that could serve as security for a bond. Javat’s counsel explained that the USCA11 Case: 20-13310 Date Filed: 03/09/2022 Page: 3 of 18

20-13310 Opinion of the Court 3

condominium and warehouse were owned by “two different enti- ties,” both of which were owned by the “Javat family trust,” and that “[w]hen he s[aid] it’s a trust, it’s the family[;] [t]he family has ownership of the entity that is the titleholder of the properties.” On the morning of trial, Javat pleaded guilty. At sentencing, the district court entered a general order of forfeiture under Fed- eral Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.2(b)(2)(C). After holding a hearing to determine the amount of proceeds traceable to Javat’s wire fraud conspiracy, the district court entered a forfeiture money judgment in that amount. Five months later, the government moved for a preliminary forfeiture order for substitute property to partially satisfy the un- paid money judgment and identified the condominium and ware- house as substitute assets. In support of its motion, the govern- ment submitted the declaration of an agent with the United States Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations. In his declaration, the agent averred that the entire amount of the forfeiture money judgment remained unpaid, that Javat “ha[d] not disclosed the location of forfeitable property sufficient to satisfy it,” and that, based on his investigation into Javat’s assets, it is my conclusion that all of the proceeds from the crime cannot be located upon the exercise of due dil- igence; have been transferred or sold to, or deposited with, a third party; have been placed beyond the ju- risdiction of the court; have been substantially dimin- ished in value or have been commingled with other USCA11 Case: 20-13310 Date Filed: 03/09/2022 Page: 4 of 18

4 Opinion of the Court 20-13310

property which cannot be divided without diffi- cult[y]. Javat opposed the motion, arguing that (1) the district court lacked jurisdiction to enter a preliminary forfeiture order of the condominium and warehouse because neither property was lo- cated in Florida; (2) substitute asset forfeiture was unavailable un- der 18 U.S.C. section 981—the applicable forfeiture provision—be- cause section 981 did not incorporate the “substantive right” to substitute asset forfeiture provided by 21 U.S.C. section 853(p), and (3) even if substitute asset forfeiture was available in a section 981 forfeiture proceeding, the government had not met its burden to prove either Javat’s ownership of the condominium and ware- house or the unavailability of the proceeds of Javat’s crime. Javat also requested an evidentiary hearing pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.2. At the same time, Pennco and Calh Holding moved to inter- vene in Javat’s criminal proceeding under Federal Rule of Civil Pro- cedure 24(a) and (b) because, they said, they owned the condomin- ium and warehouse. Pennco claimed to be the sole owner of the condominium and Calh Holding claimed to be the sole owner of the warehouse. Both argued that (1) the district court lacked juris- diction to order preliminary forfeiture of the condominium and warehouse because the properties weren’t located in Florida, (2) forfeiture of the properties was improper because Javat didn’t own them, and (3) forfeiture of their property without notice or an USCA11 Case: 20-13310 Date Filed: 03/09/2022 Page: 5 of 18

20-13310 Opinion of the Court 5

opportunity to be heard in Javat’s criminal proceeding would vio- late their due process rights. The district court granted the government’s motion for pre- liminary forfeiture of the substitute properties. First, the district court concluded that it had jurisdiction to order preliminary forfei- ture of the out-of-state condominium and warehouse under 21 U.S.C. section 853(l), which gave the district court authority to en- ter forfeiture orders “without regard to the location of any prop- erty which may be subject to forfeiture.” Second, the district court concluded that substitute asset forfeiture was available because 28 U.S.C. section 2461 explicitly integrated section 853’s procedures— including the availability of substitute asset forfeiture—into all for- feiture proceedings, including forfeiture proceedings brought un- der section 981. Third, the district court concluded that the gov- ernment had satisfied its burden under section 853(p)—the substi- tute asset forfeiture statute—to establish that Javat had an interest in the condominium and warehouse based on Javat’s counsel’s rep- resentations during the bond hearing, so an evidentiary hearing was unnecessary. And fourth, the district court concluded that the government had met its burden under section 853(p) to establish that substitute asset forfeiture was available based on the agent’s declaration. The district court entered a preliminary order of forfeiture of the condominium and warehouse. Javat, Pennco, and Calh Holding appeal the district court’s orders. USCA11 Case: 20-13310 Date Filed: 03/09/2022 Page: 6 of 18

6 Opinion of the Court 20-13310

STANDARD OF REVIEW In reviewing a preliminary forfeiture order, we review the district court’s legal conclusions de novo and findings of fact for clear error. United States v. Goldstein, 989 F.3d 1178, 1202 (11th Cir. 2021). A factual finding is clearly erroneous “when a review of the entire record leaves us with the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed.” Berenguela-Alvarado v. Cas- tanos, 950 F.3d 1352, 1357 (11th Cir. 2020) (internal quotation marks omitted). We review the district court’s denial of a motion to intervene as of right de novo and denial of permissive interven- tion for an abuse of discretion. See Fox v.

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Bluebook (online)
United States v. Byramji Moneck Javat, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-byramji-moneck-javat-ca11-2022.