United States v. Muyet

945 F. Supp. 586, 1996 WL 640855
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedNovember 18, 1996
DocketS2 95 Cr. 941 (PKL)
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 945 F. Supp. 586 (United States v. Muyet) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.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. Muyet, 945 F. Supp. 586, 1996 WL 640855 (S.D.N.Y. 1996).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

LEISURE, District Judge:

On June 13, 1996, a Grand Jury filed a superseding indictment (the “indictment”), S2 95 Cr. 941, against the defendants in this case. The indictment alleges that the defendants participated in the illegal activities of a violent narcotics trafficking organization known as the “Nasty Boys” which operated primarily in the Bronx, New York. According to the indictment, this organization has engaged in the sale and distribution of large quantities of heroin and cocaine base, commonly known as crack. It is alleged that the affairs of this enterprise have been conducted through various acts of violence including assault, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and murder.

*590 The Government moves for the empaneling of an anonymous jury. In addition, seven defendants charged in the indictment, Jose Muyet, John Muyet, Pedro Narvaez, Julio Matías, William Delvalle, Frank Sosa, and Antonio Feliciano (collectively, the “moving defendants”), bring various pretrial motions, including a motion for severance, requests for a bill of particulars, and requests for additional pretrial disclosures. For the reasons stated below, the Government’s motion for an anonymous, semi-sequestered jury is granted, and the moving defendants’ various pretrial motions are denied in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The Court will summarize the charges set forth in the forty-three count indictment as to the seven moving defendants. 1 Count One charges the moving defendants, except for William Delvalle, with participating in a criminal enterprise in violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”), 18 U.S.C. § 1962(e). Count Two charges the moving defendants, except for William Delvalle, with conspiring to participate in a criminal enterprise in violation of RICO, 18 U.S.C. § 1962(d). Counts Three through Twenty-Nine charge various moving defendants, except for William Delvalle, with committing violent crimes in aid of racketeering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959(a). Count Thirty charges the moving defendants, except for Antonio Feliciano, with conspiring to violate the narcotics laws of the United States in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846. Counts Thirty-One through Forty-Two charge various moving defendants, except for William Delvalle, with using and carrying firearms during and in relation to their violent crimes in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c). Count Forty-Three charges the moving defendants, except for Antonio Feliciano, with using and carrying firearms during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c).

Before the Court are various pretrial motions brought by the Government and-the moving defendants. 2 The Government moves for the empaneling of an anonymous, semi-sequestered jury in this case. Defendant William Delvalle moves for severance pursuant to Rule 14 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. Defendants Jose Muyet, John Muyet, Pedro Narvaez, Julio Matías, William Delvalle, Frank Sosa and Antonio Feliciano each request a bill of particulars. Defendants Pedro Narvaez, Julio Matías, William Delvalle, Frank Sosa and Antonio Feliciano seek additional discovery, including a list of confidential informants, cooperating witnesses and all other Government witnesses. 3

DISCUSSION

I. MOTION FOR AN ANONYMOUS JURY

The Government moves the Court to take the following precautions to ensure that the jury will be free from improper influence, intimidation or fear during the trial and during their deliberations: (1) limit voir dire so that the potential jurors, on the voir dire panel, and the jurors and alternates selected to serve at trial, do not reveal their names, addresses, or places of employment; (2) during the trial, keep the jurors together during recesses, and allow the United States Marshals Service to provide lunch for the jurors as a group or take the jurors to lunch as a group each day; and (3) at the end of each trial day, allow the United States Marshals Service to transport the jurors together from the Courthouse to an undisclosed central location, from which they can leave for their respective communities. All of the defendants object to the use of these procedures.

*591 The empaneling of an anonymous jury has “serious implications for a defendant’s interest in effectively conducting voir dire and in maintaining the presumption of innocence.” United States v. Wong, 40 F.3d 1347, 1376 (2d Cir.1994), cert. denied, — U.S. —, 116 S.Ct. 190, 133 L.Ed.2d 127 (1995); see United States v. Amuso, 21 F.3d 1251, 1264 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, — U.S. —, 115 S.Ct. 326, 130 L.Ed.2d 286 (1994). Nonetheless, when a defendant’s interests are outweighed by the jurors’ interest in remaining free from real or threatened violence and the public’s interest in having the jury render a fair and impartial verdict, the use of an anonymous jury is appropriate. See Wong, 40 F.3d at 1376; Amuso, 21 F.3d at 1264. The Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has explained the rationale for the use of an anonymous jury as follows:

If a juror feels that he and his family may be subjected to violence or death at the hands of a defendant or his friends, how can his judgment be as free and impartial as the Constitution requires? If “the anonymous juror feels less pressure” as a result of anonymity, ... this is as it should be—a factor contributing to his impartiality.

United States v. Barnes, 604 F.2d 121, 140-41 (2d Cir.1979), cert. denied, 446 U.S. 907, 100 S.Ct. 1833, 64 L.Ed.2d 260 (1980); see also United States v. Thomas, 757 F.2d 1359, 1364 (2d Cir.) (“As a practical matter, we cannot expect jurors to ‘take their chances’ on what might happen to them as a result of a guilty verdict. Obviously, explicit threats to jurors or their families or even a general fear of retaliation could well affect the jury’s ability to render a fair and impartial verdict.”), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 819, 106 S.Ct. 66, 88 L.Ed.2d 54 (1985).

The decision to empanel an anonymous jury is within the broad discretion of the District Court. See Wong, 40 F.3d at 1376; United States v. Paccione, 949 F.2d 1183, 1192 (2d Cir.1991), cert. denied,

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Bluebook (online)
945 F. Supp. 586, 1996 WL 640855, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-muyet-nysd-1996.