United States v. Raniere
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Opinion
NICHOLAS G. GARAUFIS, United States District Judge.
*292Defendant Keith Raniere has been indicted on charges arising from his involvement in several hierarchical pyramid-structured organizations he founded. (Second Superseding Indictment ("Indictment") (Dkt. 430) ¶¶ 1-49.) These organizations included Nxivm, which purported to offer self-help courses, and "DOS," a secret society that purported to be a women's empowerment group. (Compl. (Dkt. 1) ¶ 17; Indictment ¶¶ 1-3, 42.) The Indictment charges him with racketeering (or "RICO") conspiracy, in violation of
Before the court are Raniere's motions to dismiss various counts and predicate racketeering acts in the Indictment, for a bill of particulars, for prompt disclosure of exculpatory materials pursuant to Brady v. Maryland,
I. BACKGROUND
A. The Government's Factual Allegations1
1. Nxivm and DOS
The Government alleges in its complaint that, in or about 1998, Raniere founded Executive Success Programs, Inc. ("ESP"), a series of workshops designed (according to its promotional literature) to "actualize human potential." (Compl. ¶ 3.) In or about 2003, Raniere founded an organization called Nxivm, which served as an umbrella organization for ESP and other affiliated entities. (Id. ) Nxivm promoted itself as a "professional business providing educational tools, coaching and trainings to corporations and people from all walks of life," and described its philosophy as "a new ethical understanding" that allows "humanity to rise to its noble possibility." (Id. )
Nxivm was headquartered in Albany, New York, and recruited members from around the world, including from the Eastern District of New York. (Id. ¶ 5.) It offered classes in various cities within the *293United States and abroad, which cost up to $ 5,000 for a five-day workshop. (Id. ¶ 6.) Nxivm encouraged its participants to continue attending classes and to recruit others into Nxivm in order to be promoted within the organization and thereby reach certain "goal levels." (Id. ) The Nxivm curriculum allegedly taught, among other things, that women had inherent weaknesses including "overemotional" natures," an inability to keep promises, and embracing the role of victim. (Id. ¶ 17.)
In 2015, Raniere created a secret society called "DOS,"2 which is structured like a pyramid with levels of "slaves" headed by "masters." (Id. ¶¶ 11, 13.) DOS slaves were expected to recruit slaves of their own, who in turn would owe service to their own masters and to masters above. (Id. ¶ 13.) All DOS participants were women except for Raniere, whose status as the highest DOS master was allegedly concealed from newly recruited slaves, other than those directly under Raniere. (Id. ¶ 14.)
DOS masters recruited slaves mostly from Nxivm. (Id. ¶ 15.) Masters targeted dissatisfied women by telling them that DOS would change their lives and that, to join DOS, they would need to provide "collateral" to ensure they would not leave the group or tell others about it. (Id. ¶¶ 15-19.) Collateral included sexually explicit photographs and videos; rights to financial assets; videos made to look to look candid in which the prospective slaves told damning stories (true or untrue) about themselves, friends, or family members; and letters making damaging accusations (true or untrue) about friends and family members. (Id. ¶¶ 16, 18.)
After joining DOS, slaves were required to provide additional collateral every month; all DOS slaves were ultimately made to provide more collateral than had initially been described to them. (Id. ¶¶ 18-19.) Slaves were also obligated to perform "acts of care" for and pay "tribute" to their masters by bringing them coffee, buying them groceries, making them lunch, carrying their luggage, cleaning their houses, and retrieving lost items for them, among other things.3 (Id. ¶ 20.) Allegedly, DOS members understood that the slaves' acts of care should amount to the master having the work of at least one full-time employee. (Id. )
Beyond acts of care, slaves were regularly given assignments by their masters. (Id. ¶ 22.) Some masters allegedly gave their slaves assignments that either directly or implicitly required them to have sex with Raniere. (Id. ) Other assignments required slaves to adhere to extremely low-calorie diets and to document the food they ate, which was meant to accommodate Raniere's sexual preference for thin women. (Id. ) Other women were assigned to periods of celibacy. (Id. ) Slaves who were assigned to have sex with Raniere believed that not doing so would risk release of their collateral. (Id. ¶ 23.)
Allegedly, DOS masters profited from directing slaves to have sex with Raniere by receiving the acts of care that came with continued status and participation in DOS, and by receiving increased status and financial opportunities within Nxivm more broadly. (Id. ¶ 24; see
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NICHOLAS G. GARAUFIS, United States District Judge.
*292Defendant Keith Raniere has been indicted on charges arising from his involvement in several hierarchical pyramid-structured organizations he founded. (Second Superseding Indictment ("Indictment") (Dkt. 430) ¶¶ 1-49.) These organizations included Nxivm, which purported to offer self-help courses, and "DOS," a secret society that purported to be a women's empowerment group. (Compl. (Dkt. 1) ¶ 17; Indictment ¶¶ 1-3, 42.) The Indictment charges him with racketeering (or "RICO") conspiracy, in violation of
Before the court are Raniere's motions to dismiss various counts and predicate racketeering acts in the Indictment, for a bill of particulars, for prompt disclosure of exculpatory materials pursuant to Brady v. Maryland,
I. BACKGROUND
A. The Government's Factual Allegations1
1. Nxivm and DOS
The Government alleges in its complaint that, in or about 1998, Raniere founded Executive Success Programs, Inc. ("ESP"), a series of workshops designed (according to its promotional literature) to "actualize human potential." (Compl. ¶ 3.) In or about 2003, Raniere founded an organization called Nxivm, which served as an umbrella organization for ESP and other affiliated entities. (Id. ) Nxivm promoted itself as a "professional business providing educational tools, coaching and trainings to corporations and people from all walks of life," and described its philosophy as "a new ethical understanding" that allows "humanity to rise to its noble possibility." (Id. )
Nxivm was headquartered in Albany, New York, and recruited members from around the world, including from the Eastern District of New York. (Id. ¶ 5.) It offered classes in various cities within the *293United States and abroad, which cost up to $ 5,000 for a five-day workshop. (Id. ¶ 6.) Nxivm encouraged its participants to continue attending classes and to recruit others into Nxivm in order to be promoted within the organization and thereby reach certain "goal levels." (Id. ) The Nxivm curriculum allegedly taught, among other things, that women had inherent weaknesses including "overemotional" natures," an inability to keep promises, and embracing the role of victim. (Id. ¶ 17.)
In 2015, Raniere created a secret society called "DOS,"2 which is structured like a pyramid with levels of "slaves" headed by "masters." (Id. ¶¶ 11, 13.) DOS slaves were expected to recruit slaves of their own, who in turn would owe service to their own masters and to masters above. (Id. ¶ 13.) All DOS participants were women except for Raniere, whose status as the highest DOS master was allegedly concealed from newly recruited slaves, other than those directly under Raniere. (Id. ¶ 14.)
DOS masters recruited slaves mostly from Nxivm. (Id. ¶ 15.) Masters targeted dissatisfied women by telling them that DOS would change their lives and that, to join DOS, they would need to provide "collateral" to ensure they would not leave the group or tell others about it. (Id. ¶¶ 15-19.) Collateral included sexually explicit photographs and videos; rights to financial assets; videos made to look to look candid in which the prospective slaves told damning stories (true or untrue) about themselves, friends, or family members; and letters making damaging accusations (true or untrue) about friends and family members. (Id. ¶¶ 16, 18.)
After joining DOS, slaves were required to provide additional collateral every month; all DOS slaves were ultimately made to provide more collateral than had initially been described to them. (Id. ¶¶ 18-19.) Slaves were also obligated to perform "acts of care" for and pay "tribute" to their masters by bringing them coffee, buying them groceries, making them lunch, carrying their luggage, cleaning their houses, and retrieving lost items for them, among other things.3 (Id. ¶ 20.) Allegedly, DOS members understood that the slaves' acts of care should amount to the master having the work of at least one full-time employee. (Id. )
Beyond acts of care, slaves were regularly given assignments by their masters. (Id. ¶ 22.) Some masters allegedly gave their slaves assignments that either directly or implicitly required them to have sex with Raniere. (Id. ) Other assignments required slaves to adhere to extremely low-calorie diets and to document the food they ate, which was meant to accommodate Raniere's sexual preference for thin women. (Id. ) Other women were assigned to periods of celibacy. (Id. ) Slaves who were assigned to have sex with Raniere believed that not doing so would risk release of their collateral. (Id. ¶ 23.)
Allegedly, DOS masters profited from directing slaves to have sex with Raniere by receiving the acts of care that came with continued status and participation in DOS, and by receiving increased status and financial opportunities within Nxivm more broadly. (Id. ¶ 24; see Indictment ¶ 4.) Additionally, Raniere promised career opportunities to the slaves who had sex with him and with whom he wanted to have sex. (Compl. ¶ 24.)
*294The Government's complaint further alleges in detail that Raniere and co-conspirators engaged in sex trafficking and a forced-labor conspiracy with respect to Jane Doe 1 between February 2016 and May 2017 (Compl. ¶¶ 42-51), and sex trafficking with respect to Jane Doe 2 between November 2016 and May 20174 (id. ¶¶ 52-57).
2. The Alleged Enterprise
According to the Indictment, in leading Nxivm, DOS, and other affiliated pyramid-structured entities (the "Pyramid Organizations"), Raniere relied on an inner circle of individuals who carried out his directives and held high positions in the Pyramid Organizations. (Indictment ¶¶ 1-3.) This inner circle (the "Enterprise") was allegedly a criminal enterprise, as defined in the RICO statute, see
The Enterprise operated within the Eastern and Northern Districts of New York and elsewhere, including overseas. (Id. ¶ 5.) Its alleged purpose was to obtain financial and personal benefits for its members, including increased power and status within the Enterprise, by promoting Raniere and recruiting others into the Pyramid Organizations. (Id. ¶ 4.) Its members accomplished this by, among other things, "[p]romoting, enhancing and protecting the Enterprise by committing, attempting and conspiring to commit crimes, including but not limited to visa fraud, identity theft, extortion, forced labor, sex trafficking, money laundering, wire fraud, tax evasion, and obstruction of justice" (id. ¶ 6(a)); "[d]emanding absolute commitment to Raniere," including by "exalting" his teachings and ideology and not tolerating dissent (id. ¶ 6(b)); "[i]nducing shame and guilt" to influence members and associates of the Enterprise (id. ¶ 6(c)); "[o]btaining sensitive information about members and associates of the Enterprise" to control them (id. ¶ 6(d)); "[r]ecruiting and grooming sexual partners for Raniere" (id. ¶ 6(e)); "[i]solating associates and others from friends and family and making them dependent on the Enterprise for their financial well-being and legal status in the United States" (id. ¶ 6(f)); "[p]rotecting and attempting to protect Raniere and the Enterprise by ... gaining political influence and evading regulatory agencies" (id. ¶ 6(g)); "[u]sing harassment, coercion and abusive litigation to intimidate and attack perceived enemies and critics of Raniere" (id. ¶ 6(h)); and "[e]ncouraging associates and others to take expensive Nxivm courses, and incur debt to do so, as a means of exerting control over them and to obtain financial benefits for the members of the Enterprise" (id. ¶ 6(i)).
B. Procedural History
1. Charges
The Indictment contains eleven counts. (Indictment.) When the Indictment was filed on March 13, 2019, Raniere, Bronfman, Mack, Russell, and Lauren Salzman were joined in a single count charging a racketeering conspiracy in violation of
Raniere, Bronfman, Mack, and Lauren Salzman were also charged with racketeering in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1962(c) ("Count Two"). (Id. ¶¶ 16-40). This count is predicated on fourteen acts spanning from roughly to 2003 and March 2018. (Id. ¶¶ 16-17.) There appears to be substantial overlap between the predicate acts alleged in Counts One and Two. Below is a chart depicting Bronfman, Raniere, Mack, and Lauren Salzman's alleged participation in the fourteen predicate acts of racketeering (some of which the Indictment divides into sub-acts). As illustrated below, Bronfman is not alleged to have committed any predicate acts with Mack and Lauren Salzman (the "DOS Defendants"):
DOS Defendants RICO Acts Description Bronfman Ramere Mack L. Salzman Act 1-A Identity Theft X Conspiracy, Jane Doe 16 Act 1-B Conspiracy to X Unlawfully Possess Identification Document Act 2 Sexual X Exploitation of a Child, Jane Doe 2 Act 3 Sexual X Exploitation of a Child, Jane Doe 2 Act 4 Possession of X Child Pornography Act 5-A Identity Theft X X Conspiracy Act 5-B Identity Theft, X John Doe 1 Act 5-C Identity Theft, X X John Doe 2 Act 6 Conspiracy to X Alter Records for Use in an Official Proceeding Act 7 Identity Theft X Conspiracy, Jane Doe 3 Act 8 Money Laundering X Act 9-A Trafficking of Jane X X Doe 4 for Labor Act 9-B Document X X Servitude, Jane Doe 4 Act 10 Extortion X X X Act 11 Visa Fraud X Act 12-A Sex Trafficking, X X Jane Doe 5 Act 12-B Forced Labor, Jane X X Doe 5 *296Act 13 Forced Labor, Jane X Doe 6 Act 14 Identity Theft X X Conspiracy, Jane Doe 7
[Editor's Note: The preceding image contains the reference for footnote6 ].
(See
The court has dismissed Counts Three, Four, Five, and Eleven without prejudice on motion of the Government. (Apr. 4, 2019 Min. Entry.) Count Six charges Raniere with participation in a forced labor conspiracy, in violation of
According to the Government, the factual bases for these counts is set forth in the Government's complaint, detention letters, responses to Raniere's motions for pretrial release, and the discovery materials the Government has provided to Defendants. (See Gov't First Mem. in Opp'n to Defs. Mots. to Dismiss ("Gov't First Mem.") (Dkt. 248) at 6-7 (listing the filings and discovery material that set forth the factual bases for each charged count and racketeering acts).)
2. The Instant Motions
On November 16 and 17, 2018, the six Defendants (none of whom had yet pleaded guilty) moved to dismiss most of the counts in the first superseding indictment in this case. (Lauren Salzman Mot. to Dismiss First Superseding Indictment (Dkt. 192); Bronfman, Russell, and Nancy Salzman Mot. to Dismiss First Superseding Indictment (Dkt. 193); Raniere Mot. to Dismiss First Superseding Indictment (Dkt. 196); Mack Mot. to Dismiss First Superseding Indictment (Dkt. 199).) On March 13, 2019, the grand jury returned the Second Superseding Indictment. (Indictment.) On March 22, 2019, Defendants renewed their earlier arguments and collectively moved to dismiss all counts except for Count Seven and various predicate racketeering acts and made several procedural motions. (Bronfman Mot.; Mack Mot. to Dismiss Second Superseding Indictment (Dkt. 460)); L. Salzman Letter Mot. to Dismiss Second Superseding Indictment ("L. Salzman Second Mem.") (Dkt. 455); Raniere Mot; see Raniere Mem. in Supp. of Mot. to Dismiss Indictment ("Raniere Second Mem.") (Dkt. 456-1) (joining his co-defendants' motions to dismiss various counts and racketeering acts in which he is named).
Between March 13 and April 19, 2019, Raniere's five co-defendants pleaded guilty. Raniere joined their motions to dismiss, as he is charged in all counts of the Indictment. (See Raniere Second Mem. at 1.) For the sake of clarity, the court will attribute all Defendants' arguments to Raniere. Additionally, in light of the substantial overlap between the two superseding indictments, the court will consider any arguments that were made in support of Defendants' motions to dismiss the First Superseding Indictment, even if Defendants *297did not explicitly renew these arguments in making their motions to dismiss the Second Superseding Indictment.
To organize its analysis, the court divides the instant motions into the following seven categories:
1. Count One: Raniere's motion to dismiss Count One because it fails to allege predicate acts with sufficient particularity, fails to properly allege the "pattern" element of a RICO charge, and is duplicitous. (See Raniere Mem. in Supp. of Mot. to Dismiss First Superseding Indictment ("Raniere First Mem.") (Dkt. 198) at 10-14; Bronfman, Russell & Nancy Salzman Mem. in Supp. of Mot. to Dismiss First Superseding Indictment ("Bronfman First Mem.") (Dkt. 194) at 13-31; Bronfman Mem. in Supp. of Mot. to Dismiss Indictment ("Bronfman Second Mem.") (Dkt. 458) at 2-6, 7-11; see Raniere Second Mem. at 1 (joining Bronfman's motion).)
2. Count Two: Raniere's motion to dismiss Count Two because it fails to allege predicate acts with sufficient particularity, fails to properly allege the "pattern" element of a RICO charge, and is duplicitous. (See Raniere First Mem. at 10-14; Bronfman First Mem. at 13-26; Bronfman Second Mem. at 6-11; see Raniere Second Mem. at 1 (joining Bronfman's motion).)
3. Child Pornography: Raniere's motion to dismiss Racketeering Acts 2, 3, and 4, which charge him with sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography. (Raniere Second Mem. at 5-8.)
4. Sex Trafficking: Raniere's motion to dismiss Counts Six, Eight, Nine, and Ten, which charge him with sex-trafficking offenses. (Mack Mem. in Supp. of Mot. to Dismiss First Superseding Indictment ("Mack First Mem.") (Dkt. 200) at 17-27; Mack Mem. in Supp. of Mot. to Dismiss Second Superseding Indictment ("Mack Second Mem.") (Dkt. 461) at 1 n.1; see Raniere Second Mem. at 1 (joining Mack's motions).)
5. Forced Labor Conspiracy: Raniere's motion to dismiss Count Six, which charges him with a forced labor conspiracy. (Raniere First Mem. at 17; L. Salzman Mem. in Supp. of Mot. to Dismiss First Indictment ("L. Salzman First Mem.") (Dkt. 192-3) at 17-19; Mack First Mem. at 6-17; L. Salzman Second Mem. at 4-5; see Raniere Second Mem. at 1 (joining Lauren Salzman's motion).)
6. Extortion: Raniere's motion to dismiss Racketeering Act Ten, which charges him with a state-law extortion offense. (L. Salzman First Mem. at 10-17, 19-22; L. Salzman Second Mem. at 4-5; see Raniere Second Mem. at 1 (joining Lauren Salzman's motion to dismiss Act Ten).)
7. Procedural Motions: This includes Raniere's:
a. Motion for a bill of particulars (Bronfman First Mem. at 36-38; Mack First Mem. at 30 n.15; L. Salzman First Mem. at 22; Raniere Second Mem. at 10-12; see Raniere Mot. to Dismiss First Superseding Indictment (Dkt. 196) at 1 (joining his co-defendants' motions for a bill of particulars);
b. Motion for prompt disclosure of Brady materials (Raniere First Mem. at 18);
c. Motion to preclude the Government's proposed experts (Raniere Second Mem. at 12-15; Mack Second Mem. at 11-14; see Raniere *298Second Mem. at 1 (joining Mack's motion));
d. Motion for an order allowing foreign witnesses to testify via live videoconferencing (Raniere First Mem. at 22; Raniere Second Mem. at 15).
II. PLEADING STANDARD FOR INDICTMENTS GENERALLY
Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 7(c)(1) requires, inter alia, that an indictment contain a "plain, concise, and definite written statement of the essential facts constituting the offense charged." Fed. R. Crim. P. 7(c)(1). An indictment satisfies Rule 7(c)(1) -and thus the requirements of the Fifth and Sixth Amendments7 -if it " 'first, contains the elements of the offense charged and fairly informs a defendant of the charge against which he must defend, and, second, enables him to plead an acquittal or conviction in bar of future prosecutions for the same offense.' " United States v. Stringer,
To meet this standard, indictments typically "need do little more than to track the language of the statute charged and state the approximate time and place of the alleged crime." United States v. Thompson,
That said, there are "very rare cases in which an indictment that track[s] the statutory language and furnishe[s] the pertinent dates" is constitutionally insufficient. Stringer,
*299"The dismissal of an indictment is an extraordinary remedy reserved only for extremely limited circumstances implicating fundamental rights." United States v. De La Pava,
III. DISCUSSION
A. Count One: RICO Conspiracy
Raniere moves to dismiss Count One for three reasons: (i) it fails to allege predicate acts with sufficient specificity; (ii) it fails to properly allege the "pattern" element of a RICO charge; and (iii) it is duplicitous because it alleges two conspiracies-one involving him and one involving the DOS Defendants (Mack and Lauren Salzman). (See Raniere First Mem. at 10-14; Bronfman First Mem. at 13-31; Bronfman Second Mem. at 2-6, 7-11; see Raniere Second Mem. at 1 (joining Bronfman's motion).)
To engage in a RICO conspiracy, a defendant must "agree[ ] with others" to "further an endeavor which, if completed, would satisfy all of the elements of a substantive RICO offense." United States v. Cain,
It shall be unlawful for any person employed by or associated with any enterprise engaged in, or the activities of which affect, interstate or foreign commerce, to conduct or participate, directly or indirectly, in the conduct of such enterprise's affairs through a pattern of *300racketeering activity or collection of unlawful debt.
1. Specificity
According to Raniere, when a crime charged under one statute depends on the defendant's violation or intent to violate a separate statute, the indictment must identify that underlying offense and plead each element of it. (Bronfman Second Mem. at 2, 7.) Raniere maintains that Count One violates this rule in three ways. First, it lists categories of predicate acts, not specific acts that violate specific statutory provisions. (Id. at 2.) Second, some of the predicate-act categories depend on underlying offenses, which Count One does not specify. (Id. ) Third, Count One does not plead each element of the predicate acts or the elements of their underlying offenses. (Id. at 7.) For example, Count One alleges violations of "Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028 (identification document fraud and identification document fraud conspiracy, and identity theft and identity theft conspiracy)." (Indictment ¶ 15(a).) That statute lists at least eight different crimes, none of which are specified in the Indictment. (Bronfman Second Mem. at 3 (citing
Raniere is wrong. The Government is correct that, "to satisfy Rule 7(c) as to a RICO conspiracy charge," "it is not required to identify specific predicate acts" nor "prove at trial that any of the racketeering acts were committed"-let alone specify underlying offenses that are elements of predicate acts or those underlying offenses' elements. (Gov't First Mem. at 27.) See United States v. Applins,
RICO conspiracy indictments satisfy Rule 7(c) if they identify an enterprise, name the defendant as someone associated with that enterprise, allege that the defendant conspired to violate RICO, specify the time period during which the conspiracy operated, list specific types of predicate crimes allegedly committed, and discuss in detail the means and methods of the conspiracy. United States v. Bronson, No. 05-CR-714 (NGG),
2. "Pattern" Element: Whether the Predicate Acts are Related
"The pattern element serves to prevent application of the racketeering *301statute to perpetrators of isolated or sporadic criminal acts." United States v. Coppola,
But there is a difference between what the Government must prove at trial and what it must plead in the indictment. See United States v. Messina, No. 11-CR-31 (KAM),
In this case, the Indictment describes the alleged Enterprise (Indictment ¶¶ 1-3) and its purpose, means, and methods (id. ¶¶ 4-6), and alleges that the Defendants agreed to commit thirteen different types of crimes between 2003 and March 2018 in furtherance of the Enterprise and consistent with its means and methods (id. ¶¶ 14-15). It states that each Defendant agreed that a conspirator would commit at least two of the acts. (Id. ¶ 15.) These allegations "evidence continuity and relatedness," even though the Indictment does not spell out how the predicate acts are horizontally and vertically related. Giovannelli,
To support his contention that the Government has failed to plead relatedness with sufficient particularity, Raniere relies on civil RICO cases like Reich v. Lopez. (Bronfman First Mem. at 13-21; Bronfman Reply at 12-16.) Raniere is correct that courts must interpret RICO's "pattern" element consistently in criminal and civil cases, and that the Government must prove the same elements at trial as a civil plaintiff. (Bronfman Reply at 12 (citing Reich,
*303Raniere cites only two cases-both decades old-in which courts dismissed RICO counts because the indictment failed to show that the predicate acts amounted to a pattern. (See Bronfman Reply at 10-11) (citing United States v. Crysopt Corp.,
3. Duplicity: Whether Count One Charges Multiple Conspiracies
a. Overview of Raniere's Arguments
Raniere argues that the Indictment is impermissibly duplicitous in that it charges two RICO conspiracies-one involving Raniere and the DOS Defendants, and one involving Raniere and Bronfman14 -as one. (Bronfman First Mem. at 21; Bronfman Second Mem. at 10.) The first conspiracy involves coercive acts like sex trafficking, forced labor, and extortion (all of which began in 2015, according to the First Superseding Indictment), and the second conspiracy involves non-coercive acts like identity theft, alteration of records, and money laundering (some of which took place between 2004 and 2010, according to the First Superseding Indictment). (Bronfman First Mem. at 22-23.) Per Raniere, no common purpose unites these two sets of acts, and thus the court should either dismiss Count One or direct the Government to elect which conspiracy it will seek to prove at trial. (Id. at 21.)
b. Legal Standard
Duplicity is the charging of multiple, separate offenses in the same count. United States v. Aracri,
RICO conspiracies may be even broader than ordinary conspiracies to commit discrete crimes. See United States v. Friedman,
In sum, if a RICO conspiracy count properly alleges the "pattern" element, it will almost certainly not be duplicitous. See Garcia,
c. Application
The principles outlined above make clear that Count One is not pleaded duplicitously. It charges one RICO conspiracy with one common purpose uniting its predicate acts: receiving financial opportunities and personal benefits, including increased power and status within the Enterprise, by promoting Raniere and recruiting others into the Pyramid Organizations. (Indictment ¶ 4.) Each Defendant allegedly agreed on this "essential nature of the plan." Eppolito,
Further, the Indictment describes "mutual dependence and assistance" among the predicate acts.
Accordingly, Count One alleges a single RICO conspiracy; it is not pleaded duplicitously.16
B. Count Two: Substantive RICO
Raniere contends that Count Two, or some of its predicate acts, should be dismissed for similar reasons. (Bronfman Second Mem. at 6-11; see Raniere Second Mem. at 1 (joining Bronfman's motion).) First, he avers that it is insufficiently pleaded because, with respect to several predicate acts, it does not identify the underlying offenses or the elements of such offenses, and it does not allege each element of Act Eleven. (Bronfman Second Mem. at 6-9.) Second, he claims that Act One-A is defective because it alleges a violation of
Count Two alleges fourteen predicate acts, some of which are divided into sub-acts. (Indictment ¶¶ 18-40.) According to Raniere, the following acts improperly fail to identify the underlying offenses on which they rely: One, Five, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Eleven. (Bronfman Second Mem. at 6.) Further, Act Eleven is missing essential elements because it does not identify Raniere's false statements, explain why they are false, or state that the false statements were made under oath or penalty of perjury. (Id. at 8-9.)
In the Government's view, Raniere's arguments on Count Two are foreclosed by *306United States v. D'Amelio,
The court agrees with the Government. In every act to which Raniere points, the underlying offense is part of a "to wit" clause identifying the means by which a defendant effected the crime, and thus is not an essential element of the alleged crime. See Bastian, 770 F.3d at 221 ("As a preliminary matter, we have never suggested that a 'to wit' clause binds the government to prove the exact facts specified in a criminal indictment."); United States v. Agrawal,
a. Act One
Act One-A alleges that Raniere participated in a conspiracy to commit identity theft in 2004, in violation of
b. Acts Five and Seven
For the same reasons, Acts Five and Seven pass muster. Both state that the alleged conspiracy to commit identity theft was undertaken with "intent to commit, and to aid and abet, and in connection with" another federal crime. (Indictment ¶¶ 25 (Act 5-A), 29 (Act Seven).) Both indicate time frames in which the alleged crimes took place. (Indictment ¶¶ 25, 26 (Act 5-B), 27 (Act 5-C), 29.) Raniere knows who the victims are. (Gov't Second Mem. at 21 n.12, 22-23.) These allegations thus provide notice of the core criminality of the alleged offenses.
c. Act Eight
Act Eight alleges that Bronfman engaged in money laundering in or about March 2009, in violation of
This is sufficient. It makes no difference that § 1546 lists multiple crimes. A money-laundering indictment need not provide elements and other details of the "specified unlawful activity." See United States v. Cherry,
d. Act Nine
Act Nine alleges that Raniere and Lauren Salzman trafficked Jane Doe 4 for document servitude and forced labor between March 2010 and April 2012, in violation of
e. Act Eleven
Act Eleven alleges that Bronfman committed visa fraud between October 2015 and January 2018, in violation of
The court must address two issues Raniere raises regarding Act Eleven.18 First, he complains that it does not specify which immigration laws required the submission of the document in question. (Bronfman Second Mem. at 6.) As the Government notes (Gov't Second Mem. at 24), though, a § 1546(a) indictment need not do that. See United States v. Archer,
Second, Raniere avers that Act Eleven is deficient because, while it alleges that Bronfman submitted "materially false and fraudulent statements" to a United States consulate, it does not identify those statements or explain why they were false. (Bronfman Mem. at 8-9.) He relies on Stringer, which notes that an indictment charging criminal falsity under certain statutes must specify "what statements are alleged to be false, and in what respect they are false."
2. Act One-A: Constitutionality of
As noted above, Act One-A contains a to-wit clause, which alleges that the underlying offense was "bringing in, transporting and harboring an alien, in violation of [
The Government represents that it can prove Raniere effected the crime by means of any of the three remaining subsections of § 1324 (a)(1)(A). (Gov't Second Mem. at 22 n.13.) Therefore, while the court has serious doubts about the constitutionality of Subsection (iv), see United States v. Sineneng-Smith,
3. "Pattern" Element: Whether the Predicate Acts are Related
Raniere argues that Count Two's predicate acts are insufficiently related to each other. (Bronfman Second Mem. at 10.) He repeats the same arguments that he made about Count One. (Id. ) The court rejects them for the same reasons. Counts One and Two appear to include the same predicate acts, but Count Two describes them in greater detail, indicating individual perpetrators and approximate dates for each act. Thus, if Count One contains facts that "evidence continuity and relatedness," so *310does Count Two. Giovannelli,
4. Duplicity: Whether Count One Charges Multiple Conspiracies
For the same reasons that Count One is not pleaded duplicitously, neither is Count Two.
C. Acts Two, Three, and Four: Child Pornography
Raniere moves to dismiss or sever Acts Two, Three, and Four, which are premised on sexually explicit photographs of Jane Doe 2, a minor, allegedly recovered from Raniere's hard drive, arguing that they are neither related to the other racketeering acts nor to the charged enterprise. (Raniere Second Mem. at 5-8.) The court is not aware of any authority for the proposition that it may dismiss or sever individual racketeering acts pretrial because they do not appear related to the other acts in an otherwise valid RICO charge. See Urso,
D. Count Six And Act Thirteen: Forced Labor
1. Overview of the Charges
Count Six charges Raniere (along with Mack and Lauren Salzman) with a forced-labor conspiracy, i.e., with conspiring to provide and obtain the labor and services of one or more lower-ranking DOS members by means of force, physical restraints (or threats of physical restraints), or serious harm (or threats of it) between September 2015 and June 2017 within the Eastern District of New York and elsewhere, in violation of § 1589(a).19 (Indictment ¶ 44.) The Indictment states that they conspired to provide and obtain the labor and services of lower-ranking DOS members by means of force and threats of force, harm and threats of harm, and threats to reveal damaging collateral. (Id.; see Compl. ¶ 42 (detailing the collateral used).)
Act Thirteen of Count Two alleges that Lauren Salzman obtained the labor and services of Jane Doe 6 by means of force, physical restraints (or threats of physical *311restraints), or serious harm (or threats of it) between September 2015 and June 2017 within the Eastern District of New York and elsewhere, in violation of § 1589(a).
2. Motions to Dismiss
Raniere moves to dismiss Count Six and Act Thirteen for failure to plead the crimes alleged with sufficient specificity and, with respect to Count Six, failure to state an offense. (Raniere First Mem. at 17; L. Salzman First Mem. at 17-19; Mack First Mem. at 6-17; L. Salzman Second Mem. at 4-5.) The court denies Raniere's motion for the following reasons.
i. Specificity
Raniere adopts Mack's and Lauren Salzman's arguments20 that Count Six is pleaded improperly because the alleged 21-month time span is overly broad, and because it does not identify with specificity the "lower-ranking DOS members" whose labor was compelled, the "serious harm" that Defendants allegedly threatened to inflict on their victims, or what "labor and services" were obtained through threats. (Raniere Second Mem. at 1; see Mack First Mem. at 6-11; L. Salzman First Mem. at 17-19; L. Salzman Second Mem. at 4-5.) According to Raniere, charges involving threats, like § 1589(a), must identify specific victims. (Id. at 8 (citing Sira v. Morton,
Essentially, Raniere complains of a lack of notice as to the accusations against him. If the Indictment were the only notice that he had received as to Count Two, he might have a good argument. But, as the Government notes (Gov't First Mem. at 49), the complaint and the Raniere detention letter contain significant detail as to the forced-labor charges, including reference to particular victims, statements by witnesses, and specific electronic communications. (Compl. ¶¶ 15-21, 25-29, 36-39, 42-51; Raniere Detention Letter at 1-3.) Additionally, the Government represents that it has provided ample discovery relating to Count Six, such as the names of victims and conspirators. (Gov't First Mem. at 49.)
Raniere does not dispute that he has received this information. (See Mack Reply (Dkt. 254) at 3.) Nor does he claim to be unaware of the names of the "lower-ranking DOS members" that Count Six references or of the Government's theory of the forced-labor conspiracy. Indeed, despite complaining of a lack of notice, he simultaneously argues that-based on the forced labor and the threats alleged in the complaint-Count Two fails to state a forced-labor offense, suggesting that he does in fact have notice of the Government's theory. (Mack Mem. at 11-17.) Considering "the record as a whole" and not just the Indictment, Walsh, 194 F.3d at 45, Raniere appears to know the specific facts that are most "importan[t] to the fairness *312of the proceeding."21 Stringer,
Raniere makes similar arguments about Act Thirteen. (See L. Salzman Mem. at L. Salzman First Mem. at 17-19.) The court rejects them for the same reasons.
ii. Failure to State an Offense
Raniere further contends that, taking the allegations in the complaint as true, Count Six fails to state an offense and should be dismissed under Rule 12(b)(3)(B)(v) for two reasons. First, the "labor and services" that the Indictment alleges were obtained are not the kind of "labor or services" that fall within the scope of § 1589. (Mack First Mem. at 12-14.) The "labor and services" referred to in the Indictment were, Raniere argues, " 'acts of care' and 'tribute' largely in the form of various personal favors and errands." (Id. at 14.) He claims that these acts fall outside the "paradigmatic forced labor" situation because they do not constitute activities that were "onerous, required, and taxing." (Id.; Mack Reply at 4.) For support, he points to two cases: United States v. Toviave,
Second, he argues that the release of collateral cannot amount to "serious harm" within the meaning of the forced-labor statute.22 (Mack First Mem. at 17.) "Serious harm" requires a showing of improper threats or coercion-not merely "adverse[ ] but legitimate consequences"-and the victim's "continued acquiescence to servitude must be objectively reasonable under the circumstances." (Id. at 15 (citing Adia v. Grandeur Mgmt. Inc., No. 17-CV-9349 (RWS),
*313United States v. Bradley,
Neither of Raniere's arguments warrant dismissal of Count Six at this stage. The court is not prepared to rule, as a matter of law, that Raniere's alleged conduct (Compl. ¶¶ 15-21, 25-29, 36-39, 42-51; Raniere Detention Letter at 1-3) does not fall within the ambit of the forced-labor statute.
First, while Raniere is correct that there are "limiting principle[s]" to § 1589(a)'s definition of "labor and services" (Mack Reply at 3), no such principles preclude the Government's proffered theory. See United States v. Kaufman,
Second, the court cannot rule that the release of collateral-i.e., embarrassing material voluntarily given-never constitutes "serious harm." Whether the DOS slaves' "continued acquiescence to servitude [was] objectively reasonable under the circumstances" (Mack Mem. at 15) is an intensely factual issue that may only be decided after a trial. Messina,
*314But in this case-taking the Government's allegations as true-the release of collateral could damage DOS slaves in other ways, such as ruining their careers, finances, and personal relationships with non-DOS members. (See, e.g., Compl. ¶¶ 16, 18.)
In fact, all of the decisions Raniere cites in support of his Rule 12(b)(3)(B)(v) motion are inapposite because they had different procedural postures. See, e.g., Toviave,
In conclusion, the court denies Raniere's motion to dismiss Count Six for failure to state an offense.
E. Act Ten: Extortion
Act Ten of Count Two alleges that, between September 2015 and June 2017, Raniere, Mack, and Lauren Salzman stole property from lower-ranking DOS members by threatening to release their collateral, which constitutes extortion under New York state law. (Indictment ¶ 34.) Raniere adopts Lauren Salzman's arguments23 for why Act Ten should be dismissed. (Raniere Second Mem. at 1; see L. Salzman First Mem. at 10-17, 19-22; L. Salzman Second Mem. at 4-5.)
a. Lack of Specificity
Raniere argues that Act Ten is subject to a heightened pleading standard because, under New York State law, counts charging extortion-related offenses must describe the alleged threats in detail. (L. Salzman First Mem. at 12.) Specifically, he contends that the Indictment must allege a nexus between a threat and the taking of property. (Id. at 13.) Act Ten does not do this. (Id. at 13-16; see Indictment ¶¶ 28, 33.) It does not provide the specific identities of the alleged victims, the location within the Eastern District of New York where these extortionate acts occurred, the dates and times of the offenses, the nature of the threats allegedly employed, or the secret that Defendants threatened to expose. (L. Salzman First Mem. at 14.) Accordingly, Raniere argues, Act Ten should be dismissed. (Id. ) But he has not cited, and the court is not aware of, any case in which a court dismissed any RICO act for failing to allege the specifics he requests here. (See Hr'g Tr. at 51:22-52:8 (where Lauren Salzman's counsel states that the case that comes closest to indicating that the Government must allege specifics of RICO acts is Yannotti,
The Government's argument on the extortion racketeering acts in the First Superseding Indictment focused on the fact that extortion was previously alleged as *315part of a RICO conspiracy. (Gov't First Mem. at 30-34.) Specifically, the Government contended that it need not plead predicate acts of a RICO conspiracy with the specificity sought by Raniere because the charged crime is the RICO conspiracy, not the predicate acts. (Id. ) See Applins,
Nevertheless, Raniere appears to have sufficient notice of what is alleged in Act Ten. The Government represents that it has disclosed the victims' names to him (Gov't Second Mem. at 26) and that its complaint, letters concerning bail and detention, and discovery provide ample information about the alleged extortion (Gov't First Mem. at 34). Raniere has not shown that the Indictment's failure to identify specific victims or provide greater detail as to the alleged extortion prejudices him in any way or somehow affects "the fairness of the proceeding." Stringer,
b. Multiplicity
Raniere also adopted Lauren Salzman's arguments that the two extortion racketeering acts in the First Superseding Indictment were multiplicitous. (Raniere Second Mem. at 1; see L. Salzman Mem. at 19-22.) Count Two in the new Indictment alleges only one extortion racketeering act. (See Indictment ¶ 34.) Accordingly, Raniere's multiplicity arguments are moot.
F. Counts Eight, Nine, and Ten, and Act Eight: Sex Trafficking
Count Eight charges Raniere with sex trafficking conspiracy, Count Nine charges him with sex trafficking of Jane Doe 5, and Count Ten charges him with the attempted sex trafficking of Jane Doe 8, all between February 2016 and June 2017 in violation of
Raniere adopts Mack's motion to dismiss all counts and the predicate act relating to sex trafficking. (Raniere Second Mem. at 1; see Mack First Mem. at 17-27.) He asserts that Counts Eight, Nine, and Ten should be dismissed because they lack specificity, they fail to state a claim, they are unconstitutionally vague as applied, and they are duplicitous. (Raniere First Mem. at 14-17; Raniere Reply at 4-6; Mack *316First Mem. at 10-11, 17-30; Mack Reply at 1-3, 5-10.)
a. Specificity
Raniere argues that Counts Eight, Nine, and Ten lack specificity because they rely on "unspecified threats of force, fraud and coercion." (Mack Mem. at 10; Mack Reply at 2.) As with the forced labor count, he contends that Count Eight is deficient because it fails to identify with specificity victims or "lower-ranking DOS members." (Mack Mem. at 10.) He also argues that Counts Eight, Nine, and Ten are deficient because they provide no specificity as to the nature of the threats or how, when, and by whom they were communicated. (Id. ) In addition, he asserts that the Government must provide more detail about the location of the alleged acts beyond that they occurred "within the Eastern District of New York and elsewhere." (Id. ) Further, he maintains that these counts are insufficient because they fail to provide specifics regarding the nature of the alleged commercial sex acts, who performed them and when and where they did so, or what value was exchanged on their account. (Id. ) He insists that the lack of specificity is compounded by the fact that these counts do not specify whether defendants violated the first or second paragraph of
Essentially, as with the forced labor count, Raniere complains of a lack of notice as to the accusations against him. As the Government notes, however, the complaint and detention letters set out in detail the factual basis for the allegations relating to trafficking. (Gov't Mem. at 49; see Compl. ¶¶ 15-24, 39-57; Raniere Detention Letter at 1-4.) In addition, he has been provided with "ample discovery," including the names of victims and co-conspirators. (Gov't Mem. at 49.) Raniere does not dispute he has received this information, and, as with the forced labor count, his briefing suggests that he does in fact have notice of the Government's theory. (See Mack Reply at 3; Mack Mem. at 11-17.) For the same reason articulated with respect to the forced labor count, therefore, the court denies Raniere's motion to dismiss Counts Eight, Nine, and Ten for lack of specificity.
b. Failure to State an Offense
Raniere contends that Counts Eight, Nine, and Ten should be dismissed pursuant to Fed. R. Crim. P. 12(b)(3)(B)(v) for failure to state a claim under
i. Commercial Sex Trafficking Venture
Raniere argues that the Government cannot make out a claim that he and Mack participated in a commercial sex trafficking venture because, first, the "things of value" that the Indictment alleges Mack received on account of sex acts are not the kind of "things of value" that would render those acts "commercial sex acts" within the ambit of § 1591.25 (Raniere Mem. at *31717-19.) Raniere argues that the legislative history of § 1591 shows that its purpose is to regulate "a class of activities that are economic in nature, more specifically, sexual exploitation for profit." (Id. at 18 (citing Todd v. United States, No. C11-0470,
Second, Raniere argues that, to the extent that these "non-monetary items" do qualify as "things of value," "they were not given 'on account of' any sex act." (Mack Mem. at 20.) He maintains that the Government cannot make out a claim under § 1591 because the Complaint's allegations "show that Ms. Mack did not receive anything of value because anyone had sex with Mr. Raniere." (Mack Mem. at 20.) A "commercial sex act" is defined as "any sex act, on account of which anything of value is given to or received by any person." 18 U.S.C § 1591. The phrase "on account of" means that there must be "a causal relationship between the sex act and an exchange of an item of value." (Mack Mem. at 20 (quoting Marcus,
Raniere compares the Government's case with *318Kolbek v. Twenty First Century Holiness Tabernacle Church, Inc., No. 10-CV-4124,
For these reasons, Raniere insists, the Government also cannot show that Mack violated
These arguments do not warrant dismissal of Counts Eight, Nine, and Ten at this stage. First, the court is not prepared to rule, as a matter of law, that the alleged conduct (Compl. ¶¶ 15-24, 39-57; Raniere Detention Letter at 1-4) falls outside the ambit of the sex trafficking statute. Courts have consistently held that "anything of value" encompasses more than simply monetary exchanges. See, e.g., United States v. Cook,
Raniere cites several authorities, two of which deal almost exclusively with Commerce Clause jurisprudence and a third which involves a civil summary-judgment motion, for the proposition that a commercial sex act must be "economic in nature." (Mack Mem. at 18 (citing, inter alia, Todd,
*319(citing United States v. Estrada-Tepal,
The court also cannot rule as a matter of law that things of value were not received "on account of" sex acts. Whether or not Mack or Raniere received benefits such as "status" or "acts of care" before the alleged sex acts occurred, simply as a result of their membership in an organization (Mack Mem. at 20-21)-or whether they received these benefits on account of the alleged sex acts-is a factual question not appropriate for resolution on a pre-trial motion to dismiss. See Messina,
ii. Knowledge of Force, Fraud, or Coercion
Raniere further contends that Counts Eight, Nine, and Ten should be dismissed because the Complaint demonstrates that "no one was coerced as a matter of law to engage in a sex act, let alone that Ms. Mack knew that would occur." (Mack Mem. at 22-23.)
First, he argues that, as with the forced labor count, the release of collateral cannot amount to "serious harm" within the meaning of the sex trafficking statute. (Id. at 23-25.) For the reasons explained supra, the court concludes that whether the alleged victims' decision to engage in sexual acts in order to avoid the release of collateral was "objectively reasonable under the circumstances" (Mack Mem. at 23 (quoting United States v. Rivera,
Second, Raniere argues that the complaint does not allege that Mack knew that coercion would be used to cause alleged victims to engage in sex acts. (Mack Mem. at 25-26.) He explains that the Government cannot make out a claim that Mack knew "in the sense of being aware of an established modus operandi that will in the future cause a person to engage in [commercial sex acts]" (id. ) (quoting *320United States v. Roy,
c. Unconstitutionally Vague
Mack also averred that, as applied to her conduct,
"In the absence of first amendment considerations, vagueness challenges must be considered in light of the facts of the particular case." United States v. Coiro,
*321United States v. Taleb-Jedi,
d. Duplicity
Raniere also argues that Counts Eight, Nine, and Ten, and Racketeering Act Twelve-A are "duplicitous" and should be dismissed or corrected because the Indictment charges both subsections of § 1591(a) -"distinct crimes with different elements"-in a single Count or Act. (Raniere First Mem. at 14.)
As explained supra, an indictment is "not duplicitous" where it alleges "in a single count [ ] the commission of a crime by several means." Aracri,
G. Procedural Motions
1. Bill of Particulars
a. Raniere's Motion
Raniere also moves for a bill of particulars. (See Bronfman First Mem. at 36-38; Mack First Mem. at 30 n.15; L. Salzman First Mem. at 22; Raniere Second Mem. at 10-12; see also Raniere Mot. to Dismiss First Superseding Indictment at 1 (joining his co-defendants' motions for a bill of particulars).) Raniere seeks particulars as to the actions by which he allegedly committed the crimes charged in each predicate act, which specific underlying offenses the government intends to prove at trial, and the names of his alleged co-conspirators. (See Bronfman First Mem. at 37-38; Bronfman Reply at 19; Mack First Mem. at 30 n.15; L. Salzman First Mem. at 22; Bronfman Second Mem. at 12-13; Raniere Second Mem. at 10-12; see also Raniere Mot. at 1 (joining Bronfman's motion for a bill of particulars).) He claims to have an especially acute need for particulars as to Acts Two, Three, and Four-most especially as to the interstate commerce element of the child pornography statutes. (Raniere Second Mem. at 10-12.) He asserts that, although the Government has allowed him to review the pornographic images, the Indictment "fails to set forth any information demonstrating how the prosecution could prove the interstate element of an act committed approximately 14 years ago, such as: 1) the type of recording device used to create the images; 2) where the recording device was manufactured; and 3) the means by which the images were transmitted." (Id. at 11.)
In response, the Government states that the photographs underlying Acts Two, Three, and Four were taken by Raniere with a camera made in Japan that had been transported in interstate and foreign commerce. (Gov't Second Mem. at 32.)
Federal district courts have the authority to "direct the government to file a bill of particulars." Fed. R. Crim. P. 7(f).
A bill is appropriate to permit a defendant to identify with sufficient particularity *322the nature of the charge pending against him, thereby enabling defendant to prepare for trial, to prevent surprise, and to interpose a plea of double jeopardy should he be prosecuted a second time for the same offense.
United States v. Davidoff,
A bill of particulars is not meant to enable a defendant to "obtain a preview of ... the government's evidence before trial" or "to learn the legal theory upon which the government will proceed." United States v. Kang, No. 04-CR-87 (ILG),
With respect to conspiracy cases, criminal defendants are not automatically entitled to identification of co-conspirators. United States v. Gasperini, No. 16-CR-441 (NGG),
(i) the number of co-conspirators; (ii) the duration and breadth of the alleged conspiracy; (iii) whether the Government otherwise has provided adequate notice of the particulars; (iv) the volume of pretrial discovery; (v) the potential danger to co-conspirators and the nature of the alleged criminal conduct; and (vi) the potential harm to the Government investigation.
United States v. Nachamie,
c. Discussion
Raniere seeks several categories of information, including the names of his alleged co-conspirators; the actions by which he allegedly committed the charged crimes; the specific underlying offenses the government intends to prove at trial; and how the Government intends to prove the interstate element of Acts Two, Three, and Four. (Bronfman Mem. at 37-38; L. Salzman Mem. at 22.) He argues that a bill of particulars is necessary because this case involves "voluminous and complex discovery," and the Indictment relates to "over a dozen separate schemes and include[s] a racketeering conspiracy that spanned over fifteen years." (Id. at 37.) Raniere contends that discovery is not an adequate substitute for a bill of particulars because the government has provided "mountains of documents" with little guidance as to which ones are relevant. (Id. at 38; L. Salzman Mem. at 22 (quoting Bortnovsky,
The Government counters that defendants fail to satisfy their burden to show that a bill of particulars is "necessary" (Gov't Mem. at 56), and that the Indictment, the complaint, and the Government's letters concerning bail and detention provide "ample notice of the government's' theory" (Gov't Mem. at 56) as well as "the facts upon which it is based" (id. ) (quoting United States v. Pugh, No. 15-CR-l 16 (NGG),
The court agrees with the Government that Raniere has not carried his burden to show that a bill of particulars is necessary. The Government's disclosures adequately inform Raniere of the acts he and his co-conspirators are accused of committing. First, the Government has provided substantial discovery, including email communications, audio and video recordings, and summaries of interviews with various witnesses. (See Gov't First Mem. at 25); see also Kathy Russell Second Supplemental Mem. in Supp. of Mot. to Dismiss ("Russell Second Suppl. Mem.") (Dkt. 498) at 1 (describing summaries of FBI interviews with witnesses produced by the Government). Raniere fails to elaborate on the supposed problems with the discovery provided by the Government to date. His assertion, lifted from Bortnovsky but stripped of detail, that the Government provided " 'mountains of documents' with little guidance as to which ones are relevant" (id. at 38; L. Salzman First Mem. at 22 (quoting Bortnovsky,
Accordingly, and upon review of the Indictment, the parties' filings to date, and the discovery already provided, Defendants have not demonstrated that they are unable to determine the nature of the charges leveled against them. Thus, the court denies Raniere's motion for a bill of particulars.
2. Brady Materials
Raniere moves for "prompt disclosure" of three categories of what he contends are Brady materials that he allegedly has "strong reason" to believe the government possesses. (Raniere First Mem. at 18.) First, Raniere seeks FBI reports and notes of statements of "DOS witnesses" and others who have contradicted the government's theory of sex trafficking by stating that they joined DOS willingly and had consensual relations with Raniere. (Id. at 19.) Second, Raniere seeks FBI reports and notes of statements of "DOS witnesses" and others who have contradicted the government's theory as to the forced labor charges by stating that they were never threatened with release of their collateral if they did not perform acts of care, they never feared the release of collateral for non-compliance, and they chose to perform these acts of care believing that they would become kinder, more thoughtful people. (Id. at 21.) Finally, Raniere seeks any Brady materials that might be in the possession of agencies with which the United States Attorney's Office jointly investigated this case. (Id. at 21-22; Raniere Reply at 8.)
*325b. Legal Standard
"The basic rule of Brady is that the Government has a constitutional duty to disclose favorable evidence to the accused where such evidence is 'material' either to guilt or to punishment." United States v. Coppa,
" Brady does not require the government to search for exculpatory material not within its possession or control." United States v. Guerrerio,
As an initial matter, the court notes that the Government has already provided defendants with voluminous discovery (see Gov't First Mem. at 63). Further, the court directed the Government to provide all
Additionally, the Government has pledged that it takes its obligations under Brady, Giglio v. United States,
With respect to the specific categories of information requested by Raniere, the court agrees with the Government that statements by individuals who were not allegedly directed to have sex with Raniere or were not threatened with the release of collateral in exchange for acts of care are not Brady material because they have no bearing on whether the alleged victims were so directed or threatened. (Gov't First Mem. at 65-67.) See United States v. Scarpa,
Moreover, in seeking statements by witnesses who, he contends, were not threatened with release of their collateral if they refused to perform acts of care (Raniere Mem. at 21), Raniere makes clear that he is well aware of these statements and capable of interviewing and examining these witnesses himself. The Government has no obligation to disclose evidence if "the defendant either knew or should have known of the essential facts permitting him to take advantage of any exculpatory evidence." United States v. LeRoy,
The court thus denies Raniere's motion for immediate disclosure of FBI reports as well as notes of statements by "DOS witnesses" and others that contradict the Government's theories as to the sex trafficking and forced labor charges. (See Raniere Mem. at 19-21.)
Raniere also seeks Brady materials that might be in the custody, possession, or control of any agencies with which the United States Attorney's Office has jointly investigated this case. (Raniere Reply at 7.) Raniere originally requested all Brady materials in the possession of the New York Attorney General, New York State Police, and Department of Health on the grounds that EDNY and the FBI conducted joint investigations with these agencies. (Raniere Mem. at 21-22.) The Government countered that it has not conducted a joint investigation with any agency listed in Raniere's brief. (Gov't Mem. at 67.) As a result, the Government correctly stated, it had no obligation to obtain or produce any materials in the possession, custody, or control of those agencies. (Id. ) Raniere then expanded his request to encompass all agencies with which the United States Attorney's Office has jointly investigated this case. (Raniere Reply at 7.)
The court agrees that to the extent that the United States Attorney's Office conducted a joint investigation with another agency, the Government has an obligation "to review[ ] the materials in the possession of that other agency for Brady evidence." Gupta,
Raniere's requests for the immediate disclosure of Brady materials are accordingly denied.
3. Motion to Preclude the Government's Proposed Experts
a. The Government's Disclosures
On February 19, 2019, the court set a deadline of February 25, 2019 for the Government to disclose its experts pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 16(b)(1)(C). (Feb. 19, 2019 Order.) On February 25, the Government filed an initial expert disclosure revealing that it planned to call Dr. Michael Welner as an expert witness. (Gov't Feb. 25, 2019 Expert Disclosures (Dkt. 378).) The Government outlined the topics of his proposed testimony, including "[h]ow the actions of the alleged perpetrators within Nxivm and *327DOS compare to traits and practices of certain of the comparative groups and how such action can facilitate financial and sexual exploitation," "[h]ow families who are invested in the belief system of a group are affected and may lose their independence," and "[h]ow abuse of the dynamics of relationships of supervisor-supervisee, teacher-student and other relationships of authority facilitate financial and sexual exploitation." (Id. at 3.) The Government also disclosed its intent to offer additional unnamed experts to testify as to three other topics.29 (Id. at 3-4.)
On March 15, 2019, the Government indicated that it no longer planned to call Dr. Welner and would instead call Dr. Stuart Grassian and Dr. Dawn M. Hughes. (Gov't Mar. 15, 2019 Expert Disclosures (Dkt. 429) at 1.) The Government provided one-sentence descriptions of these experts' proposed testimony and the expert's resumes. (Id. at 1.) The Government stated that it was still evaluating who it will offer to testify regarding the health effects of extreme calorie restriction and sleep deprivation. (Id. at 1.) As of March 29, 2019, the Government had not yet decided whom it would call to testify on this topic. (Gov't Second Mem. at 30.)
b. Discussion
Raniere requests that the court preclude the Government's proposed experts because its disclosures were untimely and insufficiently detailed, thus impairing his ability to prepare for trial and to challenge the expert testimony's admissibility under the Federal Rules of Evidence. (Raniere Second Mem. at 12-15; Mack Second Mem. at 11-14; see Raniere Second Mem. at 1 (joining Mack's motion).) He correctly notes that the court has "broad discretion in fashioning a remedy" for the Government's violation of its Rule 16 disclosure obligations, "including ordering the exclusion of evidence." (Raniere Second Mem. at 13 (quoting United States v. Lee,
Other than to say that it will "continue to work diligently to provide additional information about its noticed experts under Rule 16," the Government has not adequately explained its failure to meet the February 25, 2019 deadline (Gov't Second Mem. at 30)-a deadline that the Government proposed (see Gov't Feb. 15, 2019 Letter (Dkt. 347)). But Raniere has not shown that the extreme remedy of preclusion is warranted here, where the Government disclosed two experts and disclosed the topic of its third expert's testimony nearly two months before the trial (see Gov't Mar. 15, 2019 Expert Disclosures). In the cases Raniere cites in which courts have precluded expert testimony due to untimely disclosures, the testimony was disclosed on the first day of trial or later. (See Raniere Second Mem. at 13-14 (citing United States v. Ulbricht,
*328United States v. Mahaffy, No. 05-CR-613 (ILG),
4. Trial Testimony of Foreign Witnesses
Finally, Raniere moves for an order allowing foreign witnesses to testify via live videoconferencing. (Raniere First Mem. at 22; Raniere Second Mem. at 15.) Since filing this motion, however, Raniere's counsel has stated that he does not expect to request live videoconferencing, and will instead ask the Government to allow his foreign witnesses to travel safely to this district so that they can testify in person. (Apr. 24, 2019 Hr'g Tr. (undocketed) at 396:1-17.) Accordingly, the court denies this motion without prejudice to Raniere renewing his motion.
IV. CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, the court DENIES Raniere's (Dkt. 456) motions to dismiss various counts and predicate racketeering acts in the Indictment, for a bill of particulars, for prompt disclosure of exculpatory materials pursuant to Brady v. Maryland,
SO ORDERED.
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