United States v. Vico

360 F. Supp. 3d 1328
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedJanuary 18, 2019
DocketCASE NO. 9:18-cv-81167-ROSENBERG/REINHART
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 360 F. Supp. 3d 1328 (United States v. Vico) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Vico, 360 F. Supp. 3d 1328 (S.D. Fla. 2019).

Opinion

ROBIN L. ROSENBERG, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

This matter is before the Court upon pro se Defendant's Motion to Dismiss the Complaint, DE 16, which this Court previously referred to the Honorable Bruce E. Reinhart for a Report and Recommendation, DE 23. On December 14, 2018, Judge Reinhart issued a Report and Recommendation recommending that Defendant's Motion be denied. DE 29. Defendant filed objections to the Report and Recommendation on January 14, 2019. DE 33. On January 17, 2019, Defendant moved for oral argument on the Motion to Dismiss and, for the limited purpose of arguing the Motion to Dismiss, to consolidate this case with a pending forfeiture case against Defendant's co-defendant, United States v. Jharildan Vico , 9:18-cv-81168-RLR. DE 34.

The Court has conducted a de novo review of the Report and Recommendation at DE 29, Defendant's objections at DE 33, and the record, and is otherwise fully advised in the premises. Upon review, the Court finds Judge Reinhart's recommendations to be well reasoned and correct. The Court agrees with the analysis in the Report and Recommendation and concludes that Defendant's Motion to Dismiss should be denied.

For the foregoing reasons, it is ORDERED AND ADJUDGED as follows:

1. Magistrate Judge Reinhart's Report and Recommendation [DE 29] is hereby ADOPTED
2. Defendant's objections to the Report and Recommendation [DE 33] are OVERRULED
3. Defendant's Motion to Dismiss the Complaint [DE 16] is DENIED .
4. Defendant's Motion for Oral Argument [DE 34] is DENIED . Defendant did not comply with Local Rule 7.1(b)(2) in requesting oral argument. See Local Rule 7.1(b)(2) (requiring a request for oral argument or a hearing on a motion to be included in a separate section within the motion). In addition, the Court concludes that oral argument is unnecessary for the Court to understand the issues and arguments in the Motion to Dismiss.
5. Defendant's Motion to Consolidate [DE 34] is DENIED AS MOOT .

DONE and ORDERED in Chambers, West Palm Beach, Florida, this 17th day of January, 2019.

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION ON DEFENDANT'S MOTION TO DISMISS (DE 16)

BRUCE REINHART, UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

This matter is before the Court on the pro se Defendant Janio Vico's Motion to Dismiss (DE 16), which was referred to the undersigned for a Report and Recommendation by the presiding District Judge. DE 23. The undersigned has reviewed the Motion to Dismiss, the Brief in Support of Motion to Dismiss (DE 17), the Response (DE 27), and the Reply (DE 28). The matter is ripe for decision. For the reasons stated herein, the undersigned recommends that the District Court deny the Motion to Dismiss.

*1332BACKGROUND

On January 22, 2016, a jury found Defendant Janio Vico ("Vico") guilty on sixteen counts in connection with charges of mail fraud and money laundering.1 DE 1-4 at 5. Vico was sentenced to 108 months in prison, and ordered to pay $ 1,921,632.21, plus statutory interest, as restitution for his crimes. Id. Although the District Court ordered the restitution due and payable "immediately," it implemented a schedule providing for payment in monthly installments. Id. Compliance with the payment schedule is required to avoid becoming delinquent or otherwise defaulting on the restitution obligation. See 18 U.S.C. § 3572(h)(i). Nevertheless, the terms of the restitution order make clear that compliance with the payment schedule has no bearing on the Government's ability to collect on the unpaid restitution through other means. The restitution provision which is set forth in the criminal Judgment entered against Vico provides:

Restitution with Imprisonment- It is further ordered that the defendant shall pay restitution with the codefendant (Jharildan Vico) in the amount of $ 1,921,632.21. During the period of incarceration, payment shall be made as follows: (1) if the defendant earns wages in a Federal Prison Industries (UNICOR) job, then the defendant must pay 50% of wages earned toward the financial obligations imposed by this Judgment in a Criminal Case; (2) if the defendant does not work in a UNICOR job, then the defendant must pay a minimum of $ 25.00 per quarter toward the financial obligations imposed in this order. Upon release of incarceration, the defendant shall pay restitution at the rate of 10% of monthly gross earnings, until such time as the court may alter that payment schedule in the interests of justice. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Probation Office and U.S. Attorney's Office shall monitor the payment of restitution and report to the court any material change in the defendant's ability to pay. These payments do not preclude the government from using other assets or income of the defendant to satisfy the restitution obligations .

Id. (Emphasis added). Thus, the restitution provision makes clear that its terms apply only to Vico. See U.S. v. Ernst , No. 2:06-cr-10-29DNF, 2010 WL 3746950, at *4 (M.D. Fla. Sept. 21, 2010) (explaining that a payment schedule "does not affect the United States' ability to enforce the restitution judgment, which exists independently of any court-ordered schedule"). Upon entry of Judgment, the restitution order created a lien in favor of the United States on virtually all of Vico's assets. See 18 U.S.C. § 3613(a), (c). The Government perfected the lien by recording notice of it in the Official Records of Palm Beach County on January 26, 2016. Compl. ¶ 6.

On August 29, 2018, the Government filed the instant Complaint to foreclose on real property owned solely by Vico, and located at 2234 Stotesbury Way, Wellington, Florida ("the Property"). Id. at ¶¶ 4,10. The Government's Complaint alleges that Vico has paid only $ 639.66 toward the restitution obligation, ¶ 11, so over $ 1.9 million remains to be collected. Consequently, the Government filed this Complaint seeking to foreclose on the lien attached to Vico's Property so it can apply any proceeds that flow from the sale thereof to the unpaid restitution amount. ¶¶ 11, 12.

On October 9, 2018, Vico filed an Answer to the Complaint. DE 15.

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360 F. Supp. 3d 1328, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-vico-flsd-2019.