Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_05-cv-00371/USCOURTS-caed-2_05-cv-00371-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 625
Nature of Suit: Drug Related Seizure of Property
Cause of Action: 21:841 Forfeiture Property-Drugs

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1

McGREGOR W. SCOTT

United States Attorney

KRISTIN S. DOOR, SBN 84307

Assistant United States Attorney

501 I Street, Suite 10-100

Sacramento, CA 95814

Telephone: (916)554-2723

Attorneys for Plaintiff

United States of America

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ) Civ. S-05-0371 MCE GGH

)

Plaintiff, ) JOINT REQUEST FOR STAY AND

) ORDER THEREON

v. )

)

APPROXIMATELY $55,000 IN U.S. )

CURRENCY, )

)

Defendant. )

___________________________________)

Plaintiff United States of America and claimants Ruben

Ayala, Sr., and San Juana Ayala [hereafter “Claimants”], by and

through their respective counsel, hereby stipulate that a stay is

necessary in the above-entitled action, and request that the

Court enter an order staying all further proceedings pending the

outcome of a related criminal case. 

1. Claimants filed a claim on March 25, 2005, and filed an

Answer to the Verified Complaint For Forfeiture In Rem on April

8, 2005. Michael Ayala, currently a defendant in U.S. v. Michael

Ayala, et al., 2:04-CR-388 MCE, filed a claim during the

administrative forfeiture phase of these forfeiture proceedings

claiming to be the sole owner of the defendant currency, but did

Case 2:05-cv-00371-MCE -GGH Document 13 Filed 08/15/05 Page 1 of 3
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28 1 Claimants are Michael Ayala’s parents. 

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not file a claim once the complaint was filed in district court. 

No other parties have filed a claim in this forfeiture action.

2. Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §§ 981(g)(1), 981(g)(2) and 21

U.S.C. § 881(i) the parties seek a stay of discovery in this

case. The United States contends that the defendant currency,

which was seized from a safe in Claimants’ garage, is the

proceeds of Michael Ayala’s drug trafficking activities.1 The

United States intends to subpoena Michael Ayala to appear for a

deposition so the United States can question him about the claim

he filed with the Drug Enforcement Administration. His claim is

in direct conflict with the claim filed by Claimants who claim

they own the defendant property. If discovery proceeds, Michael

Ayala would be placed in the difficult position of either

invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and

losing the ability to assist his parents (Claimants) in proving

their claim, or waiving his Fifth Amendment right and submitting

to a deposition and potentially incriminating himself in the

pending criminal matter. If Michael Ayala invokes his Fifth

Amendment right, the United States will be deprived of the

ability to explore the factual basis for the claim he filed with

DEA.

3. In addition, Claimants intend to depose Special Agents

from the Drug Enforcement Administration who were involved in the

investigation of Michael Ayala and his codefendants in United

States v. Ayala, et al., 2-04-388 MCE. Allowing depositions of

the law enforcement investigators involved in the Ayala

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investigation and prosecution would adversely affect the ability

of the government to properly prosecute the Ayala case.

4. Accordingly, the parties recognize that proceeding with

this action at this time has potential adverse affects on the

prosecution of the related-criminal case and/or upon Claimants’

ability to prove their claim that the defendant currency belongs

to them, and that it came from a legitimate source. For these

reasons, the parties jointly request that this matter be stayed

until the conclusion of the criminal case. 

Dated: August 3, 2005 McGREGOR W. SCOTT

United States Attorney

/s/ kdoor

_______________________

Assistant U.S. Attorney

Dated: August 3, 2005 /s/ jbalazs

_______________________

JOHN BALAZS

Attorney for Claimants 

Ruben Ayala, Sr. and 

San Juana Ayala

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: August 12, 2005

_____________________________

MORRISON C. ENGLAND, JR

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Case 2:05-cv-00371-MCE -GGH Document 13 Filed 08/15/05 Page 3 of 3