Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_05-cv-02526/USCOURTS-caed-2_05-cv-02526-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 625
Nature of Suit: Drug Related Seizure of Property
Cause of Action: 21:881 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, ) 2:05-CV-2526 WBS/KJM

)

Plaintiff, ) JOINT REQUEST FOR STAY

) AND ORDER THEREON [PROPOSED]

v. ) 

)

2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, VIN: )

3GNEC12T24G160996, CALIFORNIA )

LICENSE 7K64079, )

)

Defendant. )

___________________________________)

Plaintiff United States of America and claimants Tinamarie

Flores and Jesus Castillo Flores, [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 their claims on January 11, 2006, and

filed an Answer to the Verified Complaint For Forfeiture In Rem

on January 25, 2006. Claimant Jesus Castillo Flores is

currently a defendant in U.S. v. Ojeda, et al., 2:05-CR-290 WBS. 

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

Claimant Tinamarie Flores is Jesus Flores' wife.

Case 2:05-cv-02526-WBS -KJM Document 10 Filed 02/13/06 Page 1 of 3
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 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 inter alia that the defendant

vehicle was used to facilitate the distribution of

methamphetamine and that it was purchased with drug proceeds. 

3. The United States intends to depose claimant Jesus

Flores and question him about various topics, including but not

limited to his use of the defendant vehicle to transport

methamphetamine to a meeting with an informant where the

government alleges he (Flores) delivered methamphetamine to an

informant. Counsel for Mr. Flores has informed counsel for the

government that if discovery proceeds, Mr. Flores would be placed

in the difficult position of either invoking his Fifth Amendment

right against self-incrimination and losing the ability to

protect his interest in the defendant vehicle, or waiving his

Fifth Amendment right and submitting to a deposition and

potentially incriminating himself in the related criminal

investigation. If Mr. Flores 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 this Court. 

4. In addition, Claimants intend to depose law enforcement

officers involved in the investigation that led to the indictment

in U.S. v. Ojeda, et al. Allowing depositions of the law

enforcement investigators involved in this investigate would

adversely affect the ability of the government to properly

investigate and prosecute the Ojeda case.

5. Accordingly, the parties to this stipulation recognize

that proceeding with discovery in this civil forfeiture action 

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at this time has potential adverse affects on the investigation

and potential prosecution of the related criminal case and/or

upon Claimants’ ability to prove their claims to the defendant

vehicle. For these reasons, Claimants and the plaintiff United

States of America jointly request that this matter be stayed

until the conclusion of the related criminal case, U.S. v. Ojeda,

et al., 2:05-CR-290 WBS.

Dated: February 21, 2006 McGREGOR W. SCOTT

United States Attorney

/s/ Kristin S. Door

_______________________

KRISTIN S. DOOR

Assistant U.S. Attorney

Dated: February 21, 2006 /s/ Danny D. Brace, Jr.

_______________________

Danny D. Brace, Jr. 

Attorney for Claimants 

Tinamarie Flores and

Jesus Castillo Flores

IT IS SO ORDERED. The Clerk is ordered to administratively

close the file in this case, subject to its being reopened upon

the application of either party to be made after the conclusion

of criminal case No. 05-CR-290.

Dated: February 10, 2006

Case 2:05-cv-02526-WBS -KJM Document 10 Filed 02/13/06 Page 3 of 3