In th e S u p re m e Co u rt o f Ge o rg ia

De c id e d : Ap ril 2 6 , 2 01 6

S 1 6 A0 1 2 2 . THE S TATE v . BROWN e t a l.

HUNS T EIN, Ju stic e

.

In th is p re -tria l a

p p e a l p u rsu a n t to OCGA § 5 -7 -1 (a ) (5 ), th e S ta te se e k s

re v e rsa l o f th e tria l c o u rt’s o rd e r d e te rm in in g th a t a fe d e ra l in d ic tm e n t in v o lv in g

p a rtie s u n re la te d to A p p e lle e s will b e in a d m issib le a t Ap p e lle e s’ tria l. We fin d

n o a b u se o f d isc re tio n , a

n d we th e re fo re a ffirm

.

In Au g ust 2 0 1 4

, a D e K al b C o u n ty g ra n d ju ry re tu rn e d a 2 1 -c o u n t

in d ic tm e n t a g a in st A p p e lle e s Ma lc o lm Bro wn , De m e tr e Ed wa rd Ma so n ,

F ra n k la n d He n de rso n , Mic h a e l Ha sk e r J e n k i n s , Ja im e e E. Ha rre ll, Ka trin a A.

S h a rd o w, a n d Tra o n Jo sh u a Tu rk

, o n c ha rg e s o f m u rd e r, a rm e d ro b b e ry , ro b b e ry

b y fo rc e , c a r-ja c k in g , a n d n u m e ro u s v io la tio n s o f th e S tre e t Ga ng Te rro rism a n d

P re v e n t i o n Ac t, O CGA § § 1 6 -1 5-1 e t se q ., a n d G e o rg ia RICO (Ra c k e te e r

In flu e n c e d a n d Co rru pt Org a n iz a tio n s) A c t, O C G A § § 1 6-1 4 -1 e t se q

. Th is

in d ic tm e n t a lle ge s th a t Ap p e lle e s a re m e m be rs o f a pa rtic u la r “ se t” o f th e Un ite d

Bl o o d N a t i o n c rim in a l stre e t g a n g k n o w n a s th e “ Nin e Tre y Ga n g ste rs” o r“ NTG Blo o d s,” wh o, d u rin g Ap ril a n d Ma y 20 1 4

, c o m m itte d a se rie s of c rim e s

a n d e n g a g e d in ra c k e te e rin g a c tiv itie s. Du rin g pre -tria l p ro c e e d in gs, th e S ta te

file d a m o tio n se e k in g a ru lin g o n th e a d m issib ility o f a 1 3 -c o un t fe d e ra l

in d ic tm e n t c ha rg in g u n re la te d d e fe n d a n ts w i t h c r i m e s a n d r a c k e t e e r i n g a c t i v i t ie s

in a sso c i a t i o n with a

n NTG Blo o d s se t o p e ra tin g in Virg in ia

. Th e S ta te

c o n te n d s th a t in fo rm a tio n in th e fe d e ra l in d ic tm e n t is “ re q u ire d” to pro v e c e rta in

e sse n tia l e le m e n ts o f th e a lle g e d v io la tio n s o f Ge o rg ia ’s stre e t ga n g a c t,

sp e c ific a lly

, th e e x iste n c e o f a “c rim in a l stre e t g a n g ” an d th e c o m m issio n o f

“ c rim in a l g a n g a c tiv ity ,” a s th o se te rm s a re d e fin e d in th e sta tu te . S e e OCGA

§ 1 6 -1 5 -3

. 1 In th e a lte rn a tiv e , th e Sta te c o n t e n d s th a t th e in d ic tm e n t is

a d m issib le u n d e r OCGA § 24 -4 -4 0 4 (b ) to p ro v e m o tiv e

. Th e tria l c o u rt d e n ie d

th e S ta te ’s m otio n

.

1 In p art icu l ar, th e St at e arg u es t h at va r i o u s o ffen s es ch arg ed i n t h e fed eral

i n d i ct m en t

– o n wh i ch t h e d efen d an t s t h ere were u lt i m at el y co nv i ct ed

– co n s t i t u t e

“ cri m in al g an g act i vi t y ” u n d er t h e Geo rg i a st at ut e an d t h at ev id en ce o f s uch act iv i t y b y o th er m em

b ers o f t h e NTG Bl o o d s co n st i t u t es p ro o f o f t h e ex i s ten ce o f a “ cri m i n al

s t reet g an g ,” wh i ch i s req u i red t o s ho w a v i o l at i o n o f t h e s t at u te. See OCGA § 1 6 -1 5

- 4

. In ad d it i o n, w h il e ack no wl ed g i n g t h at Ap p el l ees “ are n ot d i rect l y co nn ect ed ” wi th

t h e Vi rg i n i a d efen d an t s, th e S ta t e m ai n t ai n s t h at t h e fed eral i n d i ct m en t p ro v id es p ro o f

o f “ t h e v ern acu l ar, ch aract eri s t i cs , s t ru ct ure, an d beh av i o rs ” o f t h e NTG Bl o o d s an d

t h ereb y wo u ld h el p es t ab l is h t h at Ap p el l ees , wh o al l eg ed l y h av e ad o p t ed t h es e s am e

cu s t o m s an d b eh av i o rs , are as s o ci at ed wi t h t h is g an g

.

2We a g re e w ith th e tria l c o u rt th a t th e fe d e ra l in d ic tm e n t is in a d m issib le

.

An in d ic tm e n t is sim

p ly a “ fo rm a l writte n a c c u sa tio n o f a c rim e , ” Bla c k ’s La w

Dic tio n a ry , 8 9 1 (1 0 th e d

. 2 0 1 4 ), a nd th e a sse rtio n s th e re in are n o th in g m o re th a n

h e a rsa y sta te m e n ts b y th e p ro se c u to r b rin g in g th e c ha rg e s. S e e OCGA § 2 4 -8

-

8 0 1 (c ) (d e fin in g “ h e a

rsa y ” ). As m e re h e a rsa y , a b a re in d ic tm e n t is sim p ly n o t

a d m issib le e v id e nc e

. OCGA § § 2 4 -4 -4 0 2

, 2 4 -8 -8 0 2

. 2 S e e a l s o Th o m a so n v

.

S ta te

, 2 8 1 Ga

. 4 2 9

, 4 3 1 (8 ) (6 3 7 S E 2 d 6 3 9 ) (2 0 0 6 ) (n otin g th a t “ th e in d ic tm e n t

d o e s no t c o n stitu te a n y e v id e nc e o f [th e d e fe n da n t’s] g u ilt” ); Hic k s v

. S ta te

, 3 1 5

Ga

. Ap p

. 7 7 9

, 7 8 5 (4 ) (7 2 8 S E2 d 2 9 4 ) (2 0 1 2 ) (n o tin g th a t “ th e a lle g a tio n s o f th e

in d ic tm e n t d id no t c o n stitu te e v id e n c e ” ).

Th e fa c t th a t th is c a se i n v olv e s a lle g e d v io la tio n s o f th e Ge o rg ia stre e t

g a n g a c t d o e s n o t a lte r th is re su lt. It is tru e , a s th e S ta te a rg u e s, th a t th e sta tu te

e x p re ssly p ro v id e s t h a t e v id e n c e o f c rim e s c o m m itte d “ by a n y m e m b e r o r

2 Th e St at e d o es no t arg u e, n o r co u l d i t

, t h at a bare i nd i ct m en t fal l s w i t h i n an y

o f t h e hears ay ex cep t i o n s en u m erat ed i n OCGA § 2 4 -8 -8 0 3

. Ev en if t h e St at e were

s eek i n g h ere t o o ffer t he act u al ju d g m en t o f co n v i ct i o n en t ered on t h e ch arg es i n t h e fed eral i n d i ct m en t

, s u ch ju dg m en t w o u l d n o t q u al i fy u nd er an y h ears ay ex cep t i o n b ecau s e i t i s a j u d gm en t ag ai n s t p ers o n s o th er t h an t h o s e accu s ed i n t hi s cas e. See i d.

at (2 2 ) (h ears ay ex cep t i o n fo r j u d g m en t s o f co n v i ct i o n d o es no t ap p l y t o ju d g m en t s ,

o ffered b y t h e St at e i n a cri m i n al p ro s ecu t i o n , “ ag ai n s t p e r s o n s o th er t h an t h e

accu s ed ”).

3a sso c ia te o f a c rim in a l stre e t g a ng sh a ll b e a d m issib le

. . . fo r th e p u rp o se o f

p ro v in g th e e x iste n c e o f th e c rim in a l stre e t g a n g a n d c rim in a l g a n g a c tiv ity .”

OCGA § 1 6-1 5-9

. Th is p ro v isio n , h o we v e r, d o e s n o m o re th a n c l a rify th e

n a tu re o f th e e v id e n c e th a t w ill b e d e e m e d re le v a n t in e sta b lish in g sp e c ific

e le m e n ts o f th e c rim e s pro sc ri b e d b y th e sta tu te a nd

, c o n tra ry to th e S ta te ’s

a p p a re n t a ssu m

p tio n , d o e s n o t p u rp o rt to su p e rse d e o r d isp e n se with th e

g e n e ra lly a

p plic a b le ru le s o f e v id e n c e , in c lu d in g th e p ro h ib itio n o n h e arsa y

. In

sh o rt, th e fa c t th a t th is c a se in v o lv e s th e p ro se c u tio n o f a l l e g e d g a n g-re la te d

c rim e s d o e s n o t o b v ia te th e S ta te ’s re sp o n sib ility to p ro ve its c a se in a c c o rd a n c e

with th e ru le s o f e v id e n c e a p p lic a b le in a ll o th e r p ro se c u tio n s.

A c c ord in g ly

, th e tria l c o u rt p ro p e rly d e n ie d th e S ta te ’s m o tio n , a n d w e

a ffirm

.

Ju d g m e n t a ffirm e d . All th e Ju stic e s c o nc u r.

4