FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEV EN T HC IRC U IT OCT 18 , 2006 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 05- 16979 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C. D o c k e tN o . 0 4 - 2 0 9 2 9 - CR- SH U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , P la in tif f - A p p e lle e , v ersu s S T A N L E Y E D O U A R D , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe S outhe rn D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( O c t ob e r 18, 2006) B efo re A N D E R S O N , B IR C H an d B A R K E T T , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M:2

S t anl eyE do uard appeal s hi s c on vi ct i on for c on spi ra cyt o d ef raud the U ni t ed S t at es, i n v i o l at i o n o f 1 8 U . S . C . § 3 7 1 . E d o u ard al l eg es th ath e w as p rej u d i ced as a r e s ul tof the di s tr i c tc our t , s ua s pont e , e xc us i ng a nd r e pl a c i ng a n i m pa ne l e d j ur or w i th an al t ernat e j uror on the basi s of s ever e f i nanci al hardshi p t o the i m panel ed j uror i n rel at i on t o h i s probat i on ary e m pl oym ent . E do uard al l eges thatthe di stri ct c o u r t im p r o p e r ly e x c u s e d th e ju r o rb e c a u s e th e r e w a s n o “c le a rf a c tu a l s u p p o r t” to p r o v e th a t th e ju r o rw a s u n ab le to p e r f o rm , o rd is q u a lif

ie df r o m p e r f o rm in g , h is dut i e s . A ddi t i ona l l y , E doua r d a r gue s tha ta n e m pl oy m e nti nc onve ni e nc e i s not t ant am ou ntt o an i nabi l i ty t o serve on a j ury. E do uard al so ar gu es thatthe di stri ct courtshou l d h ave hel d a heari ng on the j uror’ s i ncapaci ty s i nce hi s di sabi l i ty w as no tob vi ou s. F i nal l y, E do uard cl ai m s pre j ud i ce because the j uror had “ expres se d g r e a t c o n c e rn ” o v e rth e g o v e rn m e n t’s r e c o r d in g o f c o n v e r s a tio n s . P ur s ua ntt o F e d. R . C r i m . P . 24( c ) , the di s tr i c tc our t“ m a y i m pa ne l up t o 6 al t ernat e j urors t o repl ac e a ny j urors w ho ar e unabl e t o p er form or w ho ar e d i s q u a l i f i e d f r o m p e r f o r mi n g th e i rd u t i e s . ” Fe d . R. Ci v . P. 2 4 ( c ) . We r e v i e w a di stri ctcourt ’ s dec i si on t o repl ac e a n i m panel ed j uror w i th an al t ernat e j uror for an abuse of di sc re t i on . S ee U ni t ed S t at es v. P uche, 35 0 F . 3d 11 37 , 11 52 (11th C i r. 20 03 ). W e “ re vi ew the exerc i se of thi s di sc re t i on t o ensure thatthe [d] i stri ct[c ] ou rt di d notdi s c ha r ge the j ur orw i thoutf a c tua l s uppor t , orf

ora l e ga l l y i rr e l e va nt3

r e a s on s o a s t o a m ountt o a s how i ng of bi a s orpr e

j udi c e t o the de f

e nda nt . ” I d. ( in te rn a l q u o ta tio n s a n d c ita tio n s o m itte d ) . A ju r o rc a n b e e x c u s e d f r o m ju ry d u ty b e c a u s e o f

s e v e r e f i n a n c i a l h a r d s h i p . Se e Th i e l v . So u th e rn Pa c . Co . , 3 2 8 U . S. 2 1 7 , 2 2 4 , 6 6 S .C t. 9 8 4 , 9 8 7 - 8 8 , 9 0 L .E d . 1 1 8 1 ( 1 9 4 6 ) ( s ta tin g , in th e c iv il c o n te x t, tha tf i na nc i a l ha r ds hi p i s a pr ope rr e a s on f ore xc us i ng a j ur orf

r om j ury duty i f

the “f in a n c ia l e m b a rr a s s m e n t is s u c h a s to im p o s e a r e a l b u r d e n a n d h a r d s h ip ” ) . M or e ove r , “ r e ve r s a l i s r e qui r e d onl y i f the r e i s a r e a s onabl e pos s i bi l i ty tha tthe di s tr i c tc our t ' s vi ol a t i on of R ul e 24( c ) a c tua l l y pr e j udi c e d the de f

e nda ntby t a i nt i ng the j ury' s f

i nal verdi ct . ” I d. at12 86 -87 (ci t at i on s om i tt ed). U p o n r e v ie w o f

th e r e c o r d a n d h a v in g c o n s id e r e d th e b r ie f s o f th e p a r tie s in l i gh tof the defer ent i al st andard of revi ew , w e c anno tsa y thatthe di stri ctcourt ab u s e d its d is c r e tio n in e x c u s in g th e ju r o rs u a s p o n te . AF F I RME D.