Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/709/214/7673/
Timestamp: 2019-07-19 09:56:35
Document Index: 517469353

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1961', '§ 1955', '§ 1955', '§ 1955', '§ 1962', '§ 1961', '§ 1962', '§ 1962', '§ 1955', '§ 1955', '§ 1955', '§ 1961', '§ 1961']

United States of America v. Mario Riccobene, Appellant in No. 82-1399 v. Joseph Ciancaglini, Appellant in No. 82-1410 v. Charles Warrington, Appellant in No. 82-1411 v. Pasquale Spirito, Appellant in No. 82-1412 v. Joseph Bongiovanni, Appellant in No. 82-1413 v. Harry Riccobene, Appellant in No. 82-1414, 709 F.2d 214 (3d Cir. 1983) :: Justia
Justia › US Law › Case Law › Federal Courts › Courts of Appeals › Third Circuit › 1983 › United States of America v. Mario Riccobene, Appellant in No. 82-1399 v. Joseph Ciancaglini, Appella...
United States of America v. Mario Riccobene, Appellant in No. 82-1399 v. Joseph Ciancaglini, Appellant in No. 82-1410 v. Charles Warrington, Appellant in No. 82-1411 v. Pasquale Spirito, Appellant in No. 82-1412 v. Joseph Bongiovanni, Appellant in No. 82-1413 v. Harry Riccobene, Appellant in No. 82-1414, 709 F.2d 214 (3d Cir. 1983)
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit - 709 F.2d 214 (3d Cir. 1983)
Argued March 16, 1983. Decided May 20, 1983. As Amended June 13, 1983. Rehearing Denied June 16, 1983
The appellants in this case challenge their convictions under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1961 et seq. ("RICO"), and the federal gambling statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1955. Their primary argument is that the evidence failed to show beyond a reasonable doubt either that they were engaged in the conduct of a single on-going enterprise, as required for the RICO count for which they were convicted, or that their activity constituted a single conspiracy. They also contend that the jury could not properly have found that each appellant committed the acts charged against him as predicate offenses of the RICO count. In addition, various appellants raise the following claims individually: that the evidence as to particular counts was insufficient; that the district court committed reversible trial errors; that certain confidential attorney-client communications were intercepted by the F.B.I. wiretaps; and that RICO violates both the fifth and eighth amendment rights of the appellants by permitting the imposition of unjustifiably harsh sentences. After considering all of the contentions raised by each defendant, we conclude that the evidence was sufficient in all respects and that no reversible errors were committed by the district court. Accordingly, the convictions will be affirmed.
The government contends that Ciancaglini served as the intermediary between Warrington, Narducci, Ippolito and Grande on the one side and Testa and Sindone on the other. Taped conversations indicate that Ciancaglini supervised at least one craps game, but nothing in the portions of the tapes cited by the government in its brief in this Court specifically mentioned the Reed Street game. The Reed Street game was the basis of one predicate offense charged against Warrington and Ciancaglini and it was also charged as a substantive violation of the federal gambling law, 18 U.S.C. § 1955, in Count II of the indictment.
The defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury on February 19, 1981. Count I of the indictment set forth the RICO conspiracy, in which all the defendants were charged. It alleged eight predicate offenses and forty-one overt acts committed in furtherance of the RICO conspiracy. Count II charged Ciancaglini and Warrington with violating the federal gambling statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1955, by conducting the Reed Street craps game. Count III charged Ciancaglini, the Riccobenes and Bongiovanni with violating the federal gambling laws by conducting their 1977 numbers operation.
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act was enacted "to seek the eradication of organized crime in the United States by strengthening the legal tools in the evidence-gathering process, by establishing new penal prohibitions, and by providing enhanced sanctions and new remedies to deal with the unlawful activities of those engaged in organized crime." Pub. L. No. 91-452, 84 Stat. 922, 923 (1970). See Blakey, "The RICO Civil Fraud Action in Context," 58 N.D.L.Rev. 237, 249-80 (1982) (examining the legislative history of the statute in considerable detail). RICO makes it a federal crime for individuals "employed by or associated with any enterprise ... to conduct or participate, directly or indirectly, in the conduct of such enterprise's affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity or collection of unlawful debt." 18 U.S.C. § 1962(c). Section 1962(d) provides that it is unlawful to conspire to violate Section 1962(c).8 To establish an "enterprise" conspiracy, the government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that an "enterprise" did in fact exist, and that the individual defendants knowingly agreed to participate in the "enterprise" through a pattern of racketeering. The appellants in the present case were convicted of violating Section 1962(d) by conspiring to violate Section 1962(c). They argue that the government failed to satisfy its burden of proving such an enterprise conspiracy and that their convictions on Count I must, therefore, be overturned. We conclude that, contrary to the appellants' assertions, the evidence was sufficient to demonstrate that an organization existed which satisfies the requirements for an "enterprise," and that all the members of the conspiracy knowingly agreed to participate in or conduct that enterprise through a pattern of racketeering.
"Enterprise," according to the statute, "includes any individual, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity, and any union or group of individuals associated in fact although not a legal entity." 18 U.S.C. § 1961(4). The Supreme Court has recently held that a completely illegal organization may be an enterprise for RICO purposes. United States v. Turkette, 452 U.S. 576, 101 S. Ct. 2524, 69 L. Ed. 2d 246 (1981); see also United States v. Provenzano, 620 F.2d 985, 992-93 (3d Cir.), cert. denied, 449 U.S. 899, 101 S. Ct. 267, 66 L. Ed. 2d 129 (1980). The Turkette Court recognized that RICO's primary purpose is to "address the infiltration of legitimate business by organized crime." 452 U.S. at 591, 101 S. Ct. at 2532, but determined that it was not inconsistent with this purpose to read the plain language of the statute to punish the activities of illegal organizations even before that infiltration occurred. This "preventive" function enables federal law enforcement officials "to deal with the problem at its very source." 452 U.S. at 591, 101 S. Ct. at 2532, 2533.
In reaching its conclusion, the Supreme Court was not unmindful of the dangers of its interpretation. 452 U.S. at 582-83, 101 S. Ct. at 2528-29. Both judges and commentators had raised the concern that the concept of "illegal enterprise" could be construed quite broadly. Legal scholars had concluded that, without further refinement of the term, the statute could be extended to situations far removed from those actually contemplated by Congress, and that federal prosecutors could use the law to invoke an additional penalty whenever they had a case involving the commission of two offenses that, coincidentally, were among those listed as "racketeering activities." See United States v. Anderson, 626 F.2d 1358 (8th Cir. 1980), cert. denied 450 U.S. 912, 101 S. Ct. 1351, 67 L. Ed. 2d 336 (1981); United States v. Sutton, 605 F.2d 260 (6th Cir. 1979) rev'd en banc, 642 F.2d 1001 (6th Cir. 1980), cert. denied, 453 U.S. 912, 101 S. Ct. 3144, 69 L. Ed. 2d 995 (1981); Bradley, Racketeers, Congress, and the Courts: An Analysis of RICO, 65 Iowa L.Rev. 837 (1980); Tarlow, RICO: The New Darling of the Prosecutor's Nursery, 49 Fordham L. Rev. 165 (1980).
To avoid these dangers, the Turkette Court provided a definition of "illegal enterprise" for RICO purposes. It set forth the elements necessary to establish the existence of such an enterprise: "evidence of an ongoing organization, formal or informal" and "evidence that the various associates function as a continuing unit." 452 U.S. at 583, 101 S. Ct. at 2528. In addition, the enterprise must be shown to have an existence "separate and apart from the pattern of activity in which it engages." 452 U.S. at 583, 101 S. Ct. at 2528.9 The Court stated that "the proof used to establish these separate elements may in particular cases coalesce." 452 U.S. at 583, 101 S. Ct. at 2528.
Because the issues of ongoing organization, continuing membership and separate existence are questions of fact, they must be resolved in the first instance by the jury. The scope of our review of factual determinations is, of course, quite limited. We must sustain the jury's verdict "if there is substantial evidence, taking the view most favorable to the Government, to support it." Glasser v. United States, 315 U.S. 60, 80, 62 S. Ct. 457, 469, 86 L. Ed. 680 (1942) (citations omitted). We turn now to the facts of the case at hand to consider whether, under the Glasser standard, the evidence is sufficient to sustain the jury's finding that an enterprise did exist.
The second necessary element for an enterprise under RICO is that "the various associates function as a continuing unit." Turkette, 452 U.S. at 583, 101 S. Ct. at 2528. This does not mean that individuals cannot leave the group or that new members cannot join at a later time. It does require, however, that each person perform a role in the group consistent with the organizational structure established by the first element and which furthers the activities of the organization. The evidence presented at trial is adequate to establish that the appellants did occupy continuing positions within the group.12
The third and final element in establishing the enterprise is that the organization must be "an entity separate and apart from the pattern of activity in which it engages." Turkette, 452 U.S. at 583, 101 S. Ct. at 2528. As we understand this last requirement, it is not necessary to show that the enterprise has some function wholly unrelated to the racketeering activity, but rather that it has an existence beyond that which is necessary merely to commit each of the acts charged as predicate racketeering offenses. The function of overseeing and coordinating the commission of several different predicate offenses and other activities on an on-going basis is adequate to satisfy the separate existence requirement.14 As our discussion of the organization in this case has already shown, there is sufficient evidence to find that the enterprise served a clearinghouse and coordination function above and beyond that necessary to carry out any single one of the racketeering activities charged against the individual defendants.
Establishing that an enterprise exists, however, does not end the inquiry in a RICO conspiracy case. In addition, the government must show agreement: that each participant knowingly associated himself with the larger enterprise. Some of the appellants contend that the evidence does not establish a single conspiracy, but that at best it demonstrates a series of unrelated agreements, each occurring in connection with one or more of the predicate offenses. Therefore, they argue that there was a variance between the offense charged in the indictment and the proof offered at trial which prejudiced substantial rights of the defendants. See Kotteakos v. United States, 328 U.S. 750, 66 S. Ct. 1239, 90 L. Ed. 1557 (1946); United States v. Camiel, 689 F.2d 31 (1982). Viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the government, we conclude that there was no variance from the indictment and that there was sufficient evidence from which the jury could have found that each of the appellants agreed to participate in a single enterprise conspiracy.
The issue of what constitutes a conspiracy under RICO is a matter of first impression in this Circuit but has been actively debated in the Fifth and other Circuits. See United States v. Brooklier, 685 F.2d 1208 (9th Cir. 1982), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 103 S. Ct. 1194, 75 L. Ed. 2d 439 (U.S.1983); United States v. Lemm, 680 F.2d 1193 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 103 S. Ct. 739, 74 L. Ed. 2d 960 (1982); United States v. Sutherland, 656 F.2d 1181 (5th Cir. 1981), cert. denied, 455 U.S. 949, 102 S. Ct. 1451, 71 L. Ed. 2d 663 (1982); United States v. Lee Stoller Enterprises, Inc., 652 F.2d 1313 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 454 U.S. 1082, 102 S. Ct. 636, 70 L. Ed. 2d 615 (1981); United States v. Elliott, 571 F.2d 880 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 439 U.S. 953, 99 S. Ct. 349, 58 L. Ed. 2d 344 (1978); see also Blakey and Goldstock, 'On the Waterfront': RICO and Labor Racketeering, 17 Am.Crim.L.Rev. 341, 360-62 (1980). The Fifth Circuit has determined that in enacting section 1962(d) Congress did not radically alter traditional conspiracy doctrine except to the extent that it proposed a dramatically new conspiratorial objective. An agreement merely to commit the predicate offenses would not be sufficient to support a RICO conspiracy. Nor is it sufficient if the defendants merely participate in the same enterprise. See Sutherland, supra, 656 F.2d at 1192 (explaining Elliott) . This is so because, under RICO, it is an agreement "to conduct or participate ... in the conduct of [an] enterprise's activities" through the commission of predicate offenses that is prohibited, not an agreement to commit a pattern of racketeering activity alone. As stated in Blakey and Goldstock, supra at 361: " [T]he key element is proof that the various crimes were performed in order to assist the enterprise's involvement in corrupt endeavors." Consequently, we agree with the Fifth Circuit that Congress intended that "a series of agreements that under pre-RICO law would constitute multiple conspiracies could under RICO be tried as a single 'enterprise' conspiracy" if the defendants have agreed to commit a substantive RICO offense. Sutherland, supra, 656 F.2d at 1192.
Proof of agreement in a RICO proceeding may be established by circumstantial evidence to the same extent permitted in traditional conspiracy cases. It is well-established that one conspirator need not know the identities of all his co-conspirators, nor be aware of all the details of the conspiracy in order to be found to have agreed to participate in it. Blumenthal v. United States, 332 U.S. 539, 68 S. Ct. 248, 92 L. Ed. 154 (1947); United States v. Simmons, 679 F.2d 1042, 1050 (3d Cir. 1982); United States v. Boyd, 595 F.2d 120 (3d Cir. 1978). Our review of the record convinces us that, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the government, there was sufficient evidence from which the jury could have found that each of the appellants understood the scope of the enterprise and knowingly agreed to further its affairs through the commission of various offenses. Having established that a jury could properly have concluded that a single enterprise existed which supervised and coordinated a series of criminal activities, such as gambling and loan-sharking, it is not difficult for us to reach the conclusion that the jury could have found that each appellant must necessarily have known that the individual operations were supervised or financed, at least in part, through the organizational infrastructure by members of the core group.
Our review of the evidence has shown that a single enterprise did exist and that each appellant was a knowing member of the conspiracy "to conduct or participate ... in the conduct of such enterprise's affairs...." 18 U.S.C. § 1962(c). Appellants put forth two subsidiary arguments under their "multiple conspiracy" claims which we must address before we turn to their remaining contentions. First, at least some of them argue that there was insufficient independent evidence of their participation in the conspiracy to justify the admission of hearsay statements under Federal Rule of Evidence 801(d) (2) (E) by alleged co-conspirators as evidence against them. As the review of the evidence against the appellants has demonstrated, however, it was their own statements that were usually the most incriminating, and certainly provided sufficient evidence of the likelihood of a single conspiracy to justify the admission of their co-conspirators' statements. Second, each asserts that he was prejudiced by the introduction of masses of evidence of predicate offenses and overt acts which were in no way related to him. Inasmuch as we have held that a single conspiracy has been shown to have existed, there is no unfair prejudice here because all of the evidence went to proving some part of the conspiracy in which each of them participated.
In order to obtain a conviction under RICO, the government must show not only that a defendant participated in the operation of a single enterprise, but also that he did so "through a pattern of racketeering activity or collection of unlawful debt." 18 U.S.C. § 1962(c). A pattern is established by proof that the defendant committed two or more predicate offenses--specified illegal acts, prohibited by either state or federal law--which are often associated with organized crime.16 In the present case four of the appellants were charged with committing more than the minimum number of two predicate offenses.17 Three of the appellants, Harry Riccobene, Warrington and Ciancaglini, argue that the jury could not properly have found them to have committed all of the predicate offenses with which they were charged, and that their RICO convictions must therefore be reversed.
Under United States v. Brown, 583 F.2d 659 (3d Cir. 1978), cert. denied, 440 U.S. 909, 99 S. Ct. 1217, 59 L. Ed. 2d 456 (1979), if a defendant is charged with multiple predicate offenses, the evidence must be sufficient to prove all of them if the court cannot determine which specific offenses the jury relied upon in reaching its verdict. See also United States v. Tarnopol, 561 F.2d 466 (3d Cir. 1977); United States v. Dansker, 537 F.2d 40 (3d Cir. 1976), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 1038, 97 S. Ct. 732, 50 L. Ed. 2d 748 (1979). In Brown, the jury was presented with four acts set forth as predicate offenses in a RICO conspiracy; each act also formed the basis for a separate substantive offense charged against the defendant.18 The jury convicted on all counts. On appeal, this Court overturned the convictions on two of the substantive counts, finding that the conduct charged in those counts did not, as a matter of law, constitute mail fraud. Then, because the Court had no way of ascertaining which of the substantive offenses the jury had relied upon to satisfy the requirement of two predicate racketeering acts for the RICO conspiracy, it overturned the conviction on that count as well, despite the fact that two of the potential predicate offenses still constituted valid bases for the verdict.
The government has argued that, regardless of the merits of their claims, the appellants here have waived their right to object on the Brown issue. At trial, the government requested that the court submit special interrogatories to the jury if it returned a verdict of guilty. The interrogatories were designed to establish which of the predicate offenses the jury had relied on to convict the defendants of the RICO offense. Because the defendants objected, the district court did not submit the interrogatories after the general verdict was returned. The government analogizes the objection to "invited error," a doctrine which prohibits a defendant from seeking appellate review of "alleged errors invited or induced by himself," U.S. v. Lewis, 524 F.2d 991, 992 (5th Cir. 1975), cert. denied, 425 U.S. 938, 96 S. Ct. 1673, 48 L. Ed. 2d 180 (1976). If the defendants had allowed the special interrogatories, then there would have been no Brown problem presented on appeal.
Ciancaglini raises a separate challenge to the jury's possible finding that he was involved in the collection of an unlawful debt. He claims that the district court gave inconsistent instructions to the jury on the issue of collection of an unlawful debt. At one point during the charge, the court stated that the collection of an unlawful debt could not serve as a predicate offense if more than five years old and at another point told the jury it could consider the collection of the Wilmerton debt, which seems to have occurred more than five years earlier. Ciancaglini did not, however, object to the jury instructions or request that the court withdraw the Wilmerton loan charge from consideration by the jury because it was time-barred. He also did not raise the issue in his motion for judgment of acquittal. Consequently, he cannot now raise this issue. See Singleton v. Wulff, 428 U.S. 106, 96 S. Ct. 2868, 49 L. Ed. 2d 826 (1976); Caisson Corp. v. Ingersoll-Rand Co., 622 F.2d 672 (3d Cir. 1980); Newark Morning Ledger Co. v. United States, 539 F.2d 929 (3d Cir. 1976).
The final predicate offense charged against Ciancaglini was participation in the running of the Reed Street craps game. This accusation also formed the basis for the charge in Count II of the indictment--violation of the federal gambling statute (18 U.S.C. § 1955). Since the jury acquitted Ciancaglini on Count II, he now argues that the acquittal establishes that reliance on the Reed Street game as a predicate offense would have been improper. Because the jury returned only a general verdict of guilty on the RICO conspiracy charge, there is no way to determine if it did in fact bottom its verdict on the Reed Street activities. Accordingly, Ciancaglini asks that we reverse his RICO conviction on the basis of the Brown doctrine.
By contrast, the jury in the present case acquitted Ciancaglini of the substantive crime of conducting an illegal gambling operation, which is prohibited by 18 U.S.C. § 1955. The predicate offense alleged in connection with the Reed Street game is that Ciancaglini "would and did" violate 18 U.S.C. § 1955. Thus, the verdict of acquittal on Count II serves a function analogous to that of a special interrogatory. Inasmuch as the jury stated affirmatively that it did not believe beyond a reasonable doubt that Ciancaglini had violated the federal gambling law, there is no reason for this Court to assume now that the jury returned inconsistent verdicts by relying on that charge as a basis for the RICO verdict. For this reason, Brown does not require that the conspiracy conviction here be reversed.
Bongiovanni's second challenge is to the sufficiency of the evidence as to Count III, which related to his participation in the 1977 numbers operation. The evidence shows that he was an employee of the game--taking bets from people--and thus may be considered to have "conducted" a gambling business as is required by Section 1955. This Court has held explicitly that a "street runner" is covered by the Act. United States v. Riehl, 460 F.2d 454, 459 (3d Cir. 1972).
The second alleged trial error is raised only by Warrington. Warrington was represented in this case by Oscar Gaskins, Esquire. Gaskins worked with an associate, Ronald McGaskill, Esquire, and had assured the court that one or the other would be present at the trial. On the first day of trial, Warrington moved for a continuance on the ground that Gaskins had conflicting trial responsibilities that would require him to miss portions of the trial. The district court denied the motion, noting that all defendants and their counsel had known the trial date for two months, and that all the others had made arrangements to be available during this period. Also, Warrington's other attorney had the experience and capability to represent Warrington during Gaskins' absences. Gaskins was present during voir dire and opening statements, conducted some of the cross-examinations, and made the closing argument on his client's behalf. Warrington does not claim that McGaskill's representation was in any way inadequate. In light of all the circumstances, the denial of a continuance here was not an abuse of discretion. See Morris v. Slappy, --- U.S. ----, ----, 103 S. Ct. 1610, 1615, 75 L. Ed. 2d 610 (U.S.1983); Ungar v. Sarafite, 376 U.S. 575, 84 S. Ct. 841, 11 L. Ed. 2d 921 (1964); Paullet v. Howard, 634 F.2d 117, 119 (3d Cir. 1980).
The argument is faulty in two major respects. First, we have previously explained the reason for the one-year limitation; it was "meant to limit RICO to serious offenses, offenses which in many but not all jurisdictions would be called felonies." United States v. Davis, 576 F.2d 1065, 1067 (3d Cir.), cert. denied, 439 U.S. 836, 99 S. Ct. 119, 58 L. Ed. 2d 132 (1978). Thus, we need not be overly concerned with the labels a state chooses to attach to its crimes, so long as the violation falls within one of those categories of state offenses which Congress considered grave enough to form the basis for a federal crime.
Appellants' argument also misperceives the nature of a RICO violation. The predicate offenses referred to in the statute are not themselves the RICO violation, they are merely one element of the crime. The federal statute does not prohibit the commission of the individual racketeering acts. Rather, it bans the operation of an on-going enterprise by means of those acts. It was the enterprise that was seen by Congress to be the more serious and far-reaching problem. See United States v. Forsythe, 560 F.2d 1127, 1135 (3d Cir. 1977). Congress therefore determined that more serious sanctions were needed to prevent that type of continuing conduct. In light of the Supreme Court's recent decisions in Hutto v. Davis, 454 U.S. 370, 102 S. Ct. 703, 70 L. Ed. 2d 556 (U.S.1982) and Rummel v. Estelle, 445 U.S. 263, 100 S. Ct. 1133, 63 L. Ed. 2d 382 (1980), we cannot say that Congress exceeded its constitutional limits in setting the penalties for this crime, nor that the district court did so by imposing the sentences it did in this case.23
Pasquale Spirito was killed during the pendency of this appeal. Accordingly, the judgment in 82-1412 will be vacated and that case remanded to the district court with directions to dismiss the indictment. See United States v. Pauline, 625 F.2d 684, 685 (5th Cir. 1980); United States v. Littlefield, 594 F.2d 682 (8th Cir. 1979); United States v. Bechtel, 547 F.2d 1379 (9th Cir. 1977)
Harry Brown has previously been convicted for his participation in these activities. See U.S. v. Brown, 583 F.2d 659 (3d Cir. 1978), cert. denied, 440 U.S. 909, 99 S. Ct. 1217, 59 L. Ed. 2d 456 (1979)
18 U.S.C. § 1961(6).
The Second Circuit has recently held that certain illegal organizations, although satisfying the Turkette requirements for "enterprise," are not within the ambit of the RICO statute. In United States v. Ivic, 700 F.2d 51 (2d Cir. 1983), Judge Friendly concluded that the members of a Croatian nationalist terrorist organization could not be prosecuted under RICO for their participation in that organization since Congress had enacted the statute to prohibit economically motivated activity. Since neither the enterprise nor the predicate offenses have a "financial purpose," the RICO statute was inapplicable to their activities
This was in fact the situation presented in Turkette. The Supreme Court affirmed the respondent's RICO conviction, which had been based on his "leadership of this criminal organization through which he orchestrated and participated in the commission of the various crimes delineated in the RICO count or charged in the eight preceding counts." Turkette, 452 U.S. at 579, 101 S. Ct. at 2527
The district court, in refusing the request for interrogatories, recognized that the Third Circuit has repeatedly stated that the use of special interrogatories is disfavored in criminal cases. But see Note, "RICO and the Predicate Offenses," 58 N.D.L.Rev. 382, 407-08 (1982) (arguing that special verdicts should be used in RICO cases to determine which predicate offenses the jury found to comprise the pattern of racketeering activity). Even where this Court has approved the use of such questions, it has reiterated its concerns that special interrogatories may unduly sway the jury in its decision regarding the defendant's guilt or innocence. See United States v. Desmond, 670 F.2d 414 (3d Cir. 1982); United States v. Palmeri, 630 F.2d 192 (3d Cir. 1980), cert. denied, 450 U.S. 967, 101 S. Ct. 1484, 67 L. Ed. 2d 616 (1981). We note, however, that in the present case the questions were to have been submitted after the verdict had been returned and the jury polled. Thus, the dangers usually involved in the use of jury interrogatories in a criminal case were not present here
18 U.S.C. § 1961(1) (A). The text of this provision is set out at n. 16, supra