Source: http://openjurist.org/304/f3d/593
Timestamp: 2015-07-30 04:16:35
Document Index: 577814523

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1961', '§ 1962', '§ 1951', '§ 924', '§ 3', '§ 2', '§ 3', '§ 2', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3']

304 F3d 593 United States v. Corrado | OpenJurist
304 F. 3d 593 - United States v. Corrado Home
304 F3d 593 United States v. Corrado 304 F.3d 593
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee,v.Paul CORRADO, Defendant-Appellant.United States of America, Plaintiff-Appellant/Cross-Appellee,v.Anthony Corrado, Defendant-Appellee/Cross-Appellant.
No. 01-1561.
No. 01-1658.
No. 01-1660.
Argued April 26, 2002.
Decided and Filed September 10, 2002.
Rehearing and Suggestion for Rehearing En Banc Denied November 13, 2002.
Kathleen Moro Nesi (argued and briefed), Asst. U.S. Attorney, Detroit, MI, for Plaintiff-Appellee in 01-1561.
Robert M. Morgan (argued and briefed), Detroit, MI, for Defendant-Appellant in 01-1561.
Kathleen Moro Nesi (argued and briefed), Asst. U.S. Attorney, Detroit, MI, for Plaintiff-Appellant Cross-Appellee in 01-1658 and 01-1660.
Carole M. Stanyar (argued and briefed), Detroit, MI, for Defendant-Appellee Cross-Appellant in 01-1658 and 01-1660.
Before: DAUGHTREY and MOORE, Circuit Judges; ECONOMUS, District Judge.*
Defendants Paul Corrado ("Paul") and Anthony Corrado ("Anthony") appeal the district court's reinstatement of their convictions, following remand, and their sentences following resentencing. The United States cross-appeals Anthony's sentence. For the following reasons, we AFFIRM the reinstatement of the Corrados' convictions and Paul's sentence, but we VACATE Anthony's sentence and REMAND to the district court for resentencing.
Paul and Anthony, along with fifteen others, were charged in a twenty-five count indictment that included two counts under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ("RICO"), 18 U.S.C. § 1961 et seq., and several extortion, conspiracy, and firearm counts. See United States v. [Paul] Corrado, 227 F.3d 528, 532 (6th Cir.2000) ["Corrado I"]; United States v. Anthony Joseph Corrado, Nos. 98-2394 & 99-1001, 2000 WL 1290343, at *1 (6th Cir. Sept. 8, 2000) ["Corrado II"]. Paul and Anthony were allegedly members of the Detroit Cosa Nostra; Paul, the nephew of Anthony, engaged in a scheme with Nove Tocco to "shake down" bookmakers in the Detroit metropolitan area, allegedly under the supervision of Anthony, a Mafia "capo," and others. The extensive underlying facts of the case can be found in the opinions cited supra. See also United States v. Corrado, 286 F.3d 934 (6th Cir.2002) (forfeiture-related issues) ["Corrado IV"]; United States v. Corrado, 227 F.3d 543 (6th Cir. 2000) (same) ["Corrado III"]; United States v. Tocco, 200 F.3d 401 (6th Cir.2000) (appeal of coconspirator Jack Tocco).
After a jury trial, Paul was convicted on Counts 1 (RICO conspiracy, 18 U.S.C. § 1962(d)), 6 (Hobbs Act conspiracy violation, 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a), conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion), 10, 12, 20, 23, 24 (Hobbs Act substantive violations, interference with commerce by extortion), 11, 17, 21 (Hobbs Act attempt violations, attempted interference with commerce by extortion), 5, 9, and 16 (using or carrying a firearm during or in relation to a crime of violence, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)), see Joint Appendix ("J.A.".) at 1229-30. Anthony was convicted of Counts 1 and 2 (RICO conspiracy to collect an illegal debt), 6 (conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion), 13, 20, 23, 24 (aiding and abetting interference with commerce by extortion), 21 (aiding and abetting attempted interference with commerce by extortion), and 18 (obstruction of justice), see J.A. at 1156-57. Paul was sentenced to ninety-seven months' imprisonment plus sixty months to run consecutively based on the firearm counts; Anthony was sentenced to fifty-one months' imprisonment.1
Paul and Anthony then appealed their convictions and sentences to this court. We vacated both defendants' convictions, holding that the district court erred in not holding a Remmer hearing2 to determine whether the jury verdict had been tainted by an attempted act of jury tampering. See Corrado I, 227 F.3d at 537; Corrado II, 2000 WL 1290343, at *1. We also instructed that, if the district court reinstated the Corrados' convictions, the district court should then resentence the Corrados. With respect to Paul's sentence, we held that the district court failed to comply with the requirements of Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32(c)(1), which requires a sentencing court to make adequate findings of fact in sentencing. See Corrado I, 227 F.3d at 540. Instead, we concluded that the district court had "either summarily adopted the findings of the presentence report or simply declared that the enhancement in question was supported by a preponderance of the evidence." Id.
In addition, the government appealed Anthony's sentence. We held that the district court erred because, given Anthony's conviction based on the Hobbs Act conspiracy and substantive extortion charges, the district court had failed to enhance his sentence based on his supervisory role. Thus, we held that, on remand, Anthony Corrado's sentence should be enhanced by three levels pursuant to the United States Sentencing Guidelines ("U.S.S.G.") § 3B1.1(b) (1997). See Corrado II, 2000 WL 1290343, at *4. In addition, the district court was instructed to make factual findings with respect to whether the actions of Paul Corrado and Nove Tocco, which triggered the specific offense characteristic enhancements found in U.S.S.G. §§ 2B3.2(b)(1), 2B3.2(b)(3)(A)(i), and 2B3.2(b)(2), were reasonably foreseeable to Anthony Corrado. See Corrado II, 2000 WL 1290343 at *4.
On remand, the district court first held a Remmer hearing, which is discussed at length infra. The court concluded that the verdict had not been tainted by the attempted jury tampering and thus reinstated the Corrados' convictions. The court then resentenced the Corrados.
A. Paul Corrado's Resentencing
Prior to resentencing, an evidentiary hearing was held at which Nove Tocco, another defendant in the RICO case, testified with respect to some of the factual findings remanded to the district court. Nove Tocco was called as a witness by the defense, although he is now cooperating with the government. On direct examination, Nove Tocco testified, among other things, (1) that he, rather than Paul, had recruited various individuals into their extortion scheme, and that Paul's role in the scheme declined over time; (2) that he did not see Paul with a handgun during the extortion of George Sophiea; and (3) that there had never been a plan to kidnap or murder Ramzi Yaldoo or Jesus Morales. These factual issues were relevant to the specific offense characteristics at issue in Paul's resentencing.
The district court then resentenced Paul to ninety-seven months' imprisonment plus sixty months to run consecutively. See J.A. at 1239 (Resentencing Mem.). In its written memorandum, the district court stated:
The Court of Appeals Decision remanding this case directed this court to make findings of facts supporting its conclusions with regard to the leadership roles of the defendant, the involvement of the defendant to conspiracy to murder Bowman, and the determination that the defendant was armed when he extorted money from George Sophiea.
Prior to sentencing, the defendant's attorney requested that the court also consider the fact that the defendant's only victims were, so the defendant argued, themselves engaged in criminal activity.
J.A. at 1232. The district court first found that the two-level adjustments based on Paul Corrado's leadership role, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1(c), were supported by trial testimony and the testimony of Nove Tocco at the resentencing hearing. In sum, the district court found that:
Defendant Corrado recruited John Jarjosa and Tom Lenhard to assist in the extortion of Ramzi Yaldoo. Defendant Corrado also recruited John Jarjosa to assist in the extortion of money from George Yatooma and Sam Martin. Paul Corrado, along with Nove Tocco, utilized Peter Jack Corrado and Peter Tocco to assist them in the extortion of money from George Sophiea. The court finds all of these 3B1.1(c) increases in offense level are supported by a preponderance of the evidence.
J.A. at 1232-33. This conclusion was followed by a discussion of specific findings with respect to each enhancement.
The district court then found, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Paul Corrado participated in a conspiracy to murder Harry "Taco" Bowman, the president of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club; that Paul Corrado was armed during the extortion of George Sophiea; and that "the fact that the only victims of the defendant's criminal activities were themselves engaged in criminal activity as bookmakers" was not an appropriate basis for a downward departure pursuant to the Sentencing Guidelines, J.A. at 1238.
B. Anthony Corrado's Resentencing
At resentencing, the district court sentenced Anthony Corrado to seventy months' imprisonment. With respect to the Count 1 RICO conspiracy, the district court concluded that Anthony should be held responsible for only one of the six underlying racketeering activities alleged in the indictment, obstruction of justice, charged in Overt Act 22 of Count 1 and Count 18. See J.A. at 1202.3 The district court declined to hold Anthony responsible, under the RICO count, for, inter alia, the extortion conspiracy and the substantive acts of extortion, finding these extortion activities independent of the larger RICO conspiracy.
Next, in calculating Anthony's sentence on Count 6, the extortion conspiracy charge, the district court included as underlying acts the five substantive extortion counts for which Anthony was convicted. See J.A. at 1197 (Sophiea), 1199 (Yaldoo), 1200 (Yatooma), 1201 (Martin and Abraham).4 With respect to the four substantive extortion counts for which Anthony was not convicted, the district court concluded that "[n]o evidence[ ] tie[d] Anthony Corrado to the[ ] acts" involved in the Monro, Wierzba, Morales, and Johns extortions, J.A. at 1192 (Monro), 1193 (Wierzba), 1195 (Morales), 1196 (Johns), and thus that these extortions did not constitute underlying acts for sentencing on the extortion conspiracy count. In addition, the district court concluded that "[w]ith respect to the specific offense characteristics for use of threats, possession of a firearm, discharge of a firearm, threat of death, abduction, and amount of loss, ... Anthony Corrado could not have foreseen any of the specific characteristics of the extortion of Monro, Wierzba, Morales, Johns, Yaldoo, Sophiea, Yatooma, Martin and Abraham, and is not to be held accountable for those characteristics." J.A. at 1201-02.
The district court calculated an offense level of 25 for Count 6. It reached this level by first calculating the offense level for each substantive extortion count. Pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2B3.2(a), the base offense level for violations of the Hobbs Act is 18; with the three-level enhancement under U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1(b) that this court mandated on the first appeal to reflect Anthony's supervisory role, the district court determined that the offense level for each substantive extortion count was 21. Grouping the substantive extortion counts as required by U.S.S.G. § 3D1.2(b), the court then determined that Anthony's combined offense level for the extortion conspiracy was 25 under U.S.S.G. § 3D1.4.
The government and Anthony agreed that the offense level for the Count 2 RICO conspiracy should be 19. Based on its conclusions and findings regarding Anthony's appropriate offense level for Counts 1, 2 and 6, the district court calculated a total offense level of 27 under the multiple count provisions of U.S.S.G. § 3D1.4. Combined with Anthony's Criminal History Category of I, the guidelines range was seventy to eighty-seven months' imprisonment. After declining to depart downward on three separate grounds (Anthony's health, his wife's health, and the government's culpability in damaging his health, which is discussed infra), the district court sentenced Anthony to the low end of the applicable range, seventy months' imprisonment.
A. Remmer Hearing
In the first appeal, we remanded for a Remmer hearing,5 providing specific instructions to the district court with respect to the nature of that hearing on remand:
At this hearing, the defendants should be accorded the opportunity to question the jurors individually and under oath about the extent of their interaction, if any, with Kennedy. The defendants should also be permitted to investigate the impact, if any, of the news reports describing Shabazz's arrest that were issued on the weekend before the jury began its deliberations.
Corrado I, 227 F.3d at 537 (citation omitted).
On remand, defense counsel submitted a list of eleven areas that they believed should be explored at the Remmer hearing:
1. About any discussion prior to deliberation about the nature and quality of the evidence, including identifying all of those persons they spoke with, including, but not limited to, all the jurors.
2. The substance of all such discussions and their feelings concerning those conversations.
3. Whether they read any newspaper articles, watched any media shows, or listened to any news reports which involved the trial;
a. Whether they regularly read the "Oakland Press" or "Macomb Daily."
4. Whether they read, heard, or were told anything about the arrest of Khalid Shabazz or anything about any impropriety concerning the jury. The nature and substance of what they heard, identity of anyone they discussed it with, as well as the substance of those conversations.
5. Whether they read, observed, or heard anything about the two particular articles in the Oakland Press and Macomb Daily.
6. What discussions each juror had with, or in the presence of, Edward Kennedy in a van ride or elsewhere, regarding the "problem with a jury ... [involving] some [Muslim] guy."
7. What they heard prior to or during deliberation concerning the arrest of Shabazz, the arrest of Paul Corrado, the subject of jury tampering, the subject of juror misconduct; what discussions they had, if any; and the identity of any other person or juror who mentioned this subject.
8. What discussion any juror had about Paul Corrado or any other defendant which did not relate to any testimony or exhibit.
9. Why juror Seltenright felt constrained to ... stay up with a gun in fear after [an investigator] attempted an interview.
10. What discussion, if any, there was amongst the jurors or with any third party following the three questions put to them by the Court concerning that inquiry or the perception of what may have been taking place.
11. Whether there was any mention of the movie "The Juror" ... or any similar type of movie, book, TV show, etc.
J.A. at 1013-14. The government objected to items 1-3 and 7-11, arguing that these questions went "far beyond what was ordered by the Court of Appeals and are in violation of the Federal Rules of Evidence." J.A. at 1000. The government cited Federal Rule of Evidence 606(b).6
The Remmer hearing was held on October 10, 2000. The district court first ruled on two important threshold matters: (1) that the Remmer hearing would be held in open court, rather than in camera; and (2) that the questions to be asked by counsel would "be strictly limited to ... whether there was any interaction with alternate juror Kennedy concerning... the approach made to him by Mr. Shabazz and the questions concerning whether news reports or other information concerning Mr. Shabazz's arrest and Defendant Corrado's involvement in that arrest came to the attention of any of the jurors." J.A. at 2033. The court continued: "If and only if the former juror testifies that there was some interaction related to the Shabazz contact ... or that the arrest and the events surrounding the arrest of Mr. Shabazz came to the attention of any jurors, then the Court will allow follow-up questions concerning the impact if any of such conduct, interaction or information." J.A. at 2034.
The district court proposed to ask each juror the following questions, prior to allowing the government and defense counsel to ask their questions:
At any time prior to or during your deliberations... did you hear anything from alternate juror Edward Kennedy or any other person about someone desiring, through Mr. Kennedy or otherwise, to affect the deliberations of the jury in any way?
If there is any kind of an affirmative answer or an uncertain answer to that, if you did, what did you hear and from whom?
And at any time prior to deliberations or during your deliberations did you, through newspapers, television or any other media, hear about the arrest of a person Khalid Shabazz or anybody for attempting jury tampering, specifically, did you hear that the Defendant Paul Corrado was involved in the events surrounding the arrest of Mr. Shabazz?
If the answer to the first question is yes ... did you read or hear at any time prior to or during deliberations anything printed in either of the Oakland Press or the Macomb Daily concerning the events surrounding the arrest of Mr. Shabazz?
J.A. at 2037-38. Defense counsel objected, specifically noting that many of their eleven subject areas had been eliminated. The district court explained that, while it had not ruled specifically on the eleven areas, it would pursue these lines of questions as those permitted by law and required under our mandate. The district court also noted that, "I don't think anything else is relevant." J.A. at 2044.
After additional objections were raised by defense counsel and discussed, the district court proceeded to call and question, under oath, all twelve deliberating jurors and the six alternate jurors, including alternate juror Edward Kennedy. The government and defense counsel were also given an opportunity to ask questions within the scope allowed by the court. Jurors 87, 178, 55, 58, 12, 157, 7, 41, and 122 answered the court's questions in the negative; these jurors also testified, in response to defense counsel's questions, that they did not recall discussing the jury tampering