Opinion ID: 215914
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: DeRoss's Challenge to the Murder Count

Text: Count One charged defendants with murder in aid of racketeering, or aiding and abetting such a murder, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1959(a)(1) and 2. Section 2 provides, in pertinent part, that whoever aids, abets, ... commands, induces or procures the commission of a federal offense, or willfully causes an act to be done which if directly performed by him would be a federal offense, is punishable as a principal. 18 U.S.C. § 2(a) and (b). Section 1959(a) provides, in pertinent part, that [w]hoever, ... for the purpose of ... maintaining or increasing position in an enterprise engaged in racketeering activity, murders ... any individual in violation of the laws of any State or the United States, or attempts or conspires so to do, shall be punished (1) for murder, by death or life imprisonment, or a fine under this title, or both.... 18 U.S.C. § 1959(a)(1). To convict a defendant of such a murder, the government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt (1) that the organization was a RICO enterprise, (2) that the enterprise was engaged in racketeering activity as defined in RICO, (3) that the defendant in question had a position in the enterprise, (4) that that defendant committed or aided and abetted the murder, and (5) that his general purpose in so doing was to maintain or increase his position in the enterprise. See generally United States v. Rahman, 189 F.3d 88, 126 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 528 U.S. 982, 120 S.Ct. 439, 145 L.Ed.2d 344 (1999); United States v. Concepcion, 983 F.2d 369, 381 (2d Cir.1992), cert. denied, 510 U.S. 856, 114 S.Ct. 163, 126 L.Ed.2d 124 (1993). Liability for aiding and abetting can be established by showing ... that the defendant `consciously assisted the commission of the specific crime in some active way.' United States v. Ogando, 547 F.3d 102, 107 (2d Cir.2008) (quoting United States v. Medina, 32 F.3d 40, 45 (2d Cir.1994)). DeRoss challenges the sufficiency of the evidence only as to the fourth element of the murder-in-aid-of-racketeering count, contending that there was no evidence that he aided, abetted, or committed any voluntary act to bring about the disappearance or murder of Cutolo. ( See DeRoss brief on appeal at 42.) This contention is meritless. As set out in detail in Parts I.A., B., and C. above, the evidence against DeRoss included the following: (1) DeRoss harbored anger at Cutolo resulting from their reversal of positions in the Colombo Family hierarchy, with DeRoss originally having been Cutolo's captain, and Cutolo becoming the family's underboss and superior to DeRoss in 1998; (2) in mid-April 1999, DeRoss asked Campanella, with seriousness, how Campanella would feel about killing Cutolo; (3) in mid-May 1999, DeRoss met with Floridia and, with seriousness, told him not to worry about his troubles with Cutolo because [t]hings are going to change; (4) on the afternoon of May 26, 1999, Cutolo disappeared; (5) at 5 a.m. on May 27, barely eight hours after Cutolo could be considered missing, DeRoss arrived at Cutolo's home demandingin tones implying that he had the right to themthe books and records maintained by Cutolo, who was above him in the Colombo Family hierarchy; (6) one week after Cutolo's disappearance, DeRoss, with Persico standing right behind him, told DiLeonardo, the Gambino Crime Family captain who was the liaison with the Colombo Family, that Cutolo had been missing for a week and that DiLeonardo would be dealing with Persico and DeRoss instead of Cutolo from then on, thereby informing DiLeonardo in Mafia-speak that Cutolo was dead; (7) two weeks after Cutolo's disappearance, DeRoss told Campanella that Cutolo was gone because he was getting too powerful; that if Persico went back to jail as expected, Bill would have took over the family and would have never gave the family back to Allie Boy; that, therefore, Bill had to go; (8) three weeks after Cutolo's disappearance, having unsuccessfully solicited Campanella's help in killing Cutolo, DeRoss, with Persico beside him, said Bill is gone and attempted to buy Campanella's allegiance and silence by canceling Campanella's $300,000 debt; (9) shortly after Cutolo disappeared, DeRoss became the Colombo Family's new underboss; and (10) in 2004, when DeRoss and Floridia were incarcerated and spending their days together in the Metropolitan Detention Center, DeRoss admitted his orchestration of Cutolo's murder, saying he brought Billy into the family.... [A]nd he took him out of the family. In sum, the evidence easily permitted the jury to find that DeRoss attempted to get Campanella to help kill Cutolo; that shortly before Cutolo disappeared, DeRoss reassured Floridia that Cutolo would soon be dead; that DeRoss knew Cutolo was dead on May 26, allowing DeRoss with impunity to invade Cutolo's home at 5 a.m. on May 27 demanding the Colombo Family books and records; that DeRoss told others that Cutolo was dead and said that Persico had needed to have Cutolo killed; and that when DeRoss was in jail with Floridia, DeRoss said he had killed Cutolo. The evidence was ample to permit the jury to find that DeRoss participated in the planning and orchestration of Cutolo's murder.