Opinion ID: 771572
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Venue for counts 4 and 5

Text: 23 Finally, Patel argues that the government failed to prove that venue was proper in the Northern District of New York with respect to counts 4 and 5. Counts 4 and 5 were substantive money laundering charges regarding transactions that took place in Buffalo and Manhattan, respectively. The government responds that Patel waived his challenge to venue because he raised no argument during pre-trial proceedings or in his post-trial motion. 24 Venue is proper in any district in which defendant committed the crime, and the government must prove venue by a preponderance of the evidence. See United States v. Naranjo, 14 F.3d 145, 146-47 (2d Cir. 1994). Venue is not proper in a district where defendant performed only acts that preceded the inception of the offense, or in other words, were preparatory acts. United States v. Beech-Nut Nutrition Corp., 871 F.2d 1181, 1190 (2d Cir. 1989). We have held that defendant's [o]bjections to venue are waived unless 'specifically articulated' in defense counsel's motion for acquittal. United States v. Potamitis, 739 F.2d 784, 791 (2d Cir. 1984); see also United States v. Grammatikos, 633 F.2d 1013, 1022 (2d Cir. 1980). In Potamitis, defense counsel's cross-examination regarding venue and request for a venue jury instruction were insufficient to prevent waiver and merely showed counsel's intention to put the Government to its proof on the issue. Potamitis, 739 F.2d at 791. 25 With this precedent in mind, we hold that Patel waived his venue challenge in district court. Patel did not raise the issue in his Rule 29 motion for a judgment of acquittal. At the conclusion of the jury instructions, defense counsel requested and received an instruction from the district court that Buffalo was in the Western District of New York and Manhattan was in the Southern District of New York. Counsel's actions showed at best an intention to put the government to its proof on the issue rather than a specifically articulated objection. On appeal, Patel essentially concedes his waiver and asks that we nonetheless address the merits of his claim because it is plain that the government could not have cured the venue defect if an objection had been lodged below and a finding of waiver would advance no sound juridicial (sic) policy. We do not find the situation so plain because counts 4 and 5 charged Patel with aiding and abetting Bala in money laundering and there was proof that Patel committed acts in the Northern District, such as arranging meetings, escorting Bala, and bringing funds back from Manhattan, that may have been more than preparatory. Because Patel never articulated an objection to venue on this point, the record below is not developed fully, and we see no injustice in holding Patel accountable for his waiver.