Opinion ID: 709226
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Chow Case

Text: 52 Maloney first argues that the Chow case was improperly included as part of the RICO conspiracy because it involved some participants, specifically Cooley and Marcy, who did not participate in the other predicate acts. This ignores the nature of Sec. 1962(d). This section of RICO is capable of providing for the linkage in one proceeding of a number of otherwise distinct crimes and/or conspiracies through the concept of enterprise conspiracy. United States v. Neapolitan, 791 F.2d 489, 501 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 940, 107 S.Ct. 422, 93 L.Ed.2d 372 (1986); see United States v. Gonzalez, 921 F.2d 1530, 1540 (11th Cir.) (The notion of 'enterprise conspiracy' ... has made much of the old distinction between 'single conspiracy' and 'multiple conspiracy' irrelevant to RICO conspiracy charges.), cert. denied, 502 U.S. 827, 112 S.Ct. 96, 116 L.Ed.2d 68 and cert. denied, 502 U.S. 860, 112 S.Ct. 178, 116 L.Ed.2d 140 (1991). To prove a single RICO conspiracy, the government need only show that the defendant agreed to conduct the affairs of the enterprise through the commission of two predicate acts. United States v. Ashman, 979 F.2d 469, 485 (7th Cir.1992), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 114 S.Ct. 62, 126 L.Ed.2d 32 (1993). Thus, 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. Neapolitan, 791 F.2d at 496 n. 3, (quoting United States v. Riccobene, 709 F.2d 214, 224-25 (3d Cir.), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 849, 104 S.Ct. 157, 78 L.Ed.2d 145 (1983)). So long as the alleged RICO co-conspirators have agreed to participate in the affairs of the same enterprise, the mere fact that they do not conspire directly with each other does not convert the agreement to conduct the enterprise's affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity into multiple conspiracies. United States v. Friedman, 854 F.2d 535, 562 (2d Cir.1988), cert. denied, 490 U.S. 1004, 109 S.Ct. 1637, 104 L.Ed.2d 153 (1989); accord United States v. Lee Stoller Enter., Inc., 652 F.2d 1313, 1319 (7th Cir.1981), cert. denied, 454 U.S. 1082, 102 S.Ct. 636, 70 L.Ed.2d 615 (1982); United States v. Hughes, 895 F.2d 1135, 1140 (6th Cir.1990). 53 The government has certainly succeeded in establishing that Maloney agreed to conduct the affairs of the Circuit Court through several predicate acts, even though each predicate act did not involve the exact same participants. Furthermore, the facts of the instant case support the existence of a single RICO conspiracy. The common element in each predicate act was the involvement of Judge Maloney in his capacity as a Judicial Officer in the Circuit Court of Cook County and a desire of all participants to effect a corruption of that office. United States v. Hampton, 786 F.2d 977, 981 (10th Cir.1986). Moreover, Swano's willingness to pass information about a federal investigation along to Cooley and his desire to discuss his problems in the Hawkins case with Cooley indicates the kind of common goals and mutual benefit between the lawyers seeking to obtain the bribes which supports the inference of a single RICO conspiracy. See United States v. Stephens, 46 F.3d 587, 593 (7th Cir.1995). Thus, Chow was properly included within the indictment. 16 54 Maloney also argues that Chow was improperly included in the substantive RICO count because it was based on hearsay testimony, Cooley's rendition of Marcy's statements regarding the fix, and thus was insufficiently proven. The government, however, introduced the evidence on a non-hearsay basis as a co-conspirators' statement under Fed.R.Evid. 801(d)(2)(E). 17 Furthermore, there was other evidence of the fix, including Judge Maloney's conduct during the bond hearing and trial and the requirement that Cooley add Herb Barsy, a friend of the Judge, to the defense team as a condition of the fix. Thus, Chow was properly included in Count Two and was validly relied upon during Maloney's sentencing. Any effect the evidence of this bribe had on the credibility of the evidence of the other bribes was a result of Maloney's direct participation in this fix and was not impermissible. See Lee Stoller Enter., Inc., 652 F.2d at 1319; Friedman, 854 F.2d at 563.