Opinion ID: 613179
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: We write primarily for the benefit of the parties and recount only the essential facts. In 2009, Beldini was a Deputy Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, reporting directly to Jersey City Mayor Healy. Dwek was cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) in a large-scale investigation of government corruption. Dwek used the name “David Esenbach,” as he engaged in his role as a cooperator. Regarding the Beldini case, he posed as a real estate developer to ask Edward Cheatam (“Cheatam”), a Hudson County public official, and Jack Shaw (“Shaw”), a political consultant, to facilitate meetings between Dwek and Healy, so that Dwek could bribe Healy to expedite his fictitious real estate development — the Garfield Development (“the Development”). Beldini facilitated meetings between Healy, Dwek, Shaw, and Cheatam; she received money from Dwek; and she broke the money up into smaller increments to conceal the identity of the real contributor. 1 1 New Jersey law requires a campaign to identify, for contributions exceeding $300, the campaign donor’s name, address, occupation, employer, and employer’s occupation in the periodic reports that the campaign files with the New Jersey Election Law 3 On March 13, 2009, Dwek met with Shaw, Beldini, and Healy. Dwek explained his plans for the Development to Healy and Healy inquired whether the area was zoned for the Development. Beldini mentioned that Dwek would have to obtain numerous approvals from various city agencies in order to proceed with the Development. Cheatam stated, “we are ready to do some things . . . with your help and your assistance.” (Appellee's Br. at 6.) Dwek said, “[a]pprovals are the key.” (Id. at 6.) After Healy left the meeting, Dwek tried to confirm an agreement with Beldini, and Beldini provided Dwek with assurances of her cooperation and expressed a concern about Dwek’s identity being revealed. Specifically, she warned Dwek of the limit for campaign contributions. Dwek also promised Beldini that he would retain her as the exclusive broker to sell units in the Development. Later that day, Beldini suggested to Shaw that the payments from Dwek should be spread among different campaign and political committees benefitting Healy’s campaign. Beldini also referred to a then-upcoming political fundraiser, “Broadway at the Beacon,” which was sponsored by the Jersey City Democratic Committee (“JCDC”) for Healy’s benefit. Beldini was the Executive Producer of the event. Beldini told Shaw that Dwek could funnel the payments several ways. Dwek could “do the Team too, you know . . . and then you can do the, uh, JCDC, they’re all going to the same place, but they’re all different accounts – Team Healy, Healy for Mayor, and JCDC.” (Id. at 8.) Beldini also Enforcement Commission (“ELEC”). A campaign also must file a “Supplemental Contributor Information” form (“Form C-1”) if it receives a donation of $1,200 or more within ten days of an election. 4 asked Shaw to obtain specifications for Dwek’s Development, which she would discuss with a high-level Jersey City zoning official. On March 19, 2009, Dwek met again with Cheatam and Shaw arranging for a $10,000 donation by check, which would then be split up into smaller checks. Shaw also added that Beldini wanted to serve as the broker for the Development. The next day, Dwek met Cheatam and Shaw again. Dwek gave them each $5,000 to be funneled through Beldini to Healy’s campaign. The two checks were broken up into $2,500 increments, with each of the checks written by others to conceal the true donor. At their next meeting, Dwek asked Beldini what the process was for obtaining relief from existing zoning regulations. Beldini responded that Dwek would need to contact zoning official Tony Lambiasie, who, according to Beldini, “is certainly with the mayor.” (Id. at 10.) Dwek also discussed the commission Beldini expected to earn for serving as the listing broker to sell the condominium units in the Development. Later, Dwek asked if Beldini’s assistance on issues such as voting would pose a conflict of interest. Beldini stated, “I can definitely help you get through a lot of red tape.” (Id. at 11.) Dwek returned to the subject of funneling payments to Healy and Beldini in exchange for official assistance with the Development, stating that he would donate another $10,000 to Healy as the election approached. Beldini and Dwek agreed that he would donate to Healy through the JCDC and the money would be funneled through Shaw and Cheatam. 5 On March 26, 2009, Cheatam delivered to Beldini two of the four $2,500 straw donor checks used to conceal that Dwek was the source of the $10,000 payment. On April 1, 2009, Beldini met with Dwek, Cheatam, and Shaw. Beldini confirmed that Healy knew Dwek had funded the purchase of tickets to the “Broadway at the Beacon” event the previous Saturday night and Beldini agreed with Dwek that Healy “appreciate[d] the way [Dwek did] business.” (Id. at 13.) Dwek reiterated to Beldini that he would give another $10,000 for the benefit of Healy’s campaign prior to the election and another $10,000 after the election. Dwek would, again, funnel these payments through Shaw and Cheatam. When Dwek said, “just make sure . . . with you and the Mayor . . . to help me out, expediting my stuff with the Garfield,” Beldini replied, “Absolutely.” (Id.) On April 30, 2009, Beldini met again with Dwek, Healy, Cheatam, and Shaw. Before Healy arrived, Beldini learned that Dwek would give Shaw another $10,000 payment for the benefit of Healy’s campaign. To conceal Dwek’s involvement, Beldini agreed not to put Dwek’s “name on anything.” (Id. at 14.) Beldini also allayed Dwek’s concern about receiving priority treatment by saying, “You know, one thing I can tell you about Jerramiah Healy, he remembers his friends.” (Id.) After the meeting, Dwek gave Shaw $10,000 in cash, which was then to be converted into four $2,500 political contributions for Healy. Five days later, Shaw called Beldini to confirm receipt of the money. Beldini told Shaw that the money would be funneled to the “Healy for Mayor ’09” campaign account. 6 On May 5, 2009, Cheatam and Shaw secured checks from straw donors for the $10,000 contribution provided by Dwek. After confirming that the checks did not exceed the contribution limit, Beldini received them from Shaw and Cheatam and she deposited them into the campaign account for “Healy for Mayor ’09.” On May 7, 2009, Beldini listed the straw donor checks instead of a $10,000 contribution from Dwek. Relying on that information, an accountant for JCDC and Healy for Mayor ’09 prepared an inaccurate Form C-1, which Beldini signed. A postelection disclosure form, 2 which Beldini and Healy both signed, incorporated the false information from the Form C-1. On November 19, 2009, a grand jury returned a six-count Superseding Indictment against Beldini. Count 1 charged a conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right, in violation of the Hobbs Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a). Counts 2 and 3 charged Beldini with substantive Hobbs Act violations based on the two $10,000 bribes Beldini accepted on March 26, 2009 and May 5, 2009. Counts 4 through 6 charged Beldini with federal program bribery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 666(a)(1)(B). In Counts 4 and 5, Beldini was charged for the same two $10,000 bribes as charged in Counts 2 and 3. Count 6 charged Beldini with corruptly agreeing to accept the thousands of dollars in real estate commissions that she would have earned on the Development. On February 11, 2010, the jury convicted Beldini of Counts 4 and 5, but acquitted her of Counts 1, 2, 3, and 6. 2 This was a “Report of Contributions and Expenditures” (“Form R-1”). 7 Beldini filed a motion for a judgment of acquittal or for a new trial. Beldini argued, first, that Counts 4 and 5 could not be proved because campaign contributions did not constitute “anything of value” under 18 U.S.C. § 666(a)(1)(B). Second, she claimed that the evidence failed to prove that she was an “agent” within the meaning of § 666(d)(1). Third, Beldini claimed that the prosecutor improperly misused consciousness of guilt evidence during rebuttal summation. Fourth, Beldini claimed that the jury instructions for Counts 4 and 5 erroneously omitted the explicit quid pro quo requirement contained in the instructions for Counts 1 through 3. The District Court denied Beldini’s motion. First, the Court found that, as a matter of law, the term “anything of value” encompassed campaign contributions and that the evidence established that Beldini was an agent. The Court found that Beldini had forfeited her objection to the jury instructions on Counts 4 and 5, noting that there was no indication in court transcripts or the District Court’s notes “that the defendant at any time objected to the fact that the quid pro quo, McCormick standard was not being charged with regard to the § 666 violations as he did with regard to the Hobbs Act.” 3 (App. at 1938:96–97.) The District Court continued, noting that “[t]he statute and the statutory language does not require that the quid pro quo be charged,” and that, while evidence of a quid pro quo would be sufficient, it did not seem necessary for those violations. (Id.) According to the District Court, “even though there was no challenge to the instruction, we are now having a post verdict challenge to the jury instructions.” (Id. at 1938:97.) 3 McCormick v. United States, 500 U.S. 257 (1991). 8 The Court held that § 666(a)(1)(B)’s corrupt intent requirement obviated the need for an explicit quid pro quo in cases involving campaign contributions. Finally, the Court found no prosecutorial misconduct regarding the rebuttal summation. On June 14, 2010, the District Court sentenced Beldini to two concurrent terms of 36 months of imprisonment. The District Court entered final judgment and Beldini timely appealed.