Opinion ID: 203886
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Procedural History and Jury Deliberations

Text: On November 30, 2005, a grand jury returned a superseding indictment against all defendants. Jury selection was held on February 14, 2006, and the trial began the next day. On March 15, 2006, after the defense had concluded its argument, the district court denied all pending Rule 29 motions. Closing arguments were held on March 22, 2006, and on March 23, 2006, the district court instructed the jury. On March 23, 2006, shortly after the jury began to deliberate, the jury foreman sent the district court a note with a request from the jury to provide them with the definition of certain terms used in the counts as well as an English/Spanish dictionary. The district court responded by denying the request for a dictionary and informing the jury that the definitions of the terms they requested were included in the district court's instructions to the jury. The district court also stated that it would read any instruction again and advised the jury to consider the instructions as a whole and not to give special attention to any one instruction over another. Shortly after receiving the district court's response, the jury foreman submitted a second note which read as follows: Your Honor: the jury needs an explanation of the following count: `attempt to possess with intent to distribute narcotics.' The district court conferred with counsel for the parties, recalled the jury and repeated the instructions it previously gave for Counts Two, Four, Six, Seven, and Nine. The following day, the court received another note from the jury foreman which read: Your Honor, one of the jurors searched the internet yesterday for federal laws and terms definitions. We need to know if this action disqualifies this juror. Please let us know. The district court immediately ordered the jury to cease deliberating. It then called a meeting with counsel for both parties. In the presence of counsel, the court questioned the errant juror. The errant juror admitted to searching the internet because she disagreed with other jury members as to the meaning of the term attempt to possess with the intent to distribute narcotics. She admitted to researching the words attempt, distribution, and possess and writing down, on paper, information she obtained in her search. The errant juror stated that she did not share or read the contents of this paper with other members of the jury. She claimed that she merely shared her point of view with other jury members. The district court then asked the errant juror to leave the room so that it could speak freely to the attorneys on both sides. Attorneys on both sides pointed out to the district court that the errant juror had other documents with her, and one of these documents appeared to be a computer printout. The district court recalled the errant juror and asked her about the other papers in her hands. The errant juror stated that the papers contained her personal notes and were unrelated to her internet research. The errant juror again stated that she had not shared information from the papers with the other jurors and that she had not called any jurors to tell them what she had found. The district court again asked the errant juror to leave the room. Some of the defendants' attorneys reiterated that they had seen a printout in the errant juror's hands and not personal notes. The errant juror was called in a third time and the district court asked if she had printout material. The errant juror stated that she did not have any printout material and that she did not remember printing out any research. The errant juror also stated that she had told the other jurors that she performed research on the internet and informed them of her position on the case based on this research. The errant juror again left the room. The district court then stated as follows: I had the impression she had a different color paper than the one she handed back to me now. These were some yellow pages and some white pages, which, of course, I didn't read the content, but the other one, there was another color paper. Some of the defendants' attorneys stated that they doubted that the errant juror had presented all of the papers she had brought with her into the jury room. Specifically, they remarked that they had seen a paper with red letters or without lines that was not among those turned over to the court. The district court agreed, stating that it is my perception also  that she had another set of papers that she didn't hand over to the Court now. The district court next called in the jury foreman, who said that the errant juror had shared information that she obtained in her research with the jury. The jury foreman stated that the errant juror read out loud from a note she had and spoke about the definitions of terms like distribution or possess. The district court excused the jury foreman, read portions of the errant juror's notes that were turned over to the court into the record, and then asked the attorneys to provide their views on whether the extraneous material brought into the jury room affected the court's instructions on the law. Oliveras's attorney expressed concern that the errant juror had not been forthcoming about all of the documents she had brought into the jury room. The district court then stated: Then we have to check with the other jurors, we have this doubt, this lingering doubt as to whether everything that she handed over as to what she had and she didn't read to the jury. Oliveras's attorney responded that the errant juror's comments expanded the count that was read to the jury and that her comments might have tainted the whole jury. Bristol and Santiago's attorneys also raised serious doubts about the note and content. The court then recalled the jury foreman, showed him the paper obtained from the errant juror, and asked him to identify if it was the paper that had been read to the jury. The jury foreman said he was not sure which paper she read from, but that he believed that it was a yellow one. He stated that the errant juror had more than one paper in her hands and that the errant juror mentioned that she would read from the paper because she wanted to express her opinion the way she had written it the previous night. The district court asked him if another juror in closer proximity to the errant juror would be better able to identify the paper. The foreman identified a juror (juror `M' ). The court then called in juror M and questioned her about the incident. Juror M stated that the errant juror read from some part of a paper with a definition of a term. Juror M further stated that she did not see the specific papers from which the errant juror read because the errant juror was sitting behind her. However, juror M remarked that one of the papers was yellow and that two of the papers were white. The district court excused juror M and then told the attorneys that among the papers obtained by the court were the errant juror's personal thoughts and conclusions and informed them they would not have access to those papers at the present time. Defendants' attorneys once again expressed their concerns with the errant juror's conduct. The district court stated that the errant juror wasn't straightforward with the Court. Juror M was recalled to answer a few more questions. She stated that she was in the best position to see the errant juror's papers. Further, she stated that the errant juror did give one definition of the term distribution. After hearing from attorneys from both sides, the district court ruled that the errant juror had to be disqualified. Three of the defendants' attorneys argued that the jury's deliberation was tainted and could not be cured by instruction. The government argued that before the district court considered discharging the jury, there were several curative steps it should take, including individually questioning each juror to determine whether or not any jury member had been influenced by the errant juror's conduct. The district court called in the jury with two alternates, one to substitute for the errant juror, who was excused, and the other to replace a juror who would be traveling. The district court then told the jury that they were to begin deliberations anew. The district court further instructed them not to do any outside research and not to consult any reports about the case in the newspapers, radio or television. Although the district court met with each juror individually about reading news reports related to the case and about performing outside research, the court did not ask the jurors about the errant juror's conduct or its effect on them. On March 27, 2006, the district court, in a sealed order, ruled that the errant juror's research and subsequent statements to the other jurors did not taint the jury. The district court declined to disclose to the parties what was contained in a sealed exhibit because it contained expressions regarding [the errant juror's] deliberative process. The district court concluded that everything which was read to the jury relevant to the errant juror's research was favorable to the defendants and that the errant juror's act of reading the definition could be cured. The district court decided to amend the initial instruction to include an explanation of the phrase with intent to distribute. Defendants subsequently filed a motion for a mistrial, which the district court denied. On April 4, 2006, the jury resumed deliberations and after approximately four and one-half hours found the defendants guilty. Defendants were convicted as follows: The jury found all defendants guilty of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a) (Count One); it found Marrero and Oliveras guilty of attempt to possess with intent to distribute narcotics (Counts Two and Four), in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a) and 18 U.S.C. § 2, and of carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) (Counts Three and Five); it found Marrero, Bristol and Oliveras guilty of attempt to possess with intent to distribute narcotics (Counts Six and Seven), in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a) and 18 U.S.C. § 2, and of carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) (Count Eight); and it found Bristol and Santiago guilty of attempt to possess with intent to distribute narcotics (Count Nine), in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a) and 18 U.S.C. § 2, and of carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) (Count Ten). All defendants timely appeal.