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1 INTHEUNITEDSTATESDISTRICTCOURTFORTHENORTHERNDISTRICTOF ILLINOIS
2 WESTERNDIVISION
3 UNITEDSTATESOFAMERICA, ) Docket No. 05CR50082)
4 Plaint iff, ) Rockford, I l l inois) Monday, May14, 2007
5 v. ) 8:45o 'clocka.m.)
6 MONTRELLMCSWAIN, )BRADFORDDODSON, andLEE )
7 ALLEN, ))
8 Defendants. )
9 VOLUME1TRANSCRIPTOFTRIAL
10 BEFORETHEHONORABLEPHILIPG. REINHARD, anda jury
11 APPEARANCES:
12 For theGovernment : HON. PATRICK J. FITZGERALDUni tedStates At torney
13 (308West StateStreet ,Rockford, I l l inois 61101) by
14 MR. MICHAELF. IASPARROMR
.MAR
KT. KA
R
NER
15 Assistant Uni tedStates At torneys
16 For theDefendant McSwain: BYRD&TAYLOR(308W. StateStreet , Sui te450,
17 Rockford, I l l inois 61101) byMR. MARKA. BYRD
18 For theDefendant Dodson: MR. DONALDP. SULLIVAN
19 (OneCourt Place, Sui te101,Rockford, I l l inois 61101)
20
For theDefendant Al len: MR. JAMESD. TUNICK21 (53W. JacksonStreet , Sui te1362,
Chicago, I l l inois 60604)22
AlsoPresent : MR. STEPHENSMITH23 Special Agent , ATF
24 Court Reporter: MaryT. Lindbloom211SouthCourt Street
25 Rockford, I l l inois 61101(815) 987-4486
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1 (The fol lowingproceedings werehad inopen court , out of
2 thepresenceandhearingof the jury:)
3 THECLERK: 05CR50082, U.S.A. v. McSwain, Dodson, an
4 Al len.
5 THECOURT: Al l r ight . I 'd l ike the lawyers to
6 approach thepodium, please.
7 MR. IASPARRO: Goodmorning, your Honor. Michael
8 IasparroandMarkKarner onbehalf of theUni tedStates.
9 THECOURT: Goodmorning.
10 MR. TUNICK: Goodmorning, your Honor. James Tunicko
11 behalf of LeeAl len, who ' s present .
12 THECOURT: Goodmorning.
13 MR. BYRD: Goodmorning, your Honor. MarkByrdon
14 behalf of Montrel l McSwain, who ' s present sittingat the table.
15 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Goodmorning.
16 MR. SULLIVAN: Goodmorning, your Honor. DonSul l ivan
17 onbehalf of BradfordDodson, who is alsopresent .
18 THECOURT: Al l r ight . This case is scheduled togo t
19 trial this morning. Is thereanychangeof plea for anyof the
20 defendants at this time?
21 MR. BYRD: Not onbehalf of Mr. McSwain, Judge.
22 MR. SULLIVAN: No. Mr. Dodsonpersists inhis
23 innocence.
24 THECOURT: Al l r ight . The last time I was incourt ,
25 thegovernment had indicated that i t was fil ingaSect ion851
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1 not ice; is that correct?
2 MR. IASPARRO: Andwehave, as toboth Mr. McSwainand
3 Mr. Dodson, Judge.
4 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Andyou 'veexplained tobotho
5 them theeffect of that not ice?
6 MR. BYRD: Your Honor, we 've talkedabout that , yes.
7 MR. SULLIVAN: I diddiscuss it . If I couldhavea
8 moment toverify that heunderstood that .
9 THECOURT: Wel l , i t wouldbe if certainquant i t ies ar
10 found, i t wouldbebaseduponaprior convict ion that would
11 increase themandatoryminimum to20years. Is that accurate,
12 Mr. Iasparro?
13 MR. IASPARRO: For Count 1, that ' s correct , Judge.
14 MR. BYRD: If wecould haveamoment .
15 THECOURT: Goahead.
16 MR. TUNICK: Judge, whi le they ' re takingamoment wi th
17 their cl ients, can I raisean issue?
18 THECOURT: Youmay.
19 MR. TUNICK: Thankyou , Judge. Wel l , last night going
20 over the transcripts indetai l , I not iced someproblems, and I '
21 l ike to raise i t wi th thecour t . I 'mnot surehowyouwant to
22 handle this. There ' s one transcript inpart icular that i t ' s
23 clear that thewords are incorrect , and they ' re important words
24 and I can ident ify theexact transcript and theexact words. I
25 can show i t to thegovernment . I think theywouldagree that
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1 the transcript is incorrect that theyprovidedme. But the
2 secondone is is that there ' s aconversat ion that 's cl ipnumber
3 32wi th --
4 THECOURT: I don ' t haveanyof this . Youknow that .
5 MR. TUNICK: I understand, Judge. And i t has LeeAl le
6 on the top. Hedoesn ' t part icipate in this conversat ionat al l
7 Judge. He ' s not -- there ' s nowords attributed tohim in the
8 transcript itself , and the reason for that is becausehe
9 actual ly leaves the room. He ' s on thereat thebeginning. He
10 leaves the room, and thenothers engage inconversat ionabout
11 drugs.
12 Now, he ' s on the topof the transcripts, whichmight
13 indicate to the jury that hewas present for this conversat ion.
14 So, I object to -- I know thegovernment wants touse this cl ip
15 because i t shows avery, very short periodof t imeof him
16 workingon thedoor. He leaves the room. He ' s not present for
17 theconversat ion that occurs after that , and I don ' t want the
18 jury tobel ieve that hewas goingback, and theyget these in
19 the jury roomor things of that sort , and they say, "Wel l , gee.
20 Hewas present for this conversat ionwhen theywerenever
21 talkingabout drugs." So, I can ident ifypart icular words, and
22 also I haveaproblemwi th this part icular transcript , Judge.
23 THECOURT: First, as to thewords, youcanconfer wi t
24 Mr. Iasparro, and there ' s away to remedy that . I f Mr. Iasparr
25 agrees that thewords are inaccurate, youcandelete i t . I f
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1 there ' s adifferenceas you interpret thewords and theperson
2 who transcribed i t interprets i t , thenyou ' real lowed topresen
3 that , and the jury is inst ructed, and I ' l l inst ruct themat the
4 t ime theyhear the transcript or at the t ime that they read the
5 transcript that thewords that theyhear control and that the
6 transcripts wi l l not beadmi t tedas evidence. I donot admi t
7 them. Theyare just markedas anexhibi t .
8 As to the second issue, I think that shouldbe -- if
9 i t ' s agreed that he left the room, that 's one thing. If i t ' s
10 not agreed that he left the room, that hewas present , the top
11 of the transcript -- I don ' t think the topof the transcript
12 means anything, anyway, what thegovernment puts down.
13 MR. IASPARRO: Judge, twopoints. First, defense
14 counsel has haddraft transcripts for several weeks. This is
15 the first we 'veheardof anyobject ions toany transcripts. As
16 to the secondpoint --
17 THECOURT: Wel l , he ' s raised themnow. I trust you
18 wi l l somet imebefore they ' replayedgoover i t andei ther
19 correct the si tuat ionor informme that there ' s adifferenceof
20 opinionas to the reading.
21 MR. IASPARRO: Yes, Judge. As to the second issue, at
22 the topof each transcript , Agent Smi th, who final ized the
23 transcripts, identifiedwho thepart icipants areand, by
24 part icipants, persons in the roomat the t ime that that video
25 cl ipwas recorded. At thebeginningof this videocl ip -- it
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1 happens tobewhat we ' recal l ingcl ip32 -- LeeAl len is there.
2 Hedoes leave the room. That ' s something that Mr. Tunick
3 clearlycanbringout oncross examinat ion if hewants, but
4 BradfordDodson is alsoaparty to theconversat ionandengages
5 inconversat ionduring that videocl ip. So, i t ' s clearly
6 relevant .
7 THECOURT: Wel l , I don ' t know that theheading -- the
8 heading is not of anyevident iaryvalue in the senseof
9 translat ing thewords that were spoken. I f that issue is going
10 tobecomecrit ical , I want to lookat the transcript , and I may
11 say theheading is not tobeconsidered, and i t ' s not . You
12 understand that .
13 MR. IASPARRO: I dounderstand that , Judge. I t ' s
14 simply includedas anaid to thecourt and the jury, number one
15 andalso to ident ifywho thepart icipants areand to show the
16 court why thesepart icular videocl ips and transcripts are
17 relevant as towho thepart icipants are.
18 THECOURT: I 'mnot sure -- I knowwhyyou ' vegot i t
19 there, but if there ' s going tobeadispute, transcripts are to
20 aid inunderstanding thewords that are spoken, and if there ' s
21 disputeas towho ' s present , then that is determined, also, by
22 thevideo. So, I may strike that . I maynot . We ' l l seewhat
23 happens.
24 MR. IASPARRO: Thankyou, Judge.
25 MR. TUNICK: I think that ' s i t f or now.
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1 THECOURT: Al l r ight .
2 MR. KARNER: I havea smal l mat ter, Judge.
3 THECOURT: Yes.
4 MR. KARNER: I see that counsel has a laptopon the
5 table. I t ' s not abig thing, but I 'dask that noneof the
6 content of thedesktopbedisplayed to the jury.
7 THECOURT: Areyougoing touse that?
8 MR. TUNICK: Yes, and i t 's -- I don ' t knowwhat
9 content -- there ' s a screen saver wi thapictureof mynewbaby
10 but I don ' t think that 's going toprejudice the jury.
11 THECOURT: Wel l , I don ' t want the jury to seewhat
12 you ' redoing.
13 MR. TUNICK: Judge, I was actual ly sit t ingover there.
14 I was toldby theMarshals. I 'm in thecorner. I wouldnever
15 intend to influence the jury l ike that .
16 THECOURT: That ' s fine.
17 MR. KARNER: That 's al l I 'masking is that thepicture
18 of thebabynot bedisplayed to the jurors.
19 THECOURT: I don ' t know -- first of al l , don ' t use
20 i t -- you ' renot going touse i t during jury select ionprocess.
21 MR. TUNICK: Not during jury select ion .
22 THECOURT: Because jurors wi l l be seatedout so that
23 theycould see i t . So, if youput i t on the screen saver
24 wi thout thepictureof your chi ld.
25 MR. TUNICK: Someuglypictures of me, too.
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1 THECOURT: Al l r ight .
2 MR. TUNICK: Noproblem. That is not aproblem.
3 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Fine.
4 Now, youhave thecorrect seat ingarrangements. It wa
5 myunderstanding that somebodyelsewas going tobehere for on
6 of theother defendants. I think she ' s in the -- oneof the
7 paralegals.
8 MR. IASPARRO: I bel ieveMr. Sul l ivan ' s paralegal is i
9 the second row, Judge.
10 THECOURT: Youcanhavea seat. Is shegoing to
11 assist youduring the trial?
12 MR. SULLIVAN: I bel ieve so, your Honor. What I did
13 not do is submi t her nameonThursdayafternoon .
14 THECOURT: Wel l , I needher name. Just aminute.
15 What is her name?
16 MR. SULLIVAN: Shirel le, S-h-i-r-e-l-l-e, Malone,
17 M-a-l-o-n-e.
18 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Is your paralegal here?
19 MR. IASPARRO: Ms. Seck is here, Judge. Shewi l l be
20 here just tobe introduced.
21 THECOURT: Okay. I seeher .
22 Okay. Now, Mr. Sul l ivan, haveyouhad anopportuni ty
23 to talkwi thyour cl ient , anddoes your cl ient wish topersist
24 inhis pleaof not gui l tyandgo to trial? Havehim step
25 forward.
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1 Didyouhear myquest ion? Youhavea right togo to
2 trial . I 'm just making sure that that 's what youwant todo.
3 Is that what youchoose todo is go to trial today?
4 DEFENDANTDODSON: Yes, your Honor.
5 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Youmaybe seated. Andyour
6 paralegal maybe seated if youcan -- if theMarshals would fin
7 a seat for her. Doyouwant her at counsel table?
8 MR. SULLIVAN: Yes, if wecanhave that opportuni ty.
9 Shemaynot spendal l of the t ime there, but if we --
10 THECOURT: Step forward, please. See if theMarshal
11 can findaconvenient place for her.
12 Mr . Byrd.
13 MR. BYRD: Yes, sir.
14 THECOURT: Doyouwant to step forward, Mr . McSwain?
15 You 'veheardme indicate that thegovernment f i ledamot ion las
16 weekunder -- or anot ice that would increase thepenal t ies if
17 youare foundgui l ty. Is that -- youunderstand that?
18 DEFENDANTMCSWAIN: Yes, sir.
19 THECOURT: Doyouwish togo to trial?
20 DEFENDANTMCSWAIN: Yes, sir.
21 THECOURT: Al l r ight . You 'vehadaconversat ionwi th
22 him; is that correct?
23 MR. BYRD: I have, your Honor.
24 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Youmaybe seated.
25 I ' l l need the lawyers backuphere. Mr. Byrd,
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1 Mr. Tunick, andMr. Sul l ivan, doyouwant to step forward,
2 please? I ' l l address you, Mr. Sul l ivan. Therewas an
3 indicat ionat the final pretrial conference, I gaveyouan
4 opportuni tyon the twodefenses that youhad stated that you
5 wanted topresent andwhich I prel iminari lyhad said that you ' v
6 not madea sufficient offer of proof that thosedefenses would
7 beavai lable. Is thereanyaddi t ional offer of proof that you
8 haveat this time?
9 MR. SULLIVAN: No, your Honor.
10 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Then thecourt wi l l make i ts
11 rul ing final basedupon theoffers that weremadeby the
12 government andby thedefendant Dodson. I wi l l f ind that there
13 wouldnot be sufficient proofs to raiseapubl icauthori ty
14 defenseor acoerciondefense. I guess if facts comeout , that
15 couldalways change, but at least as toyour opening statement
16 or anything l ike that , youmaynot ment ion thoseas beinga
17 defense to thecase. Doyouunderstand?
18 MR. SULLIVAN: Yes, your Honor.
19 THECOURT: Therewas at least another mot ion that was
20 madeby thedefendant Dodson, and that has todowi tha
21 part icular shoot ing, andas I recal l -- and I 'm trying to find
22 that mot ion -- that has todowi th the shoot ing that tookplace
23 during thecourseof this conspiracy, and thegovernment would
24 expect tooffer proofs that thedefendant part icipated,
25 Defendant Dodsonpart icipated in that shoot ing, and that that
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1 shows oneway inwhich theyaccompl ished theobject iveof the
2 conspiracy, theconspiracybeing todistributeor possess wi th
3 intent todistributeheroinandcocaine.
4 Thegovernment 's fileda response. I ' vealready
5 indicated that I think there is abasis for introducing
6 membership inagang, and that 's because that is direct ly
7 l inked, I think, to themot ive for commi t t ing theconspiracy.
8 So, gangmembershipwi l l beadmi t ted.
9 As to the issueof this defendant , Dodson, shoot ing
10 during thecourseof theconspiracy someoneelse, I bel ieve tha
11 is relevant . First of al l , since i t takes placeduring the
12 courseof theconspiracy, i t is not 404(b) evidence. Secondly,
13 i t ' s analyzedunder 403, and I ' vegot todeterminewhether
14 there ' s suchaprejudicial effect that I should in somewaynot
15 admi t relevant evidenceor l imi t i t .
16 I ' vedetermined that I wi l l al lowevidenceof that
17 shoot ing, but I 'mgoing to l imi t i t , Mr. Iasparro. I wi l l al lo
18 you to -- apparent ly, you ' regoing tohavewi tnesses whoare
19 codefendants whohavepledgui l tywhowould testify to
20 conversat ions that theyhadwi thDodson that would indicate tha
21 hecommi t ted that act ; is that accurate?
22 MR. IASPARRO: That is, Judge.
23 THECOURT: Youalsohad indicated inyour response
24 that you thought you 'dhavepol iceofficers testify to the
25 actual investigat ionof that shoot ing; is that accurate?
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1 MR. IASPARRO: Just to thecrime scene i tsel f , Judge,
2 toestabl ish that i t happened.
3 THECOURT: I 'mgoing toal lowoneofficer to testify,
4 and that officer may testify that onacertaindate they
5 invest igateda shoot ingandwho thevict imwas, and I guess the
6 can introduce theextent of the injury.
7 MR. IASPARRO: That ' s fine, Judge.
8 THECOURT: That ' s i t . I 'mnot going to trya
9 mini-trial on that event .
10 MR. IASPARRO: Judge, there is alsoavideocl ipwhere
11 Mr. Dodsonadmits to the shoot ing, says that he threwapartya
12 theMcDonald ' s. Thecooperat ingcodefendants wi l l testify to
13 what aparty is . I t ' s a shoot ing.
14 THECOURT: I wi l l al low statements , as I said, that h
15 made.
16 MR. IASPARRO: Thankyou.
17 MR. TUNICK: Judge, howdoyouplanon deal ingwi th
18 that wi th respect toMr. Al len? Because, as youknow, i t ' s not
19 relevant as toMr. Al len. Hewasn ' t aparty. It predates his
20 involvement . I t ' s not relevant that hewas anaider and
21 abet tor.
22 THECOURT: If I neglect to say something, youcan ris
23 and say, "I ask thecourt toadmonish the jury that this
24 evidence is not relevant toMr. Al len," and I wi l l give that
25 instruct ion. But I ' l l try todo that as muchas I can.
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1 MR. BYRD: Judge, I think that alsowouldapply to
2 Mr. McSwain. I don ' t bel ieve there ' s anyevidence that he took
3 part in that shoot ing. I don ' t bel ieve that hewas even
4 present .
5 MR. IASPARRO: Judge, there is onevideocl ipwhere
6 Mr. McSwain is talking to twocooperat ingcodefendants, Bobby
7 Harris andDupreeTurner, about the shoot ingandhas pret ty
8 extensiveknowledgeabout what happened.
9 THECOURT: Wel l , hemight havegot ten i t after the
10 fact . Hehas tohave reason tobel ieve that that might occur.
11 Again, I thinkwe ' reget t ing inonacol lateral issue, and I
12 want tobeverycareful of i t . You 'vealso -- so, I maygive
13 that instruct ion. I ' ve just got to seehow theevidencecomes
14 in. I think thegovernment ought tobecareful on that .
15 Theother issue, is there someother shoot ing that you
16 indicated that youmay try to show? And frommy readingof you
17 offer , i t didnot look l ikeanyof the threedefendants
18 part icipated in that .
19 MR. IASPARRO: Judge, wedonot intend to introduce
20 testimony fromanyofficers about two shoot ings onUnderwood
21 Street . OnAugust 9thandAugust 11th, 2005, therewere two
22 shoot ings that happened in front of oneof thegang ' s drug
23 houses onUnderwood street wi tha rival gang. Therearea
24 significant number of conversat ions that happenedat 1023
25 Kishwaukee, whichwas the si teof thevideoandaudiooverhear ,
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1 involving thosewhowere involved in that shoot ing. Mr. Dodson
2 Mr. McSwain, theyclearlyhadknowledgeof i t . Someof those
3 conversat ions also relate todrug traffickingandwi l l be
4 presentedhere. Theydo touchon theUnderwood shoot ing toa
5 certainextent . Wewouldagree that nei ther Mr . Dodsonor
6 Mr. McSwainwerepresent at ei ther of those shoot ings.
7 THECOURT: Wel l , I wi l l -- thoseconversat ions, is it
8 on the tape that otherwiseyou ' re seeking toadmi t?
9 MR. IASPARRO: Yes, Judge.
10 THECOURT: Wel l , I may strike i t or I may l imi t i t in
11 someway.
12 MR. IASPARRO: I understand.
13 THECOURT: Anyother quest ions beforewe start? I
14 hope I 'veclearedupeverything.
15 MR. BYRD: No, your Honor.
16 MR. SULLIVAN: Noquest ions.
17 THECOURT: We ' regoing toget the jurydownhere, if
18 theyare ready, andwewon ' t takeabreak ' t i l about 10:30. We
19 probablywi l l not get to -- I ' l l probablyget throughabout
20 seven jurors or so, but we ' l l seehow that leaves us. So, we
21 won ' t takeabreakbefore that .
22 MR. TUNICK: Doyouhaveanextracopyof thecour t ' s
23 questions? I know i t was on thewebsi te.
24 THECOURT: I t ' s on thewebsi te. I personal lydon ' t
25 haveanextracopy, except myowncopy. The lawyers mayhave
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1 that .
2 MR. TUNICK: Thankyou .
3 THECOURT: Are the jurors ready?
4 THECOURTSECURITYOFFICER: Yes, sir.
5 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Get the jurors.
6 (The fol lowingproceedings werehad inopen cour t , in the
7 presenceandhearingof the jury:)
8 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Wi l l theclerkcal l thecase,
9 please?
10 THECLERK: 05CR50082, U.S.A. v. Montrel l McSwain,
11 BradfordDodson, andLeeAl len.
12 THECOURT: Is thegovernment ready toproceed?
13 MR. IASPARRO: Thegovernment is ready, Judge.
14 THECOURT: Are thedefendants ready?
15 MR. BYRD: Yes, your Honor.
16 MR. TUNICK: Yes, your Honor.
17 MR. SULLIVAN: Yes.
18 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Thankyou.
19 Goodmorning. I 'm JudgePhi l Reinhard . I ' l l be
20 presiding in thecase that has beencal led for trial . We
21 appreciateal l of youbeinghere. I know someof youwerehere
22 when I arr ivedat about 7:30, andwhenwehaveas many jurors a
23 wehave today, i t gets a l i t t lecongested, but I appreciate the
24 fact that youwerehereprompt ly, andwehave72 jurors for thi
25 case.
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1 The first part of this proceedingwi l l be the select io
2 of a jury, and I askquest ions of al l the jurors, andmy
3 questions aredesigned to findout a l i t t leabout youand to se
4 whether this is acase that youwouldbeanappropriatemember
5 of the jury.
6 I need truthful answers tomyquest ions, and I always
7 askaquest ion "Is thereanythingelse that you should tel l me
8 as i t may relate toyour abi l i ty to serveas a fair and
9 impart ial juror," and if there is something in thebackof your
10 mind, that ' s the t ime toanswer i t . So, I doneedyou tobe
11 candidwi th thecourt , andwe ' l l proceed.
12 At this time I 'mgoing toaskal l of you to riseand
13 raiseyour right hands. Youwi l l takeanoath to tel l me
14 truthful answers. Please raiseyour right hands.
15 (Jurypanel duly sworn.)
16 THECOURT: Thankyou. I hopeyouareable tohear me
17 I real izewe 'vegot jurors in theback rows. Are thereany
18 jurors whoarehavingadifficul t t imeat least hearingmeat
19 this time? Yes, sir. Areyouhardof hearing?
20 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I am. I have t inni tus, about
21 30percent .
22 THECOURT: Whydon ' t you takea seat in the front row
23 Somebodyelse raised their hand.
24 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yeah, I have troublehearing.
25 THECOURT: Haveyouheardme so far?
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1 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
2 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Eventual ly if somebodywi tha
3 hearingproblem is chosenas a juror, you ' l l be seateda lot
4 closer tome, but I wi l l quest ionyou further at a later point
5 if you ' recal ledas a juror just to findout theextent of your
6 hearingproblem.
7 Youhaveheard that this casehas been cal led for
8 trial . This is acriminal case. Thereare threedefendants in
9 this case. Thegovernment has brought this case. I 'mgoing to
10 giveyoua short statement of thecase, and then I 'mgoing to
11 introduce thosepeoplewhoare thepart icipants whoare seated
12 at counsel table.
13 Thedefendants Montrel l McSwainandBradfordDodsonar
14 bothchargedwi thconspiracy todistributeandpossess wi th
15 intent todistributemore thanoneki logramof heroinandmore
16 than50grams of cocainebase, which is commonly referred toas
17 crackcocaine. Thedefendant LeeAl len is chargedwi thaiding
18 andabet t ing that conspiracy. I wi l l later instruct youonce
19 you ' re seatedas a juror on theelements of what aconspiracy i
20 andalsowhat aidingandabet t ingaconspiracy is .
21 Thedefendant McSwain is alsochargedwi th twocounts
22 of possessionof a firearm in furtheranceof adrug trafficking
23 crime, and thedefendant Dodson is alsocharged wi th three
24 counts of possessionof a firearm in furtheranceof adrug
25 traffickingcrime. Al l defendants haveplednot gui l ty toeach
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1 count against them.
2 Thegovernment is represented -- and thesepeoplewi l l
3 stand to ident ify themselves -- byprosecutor Assistant U.S.
4 At torneyMichael Iasparro.
5 MR. IASPARRO: Goodmorning.
6 THECOURT: AndAssistant U.S. At torneyMarkKarner.
7 MR. KARNER: Goodmorning.
8 THECOURT: Seatedat counsel table is SteveSmi th, a
9 special agent wi th theBureauof Alcohol , Tobacco, Firearms &
10 Explosives. AndLisaSeck is aparalegal who is wi th the
11 U.S. At torney ' s Office, and shewi l l beherenot al l the t ime,
12 but somet imes tohelp themwi th someof theelectronicequipmen
13 that wi l l beused.
14 Thedefendants in thecaseareas fol lows, and theyar
15 representedby the fol lowingat torneys. MarkByrd is an
16 at torney.
17 MR. BYRD: Goodmorning.
18 THECOURT: He represents Montrel l McSwain.
19 DEFENDANTMCSWAIN: Goodmorning.
20 THECOURT: DonaldSul l ivan is anat torney, andhe
21 represents BradfordDodson.
22 MR. SULLIVAN: Goodmorning.
23 DEFENDANTDODSON: Goodmorning.
24 THECOURT: Mr. Sul l ivan is assistedbyhis paralegal ,
25 Shirel leMalone.
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1 MS. MALONE: Goodmorning.
2 THECOURT: And the last at torney is Mr. James Tunick.
3 MR. TUNICK: Goodmorning, ladies andgent lemen.
4 THECOURT: Andhe represents thedefendant LeeAl len.
5 DEFENDANTALLEN: Goodmorning.
6 THECOURT: I 'mgoing togoover a few recognized
7 principles of criminal law that I want you tobeawareof at
8 this time. Thedefendants arecharged inan indictment . The
9 indictment is the formal methodbywhichadefendant is charged
10 It is not anyevidenceof adefendant 's guilt . It is simply th
11 way inwhichacase is brought before thecourt andul t imately
12 jury.
13 Eachdefendant has plednot gui l ty toal l thecounts
14 against them. Under the laweachdefendant is presumed tobe
15 innocent of thechargeagainst him. This presumpt ion stays wi t
16 thedefendants throughout theent irecase, and it is not
17 overcomeunless youhaveheardevidence from thegovernment tha
18 proves that thedefendant is gui l tybeyonda reasonabledoubt .
19 Thegovernment has the soleburdenof proving thegui l
20 of adefendant . Adefendant does not have tooffer any
21 evidence. Adefendant may relyon thepresumpt ionof innocence
22 andadefendant neednot testify, and that fact that hedoes no
23 testifymaynot beconsideredbyyou inarrivingat your
24 verdict . Adefendant may relyon that presumpt ionof innocence
25 Eachdefendant ' s case is tobe judged separately. So,
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1 from t ime to t ime throughout thecourseof the trial , I wi l l
2 giveyouwhat wecal l admoni t ions or instruct ions that this
3 evidencemaybeappl icable toacertaindefendant or defendants
4 but not appl icable toanother. So, remember, eachdefendant
5 must be judged separately, as must eachcount . Certain
6 defendants , McSwainandDodson, have several counts that are
7 charged in this case. Youmust give separateconsiderat ionand
8 thegovernment has toproveeachcount beyonda reasonable
9 doubt .
10 Youare the sole judges of fact in this case. I wi l l
11 be rul ingonquestions of law, but nothing I sayor doduring
12 thecourseof theproceedings is intended togiveyouany idea
13 as towhat I feel about the facts because i t ' s not material .
14 I t ' s what youpeopleconclude from the facts . Andyouwi l l ,
15 therefore, judgewhat wecal l thecredibi l i tyof wi tnesses, and
16 that is your funct ion, andyoumaychoose tobel ieveal l of a
17 wi tness' testimony, someof awi tness' test imony, or noneof a
18 wi tness' testimony. I wi l l giveyou instruct ions at theendof
19 thecaseand throughout thecaseas toyour funct ion in judging
20 thecredibi l i tyof thewi tnesses.
21 I havehad theclerkprovideyouwi tha list of
22 possiblewi tnesses. Haveyoual l received that? Al l r ight . I
23 seeyou 'venodded. Youmust read that . I hopeyou ' ve read i t
24 bynowbecause that gives youa list of potent ial wi tnesses. I
25 does not mean that thesepeoplewi l l testify, but the reason fo
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1 the list is that younowcan lookat i t anddeterminewhether
2 you ' reacquaintedwi thanyof thesepotent ial wi tnesses. That
3 does not el iminateyou frombeinga juror, but I wi l l askyou
4 questions about that if youareacquaintedwi th anyof the
5 wi tnesses.
6 Someof youmayhave servedas a juror before. Youma
7 cont inue -- that 's not anyprohibi t ionon serving in this case.
8 Just remember youmust fol low the instruct ions of law that I
9 giveyou in this case.
10 Now, I wi l l askyouquestions about your background
11 whenyou ' recal led to the jurybox. It wi l l be fami ly, i t wi l l
12 beemployment , and i t wi l l becertainother questions that I
13 thinkare relevant to thecase. Pleasegiveme truthful
14 answers. I 'mnot trying topry intoyour personal affairs, but
15 that ' s theonlyway inwhich I and the lawyers areable to in
16 this short spandeterminewhether you ' re sui ted tobea juror i
17 this case. The fact that somebody ' s excusedas a juror, don ' t
18 take that as apersonal insul t or that there ' s somethingwrong
19 wi thyou. I t ' s just that for some reason thecourt and the
20 lawyers have fel t that i t wouldbebet ter tohave somebodyelse
21 serve rather thanyou.
22 This case is scheduled togoal l weekand intonext
23 week. Fromwhat the lawyers have toldme, this casewi l l endo
24 Tuesdayof next week. I 'mgoing to just play i t safeandask
25 you tobeavai lable intoWednesday. I think I ' l l finish i t
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1 maybeonMonday. Maybewe ' l l f inish i t onFriday. But at the
2 outside, I 'mgoing toneed jurors whocan serve throughnext
3 Wednesday.
4 What wi l l happen ina fewminutes is that I 'mgoing to
5 askal l of you somegeneral questions, and that way someof you
6 wi l l beexcused, perhaps, at that t ime. Then theclerkwi l l
7 cal l twelve jurors to the jurybox. I wi l l question them
8 individual ly. Somewi l l beexcused, andothers of youwi l l be
9 replacing them. Eventual ly, wewi l l have twelve jurors. And
10 we ' regoing topick twoal ternates. Thoseal ternates must be
11 hereandconsider thecaseas if theyweregoing tobe the fina
12 jurors because somet imes weneed to replacea juror.
13 Pleasepayat tent ionwhen I 'masking thesequest ions o
14 the jurors in theboxbecause i t wi l l readi lymakeyou
15 understand if you takea seat that theremaybe something that
16 I ' l l askyou that youcan readi lyvolunteer.
17 I amgoing toaskyoua series of general quest ions
18 now. I want final ly, before I say that , to tel l you that we
19 appreciateyoubeinghere. That as aci t izen, i t ' s real lyan
20 obl igat ionanda right that youhave tobea juror, to sit in
21 judgment onyour fel lowci t izens. This is an important
22 funct ion, anddon ' t t ry toget out of i t . Weal l maywishwe
23 were someplaceelse today, but I 've found that the jurors who
24 haveul t imately servedoncases feel that this has beenavery
25 rewardingexperience. So, I recognize that I ' l l have some
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1 excuses at a later point , but don ' t t ry to just avoid service.
2 I 'mgoing toaskal l of youa series of questions, and
3 if youhaveanaffirmat iveanswer, please stand, ident ify
4 yourself , we ' l l get amicrophoneover there, andyoucanexplai
5 your answer .
6 Now, I have introduced thepeopleat counsel table.
7 Theat torneys, theparalegals , and thedefendants. Is there
8 anyonewho is acquaintedwi th themor their fami l ies? If so,
9 please stand. Al l right . Your name, please.
10 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: El lenVonHaden.
11 THECOURT: What ' s the last name?
12 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: VonHaden.
13 THECOURT: Andwhereareyou from?
14 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Poplar Grove.
15 THECOURT: Whoareyouacquaintedwi th?
16 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Wel l , I knowMr. Sul l ivan.
17 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Andwhat ' s thenatureof
18 your --
19 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Wehiredhim todoacase for us.
20 THECOURT: How longago?
21 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: About ayear.
22 THECOURT: Is he still your at torney --
23 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
24 THECOURT: -- on that mat ter?
25 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
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1 THECOURT: Was that theonlyoccasion?
2 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Right .
3 THECOURT: Was that acivi l or acriminal mat ter?
4 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Civi l , I think. Yeah.
5 THECOURT: Wereyouacquaintedwi thhimprior to that
6 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
7 THECOURT: Andother than that relat ionship, haveyou
8 ever hada social relat ionshipwi thhim?
9 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
10 THECOURT: Wi thout going into that legal mat ter , do
11 you feel that your associat ionwi thhim is such that youwould
12 beconsidering that if youwere selectedas a juror and,
13 therefore, considering something that real ly is improper?
14 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I wouldhopenot .
15 THECOURT: Al l r ight . You 'veused thewordhope, and
16 that 's why I ' l l probe that a l i t t lebi t . I want tomake sure
17 that whenhe representedyou, was thereanything that was so
18 favorableor sounfavorable that i t wouldbedifficul t for you
19 tobe fair to thegovernment?
20 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Howabout thequest ions if would I
21 hirehimagain? No.
22 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Thendoes that mean that -- is
23 thereanything that aroseout of that relat ionship that would
24 spi l l over andcauseyou in someway touse those facts in that
25 relat ionshipas it relates to this case? You saidyouhoped
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1 not --
2 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Right .
3 THECOURT: -- but I 'vegot toprobea l i t t le further .
4 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Youwant ayes/noanswer. You
5 would l ikeayes/noanswer .
6 THECOURT: Yes. I don ' t needanexplanat ion.
7 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Wel l , I guess if there ' s adoubt ,
8 should sayyes.
9 THECOURT: I 'mgoing toexcuseyou.
10 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Okay.
11 THECOURT: But I want to thankyou. Is thereanyone
12 else?
13 (No response.)
14 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Nobodyelsehas stood. And I '
15 laboringunder a l i t t lecold that I have.
16 Are thereanyof you that after reading the list of
17 potent ial wi tnesses areacquaintedwi thanyof thosepersons?
18 If so, please stand. Al l r ight . We ' l l start wi th the front
19 row. We ' reget t ingyouamicrophone. Or the second row, the
20 gent leman. Your nameandwhereyou ' re from.
21 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: James McKinley fromByron.
22 THECOURT: Whoareyouacquaintedwi th?
23 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Detect ives JohnRichardsonandDan
24 Ivancich.
25 THECOURT: Howareyouacquaintedwi th them?
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1 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Richardson is aneighbor, and then
2 Ivancich, I t reatedhis wife -- or his mother.
3 THECOURT: And for what? Areyouaphysician?
4 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I 'maphysical therapist.
5 THECOURT: Okay. Areyoupersonal lyacquaintedwi th
6 himor just his mother?
7 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
8 THECOURT: Al l r ight . So, I take i t you ' re just
9 acquaintedwi thhis mother .
10 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes . I ' vemet him too, as wel l .
11 I 'm sorry. Yes.
12 THECOURT: You 'vemet him.
13 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
14 THECOURT: As far as Richardson, didyou sayhewas a
15 neighbor?
16 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Neighbor.
17 THECOURT: How longhaveyouknownhim?
18 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Twoyears.
19 THECOURT: Next door or just down the street or what?
20 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Down the street .
21 THECOURT: Doyouhavea social relat ionshipwi thhim
22 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I have.
23 THECOURT: He ' s been inyour house?
24 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
25 THECOURT: You 'vebeen inhis house?
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1 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
2 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Now, areyouable to
3 independent ly judgehis test imony if he testifies in this case
4 baseduponnot a friendshipor anythingelse that you 've
5 experiencedwi thhim?
6 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
7 THECOURT: You feel that i t would influenceyou?
8 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
9 THECOURT: I ' l l excuseyou.
10 Your name, sir .
11 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Myname is AaronHegge.
12 THECOURT: Whereareyou from?
13 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Byron. I l ive right across the
14 street from Jamie.
15 THECOURT: Al l r ight . So, youknowMr. Richardson, a
16 wel l .
17 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes, I know Johnverywel l . I buy
18 Girl Scout cookies fromhis daughter.
19 THECOURT: Al l r ight . What 's your answer tomy
20 question? Doyou feel that you could judge this caseandnot
21 consider the fact youknowhim?
22 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
23 THECOURT: I ' l l excuseyou.
24 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Thankyou.
25 THECOURT: Your name.
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1 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Toni Garland.
2 THECOURT: Whereareyou from?
3 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I 'm fromSterl ing.
4 THECOURT: Whoareyouacquaintedwi th?
5 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: TheGal lent ines. Laurie
6 Gal lent ine.
7 THECOURT: Al l r ight . And I 'mnot fami l iar wi thwho
8 thesewi tnesses are. Doyouknowwhether she ' s apol ice
9 officer?
10 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I don ' t think so.
11 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Andwhat ' s thenatureof your
12 acquaintanceship?
13 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I went tohigh school wi thLaurie
14 Gal lent ine, and I knowhim just to seehim, DeanGal lent ine. I
15 knowwhohe is.
16 THECOURT: Andwho ' s on thewi tness list? Is it --
17 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Both.
18 THECOURT: Bothof themare; is that correct?
19 MR. IASPARRO: Yes, Judge.
20 THECOURT: Al l r ight . The fact that youknowLaurie,
21 is that , again, going toaffect you? If youwereasked to judg
22 this case, canyou judge i t on the facts whenyouhear test imon
23 rather than somebackground that youknow someone?
24 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I don ' t think so. I don ' t know.
25 probablycould. I don ' t know.
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1 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Wel l , what i t takes is that yo
2 mayhavehada relat ionshipwi thher inhigh school . Haveyou
3 hadone since then?
4 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No. Wel l , I haven ' t seenher for
5 probably tenyears.
6 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Peoplechange. Condi t ions
7 change. Al l I 'masking is if shewere to testify, you ' regoing
8 tohave to judgeher credibi l i ty, andcanyoudo that as if you
9 didn ' t knowher?
10 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
11 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Then I 'mgoing toexcuseyou.
12 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Thankyou.
13 THECOURT: Thankyou. Is thereanyoneelse that 's
14 acquaintedwi th -- I have two in theback. I 'm sorry. Al l
15 right . Your name, please.
16 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: JonnaAdolphson.
17 THECOURT: Whereareyou from?
18 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Rockford.
19 THECOURT: Whoareyouacquaintedwi th?
20 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Officer Mat t Gibbons.
21 THECOURT: Howareyouacquaintedwi thhim?
22 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: He ' s amember at theclub that I
23 workat .
24 THECOURT: Doyou seehim regularly?
25 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yeah.
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1 THECOURT: What club is that?
2 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: UniversityClub.
3 THECOURT: Andhaveyouhadany relat ionshipwi thhim
4 other than in that club?
5 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
6 THECOURT: Doyou feel that basedonwhat you 've told
7 me that youcould judge -- ifhe testifies, you could judgehis
8 testimony l ikeyouwouldanyoneelse that youwouldn ' t know?
9 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
10 THECOURT: Andyou ' reconvincedof that?
11 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
12 THECOURT: Thankyou.
13 Your name, please.
14 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: KathrynChamberlain.
15 THECOURT: Whereareyou from?
16 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Rockford.
17 THECOURT: Whoareyouacquaintedwi th?
18 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I 'mnot even sure that I am.
19 THECOURT: Al l r ight .
20 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Detect ivePatrickGirardi . I 'ma
21 nurse, and I bel ievehehas recent lycome intoour pract ice, bu
22 I don ' t evenknow if i t 's the sameperson.
23 THECOURT: Does i t mat ter? Inother words, if you
24 haven ' t met theperson, shouldyou recognize -- shouldhe
25 testifyand shouldyou recognizehimas coming intoyour
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1 pract ice, would that makeanydifference?
2 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
3 THECOURT: You 'dbeable to judgehis test imony l ike
4 youwouldanyother wi tness?
5 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
6 THECOURT: And the fact that hemight beacl ient of
7 theplacewhereyouworkat , there ' s noeconomic si tuat ion
8 that 's going to -- youwould feel pressured toaccept his
9 testimony?
10 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
11 THECOURT: Al l r ight . That 's al l .
12 I ' ve readyoua short statement about this case.
13 Anybodyheardof i t or knowanythingabout i t? If so, raise
14 your hand.
15 (No response.)
16 THECOURT: Al l r ight .
17 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I 'mnot real lyget t inghalf of
18 this. I haveahearingaid, but --
19 THECOURT: What is your nameagain?
20 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Robert Hooper .
21 THECOURT: I 'mgoing toexcuseyou. I ' l l excuseyou.
22 If youhaven ' t heardhal f , that ' s aproblem.
23 This is acriminal case. I 'mgoing togoover those
24 principles of law that I 'vealready talked toyouabout . The
25 defendant is presumed innocent throughout theent ire trial . He
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1 does not have toproveanythingor offer anyevidenceor
2 testify. The indictment is not anyevidenceof gui l t nor is hi
3 arrest . Thegovernment must provehimgui l ty, eachdefendant ,
4 beyonda reasonabledoubt . Youperformyour dutyas a juror
5 whether you returnagui l tyor not gui l tyverdict .
6 Does anyonedisagreewi thanyof thoseprinciples or
7 not understand them? If so, please stand.
8 (No response.)
9 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Nobodyhas stood.
10 Does any juror haveanyphysical condi t ionwhichwould
11 prevent you fromyour abi l i ty to serveas a juror? And I 'm
12 talkingabout hearingor someother medical reasonwhyyoucan '
13 si t here for anhour andahalf at a t ime. Thenwe takea
14 recess. Or someai lment of that type. Yes, sir. Your name.
15 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: VerlanSmi th.
16 THECOURT: Whereareyou from?
17 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Rockford.
18 THECOURT: What ' s your question?
19 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I 'mgood for about twohours. The
20 I have toget upandgo.
21 THECOURT: Wewon ' t behere for more than twohours.
22 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Okay.
23 THECOURT: You remindme. And if you ' re selectedas
24 juror andwego -- I let themgoover twohours, you raiseyour
25 hand. You 'ddo that?
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1 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Al l r ight .
2 THECOURT: Yes, sir. Your name.
3 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Jay Jonagan. I 'mhavingahard
4 t imehearingyouwhenyoubackaway from themike. Whenyou ' re
5 up in front of i t , I 'mokay, but whenyoukindof get away from
6 i t , I 'mhavinga l i t t le trouble.
7 THECOURT: Haveyougot ten the substanceof what I 've
8 said so far?
9 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
10 THECOURT: Al l r ight . I f you ' rehere, we ' l l see if w
11 canget youa spot --
12 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Okay.
13 THECOURT: -- that you 'dbeable to -- doyouhave
14 hearing inoneear problem?
15 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No, both.
16 THECOURT: Bothof them. Al l r ight .
17 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I have ringing in theears and
18 about a30percent loss.
19 THECOURT: I understand. I ' l l questionyou further.
20 Yes, ma 'am. Your name.
21 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: MarieZammuto. And I wear hearing
22 aids. I canhear youqui teclearly, but somet imes i t kindof
23 fades away.
24 THECOURT: Just remindmeof that if you ' recal ledup
25 to the jurybox, andwe ' l l --
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1 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I canhereyouplainly.
2 THECOURT: Okay. Thankyou. But I take i t youcan ' t
3 hear mequi teas wel l -- canyouhear menow?
4 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
5 THECOURT: Okay. Now, does any juror haveany
6 personal , moral , or rel igious bel ief that would prevent you fro
7 determining thegui l t or innocenceof apersonchargedwi tha
8 crime? If so, raiseyour hand. Goahead.
9 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I spent 27years as aChicago
10 pol iceofficer, and I 'vemadearrests wi thguncharges --
11 everything. Homicide, narcot ics. And I think that would
12 prejudiceme. I wouldhave to tend togowi th theofficers.
13 THECOURT: I ' l l excuseyou. Anyoneelse?
14 (No response.)
15 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Nobodyhas stood.
16 Is thereanythingabout thenatureof this case -- and
17 you 've just got tena l i t t lebi t of i t , but i t involves the
18 al legat ionof conspiracy to sel l certaincontrol led substances
19 and that in furtheranceof that conspiracycertainpeople
20 possesseda firearm. Is thereanythingabout that that you jus
21 couldn ' t be fair in this case? If so, please stand. Your name
22 please, andyour --
23 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Vicky Johnson, Belvidere.
24 THECOURT: Goahead.
25 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I havea sonwho ' s adrugaddict .
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1 THECOURT: Al l r ight . And I 'venot iced inmy
2 questioningof other jurors inother criminal cases that i t ' s
3 not uncommon tohave someone ina fami lyor a relat ion that has
4 hada substanceabuseproblem. Is this something that youwoul
5 then feel that youwould take i t out against thedefendants who
6 arechargedhere?
7 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Defini tely. I 'vehad thosepeople
8 cal l ingmyhouse.
9 THECOURT: Al l r ight . I ' l l excuseyou.
10 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Thankyou.
11 THECOURT: As I said toher, therewi l l beothers of
12 youwhohavehadpersons in their fami ly that havehadadrug
13 addict ionproblem, andwhat I 'm striving for is twelve jurors
14 whocanbe fair and independent . That is, al l of us havehad
15 experiences inour affairs that we 've reacted to. I needpeopl
16 whocanbe fair and impart ial and judge this caseon thebasis
17 of theevidenceandon the law that I giveyou.
18 I wi l l giveyou instruct ions throughout thecaseanda
19 theendof thecase. Is thereany juror who if they fel t that
20 my instruct ionwas not right wouldnot fol low i t? Inother
21 words, createyour own instruct ion. Is thereanyonewhowould
22 do that? If so, raiseyour handor standup.
23 (No response.)
24 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Nobodyhas stoodup.
25 I ' ve toldyou that this casewi l l last no longer than
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1 Wednesdayof next week. Is thereanyonewhocouldnot serve fo
2 that periodof t ime? Al l r ight . Anumber of people raised
3 their hands. I t ' s the summer season. I knowpeoplehave jobs
4 andvacat ions. Yes, ma 'am. Your nameandwhereyou ' re from.
5 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: LisaDurovey inMcHenry.
6 THECOURT: Yes.
7 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: And I 'vehada tripplanned for
8 next weekwhere I 'm scheduled to leaveonThursday, and I would
9 just beconcerned that --
10 THECOURT: Youwon ' t go intoThursday.
11 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Okay.
12 THECOURT: I wi l l assureyou that .
13 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: And then I dohaveadeadl ineat
14 work that 's due the23rd, and I 'dbea l i t t leconcernedabout
15 making that date, but I understand -- I 'mmoreworr iedabout --
16 anyway, that 's al l .
17 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Wel l , the23rd is Wednesday.
18 Youhadwhat on the23rd?
19 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Adeadl ineat work.
20 THECOURT: I don ' t thinkyouhave toworryabout that
21 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Okay.
22 THECOURT: I wi l l workwi thyouon that .
23 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Okay. Thankyou.
24 THECOURT: Thankyou.
25 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Myname is LisaElcock, and I 'm
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1 fromDeKalb.
2 THECOURT: Yes.
3 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I amaneducator, andwehave
4 16days of school left . Myhusband -- I have three smal l
5 chi ldren, andmyhusband left yesterday for twoweeks for DARE
6 school . He ' s apol iceofficer inDeKalb.
7 THECOURT: I ' l l excuseyou.
8 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Thankyou.
9 THECOURT: What was your nameagain?
10 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: LisaElcock. I t ' s E-l-c-o-c-k.
11 THECOURT: Yes, sir. Your name.
12 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Ross Lamont fromBelvidere.
13 THECOURT: What ' s your comment?
14 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: What was that?
15 THECOURT: What ' s your comment?
16 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I 'mamaintenance technician for
17 Sears Holdings Corporat ion, and there ' s myself andacoworker
18 who is onvacat ion this weekdue tohis wifegoing into surgery
19 and I 'm theonlyother technician inour district for this area
20 So, I maybe required to -- I 'moncal l for this week.
21 THECOURT: I ' l l consider that . Let me seewho ' s
22 cal ledandhowmanyothers are there. Employment is important ,
23 but I wi l l consider that .
24 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Hi . Myname is KristyKaminski
25 fromCort land, and I work for avery smal l company. I 'ma
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1 project manager, whichmeans get t ing theprojects goingand
2 implement ing, as wel l as our accounts receivableandpayable.
3 So, i t is ahardship for me tobeout that long.
4 THECOURT: Is it ahardship for your company?
5 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yeah. There ' s onlyeight of us.
6 THECOURT: What would happen if you ' re sick?
7 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Our bi l ls don ' t goout , andwe
8 don ' t payour bills, and theprojects are stal ledunt i l I 'm
9 there.
10 THECOURT: I ' l l consider that , but at this point I 'm
11 not going toexcuseyou.
12 Wehave someover on theother side.
13 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: JohnGruben fromRochel le,
14 I l l inois.
15 THECOURT: Goahead.
16 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Mydaughter 's wedding is on
17 Saturday, and I ' vegot tobehonest . I think i t ' s anhonor and
18 aprivi lege to serve, but mymind is real lynot going tobe
19 where i t needs tobe.
20 THECOURT: I understand. I ' l l excuseyou.
21 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: MaryLee fromFreepor t . I 'm
22 leaving townonThursdayandwouldnot beable tobehere for
23 theent ire lengthof trial .
24 THECOURT: Areyougoingonvacat ion?
25 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes. Wehavenonrefundable
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1 t ickets.
2 THECOURT: Al l r ight . No, I understand.
3 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Thankyou.
4 THECOURT: What ' s your nameagain?
5 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: MaryLee.
6 THECOURT: Al l r ight .
7 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: MikePlocinski fromLoves Park. M
8 wife is pregnant wi th twins, andwewereat thehospi tal over
9 theweekendwi thcontract ions. So, shecouldgoat any t ime.
10 THECOURT: I understand i t . I ' l l excuseyou.
11 Al l r ight . Anyoneelse?
12 (No response.)
13 THECOURT: Final ly, is thereanyother reasonwhy
14 somebodycouldnot --
15 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I just haveone, your Honor.
16 THECOURT: Your name, please.
17 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Myname is Al Staskauskas from
18 Machesney. Mywifehas cancer, and she ' s due tohavechemonex
19 Tuesday, andusual ly I gowi thher to takecareof her. She ' s
20 survived for about sevenyears now, and I 'd l ike tokeepher
21 that way, but I thought i t wouldbemaybea short trial and tha
22 i t wouldn ' t beaproblem.
23 THECOURT: I understand. I ' l l excuseyou.
24 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Thankyou.
25 THECOURT: Anyoneelse?
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1 Al l r ight . I amgoing tohave theclerkcal l twelveo
2 you to the jurybox, and the first onecal led takes the first
3 seat in the front row. Then thenext fivego to thenext five
4 seats. So, leave the last seat in the front rowvacant . The
5 seventh juror wi l l take the first seat in theback, andwe ' l l g
6 al l theway to thenext to the last in theback.
7 MR. TUNICK: Your Honor, beforewedo that , maywe
8 approach? Wehaveaquest ion for you.
9 THECOURT: Wel l , youmayapproach, counsel . Make i t
10 brief. Whatever you ' regoing toask, we ' renot havinga sideba
11 on i t . Step forward.
12 MR. TUNICK: It has todowi th jury select ion.
13 THECOURT: Al l r ight .
14 MR. TUNICK: And if canwedo i t on the side, I 'd
15 appreciate i t .
16 (The fol lowingproceedings werehadat the sidebar, out of
17 thepresenceandhearingof the jury:)
18 THECOURT: This is the last --
19 MR. TUNICK: Judge, i t ' s very important tome, and
20 that ' s the fact that , youknow, the trial -- thegovernment sai
21 i t wouldprobablygo intoTuesday, andyou 've indicated to the
22 jurors that theywouldn ' t have to serveunless Wednesday -- or
23 upunt i l Wednesday, and I have somevery serious concerns. Thi
24 is avery, veryclosecaseas tomycl ient , and they ' regoing t
25 have todel iberate. I donot want them tobe rushed intoa
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1 verdict .
2 THECOURT: I thought you said theent irecasewouldg
3 throughTuesday.
4 MR. TUNICK: I bel ieve i t wi l l , Judge. And that gives
5 themmaybeaday todel iberateon threedefendants andmul t iple
6 counts. I haveconcerns as toLeeAl lenandwhether or not
7 they ' regoing toproperlyconsider this caseas tohim.
8 THECOURT: Al l r ight . You 've said i t on the record.
9 (The fol lowingproceedings werehad inopen cour t , in the
10 presenceandhearingof the jury:)
11 THECOURT: We ' l l cal l twelvenames now.
12 THECLERK: SherryWessel , W-e-s-s-e-l . Kathryn
13 Chamberlain, C-h-a-m-b-e-r-l-a-i-n. StephenFaivre,
14 F-a-i-v-r-e. SusanWells, W-e-l-l-s. JerryAnderson,
15 A-n-d-e-r-s-o-n. MarieZammuto, Z-a-m-m-u-t-o. JerryFortner ,
16 F-o-r-t-n-e-r. Sheri Geishecker , G-e-i-s-h-e-c-k-e-r. Jennife
17 Meade-Schi l l , M-e-a-d-ehyphenS-c-h-i-l-l . JoanneTkadletz,
18 T-k-a-d-l-e-t-z. Pat t i Blumenthal , B-l-u-m-e-n-t-h-a-l . Cathy
19 Jager, J-a-g-e-r .
20 THECOURT: The first juror always gets a lot of
21 questions, andyou ' re the first one that I ' l l beasking the
22 questions of, but the rest of youbear wi thme. What I 'm
23 interested in is , as I toldyoubefore, truthful answers, andw
24 try toproceedas expedi t iouslyas possible.
25 Again, givemeyour name.
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1 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: SherryWessel .
2 THECOURT: Howoldareyou?
3 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: 52.
4 THECOURT: Whereareyou from?
5 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Rockford.
6 THECOURT: How longhaveyou l ived in theRockford
7 area?
8 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: 28years.
9 THECOURT: Andbefore that?
10 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Plano, I l l inois.
11 THECOURT: Didyougrowup in thePlanoarea?
12 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
13 THECOURT: Go tohigh school there?
14 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
15 THECOURT: Whodoyou residewi th?
16 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Myhusband. I haveone son in
17 col legeyet .
18 THECOURT: And that 's your fami ly?
19 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
20 THECOURT: Areyouemployed?
21 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes, I am.
22 THECOURT: Wheredidyouwork?
23 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: RockfordHeal thSystem, payrol l
24 department .
25 THECOURT: How longhaveyouworked there?
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1 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Twelveyears.
2 THECOURT: Before that?
3 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Insuranceagent .
4 THECOURT: Andessent ial lyyou 'vebeen in
5 record-keepingor a secretarial capaci ty?
6 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: That 's right .
7 THECOURT: Your husband ' s employment?
8 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Self-employed.
9 THECOURT: What does hedoes?
10 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I t ' s a sandblasting, powder coat in
11 operat ion.
12 THECOURT: Does hehavehis owncompany, or does he
13 work for somebodyelse from t ime to t ime, or howdoes hework
14 i t?
15 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I t ' s his owncompany. He ' s the
16 onlyemployee.
17 THECOURT: Andhow longhas hehad that?
18 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: About 25years.
19 THECOURT: Now, what ' s your educat ional background?
20 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: High school graduate.
21 THECOURT: What high school?
22 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Plano.
23 THECOURT: Andhaveyouever servedas a juror before
24 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Not in federal .
25 THECOURT: Al l r ight . But youhave served in state
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1 court?
2 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: In thecounty.
3 THECOURT: Andwas that whenyouwere residinghere i
4 WinnebagoCounty?
5 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: In Winnebago.
6 THECOURT: Howmany t imes?
7 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Just once that I actual ly served.
8 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Andhow longago?
9 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: About eight years.
10 THECOURT: What typeof case?
11 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: It was a lawsui t .
12 THECOURT: Civi l caseversus acriminal case?
13 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
14 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Youunderstandyou ' l l f ol low
15 the instruct ions that I ' l l giveyou in this case, and they ' l l b
16 almost completelydifferent fromacivi l case.
17 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I understand.
18 THECOURT: Now, has anyone inyour fami ly -- andwhen
19 I talkabout fami ly, I 'mprobably referring toyour parents or
20 sibl ings or grandparents or chi ldren. Anyone inyour fami ly
21 ever worked for the federal government?
22 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
23 THECOURT: Has anyone inyour fami lyever hadaclaim
24 or brought a lawsui t against anyagencyof the federal
25 government?
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1 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
2 THECOURT: Has anymember of your fami lyever served
3 in lawenforcement?
4 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
5 THECOURT: Haveyouor any fami lymember ever hadan
6 experiencewi tha lawenforcement officer, ei ther part icularly
7 goodor part icularlybad, that maycauseyou to judge the
8 testimonyof apol iceofficer different fromanyother wi tness?
9 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
10 THECOURT: Andwouldyou judge the testimonyof a
11 pol iceofficer or anypersonof prominenceor of authori ty the
12 samewayyouwould judge the testimonyof anywi tness? That is
13 you ' renot going togiveanymoreor less weight to that wi tnes
14 just becauseof that person ' s position?
15 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: That 's right .
16 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Haveyouor any fami lymember
17 ever testified inacriminal case?
18 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
19 THECOURT: Haveyouever been thevict imof acrime?
20 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
21 THECOURT: Andhas anyone inyour fami lyever been
22 arrestedor chargedwi thanoffenseother thana traffic relate
23 offense?
24 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
25 THECOURT: Doyoubelong toanyclubs or
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1 organizat ions?
2 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
3 THECOURT: Al l r ight .
4 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Just mychurch.
5 THECOURT: Okay. Doyouhaveanyobject ions or
6 disagreements wi th laws that might prohibi t thepossessionor
7 distribut ionof certain types of control led substances?
8 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
9 THECOURT: Andareyouamember of anygroupor have
10 youever takenapositionei ther for or against gun laws?
11 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
12 THECOURT: Doyouhavea firearm inyour home?
13 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No, wedonot .
14 THECOURT: Now, therewi l l beevidence in this caseo
15 membership ina street gangbycertainof thesedefendants on
16 trial andothers. Suchmembership is not aloneacrime. Can
17 yougiveagangmember a fair trial and require thegovernment
18 toprove thedefendant gui l tybasedonal l theevidenceas i t
19 relates to thecrimes charged?
20 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
21 THECOURT: Now, is thereanyquest ion that I haven ' t
22 asked that youhave in thebackof your mind, wel l , maybe I
23 ought to tel l the judge this?
24 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I don ' t knowof any.
25 THECOURT: Al l r ight . I f you ' re selected, canyou
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1 promisemeyou 'dbea fair and impart ial juror in this case?
2 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I wi l l .
3 THECOURT: Pass themicrophone.
4 Givemeyour nameagain.
5 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: KathrynChamberlain.
6 THECOURT: Your age?
7 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: 64.
8 THECOURT: And I thinkyou saidyouwere from the
9 Rockfordarea?
10 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
11 THECOURT: How longhaveyou l ived in this area?
12 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Twelveandahalf years.
13 THECOURT: Andbefore that?
14 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Champaign-Urbana for twoyears and
15 thenFondduLac, Wisconsin, for thedurat ion.
16 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Andwhodoyou residewi th?
17 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Myhusband.
18 THECOURT: Doyouhavechi ldren?
19 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I do.
20 THECOURT: Are theyoutside thehome?
21 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
22 THECOURT: Howmanychi ldren?
23 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Three. Andmyhusbandhas three.
24 So, I have three stepchi ldren.
25 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Giveme just brieflywhat thei
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1 occupat ions are.
2 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: One is acomputer analyst . One is
3 anurse. One is stil l acol lege student . One is aphysical
4 therapist. One is incosmetology. Andone is in l ibrary, work
5 ina l ibrary, or abookstore.
6 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Now, areyouemployed?
7 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I am.
8 THECOURT: Andyouareemployedbywhat?
9 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: SwedishAmerican.
10 THECOURT: Andhow longhaveyouworked there?
11 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Twelveandahalf years.
12 THECOURT: Andwhat 's your capaci ty? What doyoudo
13 there?
14 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I 'ma registerednurse in the
15 cl inic.
16 THECOURT: Wheredidyouworkbefore that?
17 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: In acl inic inChampaign-Urbana.
18 THECOURT: Andhas that beenyour profession then?
19 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Nursing.
20 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Wereyou theone that stoodup
21 and saidyou recal l aname?
22 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yeah, I recognized thename, and I
23 didn ' t want anypropriety tobequest ioned later if indeed i t
24 was the sameperson.
25 THECOURT: I understand. Andyou ' reassuringme that
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1 if you recognize theperson, shouldhe testify, that wouldhave
2 nobearingonyour abi l i ty to judge this case fairly?
3 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: That 's correct .
4 THECOURT: Is your husbandemployed?
5 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes, sir.
6 THECOURT: Whereandwhat does hedo?
7 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: He ' s aphysicianwi thSwedish
8 American.
9 THECOURT: And I take i t he ' s beenaphysician for a
10 number of years?
11 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
12 THECOURT: What is his special ty?
13 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Internal medicine.
14 THECOURT: Andhegoes by the samenameas you?
15 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
16 THECOURT: What ' s your educat ional background?
17 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I haveaBachelor ' s of Science in
18 nursing.
19 THECOURT: Haveyou servedas a juror before?
20 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
21 THECOURT: Now, has anybody inyour fami lyever worke
22 for the federal government?
23 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
24 THECOURT: Anybody in your fami lyever suedor madea
25 claimagainst anyagencyof the federal government?
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1 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
2 THECOURT: Anyone inyour fami lyever work in law
3 enforcement?
4 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes. My first cousinwas a local
5 sheriff inmyhome town.
6 THECOURT: And is that going tocauseyouany reason
7 to, let ' s say, bel ieveapol iceofficer more thanyouwould
8 bel ieveanyother wi tness?
9 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
10 THECOURT: If hewas a sheriff, I take i t was he
11 elected, or was headeputy?
12 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No, hewas the sheriff.
13 THECOURT: Hewas theelected sheriff.
14 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
15 THECOURT: And I take i t heprobablydiscussed someo
16 his business wi thyou?
17 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Not professional ly.
18 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Youcouldassure -- and I thin
19 maybe thedefendants and their lawyers areobviously interested
20 becauseof that relat ionship. Youcanassureus that i t ' s not
21 going tomakeanydifference.
22 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Oh , no. Wehadahuge fami ly, and
23 wenever talkbusiness.
24 THECOURT: Al l r ight . And this was your former
25 husband?
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1 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Pardonme?
2 THECOURT: Whowas i t?
3 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Mycousin.
4 THECOURT: Oh. I thought you said i t was your former
5 husband.
6 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No, my first cousin.
7 THECOURT: Now, haveyouor anybody inyour fami ly
8 ever hadapart icularlygoodor badexperiencewi th law
9 enforcement that couldcauseyou to judge the testimonyof a la
10 enforcement officer different thananyother wi tness?
11 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Wel l , I havehadagoodexperience
12 in that my sonhas amental i l lness, and I had tohavehim
13 commi t ted toSinger involuntari ly, and thepol icecame to the
14 home, and they treatedhimwi th respect .
15 THECOURT: Okay. In tel l ingmeabout that , doyou
16 agree, again, though, that you ' regoing to judge thepol ice
17 officers, if they testify in this case, basedonnot your past
18 experiencewi thonegoodofficer , but --
19 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
20 THECOURT: -- basedonal l the testimonyof al l the
21 wi tnesses?
22 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
23 THECOURT: Andyou ' l l do that?
24 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
25 THECOURT: Anddoyou agree that you shouldn ' t takea
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1 person ' s prominence in thecommuni tyor the fact that theywear
2 abadgeas giving that personmoreweight than someother
3 wi tness?
4 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I do.
5 THECOURT: Haveyouever testified in acriminal case
6 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
7 THECOURT: Ever been thevict imof acrime?
8 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
9 THECOURT: Andhas anyone inyour fami lyever been
10 chargedwi thacriminal offense?
11 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
12 THECOURT: Other than traffic.
13 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
14 THECOURT: Doyoubelong toanyclubs or
15 organizat ions?
16 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I belong to theNat ional
17 Associat ion for theMental ly I l l , theNat ional Al l iance for the
18 Mental ly I l l , andAmericanContract BridgeLeague.
19 THECOURT: Now, doyouhaveanydisagreement wi th law
20 that would regulateandmake i l legal certain types of control le
21 substances?
22 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
23 THECOURT: Anddoyou haveanyobject ion to laws that
24 alsoprohibi t certainweapons frombeingpossessed?
25 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
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1 THECOURT: Doyoubelong toanygroups or
2 organizat ions that areproor congunpossession?
3 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
4 THECOURT: Youheardmeask the first juror about
5 where there ' s evidenceof membership inagangandmycomment
6 that just beingamember of agang is not i l legal . Andmy
7 question is if there is evidenceof gangmembership, canyou
8 giveapersonwhomight beamember of aganga fair trial and
9 base this caseon theevidenceand thechargeagainst him?
10 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
11 THECOURT: Anyquest ion that I haven ' t askedyou that
12 youwouldbring tomyat tent ionas i t mayaffect your abi l i ty t
13 be fair and impart ial?
14 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
15 THECOURT: Youcanbe fair and impart ial toboth side
16 if selected?
17 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
18 THECOURT: Thankyou.
19 Mr. -- is it --
20 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Faivre.
21 THECOURT: Mr. Faivre. Howoldareyou, sir?
22 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: 56.
23 THECOURT: Whereareyou from?
24 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Kingston, I l l inois.
25 THECOURT: How longhaveyou l ived there?
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1 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Sevenyears.
2 THECOURT: Before that?
3 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Threeyears inDeKalb, I ll inois;
4 before that threeyears inPlat tevi l le; andbefore that
5 25years, 30years inDeKalb.
6 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Andwhodoyou residewi th?
7 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Mywife.
8 THECOURT: Doyouhavechi ldren --
9 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes, two.
10 THECOURT: -- outside thehome?
11 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: One is stayingwi thus at the
12 moment , a son.
13 THECOURT: Is heemployed?
14 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
15 THECOURT: What does hedo?
16 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: He ' s acomputer engineer.
17 THECOURT: Theother chi ld?
18 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Theother chi ld is inCal ifornia.
19 THECOURT: Doingwhat?
20 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: She ' s takingcareof twochi ldren.
21 THECOURT: Andareyouemployed?
22 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
23 THECOURT: What doyoudo?
24 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I amamarket ingmanager for John
25 Deere.
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1 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Andhow longhaveyoubeen in
2 that job?
3 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Sevenyears.
4 THECOURT: Andbefore that?
5 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Fiveyears wi thCaseCorporat ion.
6 THECOURT: Andbefore that?
7 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: 25years farming inDeKalb,
8 I l l inois.
9 THECOURT: Al l r ight . And inyour present job
10 market ing, what doyoudo?
11 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: My job is toworkonproduct
12 concepts that are three to tenyears out .
13 THECOURT: How toadvertise thoseand --
14 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No. Product concepts anddesigns.
15 THECOURT: Okay. Areyou supervisinganyoneelse?
16 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
17 THECOURT: Now, what ' s your educat ional background?
18 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I haveaMaster 's inbusiness
19 administrat ion.
20 THECOURT: Andhaveyou servedas a juror before?
21 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes. Acivi l case inDeKalbCount
22 about 15years ago.
23 THECOURT: Andyouunderstandmyquest ionof theothe
24 juror that had servedbefore. You ' l l f ol low the instruct ions
25 that areappl icable to this case?
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1 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
2 THECOURT: Theburden of proof is different . Most
3 every inst ruct ion is different . Youunderstand that .
4 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
5 THECOURT: Now, has anyone inyour fami lyever worked
6 for the federal government?
7 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
8 THECOURT: Tel l meabout i t .
9 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: I come fromavery large fami ly.
10 So, I ' vehadpeopleat the federal level fromWashingtonD.C.
11 through several stateagencies andat thecounty level .
12 THECOURT: Anybodyever worked in lawenforcement in
13 your fami ly?
14 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes. I have several relat ives tha
15 are in lawenforcement .
16 THECOURT: Have theyever worked for a federal law
17 enforcement agency, suchas theDEAor theFBI?
18 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No. I haveacousin that 's worked
19 for theFBI , yes.
20 THECOURT: Is he local?
21 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: She.
22 THECOURT: Is she local?
23 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Out inWashington state.
24 THECOURT: Does that makeanydifference, as far as
25 youareconcerned, in judging thecredibi l i tyof wi tnesses --
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1 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
2 THECOURT: -- that youhavea relat ivewhoworks in
3 ei ther a local or federal lawenforcement?
4 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
5 THECOURT: Is thereanybody, anyof your brothers or
6 sisters or parents or grandparents, that haveworked in law
7 enforcement?
8 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
9 THECOURT: Has anyone inyour fami lyever madeaclai
10 against the federal government or sued the federal government?
11 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
12 THECOURT: Other than what you 've toldmeabout those
13 persons inyour fami ly that havebeenconnected wi th law
14 enforcement , is thereanybody that ' s in local lawenforcement
15 that ' s inyour fami ly?
16 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
17 THECOURT: What department?
18 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: In both thecounty sheriffand the
19 ci typol icedepartments .
20 THECOURT: Andwould that be inDeKalb?
21 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
22 THECOURT: Anddoyou see thosepersons fairly
23 regularlyor not?
24 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Several t imes ayear.
25 THECOURT: What ' s the relat ionship? Is it cousins?
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1 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Cousins.
2 THECOURT: And is that , again, going tomakeany
3 differenceas far as your abi l i ty tobe fair and impart ial?
4 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
5 THECOURT: Andyouwould judge the testimonyof a
6 pol iceofficer l ikeanyoneelse, nomoreweight or less weight
7 becauseof their job?
8 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
9 THECOURT: Haveyouor someone inyour fami lyever ha
10 apart icularlygoodor badexperiencewi th lawenforcement that
11 couldaffect your abi l i ty to judge lawenforcement officers?
12 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
13 THECOURT: Haveyouever testified in acriminal case
14 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
15 THECOURT: Andhas anyone inyour fami lyever been
16 chargedwi thacriminal offenseother thana traffic related
17 offense?
18 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
19 THECOURT: Doyoubelong toanyclubs or
20 organizat ions?
21 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes . I 'mamember of theAmerican
22 Societyof Agricul tural andBiological Engineers, amember of
23 theKnights of Columbus, and I serveon theboardof directors
24 of theElwoodHouseMuseum inDeKalb.
25 THECOURT: Al l r ight . Doyouhaveanyopposition to
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1 laws that prohibi t certain types of control led substances?
2 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
3 THECOURT: And the samequest ion regardingcertain
4 types of firearms.
5 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
6 THECOURT: Doyouown a firearm?
7 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No, I don ' t .
8 THECOURT: Andyou ' renot amember of anyorganizat io
9 pro firearmor ant i firearm?
10 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: No.
11 THECOURT: Now, as i t relates toevidenceof
12 membership inagang, theremaybeevidenceof that , and there
13 maybeevidence that adefendant was in thegang. Thequest ion
14 is wi l l you judge this casebasedonwhether thegovernment
15 proves its casebeyonda reasonabledoubt andas to thecharges
16 that theyhavebrought rather than just associate if aperson i
17 inagang, he ' s going tobegui l ty? Doyouunderstand that?
18 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
19 THECOURT: Anddoyou agreewi thwhat I said?
20 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Yes.
21 THECOURT: Anything I 've fai led toaskyou that you
22 wouldbring tomyat tent ionnowas i t mayaffect your abi l i ty t
23 be fair and impart ial?
24 PROSPECTIVE JUROR: Only related tocontrol led
25 substances. Inaprevious position I was publ icl