United States v. Russell

• Decision Date: 13 March 1984
• Docket Number: No. 83 Cr. 741 (GLG).,83 Cr. 741 (GLG).
• Citation: 582 F. Supp. 660
• Parties: UNITED STATES of America, v. Joseph RUSSELL, and Yo Anne Thompson Russell, Defendants.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York

582 F. Supp. 660

UNITED STATES of America, v. Joseph RUSSELL, and Yo Anne Thompson Russell, Defendants.

No. 83 Cr. 741 (GLG).

United States District Court, S.D. New York.

March 13, 1984.

Rudolph W. Giuliani, U.S. Atty., S.D. N.Y., New York City for the U.S.; Michael S. Feldberg, Asst. U.S. Atty., New York City, of counsel.

Glankler, Brown, Gilliland, Chase, Robinson & Raines, Memphis, Tenn., for defendant Joseph Russell; Frank J. Glankler, Jr., J.N. Raines, G. Coble Caperton, Memphis, Tenn., of counsel.

Rickey, Klein, Yawn, Bourland & Smith, Memphis, Tenn., for defendant Yo Anne Thompson Russell; Henry L. Klein, Memphis, Tenn., of counsel.

OPINION

GOETTEL, District Judge.

The defendants, Joseph Russell and Yo Anne Thompson Russell, a married couple, move to transfer this prosecution to the Western District of Tennessee, which includes the city of Memphis, where both Russells reside and where Mr. Russell maintains his business.

The Russells are charged in the indictment with participating in frauds committed on the international shipping industry. The indictment alleges that freight paid by an agency of the People's Republic of China to charter ships owned by individuals in New York, Europe, and Asia were misappropriated and diverted first to banks in New York, then to the Bahamas, and finally to the Russells in Memphis, Tennessee. The sums involved were substantial.

In addition to the Russells, two other named, but unindicted, co-conspirators were allegedly involved in the fraudulent scheme that is the subject of this prosecution. One is Kaare Gilboe, Jr., a ship broker with offices in Hong Kong and Tokyo, and the other is a certain Richard Cunningham, who has also lived in various parts of the Orient. Two years ago, Gilboe, an alien with no permanent residence in the United States, was tried for his participation in the scheme. His trial was conducted in this district, and the Government is, of course, quite interested in having the same team that prosecuted him try the instant case. The Court notes, however, that, while the actions of Gilboe were apparently a necessary part of the overall scheme alleged against the Russells, their names were never mentioned during the Gilboe trial, no evidence was introduced to directly connect them to the scheme, and they now contend that they had no contact with, or knowledge of, any of the Government witnesses who testified in that case.

Turning to this case, it should be noted initially that the defendants apparently concede that the Court may properly fix this district as the place of trial.¹ The allegations that certain telephone and telex messages were either sent from or received in New York City and that funds passed through New York on the way to the Bahamas are enough to establish venue in this district, even though there is no allegation that either of the Russells did anything in New York in connection with the scheme.

The defendants, however, seek to transfer the action pursuant to Fed.R. Crim.P. 21(b), which provides for the transfer of prosecutions for the convenience of the parties and witnesses and in the interests of justice. Although the Government opposes the motion to transfer, it does not dispute the Court's broad discretion under Rule 21(b) to transfer this case to another district. Nor does the Government dispute the fact that the Western District of Tennessee, Memphis Division, would have been a proper place in which to commence this prosecution. In addition, both sides agree as to what the controlling considerations should be in determining whether the requested transfer should be granted, namely those set forth in Platt v. Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co., 376 U.S. 240, 84 S.Ct. 769, 11 L.Ed.2d 674 (1964), which include: (1) location of defendant; (2) location of witnesses; (3) location of events in issue; (4) location of documents; (5) disruption of defendant's business unless the case is transferred; (6) expense to the parties; (7) location of counsel; and (8) relative accessibility of place of trial.² Id. at 243-44, 84 S.Ct. at 771.

The first of these factors, the location of the defendants, clearly favors the transfer of these proceedings to Memphis. Unquestionably, it can be a hardship for defendants to stand trial far away from home. As a matter of policy, therefore, wherever possible, defendants should be tried where they reside. United States v. Aronoff, 463 F.Supp. 454, 457 (S.D.N.Y. 1978) (citing Hyde v. Shine, 199 U.S. 62, 78, 25 S.Ct. 760, 762, 50 L.Ed. 90 (1905), and United States v. Cashin, 281 F.2d 669, 675 (2d Cir.1960)).³ Here, the Russells, as well as their three college-aged children, live together in Memphis, a fact which argues strongly for the transfer of the case to that city.

The second factor, the location of witnesses, also weighs in favor of transfer. While the Government will call a few witnesses from the New York Metropolitan area,⁴ the great majority of its witnesses will come from abroad, primarily the Orient. The Russells, on the other hand, will be relying upon a large number of witnesses from Memphis. A list of 23 witnesses, who allegedly are familiar with the Russells' business activities and will testify with regard to their various financial transactions, has been submitted to the Court in camera. Even if the list is viewed with reasonable skepticism, it still demonstrates that the Russells will call more factual witnesses from Memphis than the Government will from New York. Although the Government may have to call many of the witnesses who testified in the Gilboe trial, it must prove much more than it did there in order to win the conviction of the Russells here. Indeed, the Russells indicate that they will not attempt to exonerate Gilboe or contest his criminal involvement. The essence of their defense will be that they were not connected with Gilboe or his fraud. Thus, while it is true that persons who can give first-hand testimony concerning the source of the funds mentioned in the indictment will be material witnesses, it is also true that persons who can provide a legitimate reason for the Russells' having received funds will also be material witnesses. Most, if not all, of the latter witnesses will come from Memphis.

In addition, the Russells have filed a long list of character witnesses, including the Mayor of Memphis, a bar association president, and a political party leader. Since this case involves allegations of fraud, the mens rea of the defendants and their general character will be of some consequence. Even if, as is likely, not all of the character witnesses ultimately testify, the ability of the Russells to call them will be much less, and the cost much more, if the case is tried in New York rather than Memphis. The availability and convenience of these witnesses, while not a controlling factor, is one that should be given considerable weight, see, e.g., United States v. Haley, 504 F.Supp. 1124, 1127-28 (E.D.Pa.1981), and in this instance that factor favors transfer.

Moving on to the third factor, the location of the events at issue, the Court reiterates that most of them occurred outside the United States. The events directly involving the Russells, however, occurred between the Bahamas and Memphis, where the defendants' properties, bank accounts, and records are located. This fact also supports the transfer of the case to Memphis. The situation is similar to that in United States v. Alter, 81 F.R.D. 524 (S.D. N.Y.1979), in which Judge Weinfeld was prompted to transfer the proceedings to the place which he found to be the actual "nerve center" for the criminal activities described in the indictment. Id. at 525-26.

With respect to the fourth factor, the location of documents, the Court finds that it weighs in favor of neither side. On the one hand, the Government has assembled here in New York the documents upon which it intends to rely. On the other hand, the defendants' documents are all located in Memphis.

As for the fifth factor, the possible disruption of the defendants' business, it is quite clear that the Russells' real estate and insurance business would be more interrupted by a trial in New York than by one in Tennessee. The parties expect the trial to last from four to six weeks. Moreover, a number of weeks of pretrial motions and discovery have yet to take place. Although a...