United States v. Godwin, No. 13-10184 (11th Cir. 2014)
Annotate this CaseDefendants Godwin and Ellis appealed their convictions under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), 18 U.S.C. 1961, for racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering. Defendants' convictions stemmed from their involvement in a motorcycle gang called the Guardians. The court concluded that the district court did not abuse its discretion in dismissing a juror before trial where the district court found that the juror would be affected by her opposition to being away from her child and would be unable or unwilling to focus on the trial; the district court did not abuse its discretion in removing a juror after the jury began its deliberations where the juror refused to follow the court's instructions and there was no substantial possibility that the juror was basing his disagreement or his decision on the sufficiency of the evidence; and there was sufficient evidence to convict Ellis of the offenses for which he was convicted. Accordingly, the court affirmed the judgment of the district court.
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