X

Thank you for sharing!

Your article was successfully shared with the contacts you provided.

  On appellant Rodriguez’s Petition for Rehearing by the Panel. Petitioner seeks rehearing, contending that the original panel decision, United States v. Martinez, 862 F.3d 223 (2d Cir. 2017), erroneously ruled that his statute-of-limitations defense had been waived for failure to assert it at or before his trial, arguing that he had in fact raised the defense prior to trial by joining in pretrial motions asserted by a codefendant. The petition is denied because the codefendant’s motion that petitioner purported to join asserted a statute-of-limitations defense that relied on the personal conduct of that codefendant, did not mention the conduct of petitioner, did not assert the principles on which petitioner seeks to rely, and asserted premises disavowed by petitioner in his appeal.Petition for panel rehearing denied.AMALYA KEARSE, C.J.Defendant-appellant Marcos Rodriguez petitions for a rehearing of so much of our decision in United States v. Martinez, 862 F.3d 223 (2d Cir. 2017), as affirmed his conviction of and his enhanced sentence for a firearm offense. Rodriguez, indicted in November 2009, was convicted, following a jury trial in July 2011, of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, and use of a firearm in furtherance of those conspiracies. On appeal, he stated that “THE SOLE ISSUE PRESENTED FOR REVIEW” was whether the seven-year enhancement of his sentence for the firearm conviction was error, arguing that there was insufficient evidence “that anyone allegedly involved in the predicate conspiracies had committed any firearms offenses in furtherance of either of th[e alleged] conspiracies within the applicable 5-year statute of limitations period.” (Rodriguez brief on appeal at 2; see, e.g., id. at 14 (“no evidence…that any actor in the charged conspiracies committed a firearms offense beyond the summer of 2004″).) We rejected his challenge on the ground that he had failed to raise his statute-of-limitations defense at or prior to trial and hence had waived it.Rodriguez now seeks a rehearing, stating that he “did, in fact, raise a statute of limitations defense before trial” (Rodriguez Rule 35 Petition for Rehearing En Banc and Rule 40 Petition for Panel Rehearing (“Rodriguez Petition”) at 3 (emphasis in original)). We deny the petition for panel rehearing because the defense to which Rodriguez points — asserted by a codefendant — neither was nor purported to be applicable to Rodriguez or to the argument Rodriguez asserted on appeal.Rodriguez’s petition argues that he “raise[d] a statute of limitations defense before trial” because “[o]n June 2, 2011,” he “made ‘an application to join in the [then-pending] motions of co-defendant Fiorentino’” (Rodriguez Petition at 3 (quoting first sentence of Rodriguez’s then-attorney Philip Katowitz’s Letter dated June 2, 2011, to Judge Sandra Townes, Dkt. No. 544)). The petition does not point to any other invocation of a statute-of-limitations defense by Rodriguez at or before his trial. While such a blanket invocation as that made in the June 2011 letter may have been sufficient to preserve defenses for Rodriguez to the extent that Fiorentino’s motions were applicable to Rodriguez, Fiorentino’s statute-of-limitations arguments were not applicable to Rodriguez or to the limitations theory Rodriguez espouses. A defendant’s statement that he joins all of the arguments made by his codefendants does not preserve for his benefit arguments that do not apply to him.The motions of Fiorentino, to the extent that they invoked the statute of limitations, argued that all of the counts against him should be dismissed as time-barred on the grounds (1) that the alleged conspiracies did not exist after November 2004, or (2) that he had withdrawn from the conspiracies prior to November 2004. (See Fiorentino Memorandum of Law in Support of Pretrial Motions, Dkt. No. 539 (“Fiorentino Motion”) at 6-11.) As to his first contention, he stated that “in order for the conspiracies to fall within the requisite five-year period, they must have continued through November 2004″ (id. at 9), and that “the government has disclosed that Mr. Fiorentino participated in 26″ of the alleged robberies, “none [of which] clearly fall within the five[-]year[]” period (id. at 10). Fiorentino’s argument that the conspiracies had ended prior to the limitations period — requesting dismissal of all counts — stands in sharp contrast to the statute-of-limitations argument made by Rodriguez, which conceded continuation of the conspiracies and expressly asked that he be granted relief “ SOLE[LY]” as to the firearm count “ while leaving undisturbed” his convictions for the “Hobbs Act and narcotics conspiracies.” (Rodriguez brief on appeal at 2, 4.)Further, Fiorentino, as to his second statute-of-limitations contention, argued that even if the conspiracies continued past November 2004, he had withdrawn from them in 2003, an assertion made only as to Fiorentino himself. He stated that the government had not “established that Mr. Fiorentino did not withdraw from the conspiracy prior to November 2004,” pointing out that there was “ample reason…to believe that he had withdrawn” by “December 2003″ based on “records of Mr. Fiorentino’s extensive travel outside of New York” (Fiorentino Motion at 11) — a prolonged absence mentioned by Rodriguez himself in his brief on appeal, stating that “[b]efore the end of 2003, Fiorentino…fle[d] to his native Dominican Republic, where he stayed until shortly before his arrest in New York in 2009″ (Rodriguez brief on appeal at 13).Thus, Fiorentino asserted a statute-of-limitations defense that was personal to himself. Rodriguez has not pointed to any statute-of-limitations argument by Fiorentino based on a lack of firearm-related conduct by participants in conspiracies that were ongoing past November 2004, or based on any action or inaction by Rodriguez. As none of the arguments made by Fiorentino pertained to Rodriguez or to the statute-of-limitations argument that Rodriguez asserted on appeal, we conclude that Rodriguez’s adoption of Fiorentino’s arguments was insufficient to raise Rodriguez’s own statute-of-limitations defense.The petition for panel rehearing is denied.

 
Reprints & Licensing
Mentioned in a Law.com story?

License our industry-leading legal content to extend your thought leadership and build your brand.

More From ALM

With this subscription you will receive unlimited access to high quality, online, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry. This is perfect for attorneys licensed in multiple jurisdictions or for attorneys that have fulfilled their CLE requirement but need to access resourceful information for their practice areas.
View Now
Our Team Account subscription service is for legal teams of four or more attorneys. Each attorney is granted unlimited access to high quality, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry along with administrative access to easily manage CLE for the entire team.
View Now
Gain access to some of the most knowledgeable and experienced attorneys with our 2 bundle options! Our Compliance bundles are curated by CLE Counselors and include current legal topics and challenges within the industry. Our second option allows you to build your bundle and strategically select the content that pertains to your needs. Both options are priced the same.
View Now
September 05, 2024
New York, NY

The New York Law Journal honors attorneys and judges who have made a remarkable difference in the legal profession in New York.


Learn More
July 22, 2024 - July 24, 2024
Lake Tahoe, CA

GlobeSt. Women of Influence Conference celebrates the women who drive the commercial real estate industry forward.


Learn More
September 06, 2024
Johannesburg

The African Legal Awards recognise exceptional achievement within Africa s legal community during a period of rapid change.


Learn More

Eichen Crutchlow Zaslow LLP is a highly regarded legal firm based in Edison, New Jersey. The firm specializes in medical malpractice and per...


Apply Now ›

The George Washington University Law School invites applications for multiple tenure-track or tenured faculty appointments, at the rank of A...


Apply Now ›

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani has an immediate opening for experienced Employment Attorneys in its Los Angeles and Ventura offices. Candida...


Apply Now ›
06/27/2024
The American Lawyer

Professional Announcement


View Announcement ›
06/21/2024
Daily Business Review

Full Page Announcement


View Announcement ›
06/14/2024
New Jersey Law Journal

Professional Announcement


View Announcement ›