United States v. Yusuf , 199 F. App'x 127 ( 2006 )


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  •                                                                                                                            Opinions of the United
    2006 Decisions                                                                                                             States Court of Appeals
    for the Third Circuit
    9-7-2006
    USA v. Yusuf
    Precedential or Non-Precedential: Non-Precedential
    Docket No. 05-3019
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    Recommended Citation
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    http://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/thirdcircuit_2006/476
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    NOT PRECEDENTIAL
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEAL
    FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
    No. 05-3019
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA;
    GOVERNMENT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS,
    Appellants
    v.
    FATHI YUSUF MOHAMMED YUSUF, a/k/a FATHI YUSUF;
    WALEED MOHAMMED HAMED, a/k/a WALLY HAMED;
    WAHEED MOHAMMED HAMED, a/k/a WILLIE YUSUF;
    MAHER FATHI YUSUF, a/k/a MIKE YUSUF;
    ISAM MOHAMAD YOUSUF, a/k/a SAM YOUSEF;
    UNITED CORPORATION, d/b/a PLAZA EXTRA;
    NEJEH FATHI YUSUF
    On Appeal from the District Court
    of the Virgin Islands
    (D.C. Criminal No. 05-cr-00015)
    District Judge: Hon. Raymond L. Finch, Chief Judge
    Argued May 11, 2006
    BEFORE: FISHER, COWEN and ROTH,* Circuit Judges
    (Filed September 7, 2006)
    *The Honorable Jane R. Roth assumed senior status on May 31, 2006.
    Thomas Pinder, Esq. (Argued)
    United States Department of Justice
    Criminal Division
    1400 New York Avenue, N.W.
    Washington, DC 20005
    Counsel for Appellants
    Henry C. Smock, Esq.
    Smock Law Offices
    Palm Passage, Suite B18-23
    P.O. Box 1498
    Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
    USVI, 00804
    Counsel for Appellee Fathi Yusuf Mohammed Yusuf
    Gordon C. Rhea, Esq. (Argued on behalf of all Appellees)
    Richardson, Patrick, Westbrook &
    Brickman
    1037 Chuck Dawley Boulevard
    Building A
    Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
    Randall P. Andreozzi, Esq.
    Marcus, Andreozzi & Fickess
    6255 Sheridan Way
    Suite 302
    Williamsville, NY 14221
    Counsel for Appellee Waleed Mohammed Hamed
    Pamela L. Colon, Esq.
    27 & 28 King Cross Street
    Christiansted, St. Croix
    USVI, 00820
    Counsel for Appellee Waheed Mohammed Hamed
    2
    John K. Dema, Esq.
    Law Offices of John K. Dema
    1236 Strand Street, Suite 103
    Christiansted, St. Croix
    USVI, 00820-5008
    Counsel for Appellee Maher Fathi Yusuf
    Thomas Alkon, Esq.
    Alkon & Meaney
    2115 Queen Street, Suite 101
    Christiansted, St. Croix
    USVI, 00820
    Counsel for Appellee United Corporation, d/b/a Plaza Extra
    Derek M. Hodge, Esq.
    Mackay & Hodge
    P.O. Box 303678
    Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
    USVI, 00803
    Counsel for Appellee Nejeh Fathi Yusuf
    OPINION
    COWEN, Circuit Judge.
    The United States appeals the District Court’s order granting the individual
    defendants’ motion seeking a release of $1.5 million of United Corporation’s restrained
    assets to pay the individual defendants’ attorneys’ fees. For the reasons given below, we
    will vacate the order and remand the case for further proceedings.
    I.
    3
    Because we write only for the benefit of the parties, we recite only those facts
    necessary to our analysis. On September 18, 2003, a federal grand jury returned an
    indictment charging defendants United Corporation, Fathi Yusuf, Waleed Hamed,
    Waheed Hamed, Maher Yusuf, and Isam Yousof with various offenses, including
    conspiracy to commit money laundering under 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h). The indictment also
    alleged criminal forfeiture of certain property of the defendants, under 18 U.S.C. § 982
    and 21 U.S.C. § 853.
    On the same date, the government filed two ex parte motions for temporary
    restraining orders under 21 U.S.C. § 853 and 14 U.S.C. § 606, respectively, to preserve
    the availability of assets which, in the event of conviction, would be subject to forfeiture.
    The District Court granted the motions and entered the Temporary Retraining Orders.
    In December 2003, defendants Fathi Yusuf, Maher Yusuf, and Nejeh Yusuf,1 and
    non-defendant shareholders Fawzia Yusuf and Yusuf Yusuf, filed a motion requesting a
    modification of the Temporary Restraining Orders and a release of funds in order to pay
    their legal defense. Before the District Court reached a decision on the motion, the
    government, the defendants, and the non-defendant shareholders entered into an Agreed
    Amendment to Restraining Order (“Agreed Amendment”).
    The Agreed Amendment authorized United Corporation to “use corporate funds in
    an amount up to $2.5 million for the exclusive purpose of paying reasonable fees to
    1
    The grand jury returned a superseding indictment that added Nejeh Yusuf as a
    defendant in various counts.
    4
    counsel of record and agents of counsel of record, including experts, investigators, [and]
    accountants, in connection with the legal defense of defendants United, Fathi Yusuf,
    Maher F. Yusuf, Nejeh F. Yusuf, Waleed M. Hamed, and Waheed M. Hamed in the
    above-styled criminal action pending in the District of the Virgin Islands.” (Agreed
    Amendment ¶ 3.) The Agreed Amendment further provided that “[t]he defendants listed
    in this paragraph may request additional funds upon motion to the Court; the government
    reserves the right to oppose any such request.” (Id.) (emphasis added).
    On January 13, 2005, the individual defendants filed a motion seeking a release of
    an additional $1.5 million for trial preparation and litigation expenses, including
    attorneys’ fees and expert fees. The government opposed the motion, arguing that
    defendants had not demonstrated that they had no alternate sources of funds available.
    In a Report and Recommendation, a United States Magistrate Judge recommended
    to the District Court that the individual defendants’ motion be granted. The magistrate
    judge reasoned that the funds authorized under the Agreed Amendment had been spent
    appropriately and were virtually depleted. In addition, the magistrate judge noted that a
    release of an additional $1.5 million would not significantly deplete United Corporation’s
    cash flow and retained earnings.
    Following a hearing, the District Court entered an order on April 25, 2005,
    adopting the magistrate judge’s recommendation and granting the defendants’ January 13,
    2005 motion for a release of $1.5 million in funds. “[A]lthough the Agreed Amendment
    specifically provide[d] that the Government may oppose a request for additional funds,
    5
    the [District] Court construe[d] the Agreed Amendment as permitting the Government to
    oppose such a request only upon grounds that it did not raise previous to entering into the
    Agreed Amendment.” (Memorandum Opinion at 5.) Because the government had
    previously raised the issue of the defendants’ alleged failure to demonstrate a lack of
    other sources of funds to pay their legal fees, the District Court concluded that the
    government had now waived that issue. In addition, the District Court agreed with the
    magistrate judge that the funds advanced under the Agreed Amendment had been spent
    appropriately and were virtually depleted.
    The government now appeals the District Court’s order permitting a release of
    $1.5 million in funds subject to the Temporary Restraining Orders.
    II.
    We have interlocutory jurisdiction over this matter under 28 U.S.C. § 1292. We
    review a district court’s construction of a stipulation de novo. Coltec Indus., Inc. v.
    Hobgood, 
    280 F.3d 262
    , 269 (3d Cir. 2002). We review a district court’s interpretation of
    a stipulation, as well as its underlying factual findings, under a clearly erroneous standard.
    Id.; USX Corp. v. Penn Cent. Corp., 
    130 F.3d 562
    , 566 (3d Cir. 1997).
    III.
    The government contends that the District Court erred in concluding that the
    government had waived its right to oppose the individual defendants’ motion for a release
    of $1.5 million in restrained assets. The District Court based its waiver determination on
    its construction of the language in the Agreed Amendment. Because we conclude that the
    6
    plain and unambiguous language of the Agreed Amendment is not susceptible to the
    meaning adopted by the District Court, we agree with the government that there was no
    waiver.
    We have stated that “[a] consensual stipulation of the parties is to be interpreted
    according to the general principles of contract construction.” USX 
    Corp., 130 F.3d at 566
    (citations and internal quotation marks omitted). In this case, because the government is
    a party to the agreement, we apply the federal common law of contract. See Boyle v.
    United Techs. Corp., 
    487 U.S. 500
    , 504 (1988) (“[The Supreme Court] ha[s] held that
    obligations to and rights of the United States under its contracts are governed exclusively
    by federal law.”); see also Priebe & Sons, Inc. v. United States, 
    332 U.S. 407
    , 411 (1947)
    (“It is customary, where Congress has not adopted a different standard, to apply to the
    construction of government contracts the principles of general contract law.”).2
    Under the federal common law of contract, we apply the following steps to
    identify the existence, if any, of a contractual ambiguity:
    To decide whether a contract is ambiguous, we do not simply determine
    whether, from our point of view, the language is clear. Rather, we “hear the
    proffer of the parties and determine if there [are] objective indicia that, from
    the linguistic reference point of the parties, the terms of the contract are
    susceptible of different meanings.” Sheet Metal Workers [v. 2300 Group,
    Inc.], 949 F.2d [1274] at 1284 [3d Cir. 1991] (brackets in original)
    (quoting Mellon Bank, N.A. v. Aetna Business Credit, Inc., 
    619 F.2d 1001
    ,
    1011 (3d Cir. 1980)). Before making a finding concerning the existence or
    2
    Although neither the government nor the defendants has expressly addressed the
    issue of what law governs the construction of the Agreed Amendment, the parties
    uniformly cite to federal case law in their briefs.
    7
    absence of ambiguity, we consider the contract language, the meanings
    suggested by counsel, and the extrinsic evidence offered in support of each
    interpretation. Id.; [International Union v.] Mack Trucks, 917 F.2d [107] at
    111 [3d Cir. 1990]; see also Restatement (Second) of Contracts § 223 cmt.
    b (1981) (“There is no requirement that an agreement be ambiguous before
    evidence of a course of dealing can be shownAAAA”). Extrinsic evidence may
    include the structure of the contract, the bargaining history, and the conduct
    of the parties that reflects their understanding of the contract's meaning.
    Teamsters Indus. Employees Welfare Fund v. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Inc.,
    
    989 F.2d 132
    , 135 (3d Cir. 1993).
    In re New Valley Corp., 
    89 F.3d 143
    , 150 (3d Cir. 1996). As one of our sister courts has
    stated, “[i]f a contract is not open to any other reasonable interpretations, and is therefore
    unambiguous, then the written words of the contract must dictate the disposition of a
    dispute involving that contract.” Funeral Fin. Sys. v. United States, 
    234 F.3d 1015
    , 1018
    (7th Cir. 2000) (applying federal common law of contract).
    In this case, the District Court determined that the Agreed Amendment was
    susceptible to an interpretation that limited the government’s right to oppose a release of
    additional restrained funds. In the District Court’s view, the parties entered into the
    Agreed Amendment to forego a judicial determination on the issues they had raised
    before entering into the agreement. Because the government had previously raised the
    issue of the defendants’ alleged failure to demonstrate a lack of other sources of funds to
    pay their legal fees, the District Court concluded that the government could not reassert
    the issue. Thus, “the [District] Court construe[d] the Agreed Amendment as permitting
    the Government to oppose [] a request [for additional funds] only upon grounds that it did
    not raise previous to entering into the Agreed Amendment.” (Memorandum Opinion at
    8
    5.)
    After reviewing the language of the Agreed Amendment, we cannot agree with the
    District Court’s construction of the contract. The Agreed Amendment plainly states that
    “the government reserves the right to oppose any such request [for additional funds].”
    (Agreed Amendment ¶ 3.) The government’s right is expressed in broad, unqualified
    terms. There is no language in this provision, or any other part of the parties’ agreement,
    that could reasonably be construed to limit the grounds upon which the government might
    oppose a defense request for additional funds. For example, this provision does not suffer
    from a lack of definiteness or contain vague or obscure words subject to a double
    meaning. See Landtect Corp. v. State Mut. Life Assurance Co. of Am., 
    605 F.2d 75
    , 80
    (3d Cir. 1979) (“An ambiguous contract is one capable of being understood in more
    senses than one; an agreement obscure in meaning through indefiniteness of expression,
    or having a double meaning . . . .” (citation and internal quotation marks omitted)).
    Rather, the provision is reasonably understood as having only one meaning, namely, that
    the government has an unqualified right to oppose a defense request for a release of
    restrained funds. Thus, we conclude that the language in the Agreed Amendment is not
    reasonably susceptible to the restrictive meaning adopted by the District Court.
    To be clear, we do not intimate that the District Court erred in merely considering
    the parties’ negotiations in construing the terms of the parties’ agreement. In determining
    whether a contract is ambiguous, a district court may consider extrinsic evidence in
    support of a party’s proposed interpretation. See In re New Valley 
    Corp., 89 F.3d at 150
    .
    9
    However, a district court cannot rest its ambiguity finding on extrinsic evidence alone.
    The district court must consider the extrinsic evidence in conjunction with the contract
    language itself. Here, the extrinsic evidence offered by the individual defendants does
    not show “from the linguistic reference point of the parties, [that] the terms of the contract
    are susceptible of different meanings.” Sheet Metal 
    Workers, 949 F.2d at 1284
    (quoting
    Mellon 
    Bank, 619 F.2d at 1011
    ).
    Based upon the foregoing, we conclude that the government did not waive any
    aspect of its right to object to defendants’ motion for additional funds. Accordingly, we
    will vacate the District Court’s order dated April 25, 2005, and remand this case to the
    District Court to consider defendants’ motion on the merits.3
    On remand, the District Court should consider whether a due process hearing is
    required in accordance with the framework set forth in United States v. Jones, 
    160 F.3d 641
    , 647 (10th Cir. 1998).4 Under that framework, a due process hearing is required if
    the defendant: (1) “demonstrate[s] to the court’s satisfaction that she has no assets, other
    than those restrained,” and (2) “make[s] a prima facie showing of a bona fide reason to
    3
    We remind the District Court that “[a]lthough the Sixth Amendment grants a
    defendant the right to obtain counsel of his choice, this right ‘does not extend beyond the
    individual’s right to spend his own legitimate, nonforfeitable assets.’” United States v.
    Jamieson, 
    427 F.3d 394
    , 405 (6th Cir. 2006) (quoting United States v. Farmer, 
    274 F.3d 800
    , 802 (4th Cir. 2001)).
    4
    In their briefs, both the individual defendants and the government cite, with approval,
    to all or part of the Jones framework. We believe that the framework outlined in Jones
    achieves a proper balance between the private interests of the defendants in their Sixth
    Amendment right of counsel and the government’s interest in preserving forfeitable
    assets. 
    See 160 F.3d at 645-47
    .
    10
    believe the grand jury erred in determining that the restrained assets constitute or are
    derived, directly or indirectly, from gross proceeds traceable to the commission of the
    offense.” 
    Id. (citation, internal
    quotation marks, and brackets omitted); accord United
    States v. Farmer, 
    274 F.3d 800
    , 803 (4th Cir. 2001) (“[D]ue process requires a pretrial
    adversary hearing when a defendant claims that a portion of the assets restrained pursuant
    to criminal forfeiture statutes are untainted and that he has no other funds from which to
    secure the counsel of his choice.”).
    If the individual defendants satisfy these initial burdens, the District Court should
    then conduct an adversarial hearing at which “the government must establish probable
    cause to believe that the restrained assets are traceable to the underlying offense.” 
    Jones, 160 F.3d at 647
    .5 The post-restraint inquiry at the adversarial hearing is limited to the
    traceability of the restrained assets, and, thus, the government need not reestablish
    probable cause to believe that defendants are guilty of the underlying offense. 
    Id. at 648.
    At the hearing, the District Court may receive and consider evidence and information that
    would otherwise be admissible under the Federal Rules of Evidence. 
    Id. at 647-48.
    If the
    government establishes probable cause concerning the traceability of the assets, the
    District Court must deny the individual defendants’ motion. If the government cannot
    5
    We reject the government’s suggestion that the grand jury’s determination of
    probable cause is alone sufficient to show that funds subject to restraint are traceable to
    the offenses charged. As noted in Jones, a grand jury investigation is non-adversarial in
    nature and thus does not afford the procedural protections required of due 
    process. 160 F.3d at 645-46
    .
    11
    establish probable cause, the individual defendants are entitled to a release of funds for
    the payment of their legal defense.
    We will vacate the District Court’s order dated April 25, 2005, and remand this
    case to the District Court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
    12