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Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document657_ Filed 04/29/22 Page 38 of 45
that the Government intentionally delayed bringing charges for an improper purpose and that the
delay seriously damaged [her] ability [to] defend against the charges.” /d. (citing Cornielle, 171
F.3d at 751).
In its prior rulings, this Court concluded that the Defendant satisfied neither requirement:
there was “no evidence that the Government’s delay in bringing these charges was designed to
thwart Maxwell’s ability to prepare a defense,” and she “failed to establish actual prejudice from
the Government’s delay.” /d. at 316-17. But, the Court explained, the Defendant could renew
her motion if the factual record at trial showed prejudice that the pretrial record did not. The
Defendant now renews her motion, identifying a bevy of documentary records and witnesses
that, she says, were unavailable because of the Government’s delay. The Court, for the reasons
stated below, disagrees and denies the motion.
As an initial matter, even if the Court accepts all of the Defendant’s contentions in her
briefing, her pre-indictment delay claim must fail because the Defendant has made no claim that
the Government intentionally delayed the Indictment to gain a tactical advantage over the
Defendant. United States v. Alameh, 341 F.3d 167, 176 (2d Cir. 2003). The Court has twice
concluded that “nothing in the record indicates that the Government’s delay in bringing these
charges was designed to thwart Maxwell’s ability to prepare a defense.” Maxwell, 2021 WL
3591801, at *5. It is the Defendant’s burden to prove the Government’s improper motive, but in
her briefing she does not attempt to present evidence of intentional delay for tactical advantage.
The Court therefore does not alter its prior conclusion. If anything, as the Government notes,
testimony at trial supplied legitimate explanations for the Government’s failure to indict the
Defendant at an earlier time. For example, several witnesses testified that their cooperation with
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Document Details
| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00010404.jpg |
| File Size | 699.6 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 94.4% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 2,036 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 17:58:28.858280 |