A federal jury about to hear the drug-trafficking case against a former heavyweight boxer has been abruptly dismissed after three men were charged with trying to bribe a juror with up to $100,000 to return a not guilty verdict.
Michael R. Sisak And Larry NeumeisterFILE - The New York Police Department has extra security in place in front of the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse for the start of jury selection in the trial of Joaquin"El Chapo" Guzman, Nov.
5, 2018, in New York. – Three men were arrested Monday for allegedly trying to pay up to $100,000 in cash to a juror at the Brooklyn drug trial of a former heavyweight boxer, leading a judge to abruptly dismiss the jury as it was about to hear opening statements. John Marzulli, a spokesperson for federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, said an anonymous jury will be chosen when the trial of Goran Gogic resumes in a month.Gogic, of Montenegro, was set to stand trial for allegedly conspiring to smuggle 20 tons of cocaine to Europe from Colombia through U.S. ports using commercial cargo ships. He has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Law enforcement officials have described Gogic as a “major drug trafficker” and said he operated on a “mammoth scale.” A former heavyweight boxer, Gogic fought professionally in Germany from 2001 to 2012, compiling a 21-4-2 record, according to boxing website Sport & Note. He was listed as 6-foot-5 and weighed in at anywhere from 227 pounds to 250 pounds . In a criminal complaint in Brooklyn federal court, an FBI agent wrote that the bribery scheme unfolded between Thursday and Sunday. According to the court papers, one of the men charged in the plot — Mustafa Fteja — already knew a juror described in the complaint as “John Doe #1” and called him multiple times on his cellphone Thursday before the juror agreed to meet him in Staten Island. During the meeting, which took place Thursday, Fteja told the juror that associates in the Bronx were willing to pay him to return a not guilty verdict, the complaint said. Two days later, Fteja told the juror during a second meeting that they were willing to pay him between $50,000 and $100,000 to corrupt the trial, the complaint said. It was not immediately clear who will represent Fteja and two others accused in the alleged jury tampering scheme when they appear in court later Monday. According to the complaint, investigators secured several recorded conversations of the defendants planning the juror corruption plot as the men spoke in Albanian and English. At his trial, Gogic is charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act. If convicted, he faces a sentence of 10 years to life in prison. According to prosecutors, Gogic and his co-conspirators worked with the ships’ crew members to smuggle cocaine in shipping containers, hoisting loads of the drug from speedboats that approached the cargo vessels along their route, including near ports in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Three shipments were intercepted by U.S. law enforcement agents, prosecutors said, including 1,437 kilograms of cocaine aboard the MSC Carlotta at the Port of New York and New Jersey in February 2019 and 17,956 kilograms of cocaine — with a street value of over $1 billion — aboard the MSC Gayane at the Port of Philadelphia in June 2019. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.❄️ Discover the one place where SE Texas actually feels like winterHumble ISD school marshal pilot program will allow some employees to carry guns on campusEx-wife admits to lying about Houston astronaut hacking her bank account from spaceTariffs driving up prices on Christmas trees, decor, lights. Here’s how to save▶Drought Worsens Across SE Texas — Rain on the HorizonDROUGHT UPDATE: Houston continues to need rainLong Line Forms at Houston Food Pantry as Families Wait for AssistancePearland Dawson volleyball team headed to state semifinalsEpstein email says Trump ‘knew about the girls,’ but White House says release is a Democratic smearEpstein email says Trump ‘knew about the girls,’ but White House says release is a Democratic smearSuspect in Michigan double murder was out on bond in Harris County, records showHouston family loses home to fire caused by faulty wiringGET TO KNOW: Houston independent journalist Grizzy, the woman behind Grizzy's Hood NewsThe scene from KPRC 2 Chief Meteorologist Anthony Yanez's visit to a Houston school!Meet Grizzy’s Hood News: Houston’s most powerful voice on social mediaHouston neighborhood redefining 'growing local' by growing fresh and healthy produceExplaining the phenomenon of Northern Lights!Dermatologist explains how rapid weather changes impact the skinCy-Fair mom demands crossing guard after 14-year-old hit in crosswalk near schoolsPasadena mother faces uncertain future after ICE detains husband, brotherSon of former Kendleton mayor arrested, indicted on child sex crime chargesThe cloud that airplanes accidentally inventedAre Hurricanes and Typhoons the same thing?Hormone replacement therapy is no longer labeled as dangerous. Should you take them?
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