United States v. Real property located at 260 East Flamingo Road, Unit 205 [also known as Unit 233], Las Vegas, Nevada, 89169

Filing 69

ORDER. IT IS ORDERED that an additional status report is due on 12/16/2022. Signed by Magistrate Judge Brenda Weksler on 6/16/2022. (Copies have been distributed pursuant to the NEF - KF)

Case 2:15-cv-00350-APG-BNW Document 69
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1 Aleem A. Dhalla, Bar No. 14188
SNELL & WILMER L.L.P.
2 3883 Howard Hughes Pkwy., Suite 1100
Las Vegas, Nevada 89169
3 Telephone: [phone]
Facsimile: 702-784-5252
4 Email: [e-mail]
5 David L. McGee
(Admited Pro Hac Vice)
6 BEGGS & LANE, RLLP
501 Commendencia Street
7 Pensacola, Florida 32502
Telephone: [phone]
8 Facsimilie: 850-469-3331
Email: [e-mail]
9 Attorneys for Claimant Charles Burton Ritchie
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF NEVADA

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13 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff,

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v.

16 REAL PROPERTY LOCATED AT 260
EAST FLAMINGO ROAD, UNIT NO.
17 205 [ALSO KNOWN AS UNIT NO. 233],
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 89169 MORE
18 PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS:
19 PARCEL I:
20 UNIT TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-THREE
(233) (“UNIT”) IN BUILDING FOUR (4)
21 (“BUILDING”) AS SHOWN ON THE
FINAL PLAT OF THE MERIDIAN AT
22 HUGHES CENTER, FILED IN BOOK 49
OF PLATS, PAGE 40, IN THE OFFICIAL
23 RECORDS OF THE COUNTY
RECORDER, CLARK COUNTY,
24 NEVADA (“PLAT”), AND AS DEFINED
AND SET FORTH IN AND SUBJECT TO
25 THAT CERTAIN DECLARATION OF
COVENANTS, CONDITIONS AND
26 RESTRICTIONS FOR THE MERIDIAN
AT HUGHES CENTER, RECORDED
27 JUNE 1, 2005 AS INSTRUMENT NO.
0001551 IN BOOK 20050601 OFFICIAL
28 RECORDS, CLARK COUNTY NEVADA

Case No: 2:15-CV-350-APG-BNW
Fifteenth Status Report Jointly Filed

Case 2:15-cv-00350-APG-BNW Document 69
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(“THE MERIDIAN AT HUGHES
CENTER DECLARATION”)
PARCEL II:
TOGETHER WITH AN UNDIVIDED
ALLOCATED FRACTIONAL INTEREST
IN AND TO THE GENERAL COMMON
ELEMENTS, AS SET FORTH IN, AND
SUBJECT TO, THE PLAT AND THE
MERIDIAN AT HUGHES CENTER
DECLARATION.
PARCEL III:
TOGETHER WITH AN EXCLUSIVE
INTEREST IN AND TO THOSE
LIMITED COMMON ELEMENTS, IF
ANY, APPURTENANT TO THE UNIT,
AS SET FORTH IN, AND SUBJECT TO,
THE PLAT AND THE MERIDIAN AT
HUGHES CENTER DECLARATION.
PARCEL IV:
TOGETHER WITH A NONEXCLUSIVE EASEMENT OF
REASONABLE INGRESS TO AND
EGRESS FROM THE UNIT, AND OF
ENJOYMENT OF THE GENERAL
COMMON ELEMENTS, AS SET
FORTH IN, AND SUBJECT TO, THE
PLAT AND THE MERIDIAN AT
HUGHES CENTER DECLARATION,
TOGETHER WITH ALL
IMPROVEMENTS AND
APPURTENANCES THEREON, APN:
162-16-810-479,
Defendant.

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In compliance with this Court’s Order dated July 6, 2021 (ECF No. 59), the counsel

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for Charles Burton Ritchie (Ritchie) and the government jointly submit the following status

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report.

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BACKGROUND

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On February 27, 2015, the United States filed a civil action seeking the forfeiture of

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the named real-property defendant.

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Previously, on January 18, 2013 (docketed as 2:13-CV-00100-JCM-EJY), and May

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29, 2013 (docketed as 2:13-CV-00947-JCM-EJY), the United States had filed two forfeiture

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civil actions seeking the forfeiture of numerous monetary and personal property assets,

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including currency seized from the accounts of various financial institutions and several

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automobiles because those assets were deemed to be proceeds of illicit drug trafficking and

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money laundering activities orchestrated by Ritchie and his conspirators. Since those civil

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filings, Ritchie and his conspirators were federally indicted, in this district, for multiple

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violations of criminal laws, primarily 21 U.S.C. § 841 (docketed as United States v. Ritchie, et.

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al., 2:15-CR-00285-APG-EJY).

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Ritchie is the principal claimant in the above-captioned civil forfeiture action. In

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addition to identical litigants, the criminal and civil cases involve the same principal issue

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(to wit: alleged unlawful drug trafficking). Specifically, both the forfeiture complaint and the

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criminal indictment allege that Ritchie and his confederates trafficked in wholesale

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quantities of “spice,” an analogue controlled substance. Both the complaint and the

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indictment further allege that Ritchie and his allies earned millions, if not tens of millions, of

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dollars in illegal revenues derived from ‘spice’ sales.

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UPDATE

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The criminal trial for the District of Nevada concluded July 8, 2019, where Ritchie

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and Galecki were found guilty of multiple counts, ECF Nos. 439, 449. The Court entered a

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forfeiture order, ECF No. 455, that included forfeiture of the above property. The case from

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the Eastern District of Virginia was transferred to the District of Nevada where Ritchie and

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Galecki plead guilty to a count in the Virginia Information, ECF Nos. 544, 545. The case

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from the Southern District of Alabama was transferred to the District of Nevada where

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Ritchie and Galecki plead guilty to a count in the Alabama Indictment, ECF Nos. 527, 536.

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The two defendants’ changes of plea to both indictments were held September 9, 2020, and

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the defendants were sentenced for all three cases, ECF No. 588. The Government seeks a

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continuation of the above-captioned civil forfeiture action until the conclusion of Ritchie’s

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criminal case.
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Galecki filed an appeal on September 16, 2020, ECF No. 594, and Ritchie filed an

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appeal on September 20, 2020, ECF No. 605. The appeals were consolidated under case

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number 20-10288. Ritchie and Galecki each submitted an Opening Brief on April 14, 2021.

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The consolidated Answering Brief was filed August 11, 2021. The Reply Brief was filed

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October 4, 2021. Oral argument was held December 6, 2021. The appeal is pending.

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In addition, all of the defendant assets in the two consolidated civil cases and the

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named real-property defendant have been included in the forfeiture allegations of the

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indictment and Amended Bill of Particulars in United States v. Ritchie, et. al., 2:15-CR-00285-

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APG-EJY. If forfeiture is completed on the asset specified in this civil forfeiture action as a

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consequence of the criminal prosecution, continuation of this civil forfeiture will be

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unnecessary, likely resulting in a voluntary dismissal of this case by the Government. In any

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event, it will be most efficient and expedient for this Court and the parties to continue to

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stay the above-captioned civil forfeiture action pending the outcome of the criminal case.

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The government agreed to this Fifteenth Status Report Jointly Filed.

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DATED: June 17, 2022.

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Respectfully submitted,

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SNELL & WILMER L.L.P,

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/s/ Aleem A. Dhalla
Aleem A. Dhalla, Bar No. 14188
SNELL & WILMER L.L.P.
3883 Howard Hughes Pkwy., Suite 1100
Las Vegas, Nevada 89169
Telephone: [phone]
Facsimile: 702-784-5252
Email: [e-mail]

ORDER
IT IS ORDERED that an
additional status report is due on
12/16/2022.
IT IS SO ORDERED

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DATED: 9:42 am, June 16, 2022

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BRENDA WEKSLER
UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

David L. McGee
BEGGS & LANE, RLLP
501 Commendencia Street
Pensacola, Florida 32502
Telephone: [phone]
Facsimilie: 850-469-3331
Email: [e-mail]

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Case 2:15-cv-00350-APG-BNW Document 69
68 Filed 06/16/22
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

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I hereby certify that on this date I electronically filed the foregoing with the Clerk of

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Court for the U.S. District Court, District of Nevada by using the Court’s CM/ECF system.

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Participants in the case who are registered CM/ECF users will be served by the CM/ECF

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system.

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DATED: June 15, 2022

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/s/ D’Andrea Dunn
An Employee of Snell & Wilmer L.L.P.

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4885-1185-8469

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