7 June May 2001
Source: Digital file from the Court Reporters Office, Southern District of New York; (212) 805-0300.

This is the transcript of Day 61 of the trial, June 7, 2001.

See other transcripts: http://cryptome.org/usa-v-ubl-dt.htm


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   1   UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
       SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
   2   ------------------------------x

   3   UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

   4              v.                           S(7) 98 Cr. 1023

   5   USAMA BIN LADEN, et al.,

   6                  Defendants.

   7   ------------------------------x

   8
                                               New York, N.Y.
   9                                           June 7, 2001
                                               11:35 a.m.
  10

  11

  12   Before:

  13                       HON. LEONARD B. SAND,

  14                                           District Judge

  15                            APPEARANCES

  16   MARY JO WHITE
            United States Attorney for the
  17        Southern District of New York
       BY:  PATRICK FITZGERALD
  18        MICHAEL GARCIA
            Assistant United States Attorneys
  19

  20
       FREDRICK H. COHN
  21   DAVID P. BAUGH
            Attorneys for defendant Mohamed Rashed Daoud Al-'Owhali
  22

  23

  24

  25



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   1            (In open court)

   2            THE COURT:  Good morning.  I take it you have all

   3   seen the note from the jury.

   4            (Jury note marked as Court Exhibit I of today's date)

   5            MR. COHN:  We have, your Honor.

   6            THE COURT:  Does somebody propose a reply?

   7            MR. FITZGERALD:  Yes, your Honor.  I think we had

   8   language both parties agreed upon to suggest to your Honor.

   9            THE COURT:  All right.  May I hear it, please?

  10            MR. FITZGERALD:  With regard to the first question,

  11   the regulations regarding the special administrative measures

  12   were offered as a defense exhibit concerning the issue of

  13   future dangerousness.

  14            Their question had been, "Does future dangerousness

  15   relate to the measures?" and I think the inverse is true, the

  16   measures relate to the dangerousness.

  17            THE COURT:  Then it says, "Are they applied

  18   automatically?"

  19            MR. FITZGERALD:  The next part of the answer would

  20   be, in the event of a life sentence, special administrative

  21   measures are not automatically applied.  See the regulations.

  22            And then the third part, "Is it intended as an

  23   argument for the death penalty?," because "it" is unclear, the

  24   proposed answer would say:  The non-statutory aggravating

  25   factor of future dangerousness is offered by the government as



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   1   a factor in favor of imposing the death penalty.  And then it

   2   continue:  The regulations concerning the special

   3   administrative measures were offered by the defense to rebut

   4   that aggravating factor.

   5            THE COURT:  All right.  I have no problem with the

   6   substance of that.  I would like to try some other language.

   7            Give me a moment.

   8            (Pause)

   9            THE COURT:  I thought the answer called for a little

  10   more of a background, and what I have written so far is:  The

  11   first non-statutory aggravating factor as to future

  12   dangerousness relates to whether Al-'Owhali will be a threat

  13   even though he will be sentenced to life imprisonment.

  14   Al-'Owhali contends that he will be subject to rigorous

  15   security measures (the special administrative measures) and

  16   will not be a future threat.  The government contends that,

  17   despite these measures, Al-'Owhali will still be dangerous.


  18            The special administrative measures are not applied

  19   automatically, but in accordance with their provisions.

  20   Whether or not Al-'Owhali will pose a continuing and serious

  21   threat while incarcerated is the issue for you to determine.

  22            MR. COHN:  Your Honor, on some reflection, it seems

  23   to me that what is missing from that and what was offered

  24   before is that the preamble should say, "The government seeks

  25   to prove that he is a future danger."  The way we are



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   1   answering the question seems to presume that it has been

   2   proven.

   3            THE COURT:  I have no problem with that.

   4            MR. FITZGERALD:  Your Honor, I think it would be more

   5   appropriate to say "the government contends it proved."

   6            THE COURT:  The government contends.

   7            MR. COHN:  Well, then it should be reflected with our

   8   contention that it was rebutted.

   9            THE COURT:  I wonder whether, you know, the suggested

  10   language was that the defendant has introduced the SAM and

  11   whether that's --

  12            MR. COHN:  I'm justing looking, the government's

  13   contention, if you are putting contentions --

  14            THE COURT:  As to the second non-statutory --

  15            MR. FITZGERALD:  First.

  16            THE COURT:  As to the -- yes, as to the first

  17   non-statutory aggravating factor, the government contends that

  18   Al-'Owhali poses a continuing and serious threat even though

  19   he will be imprisoned for life.  Al-'Owhali contends that he

  20   will be subject to rigorous security (the special

  21   administrative measures), and will, therefore, not constitute

  22   a threat.  The government contends that, despite these

  23   measures, the threat will be present.  It is for you to decide

  24   whether the defendant would or would not pose a continuing and

  25   serious threat.



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   1            The special administrative measures are not

   2   automatically applied, but are applied in accordance with

   3   their provisions.

   4            Is there an exhibit number?  Should I have that?

   5            MR. COHN:  It's Defense Al-'Owhali --

   6            THE COURT:  Is that an exhibit they have asked for?

   7            MR. FITZGERALD:  No, Judge.

   8            MR. BAUGH:  They have not asked for the exhibit.

   9            MR. COHN:  They haven't asked for that exhibit.

  10            THE COURT:  Let me read this again:  As to the first

  11   non-statutory aggravating factor, the government contends that

  12   Al-'Owhali poses a continuing and serious threat even though

  13   he will be imprisoned for life.  Al-'Owhali contends that he

  14   will be subject to rigorous security (the special

  15   administrative measures), and will, therefore, not constitute

  16   a threat.  The government contends that, despite these

  17   measures, the threat will be present.  It is for you to decide

  18   whether the defendant would or would not pose a continuing and

  19   serious threat.

  20            The special administrative measures are not

  21   automatically applied, but are applied in accordance with

  22   their provisions.

  23            MR. COHN:  If your Honor please, which have been

  24   submitted as Al-'Owhali Exhibit R.

  25            THE COURT:  Al-'Owhali Exhibit R.



                                                                7291



   1            MR. FITZGERALD:  Your Honor, I believe it is R.  If

   2   we're going to reference the Al-'Owhali exhibit, which is a

   3   regulation, I think we should also reference the stipulation

   4   concerning the government's response to that regulation, which

   5   is 2281.

   6            THE COURT:  Why don't I say Al-'Owhali Exhibit R and

   7   stipulation --

   8            What's the number?

   9            MR. FITZGERALD:  2281.

  10            THE COURT:  -- 2281 deal with these issues.

  11            Let me read it again:  As to the first non-statutory

  12   aggravating factor, the government contends that Al-'Owhali

  13   poses a continuing and serious threat even though he will be

  14   imprisoned for life.  Al-'Owhali denies that he constitutes

  15   such a threat and contends that he will be subject to rigorous

  16   security (the special administrative measures), and will,

  17   therefore, not constitute a threat.

  18            No, that's redundant.

  19            The government contends that, despite these measures,

  20   the threat will be present.  It is for you to decide whether

  21   defendant Al-'Owhali would or would not pose a continuing and

  22   serious threat.

  23            The special administrative measures are not

  24   automatically applied, but are applied in accordance with

  25   their provisions.  Al-'Owhali Exhibit R and Stipulation 2281



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   1   deal with these issues.

   2            Is that acceptable?

   3            MR. COHN:  Yes.

   4            MR. FITZGERALD:  Yes.

   5            THE COURT:  All right.  I will put that in legible

   6   form and we'll send it in to the jury.

   7            This has let us know exactly where they are in the

   8   Special Verdict Form.

   9            All right.  Maybe I could even get a scribe with

  10   clearer handwriting.  We'll await further word from the jury.

  11            MR. BAUGH:  Are you going to bring them out and read

  12   it to them, or are you going to send it back, or both?

  13            THE COURT:  I'm going to send it back.

  14            MR. BAUGH:  Okay.

  15            THE COURT:  Is that acceptable?  It takes ten minutes

  16   for them to come in and ten minutes for them to go back.

  17            (Recess pending verdict; time noted:  12:00 p.m.)

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