Boxer Goran Gogic, on trial for drug trafficking, had photo of witness’s family on phone in prison cell: feds

Former heavyweight boxer Goran Gogic, whose drug trial was postponed after allegations of jury tampering, kept a photo of a witness’s family on a contraband cellphone in his cell, federal prosecutors revealed.

That discovery was triggered by a shocking last-minute development the weekend before opening statements — when federal investigators learned of a plot to pay one of the jurors $100,000 — and could lead to the exclusion of Gogic’s lawyers from the case.

A search of the Montenegrin fighter’s laptop at MDC Brooklyn revealed cell phones and sensitive documents from his case – initially in English but translated into his native language – even though the documents are restricted by court order to the exclusive use of his defense team, U.S. Attorney Francisco Navarro said during the hearing in Brooklyn Federal Court.

“The photograph found in his cell is stamped ‘sensitive.’ This is extremely concerning because there is no reason to have a photo of a witness’s family in your cell unless of course you also have access to cell phones that you can use to distribute that photo,” Navarro told U.S. District Court Judge Joan Azrack on Dec. 17.

A 2023 court order prohibits Gogic, 46, from possessing “sensitive” investigative materials, including witness information that prosecutors must turn over to the defense to help prepare the case. He can examine these documents, but only in the presence of his lawyers.

Navarro said that not only did Gogic have some of those documents in his cell, but the documents provided to the defense team were originally written in English — but the copies Gogic had were translated into his native language.

The government also plans to request a conflict of interest hearing for Gogic’s legal team, Navarro said.

“Based on what has been learned during this jury tampering investigation, the government has identified a number of conflicts that could warrant disqualification of the entire Rubinstein & Corozzo firm, which includes the three attorneys present today, Joseph Corozzo, Angela Lipsman and Ian Healy,” Navarro said, adding, “The government may seek disqualification, although we have not yet reached a definitive position on this matter.”

Corozzo did not immediately return a message Tuesday seeking comment.

“I’m hearing about it for the first time now and we don’t have the documents that were allegedly found and translated and I’m not sure if they are truly protected documents,” Corozzo said during the Dec. 17 hearing.

Gogic, who remains held without bail, was scheduled to stand trial on charges of trafficking more than 20 tons of cocaine through U.S. ports, in coordination between cocaine suppliers in Colombia, crew members of a cargo ship that transported tons of drugs, and port workers in Europe and the United States.

The United States seized three such shipments, federal authorities say: more than 1,400 kilos (3,000 pounds) of cocaine at the ports of New York and New Jersey on February 27, 2019; more than 500 kilos (1,100 pounds) at the Port of Philadelphia on March 18, 2019; and nearly 18,000 kilos (nearly 40,000 pounds) of coke at the Port of Philadelphia on June 19, 2019, worth more than $1 billion, in what has been described as one of the largest cocaine seizures in U.S. history.

The jury tampering plot, first reported by the Daily News, upended Gogic’s trial, with prosecutors announcing Nov. 17 that someone had offered a juror $100,000 to acquit the former boxer.

That day, the FBI arrested three men for their alleged roles in the plot, and Navarro told Azrack that those involved in the scheme “may have obtained a copy of the jury list and/or jury information from people connected to this trial.”

Two of the three men, Afrim Kupa, who has a criminal history and alleged links to Balkan organized crime and the Gambino crime family, and Valmir Krasniqi, have since been charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

The third, Mustafa Fjeta — who prosecutors said in a criminal complaint already knew the juror and contacted him to offer a bribe — is not listed on the indictment. He is engaged in plea negotiations, according to a court filing last month.