(December 12th) Yesterday, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York federal drug trafficking trial of Pljevlja, Montenegro, former heavyweight boxer Goran Gogic has been thrown into chaos after an alleged plot to bribe a juror was revealed, leading to the indictment and arrest of two Staten Island men.

Valmir Krasniqi and Afrim Kupa, both residents of Staten Island, New York, were charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice for allegedly attempting to bribe a seated juror. Prosecutors allege the men offered the juror up to $100,000 in cash in exchange for a "not guilty" vote in Gogic's trial.

The discovery of the plot, which included the defendants allegedly having the juror's personal information, forced a federal judge to abruptly dismiss the entire jury just as opening statements were set to begin. A new, anonymous jury is expected to be selected when the trial resumes.

Goran Gogic, a 43-year-old, Montenegrin national and former professional boxer compiling a record of 21-4-2, 14Ko’s last fought July 2012 recording an eighth round TKO stoppage of Pitesti, Romania’s 2-16, 2Ko’s, Liviu Ungureanu.           

Accused of trafficking over 20 tons of cocaine—estimated to be worth more than $1 billion—from Colombia to Europe via commercial cargo ships, with transport through U.S. ports, Gogic is charged with conspiring to violate the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, specifically with overseeing the logistics for a massive international cocaine smuggling ring. If convicted on the drug charges, Gogic faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.

The indictment of Krasniqi and Kupa underscores law enforcement's commitment to protecting the integrity of the federal justice system against alleged corruption.

The next court date in Goran Gogic’s drug-trafficking case is a status conference scheduled for December 17th.

Judge Joan M. Azrack of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Brooklyn) has set a status conference for December 17th to determine how the case will proceed. The original jury was dismissed on November 17th after authorities uncovered an alleged attempt to bribe a juror. As a result, the upcoming conference is expected to address the cause and impact of the trial’s delay, plans for selecting a new jury (likely to be anonymous and sequestered) and steps toward resuming trial proceedings.