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Florida, but it reported that “witnesses” (none of whom
were on the defense side) stated that the clause
provided transactional immunity and that it “found
no policy prohibiting a U.S. Attorney from declining
to prosecute third parties or providing transactional
immunity.” (App.128-129).
C. The Second Circuit’s Decision.
On appeal, Maxwell argued that the NPA barred her
prosecution in the Southern District of New York by
its express language. The Second Circuit disagreed,
affirming the district court’s opinion that under United
States v. Annabi, 771 F.2d. 670, 672 (2d Cir. 1985), the
co-conspirator clause in the NPA did not preclude
Maxwell’s prosecution in the Southern District of
New York notwithstanding that the clause expressly
stated that the “United States” is barred from such a
prosecution. United States v. Maxwell, 118 F.4th 256
(2d. Cir. 2024). The court applied Annabi even though
the NPA had been negotiated in the Eleventh Circuit
where no similar precedent exists or applies. The
parties certainly expected that the law of the Eleventh
Circuit, where the NPA was entered into, would apply.
Nevertheless, quoting Annabi, the Second Circuit
held that “[a] plea agreement binds only the office of
the United States Attorney for the district in which the
plea is entered unless it affirmatively appears that
the agreement contemplates a broader restriction.” Jd.
at 263. The court found that neither the text of the
NPA nor the “negotiation history” showed that the
co-conspirator clause was “meant to” bind other dis-
tricts, even though the clause contains no limiting
language and even though government witnesses told
OPR that the clause was, in fact, meant to provide
transactional immunity. (App.128).
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