You're right Highwayman the judge didn't order the jury to find Cohen guilty, he just told the jury that Cohen's defense was irrelevant. Maybe instead of "ordered the jury" I should have wrote "strongly suggested to the jury not to consider Cohen's defense in their deliberating"
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On appeal, Cohen asks this Court to consider the following six issues: (1) whether the Government was required to prove a "corrupt motive" in connection with the conspiracy in this case; (2) whether the district court properly instructed the jury to disregard the safe-harbor provision contained in § 1084(b); (3) whether Cohen "knowingly" violated § 1084; (4) whether the rule of lenity requires a reversal of Cohen's convictions; (5) whether the district court constructively amended Cohen's indictment in giving its jury instructions; and (6) whether the district court abused its discretion by denying Cohen's request to depose a foreign witness. We will address those issues in that order. |