Court filing
PROPOSED VOIR DIRE by United States of America as to Kisha… — United States of America v. Sutton et al (Dkt. 304)
Record facts
| Court | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia |
|---|---|
| Filed | 2025-06-30 |
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia · No. 2:24-cr-00192 · Doc. 304 · 2025-06-30 · Docket on CourtListener
Summary
Proposed voir dire questions filed June 30, 2025 by the United States in United States of America v. Kisha Sutton and Shamiese Wright, Criminal No. 2:24-cr-00192, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, as Document 304. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage asks the Court to put 38 numbered questions to the jury panel. The questions cover availability for a trial estimated at three working days, acquaintance with listed witnesses, counsel and the defendants, prior contact with law enforcement or the courts, media exposure to the case, attitudes toward the federal government and law enforcement, and willingness to follow the Court's instructions. Question 30 asks whether jurors or family members have been victims of bank fraud. The 10-page filing ends with a certificate of service on defense counsel.
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Full text
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF WEST VIRGINIA
CHARLESTON
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
v.
CRIMINAL NO. 2:24-cr-00192
KISHA SUTTON – 1
SHAMIESE WRIGHT - 2
PROPOSED VOIR DIRE QUESTIONS OF THE UNITED STATES
Comes now the United States of America, by Jonathan T.
Storage, Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern
District of West Virginia, and respectfully requests the Court to
ask the following voir dire questions of the jury panel.
1.
It has been estimated by the attorneys that it may take
three working days to complete the trial of this case. Do any of
you have any reason to believe that you would not be able to serve
as a juror for that period of time?
(This would include any personal or business obligations that
might cause an interruption in the trial of this case.)
a.
Would serving as a juror on this case have any
adverse effect with regard to your family life or
your job?
b.
Do you have any physical or medical problems that
might make it difficult to follow the evidence or
sit on the jury?
Case 2:24-cr-00192 Document 304 Filed 06/30/25 Page 1 of 10 PageID #: 1542
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2.
Are any of you acquainted with or have any kind of
relationship, professionally or personally, including through
social networking websites such as “X”, Instagram, and/or
Facebook, with any of the following individuals who may be called
as witnesses in this case?
a.
Ben Wood, Task Force Officer with the FBI
b.
Greg Lipari, Special Agent with the FBI
c.
Damisha Brown
d.
William Powell
e.
Jasmine Spencer
f.
Lydia Spencer
3.
Are any of you acquainted with, professionally or
personally, including through social networking websites such as
Twitter and/or Facebook, or have you or any of your family members
ever been represented by any of the following?
a.
Jonathan T. Storage or Jennifer D. Gordon,
Assistant United States Attorneys, or any other
member of the United States Attorney's Office
b.
Connor Robertson, Esq.
c.
Michelle Fox, Esq.
4.
Are you or any member of your family related to or
acquainted with the defendants, KISHA SUTTON or SHAMIESE WRIGHT,
professionally or personally, including through social networking
websites such as “X”, Instagram, and/or Facebook?
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5.
Are any of you acquainted with or have any relationship,
professionally or personally, including through social networking
websites such as “X”, Instagram, and/or Facebook, or otherwise,
with any other member of the jury panel? If yes, would this in any
way affect your ability to decide this case solely on the law and
the evidence presented? (If yes, consideration should be given
to making further inquiry outside the presence of the prospective
jurors.)
6.
Have you, any member of your family, or any close
personal friends ever been questioned or arrested by a law
enforcement officer? (You may approach the bench to answer this
question if you would like. If yes, consideration should be given
to making further inquiry outside the presence of the prospective
jurors.)
7.
Have you, any member of your family, or any close
personal friend, ever been charged with or convicted of committing
either a felony or a misdemeanor? (You may approach the bench to
answer this question if you would like. If yes, consideration
should be given to making further inquiry outside the presence of
the prospective jurors.)
8.
Have you, any member of your family, or any of your close
friends ever been incarcerated? (You may approach the bench to
answer this question if you would like. If yes, consideration
Case 2:24-cr-00192 Document 304 Filed 06/30/25 Page 3 of 10 PageID #: 1544
4
should be given to making further inquiry outside the presence of
the prospective jurors.)
9.
Have you read about this case, or any other article about
the defendant in the newspapers, either online on in print? (If
yes, consideration should be given to making further inquiry
outside the presence of the prospective jurors.)
10. Have you heard or seen anything about this case, or about
the defendant generally on the radio or television? (If yes,
consideration should be given to making further inquiry outside
the presence of the prospective jurors.)
11. Have you heard or read anything at all from any source
about the facts of this case, including on or through social
networking websites such as “X” and/or Facebook? (If yes,
consideration should be given to making further inquiry outside
the presence of the prospective jurors.)
12. Do you, of your personal knowledge, excluding what you
have read in the newspapers or heard through the media, have any
information about the facts of this case?
13. Have you discussed any aspect of this case with anyone
who claimed to have some knowledge of what actually occurred,
including on or through social networking websites such as Twitter
and/or Facebook?
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14. Notwithstanding what you have heard on the television or
radio, what you have read in the newspapers, or what you have read
and/or discussed on or through social networking websites such as
“X” and/or Facebook, would you be able to sit as a juror in the
case and render a verdict based solely upon the law and the
evidence presented?
15. Is there any reason at all why you should not sit on
this case?
16. Are you or have you ever been involved in any conflict,
controversy, or litigation with the United States Attorney's
Office? [If yes, would this affect your ability to sit as an
impartial juror in this case?]
17. Are you or have you ever been involved in any conflict,
controversy or litigation with any department or agency of the
United States? [If yes, would this affect your ability to sit as
an impartial juror in this case?]
18. Have you ever served as a petit juror in a criminal or
civil case either in federal or state courts? [If so, what was
the case and what was the outcome?]
19. Have you ever served as a grand juror on either a federal
or state panel?
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20. Have you or your family ever participated in a lawsuit
as a party or witness or in some other capacity? (If so, what was
the case about and what was the outcome?)
21. Have you or any member of your family ever participated
in a criminal trial, either as a witness for the prosecution or
the defense, or in some other capacity? [If so, what was the
offense charged and the verdict.]
22. Are any of you related by blood, marriage, adoption, or
by any other means, to any law enforcement officers, either local,
state or federal?
23. Have you or any member of your immediate family ever
been the victim of a crime?
24. Are any of the panel members related by blood, marriage,
adoption, or by any other means, to any person who has been
prosecuted by the United States?
25. Have any of the panel members expressed or do any panel
members have any strong sentiment about the justness of any recent
prosecution brought by the United States Attorney's Office in this
District?
26. This case is being prosecuted by the federal government.
Have any of you ever had any difficult or unpleasant experiences
with the federal government or the United States Attorney=s Office,
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or do any of you have very strong personal feelings against the
federal government for whatever reason?
27. Some of the witnesses who may be called to testify
include local, state, and/or federal law enforcement officers. Do
any of you have any strong feelings for or against law enforcement
officers for whatever reason?
28. Have you or any member of your family or any of your
close friends ever filed a lawsuit or complaint concerning the
conduct of a law enforcement officer?
29.
Have you, or has anyone close to you, ever been the
victim of a crime? If so, would that experience prevent you from
giving either the government or the defendant a fair trial?
30.
Have you or any of your immediate family members ever
been the victim of bank fraud?
31.
Are any of you or your family, members of any anti-
government group including, but not limited to, paramilitary
organizations or militias?
32.
Does any member of the jury panel believe that they would
have trouble following the Court's instructions regarding the law
if they disagreed with it?
33.
Irrespective of your personal feelings about any issue
that may arise in this case, will you follow the law as the Court
gives it to you during this case?
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34.
Even if you disagree with the law, would you be able to
return a verdict of guilty, if the prosecution meets its burden
beyond a reasonable doubt?
35.
There are some people who, for moral, ethical, or
religious reasons, believe that it is not proper, or who would
find it difficult, to pass judgment on the conduct of others. Is
there any one of you who holds such beliefs, or who might be
affected by such beliefs?
36.
Knowing what you now know about this case, do you have
any reservations about your ability to hear the evidence,
deliberate, and return a fair and impartial verdict?
37.
Have any of you or your close family members been
contacted in any way, via telephone, in writing, or on or through
social networking websites such as Twitter, Instagram, and/or
Facebook, by any of the parties in this case including defendants
KISHA SUTTON and SHAMIESE WRIGHT, or any of their family members,
lawyers, or the United States Attorney’s Office?
38.
If you were one of the parties in this case, do you know
of any reason why you should not be content to have someone in
your frame of mind sitting on the jury in this case?
The United States respectfully requests that the Court ask
appropriate follow up questions if any juror answers in the
affirmative.
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Respectfully submitted,
LISA G. JOHNSTON
Acting United States Attorney
By:
/s/ Jonathan T. Storage
JONATHAN T. STORAGE
Assistant United States Attorney
WV Bar No. 12279
300 Virginia Street, East
Room 4000
Charleston, WV 25301
Telephone: (304) 345-2200
Fax: (304) 347-5705
Email: jonathan.storage@usdoj.gov
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
It is hereby certified that the foregoing “PROPOSED VOIR DIRE
QUESTIONS OF THE UNITED STATES” has been electronically filed and
service has been made on opposing counsel by virtue of such
electronic filing this the 30th day of June 2025.
Connor D. Robertson, Esq.
2702 Main Street
Hurricane, WV 25526
Email: cdr@croblaw.com
Michelle R. Fox, Esq.
LAW OFFICES OF MICHELLE ROMAN FOX
3359 Teays Valley Road
Hurricane, WV 25526
Email: michellefox@smithlawpllc.net
/s/ Jonathan T. Storage
JONATHAN T. STORAGE
Assistant United States Attorney
WV Bar No. 12279
300 Virginia Street, East
Room 4000
Charleston, WV 25301
Telephone: (304) 345-2200
Fax: (304) 347-5705
Email: jonathan.storage@usdoj.gov
Case 2:24-cr-00192 Document 304 Filed 06/30/25 Page 10 of 10 PageID #: 1551File and source
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