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Minutes — No. 1:23-cr-00219 (Dkt. 156, E.D. Cal.)

Summary

Minutes of Day 1 of a jury trial held April 21, 2026 in the Eastern District of California (Case 1:23-cr-00219-DAD-EPG, Document 156), United States v. Jia Bei Zhu, before the Honorable Dale A. Drozd, with Joseph Barton and Arelis Clemente for the government and Anthony Capozzi for the defendant, and Mandarin interpreters Jeff Dinn and Richard Shek present. The court ruled from the bench on the parties' motions in limine, granting and denying them in part, then began jury selection and voir dire. Jurors were sworn at 4:51 pm and given preliminary instructions, and the trial was continued to April 22, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. The minutes record 6.5 hours in court and a two-week estimated trial.

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Cite this document

“Minutes — No. 1:23-cr-00219 (Dkt. 156, E.D. Cal.).” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/minutes-no-1-23-cr-00219-dkt-156-e-d-cal-4d58d08052/, SHA-256 63c5d64446d58b50b3d3060fc33eb151d67b54f34fd6d2550715c101daba8eb0.

Full text

    Case 1:23-cr-00219-DAD-EPG           Document 156       Filed 04/21/26      Page 1 of 2



                  UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
                  EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
                  THE HONORABLE DALE A. DROZD




UNITED STATES,                                            CASE No. 1:23-cr-00219-DAD-EPG
              Plaintiff,

        v.                                                 MINUTES

JIA BEI ZHU.                                               Date: April 21, 2026
                                                           Deputy Clerk: P. Buzo
             Defendant*.                                   Court Reporter: Jennifer Coulthard
__________________________________/

Counsel for Plaintiff: Joseph Barton, Arelis Clemente
Defendant: Anthony Capozzi

JURY TRIAL – DAY 1
    9:20 am Court in session outside the presence of the jury. Jia Bei Zhu, present in
            custody. Jeff Dinn and Richard Shek Mandarin Interpreters present. Anthoy
            Capozzi appeared for defendant. Joseph Barton and Arelis Clemente appeared
            for the Govt. Court addressed Govt’s request to seal.
    9:25 am Court addressed Motions in Limine and gave preliminary findings as stated on
            the record. Mr. Barton addressed motions in limine. Defense addressed Govt’s
            position and submitted. Court ruled from the Bench: Government’s motion to
            admit defendant Zhu’s own statements (Part A.1.) is GRANTED to the extent
            sufficient foundation is laid; Government’s motion to admit co-conspirator
            statements (Part A.2.) is GRANTED subject to the requirement that the
            government prove the existence of a conspiracy during the course of the trial;
            Government’s remaining motions to admit statements (Parts A.3., A.4., and
            A.5.) were reserved for decision as they arise during the trial; Government’s
            motion to admit testimony regarding certain prior acts by defendant Zhu (Part B)
            is DENIED IN PART as to confiscation of embryos and GRANTED IN PART
            as to all remaining prior acts; government’s motion to exclude witnesses’ prior
            misdemeanor convictions (Part C) is GRANTED; Defendant’s motion in limine
            to exclude defendant’s prior bad acts is GRANTED IN PART as to confiscation
            of embryos AND DENIED IN PART as to all remaining prior acts.
   10:05 am Court stated there will be two alternates, court discussed duration of trial of two
            weeks
   10:06am Govt addressed defense witness list.
   10:08 am Court addressed jury selection and procedure, challenges, strike sheet,
   10:16 am Govt moved to exclude witness, except case FBI Agent Chet Johnson. Motion
            granted.
     Case 1:23-cr-00219-DAD-EPG             Document 156    Filed 04/21/26     Page 2 of 2


1:23-cr-00219-DAD-EPG, USA v. Jia Bei Zhu
Minutes - Page 2


    10:00 am Recess
    10:42 am Court back in session.
    10:50 am Prospective jurors present and sworn. Voir Dire began. Introduction of court
             staff, Mandarin Interpreters, and parties.
    11:34 am Morning recess.
    11:40 am Court back in session. Outside the presence of the prospective jurors.
    11:48 am Back in the presence of prospective jurors. Voir Dire resumed. Court addressed
             trial schedule. Court addressed hardships.
    12:47 pm Lunch recess.
     1:52 pm Court back in session. Resume Voir Dire of prospective jurors. Sidebar. Court
             addressed absence of juror #11. Court to issue Bench Warrant.
     3:11 pm Afternoon recess.
     3:37 pm Outside the presence of the prospective jurors. Discussion off the record of juror
     3:40 pm Back in the presence of prospective jurors. Govt Voir Dire. Defense Voir Dire.
     4:19 pm Voir Dire completed.
     4:51 pm Jurors sworn.
     4:52 pm Court addressed jury with nature of case and preliminary instructions.
     5:10 pm Court in recess. Court admonished jury. Jury trial continued to 4/22/26 at 9:00
             a.m.




TIME IN COURT: 6.5 hours

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