Three Staten Island Men Plead Guilty to Juror Bribery Attempt

Brooklyn federal court saw Afrim Kupa plead guilty to obstruction of justice on May 5, 2026, for attempting to bribe a juror in the Eastern District of New York trial of United States v. Goran Gogic. Per the Justice Department release, Kupa joined Mustafa Fteja and Valmir Krasniqi, who pleaded guilty on February 19 and March 4, 2026, respectively, after the trio targeted Juror-1 with a cash offer in mid-November 2025 to secure a not-guilty vote.

The scheme directly impacted one juror in a single criminal case, docketed as 22-CR-493 (JMA), involving defendant Goran Gogic. The bribe amount reached up to $100,000, per the release, affecting the trial's integrity for all parties, including prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.

No details in the bundle indicate broader jury involvement or success of the attempt, limiting the immediate scope to these three defendants and the specified trial.

Prior to the pleas, the men faced charges stemming from their November 2025 actions, with the case proceeding through investigation and indictment phases. The guilty pleas shift the matter to sentencing, scheduled before a district judge, where each defendant now faces a statutory maximum of 20 years' imprisonment under federal obstruction statutes.

No specific sentencing dates appear in the release, but proceedings will follow standard federal timelines post-plea.

The convictions activate mandatory sentencing guidelines, requiring judges to consider factors like the bribe's scale and its threat to judicial processes, per federal law. Prosecutors must now prepare presentencing reports, while defense teams can submit mitigation arguments, potentially influencing outcomes within the 20-year cap.

The case also prompts internal reviews by the Eastern District court on jury protection protocols, as the attempt highlights access points for tampering in ongoing trials.

Kupa's plea marks the final admission in this group, following Fteja's and Krasniqi's earlier entries. The underlying Gogic trial, a criminal matter in Brooklyn's federal courthouse, continued despite the interference attempt, per the release's context of events in late 2025.