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Brooklyn Man Pleads Guilty in High-Stakes Juror Bribery Scheme
Brooklyn, NY – A man accused of attempting to bribe a juror with a substantial sum during the drug trafficking trial of former heavyweight boxer Goran Gogic has entered a guilty plea for obstruction of justice. Mustafa Fteja appeared in Brooklyn federal court Thursday, where he accepted a plea agreement that will likely result in a prison sentence of approximately five to six years. His sentencing is scheduled for June 23rd.
Fteja was one of three individuals implicated in November in an alleged plot to corrupt the ongoing trial of Gogic. While Gogic’s trial was originally slated for November, it has yet to commence. He has maintained a plea of not guilty to charges of violating and conspiring to violate the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, facing a potential sentence of 10 years to life if convicted.
Since his arrest, Fteja has remained free on a $150,000 bail. Court records indicate that Fteja was already acquainted with a juror, identified in court documents as “John Doe #1.”
Fteja reportedly made multiple phone calls to the juror, arranging to meet him on Staten Island. Over the course of two meetings spanning three days, Fteja allegedly informed the juror that associates in the Bronx were prepared to pay between $50,000 and $100,000 in exchange for a “not guilty” verdict.
Investigators assert that evidence in the case includes recorded conversations of the defendants, conducted in both Albanian and English, outlining the bribery plot.
Gogic, a native of Montenegro, was apprehended in 2022 at Miami International Airport while attempting to board a flight. The charges against him stem from three separate cocaine seizures, most notably a massive 19.8-ton haul from a cargo ship docked at Philadelphia’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in 2019.
Prosecutors allege that Gogic, along with others, engaged in “meticulous planning” to transport over $1 billion worth of cocaine from Colombia to Europe, utilizing U.S. ports and commercial cargo ships. Gogic is accused of orchestrating this extensive operation by coordinating with crew members, Colombian traffickers, and European dockworkers.
According to online boxing records, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Gogic competed professionally from 2001 to 2012, compiling a record of 21 wins and four losses.