Petition — Moore v. United States
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FILED
33-1350 FEB 18 1984
No. ALEXANDER \ STEVAS.
CLERK
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY TERM, 1984
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, RESPONDENTS
VS.
ba KENNETH E. MOORE, III and
KENNETH E. MOORE, JR., PETITIONERS
JOINT PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI
TO THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
FROM THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
IN AND FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT
KENNETH P. RAY and
ANTHONY J. LaFACHE, P.C.
Attorneys for Petitioner
213 Rutger Street
Utica, New York 13501
(315) 733-2355
Anthony J. LaFache, Esq.,
of counsel
TO: UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
® NORTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
369 Federal ——
a i osgett New York 13260
(315) 423-5165
John J. McMann, Esq.
Joseph A. Pavone, Esq.,
of counsel
QUESTIONS PRESENTED FOR REVIEW
“ 1. Whether the misconduct of the Assistant
United States Attorney committed during the
prosecution of this case so violated the
defendants’ constitutional rights so as to
a warrant a dismissal of the indictment.
2. Whether it was incumbent upon the defen-
dants in this case to prove prejudice as a
result of such misconduct.
: TABLE OF CONTENTS
: Page
eae ee ee es oe es ee
: Se er are es
Constitutional and statutory
~° provisions involved ena
Statement bid 60 Rie ose ace, 6 eee
Reasons for granting the petition ....
Conclusion ae we te ae ed eee
oS ss. 6 ee eke) 0 ee ace ee
| Appendix B a. "e. ibis 6: apa ta cecee ae ache :
Ee
a?
TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
Cases: Page
Berger v. U.S. 295 U.S. 78 (1935). .... 6
, Black v. U.S. 385 U.S. 26 (1966) ..... ll
Coplon v. U.S. 191 F.2d 749 (D.C. Cir.,
. 1951)... il
Gideon v. Wainright 372 U.S. 335 (1963). . 10
Mooney v. Holohan 294 U.S. 103 (1964). . . 6
O'Brien v. U.S. 386 U.S. 345 (1967) .. . 11,12
U.S. v. Agurs 427 U.S. 97 (1975). .... 6
U.S. v. Bess 593 F.2d 749 (6th Cir.,1979). 6
U.S. v. Estepa 471 F.2d 1132 (2d Cir. ,1972) 6
U.S. v. Fields 592 F.2d 638 (2d Cir.,1978). 6,7,8
U.S. v. Jacobs 531 F.2d 87 (2d Cir.,1976) . 6
U.S. v. Morrison 101 S. Ct. 665 (1981) . .. 12
_ Weatherford v. Bursey 529 U.S. 545 (1977).. 11,12
Constitution, statutes and regulation:
United States Constitution:
iy’ Sinth Amendment... «5... 008s ws ee un eR Be
be 10,11,12
ee U.6.6.°.125401). ae. ee
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY TERM, 1984
No.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, RESPONDENT
vs.
KENNETH E. MOORE, III and
KENNETH E. MOORE, JR., PETITIONERS
JOINT PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI
TO THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT
Petitioners, Kenneth E. Moore, III and
Kenneth E. Moore, Jr., were jointly indicted
and tried in the United States District Court
in and for the Northern District of New York.
Petitioners appealed their judgment of convic-
tion to the United States Court of Appéals in
and for the Second Circuit.
Petitioners herein filed a Joint Petition 8
for a Writ of Certiorari to review the Order Be,
and Opinion of the United States Court of a
Appeals for the Second Circuit entered December b
15, 1983. | y
=e
OPINIONS BELOW
The opinion rendered by the District Court
was on a pretrial motion to dismiss the indict-
ment; this opinion, not reported, is reproduced
and set forth in Appendix B to this Petition.
The opinion and order of the Court of Appeals,
also unreported, is reproduced and set forth in
Appendix A to this Petition.
JURISDICTION OF THIS COURT
The Order and Opinion of the United States
Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit was
entered on December 15, 1983 (Appendix A, infra).
The jurisdiction of this Court is invoked under
28 U.S.C. 1254(1).
CONSTITUTIONAL AND STATUTORY PROVISIONS INVOLVED
1. The Sixth Amendment to the United States
Constitution provides as follows:
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused
shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public
trial, by an impartial jury of the State and
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district wherein the crime shall have been com-
mitted, which district shall have been previously
ascertained by law, and to be informed of the
nature and cause of the accusation; to be con-
fronted with the witnesses against him; to have
compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in
his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel
for his defense.
STATEMENT OF THE CASE
The Constitutional questions sought to be
reviewed here were raised in the United States
District Court in and for the Northern District
of New York by Petitioners’ timely pretrial
motion to dismiss the indictment. In this
motion, petitioners averred that their Fourth,
Fifth and Sixth Amendment United States Consti-
tutional rights were violated when the Assistant
United States Attorney assigned to prosecute the
case wrongfully obtained, reviewed, copied,
_ withheld, and failed to disclose his possession
of a carton of documents which contained defense
material consisting of correspondence between
defendants and defendants’ attorneys; chatts and
summaries prepared by the defense team in prepar-
ation for trial; and memoranda prepared by the
defense team containing defense trial strategy.
The motion was submitted and argued and a
hearing on the issue was held in District Court.
The District Court judge denied the motion to
dismiss the indictment. A trial was held in
District Court in November and December of 1982.
Petitioners were found guilty of a portion of
the counts on the indictment. Petitioners
filed a Notice of Appeal with the United States
Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The
Second Circuit rendered a decision and order
duly filed on December 15, 1983.
REASONS FOR GRANTING THE WRIT
I
THE DECISION BELOW CONFLICTS
WITH DECISIONS OF FEDERAL
COURTS ON IMPORTANT ISSUES
AFFECTING FEDERAL CONSTITU-
TIONAL RIGHTS.
This very Court has long held that a prose-
cutor must adhere to high standards and princi-
ples and further that prosecutorial misconduct
May merit reversal or dismissal when a defendant
is deprived of a constitutional right. Berger
v. United States 295 U.S. 78 (1935). Federal
Courts have dismissed indictments both prior to’
and during criminal trials because of prosecu-
torial misconduct. U.S. v. Agurs 427 U.S. 97
(1975); Mooney v. Holohan 294 U.S. 103 (1934);
U.S. v. Bess 593 F.2d 749 (6th Cir., 1979);
U.S. v. Fields 592 F.2d 638 (2d Cir., 1978);
U.S. v. Jacobs 531 F.2d 87 (2d Cir., 1976);
U.S. v. Estepa 471 F.2d 1132 (2d Cir., 1972).
The Second Circuit in Fields held:
“The extreme sanction of dismissal
of an indictment is justified in
order to achieve one or both of two
Se
Tat ot P ee 7 ' wuts -Aed
aA Jie - ne et. ) beats ane .
‘dat SS arr re een y 2), wee ee eS erg yet Fe ie aly Ce A ge ia
“objectives: first, to eliminate
prejudice to a defendant in a crim-
inal prosecution, second, to ‘help
translate the assurances of U.S.
attorneys into consistent perform-
ance by their assistants.'"
The facts are undisputed and uncontroverted.
The prosecution took, reviewed, copied and with-
held defense material. The prosecution failed
to disclose its possession of this material
until queried by the defense. The Second Circuit
in its decision held:
“The most troublesome issue on this
appeal arises out of the retention
by the prosecution of certain docu-
ments belonging to the defendants
or their companies without notifica-
tion to defense counsel. Although
we affirm the judgments of conviction,
this should not be taken as an
indication that we condoiie what
occurred. We do not. We are per-
suaded only in part by Chief Judge
Munson's finding that ‘there was
, no deliberate or intentional mis-
conduct on the part of the prosecu-
tor.’ Of greater significance is
Judge Munson's finding that appel-
lants were not prej ced by t
prosecution's conduct. Had prejudice
ocaurred, action by this Court might
have been more drastic than the
criticism implicit in the foregoing
discussion."
The Second Circuit based its decision on
the District Court's finding of no prejudice
to the Petitioners. This decision, however,
conflicts with the standard set forth in the
Fields case. Fields set forth two alternate
standards or reasons for dismissing indictments
due to prosecutorial misconduct. Only the first
standard related to a finding of prejudice. The
second related to the transmission of the concept
of fairness and fair play to United States
Attorneys when necessary. The Second Circuit
in this case never addressed this standard and
as such, its decision conflicts with Fields.
This case is most assuredly one where based
on the conduct of the prosecutor, dismissal was
warranted to inform the prosecutor that such
conduct will not be tolerated. The prosecutor
possessed defense material for over four months.
The material was prepared by the defense for
trial. The material in most instances was
addressed to defense attorneys. The prosecution
read all these documents and copied them. The
prosecution, while knowing full well that the
material was defense material, never disclosed
to the defense that it possessed these records.
Worse yet, the prosecution testified at a pre-
trial hearing that it gained new information
from a thorough review of these records and
planned to use some of this information against
the Petitioner, Kenneth E. Moore, Jr., if and
when he testified.
The Second Circuit should have granted the
relief requested by the Petitioner. It is
respectfully prayed that this Court review the.
misconduct of the prosecutor. Unless settled
principles of prosecutorial self-restraint are
to be disregarded, this serious error of the
Second Circuit ought not to go uncorrected by
this Court.
» istration of justice. The Petitioners did not
It
THIS CASE PRESENTS EXTREMELY
IMPORTANT FEDERAL CONSTITU-
TIONAL ISSUES WHICH SHOULD
BE DECIDED BY THIS COURT.
The Sixth Amendment of the Constitution of
the United States guarantees the Petitioners’
right to a fair trial. Gideon v. Wainright 372
U.S. 335 (1963).
The Petitioners could not have received a
fair trial once the prosecution had the defense
material in question. A review by this Court
of the entire proceeding will substantiate this
statement. The basic concept of our judicial
system is fair play. The test of our system
of legal jurisprudence should be measured by
the interest we take in safeguarding the funda-
mental rights of the accused. A defendant is
entitled to a fair determination of his guilt.
Fair trials ensure our concern with due process
and contribute to what is the only proper admin-
receive a fair trial and dismissal was the only 4g
i
ie
-10- ae
;
way to prevent the undermining of mockery of
justice.
The Sixth Amendment of the United States
Constitution also guarantees the right of
private commmication with counsel. Weather-
ford v. Bursey 529 U.S. 545 (1977); O'Brien v.
U.S. 386 U.S. 345 (1967); Black v. U.S. 385 U.S.
26 (1966); Coplon v. U.S. 191 F2d 749 (D.C. Cir., |
1951).
The balance of forces as between accuser
and accused is sharply askewed in favor of the
accuser if the government is permitted to dis-
cover defense strategy and evidence.
The United States Supreme Court addressed
this very issue in Black v. U.S. 385 U.S. 26
(1966). In Black, the government obtained
information from attorney-client conferences
which were later reduced to memoranda for the
prosecuting attorneys. The Court held that this
intrusion was a violation of the defendant's
Sixth Amendment right sufficient to vacate the
conviction.
In O'Brien v. U.S. 386 U.S. 345 (1967), the
Supreme Court vacated the defendant's conviction
due to the government's intrusion into an
attorney-client communication which violated
the defendant's Sixth Amendment right.
In Weatherford v. Bursey 529 U.S. 545 (1977)
the Court recognized that an intrusion into the
privilege can unfairly advantage the prosecution
and threaten to subvert the adversary system
of criminal justice. The Court held that
when material or evidence gained from the
intrusion is passed on to the prosecution and
has produced directly or indirectly any of the
evidence offered at trial, the conviction must
be vacated.
The United States Supreme Court in U.S. v.
Morrison 101 S. Ct. 665 (1981), held that where
there has been an intrusion by the government
into the attorney-client privilege in violation
of the defendant's constitutional rights, the
indictment may be dismissed upon a showing of
prejudice. The intrusion in question resulted
-12-
in the Assistant United States Attorney and his
entire investigative force discovering defense
strategy and privileged communications. This
intrusion has prejudiced the defendant in that
it has become impossible to restore the defendant
to his position prior to the intrusion. One
cannot reach into the minds of the Assistant
United States Attorney and his investigative
force and remove the knowledge gained by the
intrusion. The intrusion so tainted the defen-
dant's right to a fair trial that dismissal was
the sole remedy.
III
THIS CASE PRESENTS AN IMPOR-
TANT ISSUE WHICH SHOULD BE
SETTLED BY THIS COURT.
It is respectfully submitted that the Second
Circuit determined that the prosecution in this
+ case committed acts of misconduct in connection
with the defense material in question. The
Second Circuit specifically criticized the
conduct of the prosecution and noted that the
result of the Appeal might have been different
upon an express showing of prejudice by the
petitioners. The Second Circuit apparently
relied upon exising case law which at least
in part seems to require a showing of prejudice
when prosecutorial misconduct is alleged.
Petitioners respectfully urge thig Court ’
that they should not, in instances such as this,
be required to show prejudice to the Court. It
a is extremely inequitable to place the burden of 5
proof concerning prejudice on the Petitioners.
This court, upon a review of the factual situ-
- ation herein, should establish new law requiring
vat ike
the prosecution to prove that no prejudice
resulted from a review of the records. Logic
dictates that the burden of proof should be
upon the prosecution in cases such as this.
The prosecution reviewed and copied defense
material consisting of correspondences with
defense attorneys, charts and summaries prepared
by the defendants and numerous other documents,
all prepared in connection with case preparation.
These records, which were contained in a carton,
consisted of hundreds of pages. The prosecution,
during testimony at a pre-trial hearing, admit-—
ted to a review of the records and further ad-
mitted it gained additional information from
this review. By placing the burden of proof
on the Petitioners concerning a showing of pre-
judice, Petitioners would be required in some
way to read the mind of the prosecution to
ascertain what information it may have con-
sciously or unconsciously gained from this
review. It would seem that an analogy would
serve a purpose in connection with this Writ.
If an individual gains access to hundreds
of confidential files contained in the United
States Supreme Court Chambers and reviews each
of these files, the question as to how much or
what kind of information this individual may
have gained can only come directly from the
individual who reviewed the records. The
nine justices of this Court would never know
what the individual has ascertained or whether
or not any of the cases were prejudiced in any
fashion without being able to read the mind
of the individual who read the records.
The above analogy can be applied to the in-
stant case. There was absolutely no way the
petitioner could have ascertained precisely
what the prosecution gleaned from a review
of the records or in what way, if any, the pros-
ecution could have used or would have used this
information against the Petitioners. What
Petitioners are suggesting is that in situa-
tions such as this, when a prosecutor obtains,
a retains, withholds, reviews and copies defense
| -16-
material without notifying the defense it even
has such material, the only way the Petitioners
could be made whole would be to require the
prosecution to prove to the Court that no pre-
judice has resulted by such conduct.
It is respectfully submitted that this Court
should settle such an important question of
Federal law at this point in time by deter-
mining that in instances such as this where the
intrusion into the defense material prepared
for trial is so blatent and admitted by the
prosecution, the burden of proof concerning the
showing of prejudice should shift to the pro-
secution. The prosecution then should be
required to come forward and convince the trial
judge that its conduct resulted in no prejudice
to the defendants.
Petitioners respectfully pray this court to
settle this Federal question of law.
For the foregoing reasons, Petitioners
CONCLUSION
»
. respectfully pray that a Writ of Certiorari
should be issued to review the decision and
| order of the United States Court of Appeals
_* for the Second Circuit.
Respectfully submitted,
KENNETH P. RAY and
ANTHONY J. LaFACHE, P.C.
Attorneys for Petitioners
213 Rutger Street
Utica, New York 13501
(315) 733-2355
February, 1984.
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UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
For the Second Circuit
At a stated Term of the United States Court
of Appeals of the Second Circuit, held at the
United States Courthouse in the City of New York,
on the 15th day of December, One Thousand Nine
Hundred and Eighty-three.
PRESENT:
. HON. WILLIAM H. TIMBERS,
HON. ELLSWORTH A. VAN GRAAFEILAND,
HON. JON O. NEWMAN,
Circuit Judges
ee ee re ee ee | x
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee, ORDER
83-1083
v. 83-1084
KENNETH E. MOORE, III and
KENNETH E. MOORE, JR.,
Defendants-Appellants.
ee | x
Kenneth E. Moore, Jr. and Kenneth E. Moore,
III appeal from judgments of conviction of the
United States District Court for the Northern
» District of New York which followed a jury trial
before Chief Judge Howard G.Munson. Kenneth E.
Moore, Jr. was convicted of presenting false
claims to the government in violation of 18 U.S.C. ‘
(la) :
§287. Kenneth E. Moore, III was convicted of
perjury before a grand jury in violation of 18
U.S.C. §1623.
The most troublesome issue on this appeal
arises out of the retention by the prosecution
of certain documents belonging to the defendants
or their companies without notification to
defense counsel. Although we affirm the judg-
ments of conviction, this should not be taken as
an indication that we condone what occurred. We
do not. We are persuaded only in part by Chief
Judge Munson's finding that "there was no deli-
berate or intentional misconduct on the part of
the prosecutor." Of greater significance is
Judge Munson's finding that appellants were not
prejudiced by prosecution's conduct. Had preju-
dice occurred, action by this Court might have
been more drastic than the criticism implicit in
the foregoing discussion.
We find no merit in appellants’ remaining
arguments. Appellants have failed to show that
substantial prejudice resulted from the district
(2a)
court's refusal to order a severance, a decision
which was discretionary with the court. United
States v. Losada, 674 F.2d 167, 171 (2d Cir.),
cert. denied, 457 U.S. 1125 (1982). The district
court did not err in refusing to instruct the
jury that intent to defraud is a necessary ele-
ment of 18 U.S.C. §287. Umited States v. Preci-
sion Medical Labs., Inc., 593 F.2d 434, 443
(2d Cir. 1978); United States v. Milton, 602 F.
2d 231, 234 (9th Cir. 1979). The district court
was in the best position to assess the progress
of the jury deliberations, see United States v.
Winley, 638 F.2d 560, 561 (2d Cir. 1981), cert.
denied, 455 U.S. 959 (1982), and appellants have
shown no abuse of discretion on the part of the
trial judge in denying their motions for mis-
trial.
Concluding that appellants had a fair trial
and that the jury's verdicts had ample support in
the evidence, we affirn.
Mandate shall issue forthwith.
isi William H. Timbers
: am A. 3
(3a)
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. psf Jon 0. Newman
. Jon O. Newman
s N.B. Since this statement does not
* constitute a formal opinion of this court
and is not uniformly available to all parties,
it shall not be reported, cited or otherwise
used in unrelated cases before this or any
other court.
APPENDIX B
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
bay 81-CR-120
KENNETH E. MOORE, JR.,
KENNETH E. MOORE, III
and ANTHONY FREDDOSO,
Defendants.
APPEARANCES : OF COUNSEL:
FREDERICK J. SCULLIN, JR. JOHN McCANN
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY PAULA RYAN CONAN
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK ASSISTANT U.S.
369 Federal oe ATTORNEYS
Syracuse, New York 13260
KENNETH P. RAY ESQ.
213 Rutger Street
Utica, New York 13501
HOWARD G. MUNSON, C.J.
MEMORANDUM- DECISION
From January, 1977 until Spring, 1980, Issa-
char Manufacturing Company, Inc. (Issachar) and
Reuben Garment, International, Inc. (Reuben) con-
tracted to supply tents, military clothing and
other items for the United States armed forces.
The defendants, Kenneth E. Moore, Jr. (Moore, Jr.),
(5a) f
President and Chief Executive Officer of both
companies, and Anthony Freddoso, employee and
plant supervisor of both companies, were indicted
by a federal Grand Jury on November 20, 1981 for
allegedly conspiring to defraud the United States
Government of approximatley $2.9 million in rela-
tion to these government contracts and in viola-
tion of Title 18 U.S.C. §371 and 18 U.S.C. §287.
Moore Jr. is charged with submitting 134 false
claims for progress payments on six manufactur-
ing contracts with the Government in violation of
18 U.S.C. §287. Moore III and Freddoso are
charged with knowingly acquiescing in this fraud.
Moore III also faces two perjury counts and
Freddoso faces one perjury count under Title 18
U.S.C. §1623.
The case was set to go to trial in September,
1982! On September 28, 1982, the defendants
filed the present motion alleging violations of
defendants’ rights under the fourth, fifth pa
sixth amendments of the Constitution of the United
States with regard to the prosecutor's possession
(6a)
be stl . " wey wie, Ty vals
of a box of documents owned by the defendants.
The defendants moved to dismiss the indictment
against them or, in the alternative, to remove
the prosecutor, Assistant United States Attorney
Joseph A. Pavone, from this case or to suppress
the Government's use of certain evidence at trial.
On October 6, 1982, the Government made a motion
before this Court to hold Freddoso and the de-
fense attorneys Anthony J. LaFache and Frank
Policelli in contempt of court and to compel the
production of certain documents which the Govern-
ment claims were to be turned over to them under
Grand Jury subpoena and by the terms of a Febru-
ary 22, 1982 stipulation between the parties.
The Court conducted extensive pretrial hear-
ings on both motions in Utica, New York during
the period from October 7, 1982 until October 22,
1982. Upon careful consideration of the merits
of both motions, the testimony and documents pre-
sented at the hearing, and the memoranda of law
submitted by both sides, the Court issued an
order on November 12, 1982.
(7a)
The Court's Order denied that part of defen-
dants' motion which sought to dismiss the indict-
ment or, in the alternative, to remove the prose-
cutor, and granted that part of the motion which
sought to suppress certain evidence. The Court
then denied that part of the Government's motion
which sought to hold Freddoso, LaFache and Poli-
celli in contempt, and granted that part of the
motion which sought to compel the production of
those documents listed in Court Exhibit 6.2
Accordingly, the Court's Order precluded the
Government from introducing into evidence or
using for purposes of its direct case or for
impeachment purposes specific statements, data,
and defense arguments contained in Defense Exhi-
bits A through T (except Defense Exhibit M-1/
Goverment Exhibit 3), Government Exhibit 1 and
Court Exhibits 2 through 5, except to the extent
that such statements, data, and defense arguments
contained therein were elicited and developed by
the prosecutor in the Grand Jury investigation
of this case. The Court ordered that the prose-
(8a)
cutor is precluded from using for purposes of its
direct case or for purposes of impeaching Moore
Jr. the statements, data, and any other informa-
tion contained in Defense Exhibits 0-1 through
0-14, the letters of reference for Moore Jr.
The Court further ordered the three defendnats
to immediately produce and turn over to the
prosecutor the documents enumerated in Court
Exhibit 6, including Exhibit A-8. The Court's
Order set a trial date for November 15, 1982 in
Utica. This Memorandum-Decision explains the
Court's November 12, 1982 Order, and states the
Court's findings of fact and conclusions of law.
THE DEFENDANTS’ MOTION
I. Findings of fact
The testimony before this Court reveals a
rather confusing and somewhat disturbing set of
facts. Each side has alleged misconduct on the
part of the other, and has allowed its adversarial
zeal to color its view of the other's conduct.
The Court is disturbed by the circumstances and
opines that neither side has conducted itself as
carefully as it may have; however, the evidence
does not present a case of misconduct by either
side. The pertinent testimony is as follows.
Defense Exhibits A through T and Court Exhi-
bits 2 through 5 were compiled and prepared by
Freddoso, with Moore Jr.'s assistance, at LaFache
and Policelli's request and for the purposes of
the defendants’ upcoming trial. Court Exhibit 2
is a twenty-two (22) page document in which
Freddoso sets out certain defenses to the indict-
ment against all the defendants and supports his
arguments with specific references. to the docu-
ments, Defense Exhibits A through T.3 Court
Exhibits 3 through 5 are letters written by Fred-
doso and Moore Jr. to defense attorney Kenneth P.
Ray.“
Freddoso testified that in approximately
March, 1982 he placed Defense Exhibits A through
T into a box.) Freddoso placed Court Exhibits 2
through 5 into a legal-sized manila folder on
which he wrote in black magic marker "Defense of
K.E—. Moore, Jr." Freddoso testified that he then
Placed this manila folder on top of the box con-
(10a)
taining the other documents. In late March or
early April, 1982 Freddoso took the box to
LaFache's office. At that time, Freddoso gave
LaFache two copies of the 22-page document, one
* for LaFache and one for Policelli. Freddoso
showed LaFache the box and pointed out the var-
ious folders and envelopes in the box. Freddoso
also gave LaFache a brief description of how each
folder and envelope was marked and explained that
the 22-page summary referred to the supplemental
documents, however, he did not specifically show
LaFache the contents of any of the folders.
Freddoso then placed the box underneath a book-
shelf in a corner to the right of the doorway
inside LaFache's office.
According to the testimony of the defendants
and their attorneys, the whereabouts of this box
+ became an issue in early September, 1982. On
approximately September 7, 1982, Freddoso went
to LaFache's office to retrieve the box. Fred-
doso and LaFache's secretary twice searched La-
Fache and Ray's offices and did not find the box.
(lla)
Later in the week LaFache and his secretary also
conducted an unsuccessful search for the box.
Sometime later, LaFache informed Freddoso that
he could not find the box. Upon LaFache's sug-
" gestion, Freddoso telephone Policelli on Septem-
ber 22, 1982 to inquire as to the whereabouts of
the box. Policelli also unsuccessfully searched
his office for the box.
Policelli testified that on September 22,
1982, he had a telphone conversation with Assis-
tant United States Attorney Pavone in which Poli-
celli asked Pavone if he had the box of documents.
During that telephone conversation Pavone said
that he had come across some materials that he
thought might belong to the defendants. Poli-
celli and Pavone arranged for the return of the
documents to take place five days later on Monday,
* September 27, 1982 at the United States Attorney's
| office in Utica.
On September 27, 1982, Pavone returned the
documents, Defense Exhibits A through T, to
Policelli and Freddoso. Pavone denied having
possession of the 22-page document and Court
(12a)
< f
“s :
>
if aif
rs
= ee
Kee PA
eee =
«Rees
Exhibits 3 through 5, the letters to Ray. The
primary factual issues before the Court are
whether the prosecution ever possessed Court Exhi-
bits 2 through 5 and whether the prosecution il-
legally came to possess Defense Exhibits A
through T.
LaFache testified that he did not remove the
box from his office and did not see anyone else
do so. However, LaFache also testified that he
simply had no "specific recollection" of the box
after Freddoso pointed it out to him in late
March or early April, 1982. .
On April 22, 1982, Pavone and Special Agent
Louis Dunlay went to LaFache's office to pick up
approximately eighteen boxes of documents which
had been turned over to the defense by the terms
of the February 22, 1982 stipulation between the
parties. Pavone and Dunlay were directed by
LaFache to a pile of boxes located on a stairway
landing approximately a few feet away from La-
Fache's office. Pavone and Dunlay piled one
box on top of another, and in this fashion, car-
ried a few boxes at a time out to their vehicle.
(13a)
LaFache testified that he assisted the two men by
handing the last five or six boxes to Dunlay who
handed them to Pavone. Pavone then placed the
boxes in the vehicle. LaFache testified that he
and Pavone quickly looked around the offices to
make sure that they had retrieved all the boxes,
and then they returned to the doorway where
Dunlay was waiting.
The defendants assert that Pavone and Dunlay
stole the box of documents from LaFache's office
on April 22, 1982. However, the testimony shows
that neither Pavone nor Dunlay had unrestricted
access to the attorneys’ offices on April 22,
1982 nor on any other occasion. LaFache and his
staff were present on April 22nd, and there is
no evidence that Pavone and Dunlay did not prop-
erly conduct themselves. There is no clear testi-
mony as to the whereabouts of the box between
the time Freddoso came to LaFache's office in
the Spring of 1982 and September, 1982. It
is clear, however, that Freddoso and perhaps
others, including secretaries and cleaning staff,
did have unrestricted access to LaFache's offices.
(14a)
boy ae } ; Lae Sires ys BES 3 if m xa y ¥ fae
ee pe i <i ‘sepa Sesh. gots * SS PR FT Bo
DBs i SE Ge Ss Oe RR Oe BRS eters boy «Sore Le
ee ee ee
The Court can only conclude that at some time
the box was moved to the stairway outside La-
Fache's office, and was placed among the pile of
approximately eighteen boxes, and that the box
was thus inadvertently placed in the hands of
the prosecutor on April 22, 1982.
The Government claims that it was unaware of
the presence of the box until September, 1982.
The Government introduced the testimony of two
janitors® employed at the Federal Courthouse in
Utica where the United States Attorney's office
is located. The janitors testified that they
found a box outside the United States Attorney's
office and, without ever viewing its contents,
they placed the box inside the office. The Court
finds that the entire testimony by these janitors
was inconsistent and, at points, incredible.
| Neither janitor ever looked inside the box, yet
each insisted he could identify the contents.
Each janitor's account of the particular date
upon which this event occurred differed. The
first janitor's testimony with regard to the date
was later discredited by information introduced
by the United States Attorney's office. The
Court is convinced that there is no factual
support for the Government's contention that
the defendants purposefully, and with the intent
to delay the trial, planted the box outside the
United States Attorney's office in Utica, and
the court rejects this theory in full.
The Court finds credible the prosecutor's
testimony that he was not aware of the box until
September, and did not ever view the 22-page
document. The prosecutor admits that he looked
through the box in the belief that the Government
was entitled to possession of Defense Exhibits A
through J and L through T under the terms of the
Grand Jury subpoena. Upon viewing Defense
Exhibit K, the prosecutor believed that he had
seen this group of documents among the thousands
of case-related documents already in the posses-
sion of the prosecution.
| The prosecutor requested that a student
* assistant in the United States Attorney's office
(16a)
in Syracuse photocopy the documents. This part-
time assistant testified that she remembered being
given a pile of documents which she photocopied
over the period of five or six days after Septen-
ber 13, 1982. The testimony of David Roll, an
auditor with the Defense Contract Auditing
Agency investigating this case, shows that he
was telephoned by Pavone on September 15,
1982. Pavone described the documents to Roll,
but Roll was unable to determine if the documents
belonged to the Government. Roll was not able
to come to Utica until September 20, 1982 at
which time he determined that the documents were
not the Government's records or "work product.”
However, Roll did determine that certain documents
were corporate records that should have been
turned over to the prosecution under the Grand
Jury subpoena.
II. Conclusions of Law
A. Fourth Amendment Claims
The Fourth amendment of the Constitution of
(17a)
als Ree EN ST, See eke
agen oie GO a a shat
the United States guarantees '"(t)he right of the
people to be secure in their persons, houses,
papers, and effects, against unreasonable sear-
ches and seizures. . ." It is elemental that
the police activity at issue must constitute a
"search" or "seizure." See W.R. LaFave, Search
_ and Seizure: A Treatise on the Fourth Amendment
221 (1978). "A search is a probing exploration
for something that is concealed or hidden from
the searcher; a seizure is a forcible or secre-
tive dispossession of something against the will
of the possessor or owner." United States v.
Marti, 321 F. Supp. 59 (E.D.N.Y. 1970).
In the instant case, there was no probing
exploration by the prosecutor, nor was there any
forcible or secretive dispossession. In fact,
the box was inadvertently placed in the hands of
the prosecution when Pavone and Dunlay lawfully
and with permission retrieved the approximately
eighteen other boxes of documents from LaFache's
law office. In this document-laden case, it is
+ mot unreasonable that the prosecutor did not im-
(18a)
OT ee ee Ne Tne ee Oe ear
mediately recognize the documents. Once Roll
was called in and determined that certain of the
documents should not be in the Government's pos-
session, those documents were returned to Poli-
celli and Freddoso in Utica on a mutually con-
venient date. Defendants’ fourth amendment
claim is not substantiated by the facts and is,
therefore, denied.
B. Fifth Amendment Claim
The defendants’ fifth amendment claim is
that: "(t)he prosecution's obtaining of this
information would, in essence, force the defen-
dants to testify to correct the interpretation
the prosecution may give to this evidence.
(in) violation of the... right against self-
incrimination." The fifth amendment of the Con-
stitution of the United States ensures that no
person” .. . shall be compelled in any criminal
case to be a witness against himself. ..." : ;
The fifth amendment protects a person against his r
compelled testimonial incrimination. United a
States of America and Arthur Lott of the Internal
(19)
Revenue Service v. William J. Krawczuk, Misc. No.
113 (N.D.N.Y. June 8, 1977) (Memorandum-Decision
and Order) (Munson, C.J.)(citing Fisher v. United
States, 425 U.S. 391 (1976); 8 Wigmore, Evidence
§2264 (McNaughton Rev. 1961)). A defendant
cannot claim a denial of his fifth amendment
right against compelled self-incrimination where
he voluntarily takes the witness stand to offer
testimony to respond to or to counter the evidence
offered against him. See United States v. Bur-
reson, 643 F.2d 1344, 1350 (9th Cir. 1981),
cert. denied, 454 U.S. 847 (1981) and Channell v.
United States, 454 U.S. 830(1981); United States
v. Carleo, 576 F.2d 846, 850 (10th Cir. 1978),
cert. denied 439 U.S. 850 (1978); United States
ex. rel. Pendergrass v. Anderson, 304 F. Supp.
$77, 578 (D. Del. 1969); United States v. Hearst
563 F.2d 1331, 1343 (9th Cir. 1977), cert. denied, —
435 U.S. 1000 (1978).
The defendants fail to state a cognizable
fifth amendment claim. Furthermore, there is no
evidence that these defendants are being compelled
- Soh a eee Peer ow
to take the stand to testify against themselves.
Thus, defendants’ fifth amendment claim is denied.
C. Attorney-Client Privilege and Work-
Product Privilege
The defendants claim that the documents,
Defense Exhibits A through T and Court Exhibits
2 through 6, are communications protected by the
attorney-client privilege and the work-product
privilege and that the documents were nondis-
coverable under Rule 16 Fed. R. Crim. P. The
attorney-client privilege only applies if:
(1) the asserted holder of the privi-
lege is or sought to become a client;
(25 the person to whom the communication
was made (a) is a member of the bar of
a court, or his subordinate and (b)
in connection with this commmication
is acting as a lawyer; (3) the comm-
nication relates to a fact of which
the attorney was informed (a) by
his client (b) without the presence of
strangers (c) for the purpose of secur-
ing ager teg f either (i) an opinion of
law or (ii) legal services or (iii)
assistance in some legal proceeding,
and not (d) for the purpose of commit-
ting a crime or tort; and (4) the
privilege has been (a) claimed and
(b) not waived by the client.
Colton v. United States, 306 F.2d 633, 637 (2d
Cir. 1962)-(quoting United States v. United Shoe
(21a)
(a. ae. aa z
_ supporting the 22-page document which were already
Machine Corp, 89 F. Supp. 357, 358-359 (D. Mass.
1950); prob. juris noted, 346 U.S. 894 (1953).
The Court has inspected all of the documents
in camera, and concludes that certain documents
are covered by the attorney-client privilege and
are nondiscoverable under Rule 16(b)(2). Court
Exhibits 2 through 5 are covered by the privilege
because they are letters and memorandum prepared
and confidentially communicated by the defendants
as "clients" to their already retained attorney
for the purposes of securing legal advice and as-
sistance with regard to the defense of this case,
and the attorneys here were acting in their capa-
cities as attorneys in this regard. Similarly,
certain other documents within the group of Def-
ense Exhibits A through T are protected because
they are private letters by the defendants as
clients to their retained Philadelphia legal
counsel communicated for the purpose of obtaining
legal advice and assistance concerning the Govern-
ment's investigation of this particular case.
Furthermore, the charts and other documents
(22a)
‘. + % 7 . " Ma
‘a ak . - ) \ : Li
Pet pea Ces sk Ne Aaaeas RT) kee GSR mY OE Ph ee 90"
in existence and were simply collated by Freddoso
or the other defendants to be turned over to
their attorneys do not fall within this class
of privileged commmications. See Colton v.
United States, 306 F.2d at 639. The reason for
this differentiation is clear:
Insofar as the papers include pre-
existing documents and financial
records not prepared by the (def-
endants) for the purpose of commun-
icating with their lawyers in con-
fidence, their contents have
acquired no special protection from
the simple fact of being meg
over to an attorney. ° An
other rule would permit a person to
prevent disclosure of any of his
papers by the simple expedient
of keeping them in the possession
of his attorney.
It would appear that such pre-exising cor-
porate documents would have been available to
the Government pursuant to the reciprocal dis-
covery rights under Rule 16 Fed. R. Crim. P.
Nor would such pre-existing documents fall
within the protection of the work-product pri-
vilege. See, e.g., In Re Grand Jury Proceedings
601 F2d 162, 171 n.7 (Sth Cir. 1979) (citing
(23a)
Fisher v. United States, 425 U.S. 391, 403-404
(1976).
E. Denial of Counsel and Fair Trial Claims
The sixth amendment of the Constitution of
the United States guarantees the defendants’
rights to the effective assistance of counsel
and a fair trial.’ Gideon v. Wainright, 372 U.S.
335, 344 (1963); United States v. Morrison, 449
U.S. 361 (1981), reh. denied, 101 S. Ct. 1420
(1981). As stated in Morrison, 449 U.S. at 364,
"(the) cases have accordingly, been responsive
to proved claims that governmental conduct has
rendered counsel's assistance to the dotentent.
ineffective.''8
The defendants argue that the Government's
obtaining and viewing the privileged documents
has or will have the effect of denying the defen-
dants a fair trial and the effective assistance
of counsel. The defendants urge this Court to
dismiss the indictment against them or, in the
alternative, to dismiss the prosecutor or pre-
clude the use of the evidence at trial.
(24a)
Dismissal of an indictment is "so drastic"
a remedy that it "must be reserved for the truly
extreme cases."" United States v. Broward, 594
F.2d 345 (2d Cir. 1979), cert. denied, 442 U.S.
941 (1979). "A district court does not have
the power to dismiss a legally sufficient indict-
ment simply because it deems the dismissal to be
in the interests of justice." United States v.
Brown, 602 F. 2d 1073, 1076 (2d Cir. 1979),
cert. denied,444 U.S. 952 (1979). The standard
for dismissal was clearly set forth in United
States v. Fields, 592 F. 2d 638, 647-648
(2d. Cir. 1979), cert. denied, 442 U.S. 917
(1979) and again, more recently, in United States
v. Artuso, 618 F.2d 192, 196 (2d Cir. 1980), cert
denied, 449 U.S. 861 (1980):
The extreme sanction of dismissal
of an indictment is justified in
order to achieve one or both of
two objectives: first, to elimin-
ate prejudice to a defendant in a
criminal prosecution; second, to
"help to translate the assurances
of the United States oeeeeere
into consistent performance y
their assistants.
(25a)
ee ea
r:
ji
With regard to the deterrence objective it is
clear that: "(e) ven when a prosecutorial arm of
the government unlawfully obtains evidence, (the
courts) normally limit the permissible sanction
to suppression of the illegally obtained evidence.
It is only in the rare case, where it is impos-
sible to restore a criminal defendant to the
position that he would have occupied vis-a-vis
the prosecutor, that the indictment may be dis-
missed."" United States v. Field, 592 F.2d at 648.
"(P)roper regard for the public interest in the
prosecution of crimes counsels restraint in dis-
missing an indictment for deterrence purposes
unless the course of official misconduct is a
demonstrated, long-standing one. (The courts)
have approved this extreme sanction only when
the pattern of misconduct is widespread or con-
tinuous." Id. at 648; United States v. Estepa,?
471 F.2d 1132, 1137 (2d Cir. 1972); United States
"vy. Jacobs,10 531 F.2d 87, 90 (2d Cir. 1976), va- é
|
cated and remanded, 429 U.S. 909, aff'd on F 4
aff’ don remand E:
_ ~-$47 F.2d 772 (2d Cir. 1976), cert. dismissed,
| 436 U.S. 31 (1978).
(26a)
- ° »-* $ . =
od » y - & we”
Se > 7 " , > —_— oe ee ee te oe
~ Fo of ee | at ae gu ** awe
> Ss s see _ i _ © 1 ad - ie. et iaw? WS oy I Eta
The Court finds here that there was no deli-
berate or intentional misconduct on the part of
the prosecutor in obtaining and viewing the
documents. Therefore, no deterrence purpose
would be served by the Court's dismissal of the
indictment. The pivotal issue before the Court
is, however, whether there is sufficient preju-
dice resulting from the Government's nondeliber-
ate exposure to these privileged attorney-client
communications to warrant dismissal of the in-
dictment. "(A)bsent demonstrable prejudice, or
substantial threat thereof, the dismissal of the
indictment is plainly inappropriate, even though
the violation may have been deliberate.” United
States v. Morrison, 449 U.S. at 365.
Courts since Morrison have addressed the issue
of whether prejudice has resulted from the viola-
tion of defendant's sixth amendment rights and
whether dismissal is the correspondingly appro-
priate remedy. For example, the Fifth Circuit
in United States v. Killian and Brunk, 639 F.2d
206, 210 (Sth Cir. 1981), cert. denied, 451 U.S.
(27a)
1021 (1981), held that while the conduct of the
federal authorities in removing defendant from
jail to question him was highly improper and
unethical, the statements that were transcribed
and any evidence that might have been obtained
from the statements were not introduced by the
prosecution at trial, and therefore, no prejudice
occurred. The Killian court noted that had the
Government not independently decided not to use
the information at trial, the appropriate sanction
by the court would probably have been suppression.
Id. In any event, dismissal was "too drastic
and totally unnecessary" a remedy. Id.
Again, in United States v. Cross, 638 F.2d
1375 (Sth Cir. 1981), the Court found that the
conduct of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(F.B.I.) agents, apparently approved by the
United States Attorney, in commmicating with
defendant before trial without approval of de-
fense counsel and prevailing upon defendant to
take a polygraph test represented a grossly in-
7 proper breach of defendant's relationship with
his trial counsel. The Court found that dis-
missal of the indictment was not the proper
remedy. First, because there was not evidence
that the F.B.I. agent intentionally sought to
destroy the defendant's attorney-client rela-
tionship. The second and more important basis
for the Court's decision to uphold the indict-
ment was the Court's finding that the suppres-
sion of the evidence headed off any potential
prejudice to the defendant from the Government's
conduct. Absent such prejudice, dismissal was an
inappropriate remedy. Id. at 1379.
The Third Circuit in United States v. Pantone
v. Kumer, 634 F.2d 716 (3rd Cir. 1980) dealt |
with the issue of whether the prosecutor's know- |
ledge of certain incriminating evidence, i.e.,
immunized Grand jury testimony which was obtained
after a first trial conviction, but prior to a |
remanded and second trial, which provided the pro-
secutor with a degree of psychological confidence
about the outcome of the second trial which he
might not have had if he had not seen the privi-
leged information was grounds for dismissal of
(29a)
the indictment or removal of the prosecutor. The
Court found that the "potential motivational
effect" failed to rise to the level of consti-
tutional significance. The record before the
Pantone court did not indicate that the United
States Attorney "learned anything new from the
grand jury testimony - certainly nothing bene-
ficial to the prosecution or inconsistent with
its position at the original trial.” The Court
found that the prosecutor "relied solely on inde-
pendent sources of information in conducting the
retrial." Id. at 722.
In the instant case, the Court finds that
there is no discernible prejudice to the defen-
dants resulting from the prosecutor's viewing,
photocopying, and briefly retaining possession
of Defense Exhibits A through T. Only certain
of these documents are protected by the attor-
ney-client privilege, and as in Cross, there
was no intentional infringement of the attorney-
client privilege. With the permission of both
sides, the Court has viewed all of the documents
(30a)
in camera. The Court also, with the permission
of both sides, reviewed the Grand Jury testimony
of two of the defendants in order to determine
to what extent the prosecutor knew specific
data, defense arguments, and other information
relating to this case prior to his viewing the
documents.
The Court finds that the data, statements,
defense arguments, and other information in these
documents were previously included in the Grand
Jury testimony of these two defendants. The
prosecutor's questions to the defendants before
the Grand Jury clearly show that, at that stage
of the investigation of this case, the prosecu-
tor was anticipating the arguments that would
be used by the defense at trial. For example,
the Grand Jury testimony of the two defendants
is replete with references to the defense argu-
ment that the company's bookkeeper and Assistant
to the President was solely responsible for the
submission of false claims to the Government.
_ The Grand Jury testimony clearly sets out the
(3la)
defense argument that certain named government
officials had a "vendetta" against the defen-
dants wit were conspiring to drive the defen-
dant Moore Jr. out of business. Much of this
revealing testimony was given in response to
the prosecutor's specific questions. Other
portions of the testimony were freely and
openly offered by the defendants in an effort
to defend their own actions and the actions
of their codefendant.
Thus, the Court must conclude that the As-
sistant United States Attorney was well aware
of the information contained in these documents
and that as in Pantone no psychological or moti-
vational advantage has resulted to the Govern-
ment. No prejudice or substantial threat of
prejudice has, therefore, accured to the defen-
dants as a result of the prosecutor's seeing
ao these documents. Accordingly, neither the dis-
- missal of the indictment, nor dismissal of the
prosecutor, is warranted. The Court's November
= 12, 1982 Order which suppresses the prosecutor's
(32a)
9 Xe onl ‘6 ; . ‘ "3 yes. * fa aay an . Se
& oer A CE ae ‘ a | 4 eM Pile a TK
Seo ae aes ete At otek aC: PR VOSS HRD TS Se I Be Pen Sa
a
14
use of these doucments at trial, for purposes
of its direct case and for impeachment purposes,
will clearly prevent even the most minute pos-
sibility that the defendants will suffer any
prejudice from what has occurred.
FOOTNOTES
lthe trial was scheduled for July 19, 1982
after this Court denied defendants' pretrial
motions for: dismissal, suppression of certain
statements, a bill of particulars, and severance
of Moore Jr.'s trial, inspection of Grand Jury
minutes and a list of Government witnesses.
2court Exhibit 6 is a “packing list" of
documents subpoenaed by the Grand Jury. The
list distinguishes those subpoenaed documents
which were never turned over by the defendants
and those documents which were turned over and
then were returned to the defendants pursuant to
the February 22 stipulation.
3pefense Exhibits A through T are folders
containing charts, checks, and other documents
Or corporate records. Each document in each
folder is marked with an additional exhibit nun-
ber, i.e., each document in folder A is marked
A-1, A-Z, etc. The Court will refer throughout
this opinion to Defense Exhibit A, for example,
and in doing so, intends to include all the docu-
ments in that folder.
4after examining these documents in camera,
the Court finds that Court Exhibits 3 through 5
are letters written by the defendants to their
attorney Kenneth P. Ray, LaFache's partner.
Court Exhibit 3 is a seven page letter dated
t 10, 1981. Court bit 4 is a twenty-one
page letter dated July 31, 1981. Court Exhibit 5
s a three page letter dated August 25, 1981 on
Reuben International Company Inc. letterhead
and signed "Tony." Attached to that letter is
a news article.
StThere is some debate as to the type of box
into which the documents were placed. Freddoso
testified that he vaguely remembered that the box
was aS s soda box that had no cover. The
box, in which the documents were introduced at
(34a)
trial, is a Xerox box with a cover. The Court
finds that there is no other evidence nor any
specific recollection by Freddoso to resolve this
factual dispute. It is possible that the docu-
ments were removed from the original box and
placed into another box by either the defendants
or the prosecution. However, the point seems to
this Court to be an insignificant one.
oY Testimony was introduced showing that both
: janitors have mental and physical problems which
e affect their memories and their ability to com-
municate and, therefore, their ability to compe-
tently testify. The Court has heard the testimony
of both janitors. Other 5 Pe testimony
and information from the United States Attorney
offered in chambers would indicate to this Court
that the testimony of these two witnesses is not
accurate or credible. It appears that the two
janitors are friends; they have discussed this
situation and each seems to have been influenced
by the other's memory of the event.
7 The Sixth Amendment provides that: In all
criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy
the right to a speedy and public trial, by an
impartial jury of the State and district wherein
the crime shall have been committed, which dis-
trict shall have been previously ascertained by
law, and to be informed of the nature and cause
of the accusation; to be confronted with the
witnesses against him; to have compulsory process
for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have
the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.
RG Sthe Supreme Court in its recent decision in
: ited States v. Morrison, 449 U.S. at 364-365
_,. presents a thorough survey of the case law on the
- subject of sixth amendment violations and the
~ guitable remedies for such constitutional depri-
» wations:
(W)ithout detracting from the
fundamental importance of the right
to counsel in criminal cases, we
have implicitly recognized the nec-
essity for preserving society's
interest in the administration of
criminal justice. Cases involving
Sixth Amendment deprivations are
subject to the general rule that
remedies should be tailored to
the injury suffered from the consti-
tutional violation and should not
necessarily infringe on competing
interests. Our relevant cases
reflect this roach. In Gideon
Vv. He power igbt the defendant was
ota d the assistance of
counsel at his criminal trial.
In Geders v. United States, Her-
ring v. New York and Powell v.
ieee Judicial action before
Or during trial prevented counsel
from being fully effective. In
Black v. ited States and O'Brien
v. United States Law enforcement
Ofticers improperly overheard pre-
trial conversations between a
defendant and his lawyer. None
of these deprivations, however,
resulted in the dismissal of
the indictment. Rather, the con-
viction in each case was reversed
and the government was free to
proceed with a new trial. Similarly,
when before trial but after the
institution of adversary proceed-
ings, the prosecution has improperly
obtained incriminating information
from the defendant in the absence oa
of his counsel, the remedy charac- i:
teristically imposed is not to dis-
miss the indictment but to suppress
the evidence or to order a new
trial if the evidence has been
(36a)
wrongfully admitted and the defen-
dant convicted. In addition, cer-
tain violations of the right to
counsel may be disregarded as
harmless error.
(Citations omitted)
The Morrison Court concludes that the courts'
“approach has thus been to identify and then
neutralize the taint by tailoring suitable relief
appropriate in the circumstances to assure the
defendant the effective assistance of counsel and
“a fair trial."
9tn United States v. Estepa, the Court dis-
missed the indictment against the defendant
because the United States Attorney allowed the
Grand Jury testimony to be based upon hearsay.
In light of the Court's prior admonitions and
the United States Attorney's assurances that
their assistants would comply, the court found
reversal of the conviction and dismissal of the
indictment was the only way to guarantee that
future violations would not occur.
101m United States v. Jacobs, the Court dis-
missed Count Z of the indictment against the defen-
dant who was not warned by the Str Force Attor-
ney that she was a target of the Grand Jury and
that she, therefore, had a right to remain silent.
Defendant was questioned about an incriminating
telephone conversation of which the Strike Force
Attorney had taped evidence. The Court held that
in light of the United States Attorney's policy
of advis potential defendants that they are
targets and in light of the Court's earlier deci-
sion upholding the Strike Force Attorney's right
to appear before the Grand Jury on the is that
they are supervised by the U.S. Attorney's Office, =
the Court found a conflict of criminal proce
within the district which prevented the achieve-
ment of "uniform justice” and fell outside the
“penumbra of fair play.”
(37a)
ee al
ST, Pa ees
er Se, ae ae
=
In another case, United States v. Brown,
602 F.2d 1073, 1074 (7d Cir. 1979), cert. denied,
444 U.S. 952 (1979), the court refused to dismiss
the indictment, finding that there was no showing
that the government's "less than exemplary system
for supervising" an informant was representative
of government conduct that was "widespread or
continuous."
|
p
.
:
7
¥
4
*
This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.