Opposition Brief — Van Cauwenberghe v. United States
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No. 87-703 | MRC SO wae
§Jn the Supreme Court of the Gnited
OCTOBER TERM, 1987
WILFRIED VAN CAUWENBERGHE, PETITIONER
Vv.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ON PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI
TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
BRIEF FOR THE UNITED STATES IN OPPOSITION
CHARLES FRIED
Solicitor General
WILLIAM F. WELD
Assistant Attorney General
SARA CRISCITELLI
Attorney
Department of Justice
Washington, D.C. 20530
(202) 633-2217
QUESTIONS PRESENTED
1. Whether the attachment of certain of petitioner’s
assets by a civil litigant deprived petitioner of the effective
assistance of counsel, where he was represented by his
chosen retained counsel at every stage of his trial and
where he made no complaint at any stage that he needed
those assets to present an effective defense.
2. Whether petitioner is entitled to seek the return of
seized property under Fed. R. Crim. P. 41(e) after he no
longer has a legal ownership interest in that property.
3. Whether petitioner was unlawfully extradited from
Switzerland.
4. Whether the district court properly ordered peti-
tioner to pay restitution to a defrauded victim who was
named in the indictment, specified in the jury instructions,
and whose loss from petitioner’s fraud was clearly
demonstrated at trial.
5. Whether the district court abused its discretion in
conditioning petitioner’s probation on his agreement not
to leave the United States until the court’s restitution order
was Satisfied.
(I)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
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TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
Cases:
Brauch v. Raiche, 618 F.2d 843 (ist Cir. 1980) .......... 14
Cauwenberghe v. Biard, cert. granted, No. 87-336 (Nov.
OM el) vee ana ceuek ewes’ 10
eR ae RD) oe | 13
Cucuzzella v. Keliikoa, 638 F.2d 105 (9th Cir. 1981) ..... 14
Demjanjuk v. Petrovsky, 776 F.2d 571 (6th Cir. 1985),
cert. denied, 475 U.S. 1016 (1986) .................. 13
Extradition of Russell, In re, 789 F.2d 801 (9th Cir.
aro ead an wy aa de kk ks 13
Government of the United States v. McCaffery, [1984]
ee ed eas cu dks weds was 14
Higdon v. United States, 627 F.2d 893 (9th Cir. 1980) .... 16
Johnson v. Browne, 205 U.S. 309 (1907) ............... 12
oe eee ie A: 13
McGann vy. United States Bd. of Parole, 488 F.2d 39 (3d
Cir. 1973), cert. denied, 416 U.S. 958 (1974) .......... 12
Messina v. United States, 728 F.2d 77 (2d Cir. 1984) .....
Quinn v. Robinson, 783 F.2d 776 (9th Cir. 1986), cert.
denied, No. 86-9 (Oct. 14, 1986) .................... 13
Shapiro v. Ferrandina, 478 F.2d 894 (2d Cir.), cert.
Ca Ek) 13
Sovereign News Co. v. United States, 690 F.2d 569 (6th
Cir. 1982), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 814 (1983) .......... 11
United States v. Brodson, 241 F.2d 107 (7th Cir.), cert.
I OUND oo ec ctw ccccsasccs 10
United States v. Francis, 646 F.2d 251 (6th Cir.), cert.
PE, UE COUED ws oc. kc cc cc ccc eeeese 11, 12
United States v. Harvey, 814 F.2d 905 (4th Cir. 1987) .... 9, 10
United States v. Koenig, 813 F.2d 1044 (9th Cir. 1987) ... 16
United States v. Lewis, 759 F.2d 1316 (8th Cir.), cert.
CR Os 10
(111)
IV
Cases — Continued: Page
United States v. Ortiz, 422 U.S. 891 (1975) ............. ]
United States v. Rauscher, 119 U.S. 407 (1886) ......... 12
United States v. Rubio, 404 F.2d 678 (7th Cir. 1968), cert.
ce eR en rae 10
United Statesv. Sleight, 808 F.2d 1012 (3d Cir. 1987) .... 15
United States v. Thier, 801 F.2d 1463 (1986), modified,
Ok ge Fe |, ree 9
United Statesv. Thirion, 813 F.2d 146 (8th Cir. 1987) .... 12
United States v. Whitney, 785 F.2d 824 (9th Cir. 1986) ... 15
United States v. Woods, 775 F.2d 82 (3d Cir. 1985) ...... 15
Wright v. Henkel, 190 U.S. 40 (1903) ................. 13 7
Youakimv. Miller, 425 U.S. 231 (1976) ................ y
Constitution, treaty, statutes and rule:
oC, SS EE cea eGeeeeeukebee de awe 8, 9, 10
Treaty on Extradition, May 14, 1900, United States-
Switzerland, 31 Stat. 1928:
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ne) Ce ee he le ae silo a eho Oka keane 1-2
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§Jn the Supreme Court of the United States
OCTOBER TERM, 1987
No. 87-703
WILFRIED VAN CAUWENBERGHE, PETITIONER
v.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ON PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI
TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
BRIEF FOR THE UNITED STATES IN OPPOSITION
OPINION BELOW
The opinion of the court of appeals (Pet. App. 6a-24a)
is reported at 814 F.2d 1329. The court’s amendments to
its opinion (Pet. App. la-5a) are reported at 827 F.2d 424.
JURISDICTION
The judgment of the court of appeals was entered on
April 10, 1987, and amended on September 3, 1987. A
petition for rehearing was denied on September 3, 1987.
The petition for a writ of certiorari was filed on October
30, 1987. The jurisdiction of this Court is invoked under
28 U.S.C. 1254(1).
STATEMENT
After a jury trial in the United States District Court for
the Central District of California, petitioner was convicted
of interstate transportation of a person in the execution of
a scheme to defraud that person, in violation of 18 U.S.C.
2314 (Count One), and wire fraud, in viclation of 18
(1)
2
U.S.C. 1343 (Count Two). The district court sentenced
petitioner to imprisonment for a year and a day, to be
followed by aterm of five years’ probation. The court also
fined petitioner a total of $11,000 and ordered him to pay
restitution of $34,501.26 and $458,373.89, respectively, to
two of his victims. The court of appeals affirmed (Pet.
App. la-24a).
1. Petitioner is a Belgian citizen. Between 1979 and
1981, he participated with two American citizens in a
scheme to defraud a Belgian stockbroker and a Belgian
corporation of $3.6 million (Pet. App. 7a). Petitioner and
his two American accomplices, Alan Blair and Gerald
Bilton, falsely represented that they owned the property
on which an apartment complex near Kansas City,
Missouri was built (Gov't C.A. Br. 4-7, 8-9). In reliance on
that representation, the stockbroker, Roger Biard, lent
petitioner $1 million to finance the renovation and conver-
sion of the property to condominiums. The owners of the
corporation, the Vanden Stock family, agreed to buy the
renovated property for $11.5 million. The family paid $1.2
million of that amount in early installments (id. at 5, 10).
Petitioner used the initial receipts from the Vanden Stock
family to make two payments on the Biard loan, but he
defaulted on the final $800,000 that was due (id. at 6-7).
Meanwhile, the Vanden Stock family became concerned
about its investment and sought to renegotiate the condi-
tions under which it could terminate its purchase agree-
ment; Blair received approximately $1.4 million for enter-
ing into an amended agreement with the Vanden Stock
family (/d. at 10-11). Petitioner and Blair later refused a
demand by the Vanden Stock family that their money be
refunded to them (/d. at 11).
Petitioner, Blair, and Bilton were indicted in October
1984 for wire fraud, interstate transportation of a victim
of fraud, and conspiracy to commit fraud (Pet. App.
7a-8a). Because petitioner resides in Belgium and because
3
Belgium does not extradite its nationals, the Justice
Department initially could not proceed against him (id. at
8a n.1). When the Justice Department later learned that
petitioner would be traveling to Geneva, Switzerland, ona
brief business trip, however, the Department filed a provi-
sional arrest request with Swiss authorities, pursuant to
Article VI of the Treaty on Extradition, May 14, 1900, be-
tween the United States and Switzerland, 31 Stat. 1931.
Swiss authorities arrested petitioner in Geneva on
January 14, 1985, as he stepped off his plane (Pet. App.
8a). In addition, the Swiss authorities seized two stock cer-
tificates that petitioner had been keeping in his Swiss ac-
counts, based on the Justice Department’s representation
that it had probable cause to believe the certificates either
were acquired by means of the fraud or would serve to
prove the offense (/bid.). In March 1985, the Department
of State filed a formal request for petitioner’s extradition
(ibid.).
Petitioner raised a challenge in the Swiss courts both to
his extradition and to the seizure of his stock certificates
(Pet. App. 8a-9a). On September 25, 1985, the Swiss
Federal Tribunal, Switzerland’s highest court, ordered
that petitioner be extradited on the substantive charges of
wire fraud and interstate transportation of a victim of
fraud, and that the stock certificates be transmitted to the
United States; the court declined to approve extradition on
a conspiracy count. The Swiss court ruled as follows (No.
A214/85, at 11-14 (official American Embassy transla-
tion)):
(a) According to the extradition request, the peti-
tioner is charged with having acted in concert with at
least two American nationals to defraud certain
Belgian financiers of a total of $3.6 million by falsely
representing a real estate transaction which he was
obviously in no position to carry out. Such facts con-
Stitute a fraudulent scheme to obtain money or other
property by false pretenses, as defined in Article II,
4
Paragraph (6) of the Treaty. If committed in
Switzerland, they would clearly fall within the scope
of Section 148 of the Swiss Penal Code prohibiting
fraud.
However, based on the statutes or the legal basis of
such charge cited in the request for extradition, the
petitioner claims that the Requesting State does not
intend to punish him for fraud, but merely for having
misused interstate communication facilities in the
commission of such offense. This argument is invalid
in that it fails to take into account the specificities of
United States material criminal law, of the U.S.
federalist system and of the separation of powers be-
tween federal law enforcement authorities and those
of each State making up the Union.
* * . * *
Thus, contrary to the argument expressed by the
petitioner in the appeal, the aim of the two main
Statutes cited in the extradition request is to punish
fraudulent acts as defined by Section 148 of the Penal
Code. The fact that the extraditable person used in-
terstate communication or transportation facilities is
invoked essentially as justification for the application
of federal legislation and the jurisdiction of the
federal authorities. In other words, if the scheme to
defraud had been carried out strictly within the ter-
ritorial boundaries of any given state, the perpetrator
would be subject to the penalties contemplated under
the laws of that state and such act would fall within
the jurisdiction of the state law enforcement
authorities. * * * Thus, the statutes merely set forth
the conditions governing the punishment of the of-
fense in question within the Requesting State, which
in no way affect the obligation of the Requested State
to lend assistance in such matter, so long as the tacts
5
charged are punishable under the laws of both States
as required by Article II of the Treaty.
Petitioner was extradited the next day (Pet. App. 9a).
2. Before the stock certificates arrived in the United
States, petitioner moved in the district court for their
return, pursuant to Fed. R. Crim. P. 41(e) (Pet. App. 9a).
The district court preliminarily denied petitioner’s motion
on October 28, 1985, and instead ordered that the cer-
tificates be held “pending litigation of this matter or fur-
ther order of the Court” (Nov. 12, 1985 Tr. 20; Pet. App.
9a). The certificates arrived in the United States sometime
between October 28, 1985, and November 12, 1985, and
were deposited with the clerk of the court (Nov. 12, 1985
Tr. 11).
On November 12, 1985, the court held another hearing
on petitioner’s Rule 41(e) motion (Nov. 12, 1985 Tr.
11-12). At that time, the court was informed that a civil
suit had been filed against petitioner in the district court,
that the plaintiffs in that civil action were seeking a writ of
attachment against the Swiss certificates, and that their re-
quest for a writ of attachment was scheduled for argument
before a magistrate later that afternoon (id. at 14, 16).
Petitioner agreed that the outcome of the attachment pro-
ceeding was relevant to the court’s decision on the Rule
41(e) motion, because he was “not asking [the court] to
order that it go back to [him]” (id. at 24; see also id. at
25-26), and because his Rule 41(e) motion would no longer
matter if a writ of attachment was issued in the civil case
(id. at 28). The district court accordingly denied the mo-
tion pending a decision in the civil action on the applica-
tion for a writ of attachment (/d. at 27, 35-36). Later that
day, the magistrate assigned to the civil proceeding entered
an order attaching the seized assets, which were then
deposited in the registry of the court in connection with
the civil case.
3. The case against petitioner, Blair, and Bilton went
to trial on November 19, 1985 (Pet. App. 9a). The jury
6
found all three defendants guilty on the two substantive
counts, and the district court entered judgment for the
government on January 22, 1986 (id. at 10a). At that time,
the court sentenced petitioner to a $10,000 fine and im-
prisonment for a year and a day on the first count,
crediting him for the 373 days that he had already served
in pretrial confinement, and to a $1,000 fine and a five-
year probation term on the second count (ibid.). As condi-
tions of probation on the second count, the court ordered
petitioner (1) to pay restitution of $34,501.26 to Biard and
$458,373.89 to Roger Vanden Stock, a member of the
Vanden Stock family; (2) not to engage in any real estate
transactions, except to liquidate his property, or any wire
transfers, except to his family; and (3) not to leave the
United States until the restitution had been paid (ibid.).
Finally, on motion by the government and petitioner, the
district court released the stock certificates into the joint
custody of the government and petitioner’s counsel for
purposes of liquidation and ordered that the excess above
the amount due for restitution be redeposited with the
registry of the court for attachment by the parties in the
related civil action (/d. at 11).
4. The court of appeals affirmed and remanded for
modification of the terms of probation (Pet. App.
la-24a). Initially, it rejected petitioner’s argument that his
extradition was improper because “the Treaty does not
identify wire fraud and interstate transportation of a vic-
tim of fraud as extraditable offenses” (id. at 12a). The
court noted that, while “[t]he Treaty does not expressly
name these specific offenses,” it does “include{] ‘obtaining
money or other property by false pretenses [and] receiving
money * * * knowing the same to have been * * *
fraudulently obtained’ ” (/bid. (quoting Treaty, art. II,
para. 6, 31 Stat. 1930)). Applying well-settled principles of
extradition law, the court of appeals deferred to the deci-
ss
7
sion of Switzeriand, the surrendering country, that the of-
fenses charged in the indictment are offenses for which ex-
tradition is authorized by the Treaty (Pet. App. 12a-14a).
The court next rejected petitioner’s argument that the
district court erred in denying his motion under Fed. R.
Crim. P. 4l(e) for the return of the property that was
seized from his Swiss accounts. The court noted that “the
district court found, and [petitioner] admits, that he ir-
revocably transferred full title to the property to his own
attorney and counsel for the United States, acting jointly,
to satisfy his restitution condition” (Pet. App. 21a-22a).
Moreover, it found that this transfer was made voluntarily
(id. at 3a). The court noted that petitioner had “sought
and willingly complied with the [transfer] order” in order
that he might be permitted to leave the country and return
to Belgium (ibid.). Accordingly, it concluded that,
“fajlthough [petitioner] remains the beneficial owner of
the assests and any proceeds derived from their sale, he
has not demonstrated entitlement to lawful possession of
the assets [and] [rjeturn of the assets under Rule 41(e) is
therefore inappropriate” (id. at 4a). The court declined to
“express [a] view on whether the seizure was illegal”
(ibid.), reasoning that “resolution of that question is un-
necessary to the disposition of his Rule 41(e) challenge on
appeal” (id. at 4a-Sa).
The court also rejected petitioner’s argument that he
should not have been required to make restitution to
Roger Vanden Stock (Pet. App. 23a). It noted that “the
entire scheme to defraud Biard and the Vanden Stock
family of 3.6 million dollars was alleged in the indictment
counts for which [petitioner] was convicted” and that,
“fb]y specifying the total amount alleged to have been
fraudulently obtained in the indictment, ‘the indictment
gave [petitioner] fair notice of the damages the govern-
ment intended to prove he caused his victims to suffer and
placed a ceiling above which a restitution order would
have been improper’ ” (ibid. (citation omitted)). The court
8
thus concluded that “[i]t was not improper * * * to impose
restitution for both Biard and Vanden Stock” (ibid.).
Finally, the court of appeals remanded the case to the
district court with instructions to consider modifying the
conditions of petitioner’s probation (Pet. App. 24a). The
court noted that, in response to an earlier remand order,
“the district court [had] found that [petitioner’s} continu-
ing presence in this country no longer serves any proba-
tionary purpose” (ibid. (footnote omitted)). It thus con-
cluded that petitioner’s “probation may be modified to
allow him to return to Belgium” (ibid.).
ARGUMENT
1. Petitioner initially contends (Pet. 10-16) that the
seizure and retention of his stock certificates violated his
Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel,
because it allegedly interfered with his ability to defend
against the criminal charges for which he was indicted.
This contention has no merit and does not warrant review
by this Court.
As a preliminary point, petitioner did not press this
issaé in the same fashion and on the same grounds as he
has done in this Court. In seeking return of the stock cer-
Wels tificates in the district court, petitioner did not suggest,
other than in passing (R. 277uu, 277yy), that he needed the
assets for his defense; counsel for petitioner subsequently
disavowed that he was asking that the stock certificates be
returned to petitioner (Nov. 12, 1985 Tr. 24-27).
Moreover, petitioner did not complain during trial or in
his motion for a new trial that the seizure and detention of
his assets impaired his ability to present a defense. In the
Ninth Circuit, he gave the issue only the slightest atten-
tion; his total discussion of the issue was contained in the
third paragraph of a footnote in his brief. See Pet. C.A.
Br. 27-28 n.40. And even then, petitioner did not suggest
‘Ww thi
Co ucts
9
that he had been denied the effective assistance of counsel,
but rather that the government’s alleged effort to deny him
the effective assistance of counsel had failed because
counsel had represented him in spite of the retention of the
stock certificates. Nowhere in his brief did petitioner sug-
gest that the retention of the certificates made it impossi-
ble to present his defense effectively. The Sixth Amend-
ment claim that petitioner now seeks to raise is thus very
different in character.' This Court should not consider
what amounts to a new issue that petitioner has failed to
litigate below. See Youakim v. Miller, 425 U.S. 231,
234-235 (1976); United States v. Ortiz, 422 U.S. 891, 898
(1975).
Even assuming that the Sixth Amendment question is
properly before the Court, the petitioner errs in suggesting
(Pet. 10-11) that the implicit approval of the seizure and
retention of assets by the court below conflicts with the
decisions of the Fourth and Fifth Circuits in United States
v. Harvey, 814 F.2d 905 (4th Cir. 1987), and United States
v. Thier, 801 F.2d 1463 (1986), modified, 809 F.2d 249
(Sth Cir. 1987), respectively. Harvey and Thier are
attorney-fee forfeiture cases in which the government, by
asserting a priority claim over a defendant’s assets, re-
duced through state action the defendant’s access to funds
for his defense.? In this case, by contrast, although the
initial Swiss seizure followed a government request, the
court retained the assets because private parties had
sought to attach them to protect any future judgment they
' For example, this is the first time that petitioner has asserted (Pet.
15 n.10) that he was unable to depose a defense witness because of in-
sufficient funds.
2 As petitioner acknowledges, the Harvey case is now pending
before the en banc Fourth Circuit, which granted the government’s
petition for en banc review. The panel opinion in Harvey is therefore
of no precedential value even within the Fourth Circuit.
10
might obtain against petitioner in their parallel civil ac-
tion. Nothing in Harvey or Thier suggests that the Sixth
Amendment restricts the ability of private parties to attach
assets of a criminal defendant against whom the private
parties are litigating.
In any event, the record in this case makes it quite clear
that petitioner has received the effective assistance of
counsel and that no Sixth Amendment violation has oc-
curred. Petitioner has been represented by counsel of his
choice, lawyers from the law firm of Williams & Connolly,
from the beginning of pretrial proceedings through the
filing of the petition for a writ of certiorari in this Court.
There is no basis in the record for suggesting that counsel’s
effectiveness has been diminished by the seizure and deten-
tion of the stock certificates. Thus, while a timely Sixth
Amendment claim arguably would not be moot (United
States v. Harvey, 814 F.2d at 929 n.11), it clearly would
fail on the merits. See United States v. Lewis, 759 F.2d
1316, 1327 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 994 (1985);
United States v. Rubio, 404 F.2d 678, 681 (7th Cir. 1968),
cert. denied, 394 U.S. 993 (1969); United States v. Brod-
son, 241 F.2d 107 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 354 U.S. 911
(1957).
2. Petitioner next contends (Pet. 16-21) that the court
of appeals erred in finding that he waived his claim under
Rule 41(e) for return of property by ceding ownership of
the stock certificates to his attorneys. This contention also
has no merit.
Rule 41(e) (emphasis added) states that “[a] person ag-
* The petition need not be held pending the disposition of Van
Cauwenberghe v. Biard, cert. granted, No. 87-336 (Nov. 9, 1987).
That case, which arises out of the separate civil action in which peti-
lioner is involved, presents the questions whether an order denying a
motion to dismiss on grounds of forum non conveniens is an im-
mediately appealable order, and whether an order denying an ex-
tradited person’s claim of absolute immunity from civil process is im-
mediately appealable. The resolution of those questions would not
affect the proper disposition of this case.
11
grieved by an unlawful search and seizure may move the
district court for the district in which property was seized
for the return of the property on the ground that such per-
son is entitled to lawful possession of the property which
was illegally seized.” As noted by the court of appeals
(Pet. App. 3a-4a), however, petitioner is not entitled to
lawful possession of the property that he alleges was il-
legally seized; he ceded his ownership interest in the cer-
tificates to his attorneys in order that he might satisfy the
terms of his probation and be allowed an early return to
Belgium. Thus, under the plain terms of Rule 41(e), peti-
tioner is not entitled to have the stock certificates returned
to him, whether or not he was aggrieved by an unlawful
search and seizure or other constitutional deprivation.
Rule 41(e) does not entitle a person to have assets returned
to him when the person is not lawfully entitled to possess
those assets. See Sovereign News Co. v. United States, 690
F.2d 569, 577 (6th Cir. 1982), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 814
(1983); United States v. Francis, 646 F.2d 251, 263 n.8 (6th
Cir.), cert. denied, 454 U.S. 1082 (1981).
Moreover, contrary to petitioner’s argument (Pet.
16-21), the court of appeals followed the correct path in
declining to decide whether the initial seizure of the prop-
erty was lawful. It may be, as petitioner asserts (Pet.
16-18), that any person with a legally cognizable interest in
private property may prove in a civil action that property
has been unconstitutionally seized and thereby obtain
return of that property (or damages for its unlawful
seizure). It may also be, as petitioner further asserts (Pet.
18-21), that a criminal defendant need not be entitled to
lawful possession of property in order to prove that it was
unconstitutionally seized and therefore should be excluded
from evidence in his criminal trial. But this is not a civil ac-
tion by petitioner for return of the property or for
damages, and the government has not sought to introduce
the stock certificates as evidence in this criminal case. Peti-
tioner has merely sought to have the government return
12
the stock certificates to him pursuant to Rule 41(e). En-
titlement to lawful possession of the property is a
necessary condition for issuance of such an order under
Rule 41(e), and the government has opposed the return of
the property under that rule. Since petitioner is not enti-
tled to lawful possession of the property, he is not entitled
under Rule 41(e) to the relief he seeks. Accordingly, the
court of appeals was correct in holding that resolution of
the legality of the initial seizure was “unnecessary to the
disposition of his Rule 41(e) challenge on appeal” (Pet.
App. 5a). Accord United States v. Francis, 646 F.2d at 263
n.8.
3. Petitioner next claims (Pet. 22-27) that the court of
appeals created a conflict among the circuits by holding
that he could not raise the illegality of his extradition as a
defense in his criminal trial. This claim misstates the con-
clusion of the court below.
The court of appeals did not hold that petitioner may
not raise the illegality of his extradition as a defense in his
criminal trial. Rather, it held that deference was due to the
determination by Switzerland, the asylum country, that
petitioner was charged with an offense covered by the
Swiss-American extradition treaty. That holding is plainly
correct. See Johnson v. Browne, 205 U.S. 309, 316 (1907);
McGann vy. United States Bd. of Parole, 488 F.2d 39, 40
(3d Cir. 1973), cert. denied, 416 U.S. 958 (1974).
None of the decisions that petitioner cites (Pet. 22-23)
are to the contrary. Those decisions hold that, under the
rule of “specialty,” an accused may be tried only for the
offense for which he was delivered up by the asylum coun-
try. See, e.g., United States v. Rauscher, 119 U.S. 407,
422-423 (1886); United States v. Thirion, 813 F.2d 146,
151 (8th Cir. 1987). That principle is not in any way of- -
13
fended when, as here, a defendant is tried on the precise
charges that were presented to the asylum country.*
Even without according any deference to the decision of
the Swiss Federal Tribunal, it is clear that petitioner’s ex-
tradition did not violate the treaty between Switzerland
and the United States and therefore was not illegal. Article
Il, paragraph 6, of the Treaty permits extradition for ob-
taining money or other property by false pretenses (31
Stat. 1930; Pet. App. 48a). The indictment in the instant
case, a copy of which was made available to the Swiss
Federal Tribunal (along with the operative statutes of the
United States), charges that petitioner obtained money
and property by wire fraud and interstate transportation
of a victim of fraud. In other words, the indictment alleges
the kind of offense that is made unlawful in Switzerland
and that is specifically included in the extradition treaty;
the federal crime parallels the Swiss offense except for an
additional element required only in federal prose-
cutions—the nexus with interstate commerce. But the
absence of direct equivalency does not render the extradi-
tion unlawful. See Collins v. Loisel, 259 U.S. 309, 312
(1922); Kelly v. Griffin, 241 U.S. 6, 14 (1916); Wright v.
Henkel, 190 U.S. 40, 58 (1903); In re Extradition of
Russell, 789 F.2d 801, 803-804 (9th Cir. 1986); Quinn v.
Robinson, 783 F.2d 776, 783 (9th Cir. 1986), cert. denied,
No. 86-9 (Oct. 14, 1986); Demjanjuk v. Petrovsky, 776
F.2d 571, 579 (6th Cir. 1985), cert. denied, 475 U.S. 1016
4 Shapiro v. Ferrandina, 478 F.2d 894 (2d Cir.), cert. dismissed, 414
U.S. 884 (1973), does not conflict with the decision below; the Shapiro
case involved a request to extradite an individual from this country to
another country, rather than vice versa. As a tribunal of the asylum
country, the court in Shapiro therefore engaged in a close analysis of
the question whether the offense charged in the foreign state was
covered by the pertinent extradition treaty. That analysis would not
have been necessary if this country had been the requesting country
and a determination of extraditability had been made by a court of the
asylum country.
14
(1986); Messina v. United States, 728 F.2d 77, 79 (2d Cir.
1984); Cucuzzella v. Keliikoa, 638 F.2d 105, 108 (9th Cir.
1981); Brauch v. Raiche, 618 F.2d 843, 850-851 (ist Cir.
1980).°
4. Petitioner next contends (Pet. 27-29) that the court
of appeals erred in approving the award of restitution to
Roger Vanden Stock. But that contention is based upon
the false premise that Vanden Stock was simply a witness
in this criminal case. In fact, the indictment clearly charges
that Vanden Stock was a victim of fraud by petitioner.
Thus, Count One of the indictment, paragraph 5, alleges
that petitioner and his co-defendants “devised and in-
tended to devise and employ a scheme and artifice to
defraud Roger Biard and the Vanden Stock family
(hereinafter victim investors) of approximately $3.6
million by means of false and fraudulent pretenses,
representations and promises * * *.” Paragraphs 6, 7, and
10 of Count One restate the total sum that was obtained
from the “victim investors.” Paragraph 8 sets forth the
various misrepresentations made by petitioner; it includes
allegations of misrepresentations to the Vanden Stock
family. And the final jury instructions required the jury to
find, for Count One, “each of the following elements
beyond a reasonable doubt,” including “that the defendant
knowingly and willfully devised, intended to devise, or
> As petitioner asserts (Pet. 25-26), the Attorney General and the
Secretary of State in 1933 were of the view that direct equivalency was
required and, accordingly, that mail fraud and wire fraud were not ex-
traditable offenses. But that view is no longer the official position of
the government of either the United States or Switzerland. See
Government of the United States v. McCaffery, [1984] 1 W.L.R. 867
(United States appealed successfully to the British House of Lords
from magistrate order denying extradition for mail fraud on the
ground that England has no equivalent jurisdictional element); Swiss
Federal Tribunal, No. A 214/85 (Sept. 25, 1985), at 11-14 (the fact
that United States has a federal system and includes an interstate com-
merce element in the definition of its crime out of respect for jurisdic-
tional boundaries does not change equivalency of offenses).
15
joined a scheme or artifice to defraud or to obtain money
by false pretenses or representations, specifically a scheme
or artifice to defraud Roger Biard and the Vanden Stock
family of approximately $3.6 million” (Tr. 3477 (emphasis
added)).® Thus, the indictment and the jury instructions,
as well as the evidence presented at trial, identified the
members of the Vanden Stock family as defrauded vic-
tims, and petitioner clearly was convicted of defrauding
them. Under these circumstances, it was entirely proper
for the court to order that restitution be paid to Roger
Vanden Stock. See United States v. Sleight, 808 F.2d 1012,
1018-1019 (3d Cir. 1987); United States v. Woods, 775
F.2d 82, 88 (3d Cir. 1985); United States v. Whitney, 785
F.2d 824, 826 (9th Cir. 1986).
5. Finally, petitioner claims (Pet. 29-30) that the
district court lacked the authority to order him to remain
in the United States until the restitution award was paid.
The district court initially found that, because petitioner
had transferred the stock certificates to his attorney and
the government for purposes of paying the restitution
judgment, “no further probationary purpose is to be
served by retaining [petitioner] in the United States” (Pet.
App. 37a-38a). That finding led the court of appeals to re-
mand the case to the district court to consider modifying
the terms of probation (id. at 24a). Petitioner advises that
the district court on remand has made a new finding that
the value of the stock certificates could decline before the
award is satisfied and that petitioner’s continued presence
in the United States is therefore necessary to ensure final
compliance with the restitution order (see Pet. 9).
6 Asto Count Two, the court repeated the requirement that the jury
find a scheme to defraud both Biard and Vanden Stock (Tr. 3482).
16
The court of appeals apparently has not had occasion to
consider the most recent order by the district court. Peti-
tioner therefore is in effect asking this Court to review the
district court’s order on remand without the benefit of
court of appeals review of that order. Petitioner has given
no reason to justify such an unusual exercise of this
Court’s certiorari jurisdiction and, for that reason alone,
review of this issue is unwarranted.
In any event, even if the district court’s order were prop-
erly before the Court, it would be lawful. The requirement
that petitioner remain in this country until the restitution
is paid is reasonably related to a legitimate purpose of the
order of probation and is therefore within the sentencing
court’s discretion. United States v. Koenig, 813 F.2d 1044,
1047 (9th Cir. 1987); Higdon v. United States, 627 F.2d
893, 897 (9th Cir. 1980). Since the probation term is less
onerous than the term of imprisonment the court could
have imposed in its place, and since under a sentence of
imprisonment petitioner could not have left the United
States, it is difficult to ui. .erstand how the requirement
that petitioner remain in the United States as a condition
of his probation could constitute a cruel and unusual
punishment or a violation of due process.
CONCLUSION
The petition for a writ of certiorari should be denied.
Respectfully submitted.
CHARLES FRIED
Solicitor General
WILLIAM F. WELD
Assistant Attorney General
SARA CRISCITELLI
Attorneys
DECEMBER 1987
US GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1967— 202 037/80204
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