Commonwealth v. DiNunzio

24 Mass. L. Rptr. 467
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedSeptember 29, 2008
DocketNo. 062034
StatusPublished

This text of 24 Mass. L. Rptr. 467 (Commonwealth v. DiNunzio) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. DiNunzio, 24 Mass. L. Rptr. 467 (Mass. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

KerN, Leila R., J.

The Defendant, Carmen DiN-unzio, is charged with violating G.L.c. 265, §25 (extortion), G.L.c. 271, §16(a) (organizing and promoting an illegal gaming operation), and G.L.c. 274, §7 (conspiracy to violate the gaming laws). He now moves to suppress evidence intercepted by means of electronic surveillance on the grounds that (1) the evidence was disclosed to a grand jury in violation of the Federal Wiretap Act, 18 USC §2510 et seq., and (2) that the wiretap warrants targeting conversations relating to G.L.c. 271, §16(a) and G.L.c. 274, §7 (illegal gaming and conspiracy) were sought in bad faith as a subterfuge to gather evidence relating to violations of G.L.c. 265, §25 (extortion). After a hearing on July 11, 2008, and based upon the following findings of fact and rulings of law, the Defendant’s Motion to Suppress must be DENIED.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Based on the evidence in the record, the court makes the following findings of fact. During the course of an ongoing investigation of illegal gaming activities, the Essex County District Attorney’s Office requested a warrant to eavesdrop on the telephone conversations of certain named individuals pursuant to G.L.c. 272, §99. The initial wiretap warrant, as well as every renewal warrant issued thereafter, included the designated offenses (gaming and conspiracy), the targets, their telephone numbers, and a minimization order limiting the interception to those conversations dealing with the offenses designated in the warrant. In addition, each warrant included the following language:

If inculpatory communications relating to “designated offenses” set forth in Chapter 272, Section. 99(B)(7),1 other than relating to illegal gaming activities are overheard over said telephones, these conversations may be intercepted in full compliance with the mandate of this order and shall be reported to me at the time for the filing of the next Status Report, or sooner, if feasible. I will determine at that time whether a sufficient showing of probable cause has been made to amend this Order to include conversations concerning these other designated offenses.

References to extortion appear in several of the affidavits filed with the original and renewal warrant applications. For example, the following excerpt appears in the Affidavit of Trooper Nunzio Orlando accompanying the original wiretap warrant request on September 13:

One manner of control, regulation, and supervision that has been maintained over the years by organized crime is the extortion of weekly or monthly “rent” payments from bookmakers in return for being allowed to operate without interference. Bookmakers who have been unwilling to make payments of money to traditional organized crime have been threatened with economic harm or physical injury or death, and instances of physical violence to coerce these payments have occurred.

Affidavit of Trooper Nunzio Orlando, 9/11/01, at p. 7.

Other references to extortion, in the specific context of the gaming operations under investigation in this case, appear in Affidavits submitted by Trooper Orlando throughout the month of November 2001. However, no request was made to expand the warrants to include any offense other than running an illegal gaming operation and conspiracy to violate the gaming laws.

One of the wiretap targets was a man named Joseph Settipane. Settipane ran his own illegal gambling op[468]*468eration that took bets on sporting events and street lotteries. Over the course of the investigation, the police intercepted numerous communications between Settipane and another individual named Anthony Pino. In one of the recorded conversations between Settipane and Pino, Settipane stated he would see “him in the morning over there” to pay him $500. Pino later testified before the grand jury that “him” referred to Carmen DiNunzio, and the $500 was for “administrative costs,” i.e. protection money. Pino testified that he was expected to pay a “hit” of $500 to the Defendant through Settipane. Pino stated that he had no choice but to pay. When Pino was asked if he understood the Defendant to be the “boss” of La Cosa Nostra in Boston, Pino responded that he had heard the rumor, but “[t]hem days, there was guys jockeying for position.”

RULINGS OF LAW

The parties agree that the wiretap warrants obtained in this case are facially valid. They also agree that under G.L.c. 272, §99(P)(l)-(6), suppression of evidence gathered by means of a wiretap is only available in situations where the interceptions were unlawful, the evidence was otherwise illegally obtained, or the warrant was inadequate. The parties also agree that the Commonwealth did not seek explicit judicial authorization prior to introducing evidence relating to extortion to the grand jury. The parties disagree, however, as to whether G.L.c. 272, §99 incorporates a specific provision of the Federal Wiretap Act — 18 USC §2517(5) — relating to the disclosure of evidence of other crimes not listed in the original warrant in judicial proceedings. If this section of the Federal Act is incorporated into the Massachusetts statute, the parties also disagree as to the appropriate remedy for its violation.

This court assumes without deciding that §2517(5) is incorporated into G.L.c. 272, §99. See Commonwealth v. Vitello, 367 Mass. 224, 245-46 (1975) (holding that state legislation authorizing wiretapping and electronic surveillance “may adopt standards more stringent than the requirements of Federal law, thus excluding from state courts evidence which would be admissible in Federal courts, [but] may not adopt standards that are less restrictive . . .”). However, this court finds no violation of §2517(5) in this case. Moreover, even if there had been a violation of §2517(5), this court finds suppression of the evidence is not appropriate absent a finding of bad faith on the part of investigators.

I. Disclosure of “other crimes” evidence did not violate §2517(5)

Section 2517(5) of the Federal Wiretap Act requires law enforcement officers to seek judicial authorization prior to disclosing evidence of crimes not listed in the wiretap warrant before any grand juiy or other judicial proceeding. Section 2515 provides that no evidence intercepted by electronic surveillance can be admitted before a court or grand jury “if the disclosure of that information would be in violation of this chapter.” Since the government made no specific application for judicial authorization, the Defendant argues that the disclosure of evidence of other crimes to the grand juiy violated §2517(5), and that according to §2515 that evidence should not have been admitted. Therefore, DiNunzio concludes that the charge of extortion should be dismissed since the grand juiy’s indictment was based on inadmissible evidence.

Defendant’s position is at odds with federal case law construing §2517(5). In U.S. v. D’Aquila, 719 F.Sup. 98 (D.Conn. 1989), the government procured a warrant to eavesdrop on communications relating to state gambling offenses, but the fruits of the search were later used to support federal indictments for illegal gambling and extortion. The court noted that there was no specific procedure for obtaining judicial authorization to disclose evidence of other crimes under §2517(5). In other words, authorization might be gotten other than by making application specifically under §2517(5). In U.S. v. London, 66 F.3d 1227 (1st Cir.

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Related

United States v. Arthur Tortorello
480 F.2d 764 (Second Circuit, 1973)
United States v. Isadore Marion
535 F.2d 697 (Second Circuit, 1976)
United States v. John S. McKinnon
721 F.2d 19 (First Circuit, 1983)
Commonwealth v. Vitello
327 N.E.2d 819 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1975)

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Bluebook (online)
24 Mass. L. Rptr. 467, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-dinunzio-masssuperct-2008.