First City National Bank v. United States

602 F. Supp. 146, 55 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 774, 1984 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22134
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Texas
DecidedNovember 8, 1984
DocketNo. EP-84-CA-231
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 602 F. Supp. 146 (First City National Bank v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
First City National Bank v. United States, 602 F. Supp. 146, 55 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 774, 1984 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22134 (W.D. Tex. 1984).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

HUDSPETH, District Judge.

On June 25 and June 28, 1984, the Internal Revenue Service, acting pursuant to the authority of 26 U.S.C. § 6851, terminated the 1984 tax year of Mardoqueo M. Alfaro, and assessed income taxes totaling $28,-341,706.00. In the form of a cross-claim in an interpleader action, Alfaro seeks to challenge pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 7429 both the reasonableness of the termination assessment and the appropriateness of the amount.

On June 21, 1984, Special Agent Robert Paiz of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Santa Ana, California, received information from a confidential informant that a Latin couple registered under the name “Avendano” in Room 241 of the Anaheim Travelodge were engaged in some type of narcotic transaction. Investigation by Agent Paiz verified that a “Federico Avendano” was registered in Room 241; -that the couple had paid cash in advance for the room, and that at least one international phone call had been made and charged to that room. No activity was observed on June 21, so surveillance was discontinued. The following day, however, surveillance agents saw a 1984 Volkswagen with dealer tags arrive at Room 241, and a Latin female with a small child got out of the car, opened the door with a key, and entered the room. When she came out again, agents followed her to Room 221 of another Anaheim motel called the Convention Center Inn. The agents then established surveillance on the second motel. Examination of the records of the . Convention Center Inn revealed that Room 221 was registered to “Carlos Valdez” of Guadalajara, Mexico; Room 222 was registered to Alfaro Mardoqueo of Guadalajara, and Room 335 was occupied by “Avendano.”

As surveillance continued on the Convention Center Inn, the agents observed a male individual emerge from Room 221 with a brown cardboard box. He placed the box in a 1975 Volkswagen and drove away. The agents followed the Volkswagen to the San Diego Freeway, and observed that the driver turned north toward Los Angeles. As the agents followed the vehicle on the Freeway, they observed that it changed lanes frequently and drove “erratically.” The agents decided to stop this vehicle and to question the driver. Upon questioning, the driver stated that his [148]*148name was Carlos Felix-Sanchez; that he was from Mexico; that he was in California on a “social visit,” and that he was staying in Anaheim at Room 335 of the Convention Center Inn. The cardboard box which Felix had removed from Room 221 and placed in his vehicle contained a sophisticated money-counting machine. As the agents drove back toward Anaheim with Felix, he informed them that they would find a lot of money in the motel room.

Upon returning the Convention Center Inn, the agents found the Latin woman previously seen, who gave her name as Ana Luisa Avendano, occupying Room 335. She admitted to being the occupant of Room 241 at the Travelodge also, and she consented to the search of both rooms. In Room 335, the agents found another money-counting machine and two cardboard boxes full of money. The search was expanded to include Rooms 221 and 222. In Room 221, which was occupied by a male individual giving his name as Jesus Guerrero, the agents found more cardboard boxes full of money. A dog trained to detect the odor of narcotic drugs was brought to the motel, and he “alerted” to the containers of money in both Rooms 335 and 221. Guerrero stated that the occupant of Room 222 (whose name was Mardoqueo Alfaro according to registration documents) was not present, and that he could not give the agents permission to take the dog into Room 222. The agents obtained a search warrant for Room 222, and found therein additional large quantities of money, to which the dog again alerted. A total of $4,100,000.00 in United States currency was found in the three motel rooms. In addition, the agents found a deposit slip indicating the deposit of $626,000.00 in currency in the Bank of Coronado of San Ysidro, California on June 21, 1984. The money and records were seized, as were the two money-counting machines. The machines were submitted to the DEA laboratory, where they were “vacuumed” in order to determine whether any narcotic drug residue was present. Laboratory tests were positive for traces of cocaine.

Both Carlos Felix-Sanchez and Jesus Guerrero were arrested on suspicion of dealing in drugs. After his arrest, Felix-Sanchez indicated that he desired to cooperate with the agents. He told them that he had been employed by individuals from Mexico to collect money in California for return to Mexico. He also stated that he had been in Anaheim at the same motel about two weeks before, and that the purpose of that trip was also to collect money for the same people. Felix-Sanchez declined to identify the people for whom these services were being performed, but he stated that the money in question came from “drogas.”1

The seizure of currency occurred on a Saturday. On Monday or Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Byrd in Los Angeles was contacted by a California attorney named Charles Garry, who said that he represented Felix-Sanchez and Guerrero, and that the money seized did not belong to them. Garry advised AUSA Byrd that the money belonged to Mardoqueo Al-faro of Guadalajara, Mexico, and that the two individuals arrested were just his agents. Garry further informed Byrd that the 4.1 million dollars seized in Anaheim had been brought into the United States from Mexico in a legal manner, and that it was all intended for deposit in the Bank of Coronado. About this time, the Drug Enforcement Administration received information from confidential informants that Alfaro was involved in a drug trafficking ring that dealt in large quantities of cocaine, heroin, and marihuana, and that the illicit profits of this ring averaged $10,000,-000 to $20,000,000 a month.

Utilizing the information outlined above, Agents of the Internal Revenue Ser[149]*149vice set out to calculate the federal income taxes owed by Alfaro for the calendar year 1984. Using the estimate of $10,000,000 a month profit for five and three-quarters months (from January 1, 1984 to June 21, 1984), the revenue agents calculated federal income taxes due and owing in the amount of $28,341,706.00. Pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 6851, a termination assessment was made.2 The Internal Revenue Service then proceeded to levy on all assets located within the United States in which Alfaro was believed to have an interest. The assets levied upon included approximately 6.5 million dollars in deposits in the First City National Bank of El Paso, Texas.

On July 2, 1984, Plaintiff First City National Bank filed an interpleader action in the 243rd District Court of El Paso County, Texas, asking that court to determine whether the funds on deposit belonged to the United States Government or to Mr. Alfaro and his associates. Defendant United States of America removed the state court action to this Court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1441(a). By way of cross-claim, Defendant Alfaro promptly challenged the termination assessment.

A. Venue.

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730 F. Supp. 1097 (S.D. Florida, 1990)

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Bluebook (online)
602 F. Supp. 146, 55 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 774, 1984 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22134, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-city-national-bank-v-united-states-txwd-1984.