In re Certain Proceedings before the 1959 Grand Jury

212 F. Supp. 823, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6905
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedJanuary 14, 1963
DocketGJ No. 10507
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 212 F. Supp. 823 (In re Certain Proceedings before the 1959 Grand Jury) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Certain Proceedings before the 1959 Grand Jury, 212 F. Supp. 823, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6905 (N.D. Ill. 1963).

Opinion

CAMPBELL, Chief Judge.

This matter is now before me again on motion of respondent, Armando Piemonte, to reduce a sentence of 18 months heretofore imposed upon him by me for contempt of court.

In 1958 respondent was sentenced to a term of six years for conviction of two sales of heroin. On August 10, 1959, while incarcerated in a federal prison, respondent, pursuant to a writ of habeas corpus ad testificandum, appeared as a witness before the Federal Grand Jury of this District. He was permitted to consult with counsel and thereafter the Grand Jury asked him questions relating to general trafficking in narcotics and more specifically to the source of his heroin in the past. He declined to answer any of the questions, other than the giving of his name and an admission of his imprisonment, claiming privilege under the Fifth Amendment. Pursuant to Title 18 U.S.C. § 1406 the Government filed an application with this Court stating that the Grand Jury was investigating illegal trafficking in narcotics, and that it was in the public interest that respondent be granted immunity to testify before the Grand Jury concerning violations of the narcotic laws.

After full hearing in open Court, I granted the Government’s application, and advised the respondent and his attorney that he now had immunity and [825]*825accordingly directed him to answer the Grand Jury’s questions. I explained my ruling and its possible consequences to him and admonished him that failure now to comply could result in his being cited for contempt of court. After conferring again with his attorney, respondent once again appeared before the Grand Jury and once again declined to answer questions upon the ground that the answers thereto would tend to incriminate him.

Thereupon the entire Grand Jury presented the respondent in open Court advising me of his continued refusal to answer the questions asked. I again gave respondent a further opportunity to comply with my order and upon his continued refusal I entered an order upon him to show cause why he should not be held in criminal contempt. At the subsequent hearing, in which respondent was again represented by counsel, the only reason offered for his refusing to testify was a claimed fear for his own safety and the safety of his wife and children. I repeatedly requested of him that he obey the Court order, only to be met by his persistent refusal. The hearing accordingly proceeded concluding on August 18, 1959, when I found respondent to be in contempt of court and imposed the consecutive 18 month sentence now sought to be reduced.

On September 2, 1959, the same Grand Jury indicted the respondent for violations of the narcotic laws. On later motion of the Government however, this indictment was dismissed. The respondent appealed the contempt judgment and sentence. Both were affirmed by the Court of Appeals (7 Cir., 276 F.2d 148) and by the Supreme Court (367 U.S. 556, 81 S.Ct. 1720, 6 L.Ed.2d 1028).

In his present motion seeking a reduction in sentence I note that the supporting reasons advanced by respondent are in effect solely the argument and reasoning contained in the dissenting opinions of the Supreme Court at the time it affirmed this contempt sentence. Piemonte v. United States, 367 U.S. 556, 561, 81 S.Ct. 1720, 6 L.Ed.2d 1028. I am, accordingly, now presented with the unfortunate and unpleasant task of being required to comment on some of the thoughts and philosophy found in the dissenting opinions of learned Justices of the Supreme Court. In order properly to consider this motion in the manner it is argued by his counsel I am obviously presented no other alternative.

The arguments found in the Supreme Court dissenting opinions, now espoused and offered by the respondent, seem to be either basically legal or sociological in nature. I shall therefore consider seriatim first the legal and then the sociological contentions as advanced in respondent’s brief.

Initially, it is urged that a judge should not possess a summary contempt power, but, rather that a jury trial should be granted in such cases. Although I personally would welcome a jury to relieve me of the grave responsibility cast upon me in matters of this nature, the present state of the law does not permit such a course of action. The rationale! behind the law on this subject seems) predicated upon the trial judge’s first-) hand knowledge of the factual circum-j stances generally related to contempt actions. The power of a judge to exercise summary contempt power is regarded as fundamental and as necessary to our common law heritage as is the privilege against self incrimination. Anglo-American legal history fails to indicate either the need or the desirability of a jury trial in a contempt proceeding. I cannot see where my following the law in conducting a bench trial in this case now warrants a reduction of sentence on this ground. As to the gratuitous and irrelevant references to police state methods, I might observe that those who crusade, even with justification and quite properly for individual rights and liberties and against an imaginary police state, should not on the other hand close their eyes to the individual’s corresponding fundamental duties to society as a whole, and thus aid in bringing about the [826]*826antithesis of the police state, the police-less state.

, [2,3] The second legal contention seems to suggest that this contempt action in effect sought to compel testimony which could not have been compelled at respondent’s original trial. This contention is obviously correct. At the original trial the respondent, being a defendant in a ciiminal trial, could refuse to take the witness stand during his own prosecution, or if appearing as a witness in his own defense could have declined to answer questions such as those involved herein, rightfully claiming his privilege against self incrimination. However, neither of these two situations existed at the time of his trial and sentence for contempt of court. Not being a criminal defendant, he could be and was properly called as a witness and therefore had a duty to give testimony. ! As to the extent and nature of his testiAmony, it is, of course, correct that he, /as all witnesses, may refuse to disclose 1 information which could tend to incrimi- / nate him. However, as a result of my order granting him immunity, respondent could not possibly incriminate himS self in any way by his testimony to the / Grand Jury. Such an expurgation of the possible crime obviously removes the privilege against self incrimination. This is as it should be, for the privilege exists only to protect against the legal consequences of criminal conduct and, having once removed or taken away the legal consequences, so also the privilege is removed. Ullmann v. United States, 350 U.S. 422, 76 S.Ct. 497, 100 L.Ed. 511. Clearly the patently obvious legislative purpose in the enactment of Sec. 1406 was to provide such a method by which testimony could be secured without fear of a witness implicating himself.

Thirdly, in the legal category, [ I consider the suggestion that my finding \of respondent in contempt of court violated the spirit of the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment.

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