In Re Grand Jury Proceedings Witness Bardier

486 F. Supp. 1203, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10573
CourtDistrict Court, D. Nevada
DecidedMarch 6, 1980
DocketCV-LV-79-218, CV-LV-79-217
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 486 F. Supp. 1203 (In Re Grand Jury Proceedings Witness Bardier) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Nevada primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Grand Jury Proceedings Witness Bardier, 486 F. Supp. 1203, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10573 (D. Nev. 1980).

Opinion

DECISION

CLAIBORNE, District Judge.

The within matter is before the Court in these two eases for decision on the Government’s application for contempt order as to both Special Grand Jury witnesses, Albert Bardier and Joan Wheeler. The Special Grand Jury is in the process of investigating alleged violations of 18 U.S.C. §§ 371 and 1962 and 26 U.S.C. §§ 7201 and 7206(1) [racketeering; conspiracy; income tax evasion; false and fraudulent return], the named targets of which are Joseph V. Agosto and Tropicana Hotel & Casino and its affiliate corporations. The witnesses in question, Joan Norris Wheeler and Albert Bardier, are, respectively, the administrative assistant to Agosto and the accountant to Agosto in connection with Agosto’s activities as President of Productions & Leasing, Inc.

In August of 1979, the Government served grand jury subpoenas duces tecum upon the witnesses seeking records and documents under their custody and control. The Wheeler subpoena seeks production of any and all records of Lands West Development Co., Inc., Productions & Leasing Ltd., Inc., Las Vegas Follies, Inc., and Aden Oil Leasing Co., Inc. for the period 1/1/73-12/31/78 to include but not be limited to the following:

1. Bank statements, deposit tickets, can-celled checks, debit and credit memorandums regarding any account maintained for or on behalf of the above-named companies.
2. Sales journals, cash register tapes, sales receipts, charge account receipts or any other record reflecting sales made by the above-named companies.
3. Purchase journals, purchase invoices, or any other records reflecting purchases made by the above-named companies.
4. Cash disbursement journals, cash receipt journals, payroll journal, general journal and general ledger and all subsidiary ledgers including accounts receivable of the above-named companies.
5. Records maintained for the purpose of keeping a perpetual inventory and records generated in the taking of a physical inventory of the above-named companies.
6. Profit and loss statements and balance sheets prepared by or on behalf of the above-named companies.
7. Corporate minute book and stock transfer records of the above-named companies.
8. Stock purchase and sale records made by anyone for or on behalf of the above-named companies.
9. Records (including customer copies) of certificates of deposit, money market certificates, bank money orders and cashier’s checks purchased or redeemed for or on behalf of the above-named companies.

The Bardier subpoena seeks production of “any and all records relating to work performed for or on behalf of Joseph V. Agosto, Mary M. Agosto, Mary Agosto Trust, Pietro Pianetti Trust, Productions & Leasing, Ltd., Lands West Development Company, Inc., Sumo Corp., Tropicana Hotel Productions, Associates of Tropicana, Aden Oil Leasing Company, Inc., Las Vegas Follies, Inc., Cash 10 of Alaska, Agosto’s Nisqually Plaza, Inc., and Margaret White for the period 1/1/73-12/31/78 to include but not be limited to the following:

1. Retained copies of federal tax returns (Forms 1040, 1041, 0165, 1120, 1120S and 941’s).
2. Copies of Requests of Extension of Time to File.
3. Work papers (i. e., bank reconciliations, working trial balances, etc.).
4. Correspondence file, billing records, notes memoranda, etc.
5. Bank statements, cancelled checks, deposit tickets & debit and credit memorandums.
6. Cash receipts and disbursements journals, payroll journals, general journals, general ledgers and all subsidiary ledgers.
*1207 7. Records of funds loaned and borrowed.
8. Financial statements (profit & loss, balance sheets, etc.).
9. Corporate minute books, stock transfer records, partnership agreements and dissolutions.
10. Audit reports.
11. Records of capital and personal expenditures.
12. Inventory Records.
13. Forms 1099 and W-2.
14. Savings account passbooks.
15. Stock brokerage statements.
16. Purchaser’s receipts for all cashiers checks purchased.
17. All other records not specifically enumerated above which reflect or are related to the financial activities of those individuals or entities listed.

The witnesses appeared before the Special Grand Jury in September of 1979 and, at that time, both witnesses refused to testify, asserting the First, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the United States Constitution and 18 U.S.C. § 3504 as the legal basis for their refusal. Accordingly, the Government sought and obtained an application for a contempt order. On November 19, 1979, both witnesses, by and through their attorneys of record, Stanley Greenberg and Stephen Stein, filed a lengthy opposition, expounding upon the aforementioned legal bases for their refusal to testify. Following the Court’s Order of February 5,1980 denying the Government’s motion to disqualify Stein and Greenberg, the applications for contempt order are ripe for decision.

1. 18 U.S.C. § 8504

The witnesses’ first argument is that the Government’s refusal to respond officially to the witnesses’ claim of unlawful electronic surveillance is just cause for the subsequent refusal to testify before the grand jury. By way of this argument, the following further facts appear:

On August 20, 1979, subsequent to the service of the within subpoenas upon the witnesses, Greenberg submitted his affidavit to the Government in which he claimed that certain evidence demanded by the two subpoenas was inadmissible because the Government’s knowledge of the materials and the request therefor, Greenberg alleged, was the primary product of unlawful electronic surveillance or obtained by the exploitation thereof. Specifically, Green-berg claimed in his affidavit: 1) The “Kansas City and Las Vegas affidavits” 1

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Bluebook (online)
486 F. Supp. 1203, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10573, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-grand-jury-proceedings-witness-bardier-nvd-1980.