Kiley v. United States

260 F. Supp. 2d 248, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3594, 2003 WL 1092752
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedFebruary 13, 2003
DocketCIV.A. 97-30176-FHF
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 260 F. Supp. 2d 248 (Kiley v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kiley v. United States, 260 F. Supp. 2d 248, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3594, 2003 WL 1092752 (D. Mass. 2003).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

FREEDMAN, Senior District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

Acting pro se, Bernard Kiley, Sr. (“Kiley” or “petitioner”) has moved this Court to vacate, set aside, or correct his federal prison sentence under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (“section 2255”). Kiley requests relief on the grounds that his convictions stemming from the robbery of an armored car resulted from violations of his Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment rights. The petitioner seeks a new trial or, in the alternative, additional discovery and an evidentiary hearing. The United States of America (“government”) opposes the motion.

II. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

The Court recites only those facts pertinent to Kiley’s section 2255 petition and reserves a more detailed discussion for later. For a fuller rendition, see United States v. Procopio, 88 F.3d 21 (1st Cir. 1996).

A. The Berkshire Armored Car Robbery

On April 9, 1991, three armed and masked individuals held up a Berkshire Armored Car (“BAC”) as it was being loaded in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The robbers made off with $1.2 million in cash. Suspicious spending habits led law enforcement to the door of the petitioner, Bernard Kiley, as well as to Vincent Lattanzio, Donald Abbott, Francis Procopio, and Charles Gattuso. Among the search warrants obtained and executed, agents executing a search warrant at 79-81 Inter-vale Road in Brockton, Massachusetts (“Intervale search”) discovered a cache of firearms and disguises. 1 Kiley’s section 2255 petition bases most of its claims on the legality of and circumstances surrounding this particular search. The Court will discuss the factual and procedural history of the Intervale search momentarily.

For his part, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Kiley with bank robbery, see 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a), conspiracy and interference with commerce by means of a bank robbery, see 18 U.S.C. § 1951, using a firearm *252 during the commission of a violent crime, see 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1), money laundering, see 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1)(B)®, aiding and abetting, see 18 U.S.C. § 2, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, see 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). This Court severed the robbery charges from the firearms charges and ordered two separate trials. 2 The government introduced the weapons and disguises seized during the Intervale search at both trials, in the robbery trial as evidence of a “criminal association” between Kiley and Lattanzio, and in the firearms trial as evidence of Kiley’s and Lattanzio’s possession of firearms while being convicted felons. Two separate federal juries convicted Kiley and Lattanzio of all the counts listed previously.

On April 20, 1995, the Court sentenced Kiley to 45 years in prison and 5 years supervised release. The Court increased Kiley’s sentence under the Armed Career Criminal Act of 1984 (“ACCA”) for his possession of firearms, because he was previously convicted of a violent felony and two serious drug convictions. See 18 U.S.C. § 924(e). On appeal, the First Circuit affirmed the convictions. See generally Procopio, 88 F.3d 21. The Supreme Court denied Kiley’s writ of certiorari less than a year later. See Kiley v. United States, 519 U.S. 1138, 117 S.Ct. 1008, 136 L.Ed.2d 886 (Feb. 18, 1997). Kiley initially petitioned this Court to vacate his sentence pursuant to section 2255 on August 14, 1997, see Motion to Vacate Sentence (Doc. No. 2), but has since amended and supplemented his motion numerous times. 3

B. The Intervale Search

The surveillance and search of 79-81 Intervale Street, a house with apartments on each of its three floors, in Brockton, Massachusetts, is of particular relevance to this petition. Most of the following comes from testimony at both trials.

Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) placed Kiley under surveillance after several confidential informants implicated Kiley in the Pittsfield BAC robbery. On June 7, 1993, FBI Special Agent Gerald Downes (“Agent Downes”) submitted to this Court an affidavit and application for a warrant to search what Agent Downes claimed to be Kiley’s residence at 79 Intervale Road. The Court issued the warrant.

On June 8,1993, a team of FBI and IRS agents went to 79-81 Intervale Road to execute the search warrant. The agents arrested Lattanzio outside of the house and entered the first floor, which was designated 79 Intervale Road, looking for Kiley. Once inside, the agents realized that the search warrant specified the wrong address, as another tenant was found inside that apartment. As a result of statements made to one of the agents, the search team proceeded up the back staircase to conduct a protective sweep of the apartments located upstairs. Stirred by shouts of “FBI,” Kiley fled out of the third floor apartment and down the front staircase, where he was arrested by an agent waiting outside of the house. With Lattanzio and Kiley both in custody, the *253 agents delayed the start of their search as arrangements were made to obtain a new search warrant specifying the correct address, which was 81 Intervale Road.

Agent Downes called IRS Agent Jessica Crocker, advising her that the search warrant needed to be changed to reflect the correct address. Crocker prepared a new affidavit and application and submitted them to this Court, which issued a new search warrant for 81 Intervale Road.

Armed with a new search warrant, the agents searched 81 Intervale. During the search, agents seized weapons, disguises, and other paraphernalia, all of which included a Massachusetts State Police Uniform, a mold for a State Police badge, two pairs of handcuffs, a bullet proof vest, two rubber masks, a Chinese assault rifle and ammunition, two Glock 9mm pistols, and fake identifications cards with pictures of Kiley and Lattanzio on them.

C. Kiley’s Motion to Suppress Items Seized During the Intervale Search

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Bluebook (online)
260 F. Supp. 2d 248, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3594, 2003 WL 1092752, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kiley-v-united-states-mad-2003.