People v. Laino

176 N.E.2d 571, 10 N.Y.2d 161, 218 N.Y.S.2d 647, 1961 N.Y. LEXIS 1085
CourtNew York Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 7, 1961
StatusPublished
Cited by37 cases

This text of 176 N.E.2d 571 (People v. Laino) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Laino, 176 N.E.2d 571, 10 N.Y.2d 161, 218 N.Y.S.2d 647, 1961 N.Y. LEXIS 1085 (N.Y. 1961).

Opinion

Foster, J.

Defendant was convicted after a non jury1 trial at an Extraordinary Special and Trial Term of the Supreme Court, County of Oneida, of three counts of income tax evasion, in violation of sections 376 (subd. 4) and 386-j of the Tax Law of the State of New York. A sentence of nine months’ imprisonment in Oneida County Jail was imposed on each count, the terms of imprisonment to run concurrently. The Appellate Division, Fourth Department, has unanimously affirmed the judgment of conviction, and defendant appeals pursuant to a certificate of a Judge of this court.

Defendant, questioning the validity of the underlying indictment, contends (1) that his privilege against self incrimination was violated, when, as a prospective defendant or target of the Extraordinary Grand Jury investigation, he testified before that [164]*164body pursuant to subpoena (People v. Steuding, 6 N Y 2d 214), and (2) that immunity from prosecution had been conferred upon him as to any transaction, matter or thing revealed by his testimony.

In June, 1958 a Special Assistant Attorney-General was appointed to conduct an investigation into various criminal enterprises in the County of Oneida. On September 25, 1958 the Department of Audit and Control of the State of New York (Division of Municipal Affairs) forwarded to the Special Prosecutor a report of the examination of the accounts and fiscal affairs of the City of Utica, County of Oneida, covering the period from January 1, 1954 through December 31, 1957. That report indicated that during the years in question, though “Purchases of such items, in each year, were considerably in excess of the $500 limitation ”, competitive bids were not obtained by the City of Utica in connection with the purchase of fuel oil, gasoline, tires and tubes (Second Class Cities Law, § 120). The foregoing report had been printed in the Utica Observer-Dispatch on September 24, 1958, and the contents thereof were a matter of record.

Thereafter, the Governor, in October, 1958, appointed an Extraordinary Special and Trial Term of the Supreme Court to preside over matters arising out of the investigation, and by executive order authorized the Special Assistant Attorney-General to attend an Extraordinary Grand Jury, to inquire into, inter alia, prostitution, gambling and official corruption in the County of Oneida.

Because of the apparent disregard of competitive bidding requirements, the Grand Jury desired to ascertain whether or not there had been any conspiracy or official corruption involved in the purchase of tires and other supplies by the City of Utica. On March 24, 1959 defendant, a partner in Laino-Fisk Tire Service, one of two principal vendors of tires to the City of Utica, was served with a subpoena duces tecum, requiring that lie appear before the Grand Jury on March 31, 1959, and that he bring ‘ ‘ All books and records, including but not limited to, cash receipts and disbursement books, sales records, purchase records, cancelled checks and bank statements, etc., for the period January 1, 1957 to date”. Pursuant to subpoena served on March 19, 1959, defendant Laino had appeared with counsel [165]*165at the Attorney-General’s office on March 24, 1959, at which time he affirmatively had asserted his privilege against self incrimination as to various of his business records. All records were returned to him at that time.

Upon defendant’s appearance before the Grand Jury on March 31, 1959, the following colloquy occurred:

‘ ‘ A. Before we start here, I brought my books consistent with the subpoena. I refuse to hand over my records as advised by counsel, unless I get full and complete immunity, not only as to my books, but as to each and every question. That’s on the record.
Q. That was taken down, of course, by the stenographer here present. Is there anything else you would like to state presently in that connection? Is there anything else your counsel would like to have you put on the record? A. Yes, one more thing. Before I testify for the purpose of the record, my counsel has advised me to request the following information from this body: Am I a defendant?
Q. All right. I’ll answer that first. Mr. Laino, you are not a defendant presently before this Grand Jury.
A. All right. And if I am not a defendant and I am a prospective witness, if I am a witness, what is the subject of the inquiry, what persons are involved and what charges are made against these persons?
Q. The second question you asked, as I understand it, was if you are a witness, what is the subject of the inquiry. The subject of the inquiry, Mr. Laino, is the nature of the tire purchases undertaken by the city from your partnership, and this Grand Jury seeks to obtain the records presently, as %ve understand it, in your custody to determine the nature of the purchases, the amount and whether or not, under the Governor’s order impanelling this Grand Jury, there is any official corruption m that regard. Now, after you asked the subject of the inquiry, you asked something else. You said something— A. What persons are involved and wrhat charges are made against these persons?
Q. There are no present charges against any particular person in this regard. No charges would be made [166]*166unless it appeared that there is a violation of the law. That is what the Grand Jury is seeking to determine.
Is there anything else? A. I am to understand that I am going to be granted full ancl complete immunity?
Q. You, of course, Mr. Laino, have to understand whatever your counsel tells you. I am going to tell you this: You are not permitted under the law to demand immunity from a Grand Jury. If you feel that any testimony that you might give before the Grand Jury might tend to incriminate you, you are then entitled to claim that privilege. Is that clear to you? A. Clear.
Q. Now if you claim that privilege, Mr. Laino, yon must state that you claim your privilege not to testify on the ground that the answers that you might give might tend to incriminate you. Do you understand that, sir? A. I understa/nd.
Q. Now the Grand Jury, of course, cannot grant you immunity blanket immunity, unless you do claim your privilege. A. I want complete immunity on each and every question I am going to answer.
Q. I must therefore direct questions to you, you see, and if you claim your privilege not to testify—
A. (Interposing) I will ask for immumty.
Q. It isn’t a matter of just asking for immunity. You have to claim the privilege on the ground that your answer may tend to incriminate you. A. Okay.
Q. Then, Mr. Laino, to make sure that you understand, 1 am going to ask you questions that I feel are appropriate to the inquiry here before the Grand Jury.
If you claim your privilege—if you feel that you should claim your privilege, then you do so. All right, sir?
A. Yes.” (Emphasis supplied.)

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Bluebook (online)
176 N.E.2d 571, 10 N.Y.2d 161, 218 N.Y.S.2d 647, 1961 N.Y. LEXIS 1085, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-laino-ny-1961.