State v. Todd DiMiceli

CourtCourt of Appeals of Wisconsin
DecidedSeptember 16, 2021
Docket2020AP001302-CR
StatusUnpublished

This text of State v. Todd DiMiceli (State v. Todd DiMiceli) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Todd DiMiceli, (Wis. Ct. App. 2021).

Opinion

COURT OF APPEALS DECISION NOTICE DATED AND FILED This opinion is subject to further editing. If published, the official version will appear in the bound volume of the Official Reports. September 16, 2021 A party may file with the Supreme Court a Sheila T. Reiff petition to review an adverse decision by the Clerk of Court of Appeals Court of Appeals. See WIS. STAT. § 808.10 and RULE 809.62.

Appeal No. 2020AP1302-CR Cir. Ct. No. 2018CF91

STATE OF WISCONSIN IN COURT OF APPEALS DISTRICT IV

STATE OF WISCONSIN,

PLAINTIFF-RESPONDENT,

V.

TODD DIMICELI,

DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.

APPEAL from a judgment of the circuit court for Dodge County: MARTIN J. DE VRIES, Judge. Affirmed.

Before Kloppenburg, Fitzpatrick, and Graham, JJ.

¶1 GRAHAM, J. Todd DiMiceli appeals a judgment of conviction for two counts of possession of child pornography. He argues that the circuit court erroneously denied his motion to suppress evidence derived from a court-ordered subpoena for records from his internet service provider. Specifically, DiMiceli No. 2020AP1302-CR

contends that the evidence should be suppressed because law enforcement did not serve the subpoena within five days as required by WIS. STAT. § 968.375(6) (2019-20).1 We conclude that, under the circumstances, law enforcement’s noncompliance with § 968.375(6) was a technical irregularity or error, and that it did not affect DiMiceli’s substantial rights. Therefore, based on § 968.375(12), we affirm the circuit court.

BACKGROUND

¶2 This appeal arises out of an investigation conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (the Department) into the sharing of child pornography over peer-to-peer networks. The pertinent facts are not in dispute.

¶3 On September 4, 2015, a Department agent downloaded four files containing what the agent believed to be child pornography from a specific IP address, thereby identifying that IP address as a potential source of child pornography.2 The agent determined that the IP address was registered to Charter Communications.

¶4 On October 23, 2015, the Department secured a court-ordered subpoena under WIS. STAT. § 968.375. Although the subpoena was not made part

1 All references to the Wisconsin Statutes are to the 2019-20 version unless otherwise noted. 2 An IP address is a “‘unique address that identifies a device on the Internet.’” State v. Baric, 2018 WI App 63, ¶4, 384 Wis. 2d 359, 919 N.W.2d 221 (quoted source omitted). Internet service providers maintain records of IP addresses assigned to their subscribers. See United States v. Christie, 624 F.3d 558, 563 (3d Cir. 2010).

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of the record on appeal, the parties generally agree on its contents. 3 The subpoena ordered Charter to provide, among other things, IP assignment logs for the IP address on the date that the agent downloaded the files from that address, including the subscriber’s name and service address. Pursuant to § 968.375(6), the circuit court ordered the Department to serve the subpoena within five days.

¶5 On November 2, 2015—nine calendar days after the circuit court issued the subpoena—the agent sent it to Charter’s legal department by facsimile transmission. The following day, Charter provided DiMiceli’s name, among other things, and identified the service address as that of DiMiceli’s residence in Hustisford, Wisconsin.

¶6 After further investigation, the Department obtained a warrant to search the premises of the Hustisford residence and seize items that may contain evidence of child pornography. The warrant application identified DiMiceli’s name and address, which was information obtained through the subpoena for Charter’s records. The search of DiMiceli’s residence resulted in the seizure of hard drives, computers, and other devices, which were subsequently searched pursuant to a second warrant. The Department found additional images of child pornography on those devices.

3 In his appellate briefing, DiMiceli’s counsel includes citations to materials that are contained in the appendix but not in the record. This practice violates the Rules of Appellate Procedure. WISCONSIN STAT. § 809.19(1)(e) requires citations to the parts of the record that are relied on in the argument section of the brief. The appendix is not the record, United Rentals, Inc. v. City of Madison, 2007 WI App 131, ¶1 n.2, 302 Wis. 2d 245, 733 N.W.2d 322, and we do not consider any materials not in the record, South Carolina Equip., Inc. v. Sheedy, 120 Wis. 2d 119, 125-26, 353 N.W.2d 63 (Ct. App. 1984). We caution counsel not to ask us to consider materials that are not in the record.

3 No. 2020AP1302-CR

¶7 DiMiceli was charged with six counts of possession of child pornography. DiMiceli filed a motion seeking to suppress all evidence derived from the untimely served subpoena. The circuit court denied the motion. DiMiceli then pled guilty to two of the counts pursuant to a plea agreement,4 and he now appeals the judgment of conviction based on the denial of his suppression motion.

DISCUSSION

¶8 WISCONSIN STAT. § 968.375 provides statutory authority and requirements for court-issued subpoenas and warrants that are directed at persons who provide electronic communication or remote computing services and that compel the disclosure of information about their subscribers. At issue in this appeal is the proper interpretation and application of this statute—a question of law that we review de novo. Rechsteiner v. Hazelden, 2008 WI 97, ¶26, 313 Wis. 2d 542, 753 N.W.2d 496. Statutory interpretation “begins with the language of the statute,” and “[s]tatutory language is given its common, ordinary, and accepted meaning, except that technical or specially-defined words or phrases are given their technical or special definitional meaning.” State ex rel. Kalal v. Circuit Ct. for Dane Cnty., 2004 WI 58, ¶45, 271 Wis. 2d 633, 681 N.W.2d 110.

¶9 Under WIS. STAT. § 968.375(2)(a), upon a showing of probable cause, a judge may issue a subpoena requiring an electronic communication or remote computing services provider to disclose information, including a

4 The other counts were dismissed but read in for sentencing purposes. See Austin v. State, 49 Wis. 2d 727, 732, 183 N.W.2d 56 (1971) (describing Wisconsin’s read-in procedure).

4 No. 2020AP1302-CR

subscriber’s name and address.5 Section 968.375(6) sets forth a deadline for serving such subpoenas: “A subpoena or warrant issued under this section shall be served not more than 5 days after the date of issuance.” In this case, it is undisputed that the subpoena requiring the disclosure of DiMiceli’s subscriber information was supported by probable cause as required by § 968.375(2)(a). It is also undisputed that the Department did not comply with § 968.375(6)’s five-day service deadline, and that it served the subpoena after the deadline had already passed.6

¶10 In some circumstances, evidence may be suppressed as a remedy for noncompliance with statutory requirements. State v. Popenhagen, 2008 WI 55, ¶¶12, 13 & n.10, 57-61, 309 Wis. 2d 601, 749 N.W.2d 611. But not every violation of a warrant or subpoena statute will result in the suppression of evidence. State v. Sveum, 2010 WI 92, ¶¶57-58, 328 Wis. 2d 369, 787 N.W.2d 317; State v. Raflik, 2001 WI 129, ¶15, 248 Wis. 2d 593, 636 N.W.2d 690; State v. Elam, 68 Wis. 2d 614, 620, 229 N.W.2d 664 (1975). The question in this appeal is whether DiMiceli is entitled to suppression of the evidence derived from

5 Specifically, WIS. STAT. § 968.375(2)(a) provides:

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State v. Todd DiMiceli, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-todd-dimiceli-wisctapp-2021.