United States v. Antonio Young, Gustavo Hernandez, Federico Manon, Martin Reyes, and Charles Molina

822 F.2d 1234, 1987 U.S. App. LEXIS 8340
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedJune 25, 1987
Docket353, 458, 376, 374 and 375, Dockets 86-1204, 86-1205, 86-1212, 86-1257 and 86-1258
StatusPublished
Cited by49 cases

This text of 822 F.2d 1234 (United States v. Antonio Young, Gustavo Hernandez, Federico Manon, Martin Reyes, and Charles Molina) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Antonio Young, Gustavo Hernandez, Federico Manon, Martin Reyes, and Charles Molina, 822 F.2d 1234, 1987 U.S. App. LEXIS 8340 (2d Cir. 1987).

Opinion

GEORGE C. PRATT, Circuit Judge:

This narcotics appeal presents numerous issues, some of which relate to several or all defendants, and some of which relate to only one. We will first address the common arguments, none of which have merit. Then we will address arguments having individual application, one of which requires reversal of the conviction of defendant Federico Manon. As to the other defendants we affirm.

BACKGROUND

The investigation that led to the arrest and trial of the defendants began in January 1985 when officials of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) informed the Albany Police Department that an ongoing DEA investigation had implicated Juan George in cocaine transactions. Acting on this information, the Albany police obtained state electronic surveillance orders for George’s home and office telephones. After being extended for thirty additional days, these orders expired on March 22, 1985. Based on transcripts of the intercepted conversations, George, his wife Luisa George, Ismael Melendez, Marcos Sarol, Carmen Manon, and the five defendants bringing this appeal were jointly indicted by a federal grand jury on May 15, 1985, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, 21 U.S.C. § 846, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, 21 U.S.C. § 846, and use of a telephone to facilitate a drug conspiracy, 21 U.S.C. § 843(b).

On June 28, 1985, Judge Miner, then a district judge, denied defendants’ pre-trial motions, including a motion to suppress evidence of the intercepted conversations.

Judge Gagliardi began the jury trial on December 2, 1985. Three days later Juan and Luisa George, Ismael Melendez, and Marcos Sarol pled guilty in satisfaction of all counts alleged against them, and on December 9, 1985, all charges against Carmen Manon were dismissed. These events left only the five appealing defendants to continue the trial. On December 13, 1985, the jury convicted these remaining defendants on all counts. Each was sentenced to 60 days imprisonment, 100 hours of community service, and a special assessment of $50. These appeals followed.

DISCUSSION

A. Claims Common to Multiple Defendants.

The defendants join in two common contentions. The first challenges the admissi *1237 bility of the transcripts of conversations intercepted by the court-ordered wiretaps on the phones of co-conspirator Juan George. The second challenges the lack of any minority persons on the venire from which the defendants’ jury was chosen. Neither argument has merit.

1. Admissibility of Wiretapped Conversations.

Defendants raise two grounds for excluding the intercepted conversations. First, they challenge the adequacy of the affidavits submitted in support of the authorizing orders on the basis that they did not establish that other, normal investigative techniques had been tried or would be futile, as required by 18 U.S.C. § 2518(l)(c). Second, they argue that the federal crimes with which defendants were charged are “offenses other than those specified” in the state wiretap orders and that 18 U.S.C. § 2517(5) therefore required advance judicial approval for use of the wiretaps in the federal grand jury.

a. Adequacy of Supporting Affidavits.

The first ground requires little comment. Defendants argue that the supporting affidavits prepared and submitted to procure the necessary court orders did not show that normal investigative techniques had been tried or were likely to fail. Such a showing is required both by federal law, 18 U.S.C. § 2518(l)(c), and by state law, New York State Criminal Procedure Law, § 700.15(4).

The district court, which is entitled to deference, see United States v. Puglisi, 790 F.2d 240, 241 (2d Cir.) (per curiam), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 107 S.Ct. 106, 93 L.Ed.2d 55 (1986), found that the requirements of 18 U.S.C. § 2518(l)(c) were met and refused to suppress the evidence. We see no reason to disturb this decision. A reading of the affidavit submitted by Detective Sergeant Fargione of the Albany Police Department makes clear that in fact several “normal investigative techniques” had been tried unsuccessfully, and that other such techniques were likely to fail. As the affidavit pointed out, surveillance of George’s residence would have been impractical, since such surveillance in a residential neighborhood is likely to “be conspicuous and draw attention to the assigned officers.” See United States v. Turner, 528 F.2d 143, 152 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 423 U.S. 996, 96 S.Ct. 426, 46 L.Ed.2d 371 (1975). Similarly, surveillance of his place of business, an office on the seventh floor at a state office building, would have been unsuccessful, because surveillance of the building from the outside would have given little information regarding who had gone to see George, and for what purpose, and interior surveillance of George’s office would have been too conspicuous and highly likely to reveal the fact of an on-going investigation.

Techniques other than direct surveillance would also have been unavailing. The Fargione affidavit stated that there were no informants available to infiltrate an undercover police officer into the conspiracy for the purpose of making a controlled buy. Use of a pen register and acquisition of telephone toll records, neither of which “identify the participants to a telephone conversation”, would have been unavailing since they “would be unlikely to uncover [George’s] partners in crime”. United States v. Martino, 664 F.2d 860, 868 (2d Cir.1981), ce rt. denied, Miller v. United States, 458 U.S. 1110, 102 S.Ct. 3493, 73 L.Ed.2d 1373 (1982). In fact, telephone toll records for George’s home phone were pulled for December 1984, but proved useless.

While it is true that other techniques, used in combination, might have borne some fruit, there is no requirement “that any particular investigative procedures be exhausted before a wiretap may be authorized”. United States v. Lilia, 699 F.2d 99, 104 (2d Cir.1983). We have previously noted that “wiretapping is particularly appropriate when the telephone is routinely relied on to conduct the criminal enterprise under investigation”. United States v.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. Slaughter
110 F.4th 569 (Second Circuit, 2024)
United States v. Smith
District of Columbia, 2022
United States v. Nix
264 F. Supp. 3d 429 (W.D. New York, 2017)
Oliphant v. Villano
631 F. App'x 37 (Second Circuit, 2015)
United States v. Stegemann
40 F. Supp. 3d 249 (N.D. New York, 2014)
United States v. Rajaratnam
719 F.3d 139 (Second Circuit, 2013)
United States v. Zemlyansky
945 F. Supp. 2d 438 (S.D. New York, 2013)
United States v. Barlow
732 F. Supp. 2d 1 (E.D. New York, 2010)
Parker v. Phillips
717 F. Supp. 2d 310 (W.D. New York, 2010)
United States v. Jensen
690 F. Supp. 2d 901 (D. Alaska, 2010)
Smith v. Berghuis
Sixth Circuit, 2008
United States v. Funderburk
492 F. Supp. 2d 223 (W.D. New York, 2007)
United States v. Carmichael
467 F. Supp. 2d 1282 (M.D. Alabama, 2006)
United States v. Pierce
493 F. Supp. 2d 611 (W.D. New York, 2006)
United States v. Solomonyan
451 F. Supp. 2d 626 (S.D. New York, 2006)
United States v. Mullen
451 F. Supp. 2d 509 (W.D. New York, 2006)
United States v. Jackson
493 F. Supp. 2d 592 (W.D. New York, 2006)
United States v. Serrano
450 F. Supp. 2d 227 (S.D. New York, 2006)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
822 F.2d 1234, 1987 U.S. App. LEXIS 8340, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-antonio-young-gustavo-hernandez-federico-manon-martin-ca2-1987.