United States v. Barker

623 F. Supp. 823, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13504
CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedNovember 25, 1985
DocketCrim. A. 85 CR 161
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 623 F. Supp. 823 (United States v. Barker) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Barker, 623 F. Supp. 823, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13504 (D. Colo. 1985).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

SHERMAN G. FINESILVER, Chief Judge.

This matter is before the Court on several pretrial motions which have been filed by the defendants. An evidentiary hearing was held on July 24, 1985, at which time the Court entered rulings on several of the motions. Those rulings have been expanded upon in this Memorandum Opinion and Order. In addition, orders have been entered nunc pro tunc in the grand jury and suppression motions that the Court took under advisement following the hearing.

The six defendants in this case have been named in a four count indictment charging violations of federal- narcotic laws. These include 21 U.S.C. § 846; 21 U.S.C. § 843(b); and 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). The indictment was the result of an extensive investigation conducted by federal and state law enforcement officers. This investigation ultimately resulted in twenty-three defendants being charged in five indictments for drug-related offenses involving cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamines. Each of the defendants in this case subsequently entered pleas of guilty and have been sentenced.

The following motions will be addressed by the Court:

1. Motions for a Pretrial Hearing Pursuant to United States v. James;
2. Motions for Relief from Prejudicial Joinder;
3. Motions for Severance;
4. Motion for Relief from Prejudicial Joinder (Bennett);
5. Motions for Disclosure of Confidential Informants;
6. Motions to Dismiss the Telephone Count;
7. Motions to Dismiss for Preindictment Delay;
8. Motions to Dismiss for Breach of Grand Jury Secrecy;
9. Motion to Dismiss Indictment Based Upon Violation of Rule 6(e) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure;
10. Supplemental Motion to Dismiss Grand Jury Indictment Based Upon Breach of Grand Jury secrecy;
11. Motion to Suppress Search Warrants;
12. Motions to Suppress Wiretaps.

I

STANDARDS FOR ADMISSIBILITY OF COCONSPIRATOR STATEMENTS

A.

Introduction

During recent years, this Court has frequently been called upon to conduct a pre *829 trial “James ” hearing to determine the admissibility of coconspirator statements under Fed.R.Evid. 801(d)(2)(E). 1 In order to assist the bar and the bench, we shall set forth, with some detail, the manner in which this Court determines the admissibility of coconspirator statements. We find that this procedure is fully supported by recent decisions of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. We shall briefly outline this procedure prior to a more complete discussion of the case law.

As set forth below, under certain conditions Rule 801(d)(2)(E) allows hearsay statements of a coconspirator to be admitted against a party at a trial. If the proper foundation is made, then the statements are not considered hearsay under the Federal Rules of Evidence.

The following foundation must be made prior to the admission of the coconspirator statements: (1) that a conspiracy existed; (2) that the declarant and the party against whom the statement is offered were members of that conspiracy; and (3) that the statement was made in the course of and in furtherance of that conspiracy. In this circuit, the court’s findings are to be based upon a preponderance of evidence, independent of the statements. If the trial is to a jury, the court’s findings must be made on the record. There is no requirement that the court conduct a pretrial hearing to determine the admissibility of the statements, as the court need not make its findings before the trier of fact actually hears the statements. The ultimate order of proof at trial is left to the discretion of the court. Thus, the statements may be “conditionally admitted”, subject to being connected to the conspiracy at a later time. The court may postpone any decision as to the admissibility of the statements as evidence to be considered by the trier of fact, until the close of the government’s case-in-chief.

B.

Is a Pretrial Hearing Required Prior to Admitting Coconspirator Statements?

1. Determining the Admissibility of Co-conspirator Statements

Rule 801(d)(2)(E) of the Federal Rules of Evidence 2 allows out-of-court statements of a coconspirator to be admitted against a party, if certain criteria are met. Although often referred to as hearsay, if the criteria are met, the coconspirator statements are not hearsay under the Federal Rules of Evidence.

In United States v. Andrews, 585 F.2d 961 (10th Cir.1978), the Tenth Circuit established the criteria for admissibility of coconspirator statements under Fed.R. Evid. 801(d)(2)(E). The Andrews court held that as a condition for admissibility, the trial court had to consider the coconspirator statement within the context of Rule 104 of the Federal Rules of Evidence. 3 Under this criteria, the government had to establish by evidence, independent of the statements, and the Court had to find, that it was more likely than not that: (1) the conspiracy existed; (2) the declarant and *830 the party against whom the statement is offered were members of that conspiracy; and (3) the statements were made in the course of and in furtherance of that conspiracy. 4

While Andrews established a test to determine the admissibility of coconspirator statements, it did not prescribe a rigid procedure to be followed by the trial court in making this determination. United States v. Petersen, 611 F.2d 1313, 1330 (10th Cir.1979).

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Bluebook (online)
623 F. Supp. 823, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13504, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-barker-cod-1985.