United States v. Betz

205 F. Supp. 927, 10 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 6394, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5074
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedJune 8, 1962
DocketCrim. No. 39165
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 205 F. Supp. 927 (United States v. Betz) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Betz, 205 F. Supp. 927, 10 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 6394, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5074 (E.D. Mich. 1962).

Opinion

McCREE, District Judge.

On December 14, 1961, this court issued a warrant for the search of premises known as 21212 Masonic Street, St. Clair Shores, Michigan, which premises were the residence of Edward Betz. The warrant was executed on the same day, and various articles including gambling paraphernalia were seized and removed from the premises.

Betz, who now stands indicted for evasion of federal gambling taxes, has petitioned the court to quash the warrant and to suppress the evidence obtained by the search. He urges that the affidavit in support of the warrant was insufficient to establish probable cause and, in addition, that the warrant was executed in violation of Section 3109, Title 18, U.S.C.1

The affidavit herein was made by John T. Zawadzki, a Special Agent of the Internal Revenue Service. As it relates to 21212 Masonic Street and to defendant Betz,2 the affidavit sets forth the following:

1) Affiant “has reason to believe that on the premises known as 21212 Masonic Street [described in further particularity] there is now being concealed certain property; namely, bookmaking records, wagering paraphernalia consisting of bet slips, run-down sheets, account sheets, recap sheets, telephones, and instruments used in violation of Sections 4411, 4412, 7203, and 7262 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 [26 U.S.C.A. §§ 4411, 4412, 7203, 7262].”

2) Affiant was assigned to investigate a suspected bookmaking operation being [929]*929conducted by one Charles W. Gorman at 23334 Lakewood, Clinton Township, Michigan.

3) Among persons observed entering the Lakewood address, either alone or in the company of Gorman, was defendant Betz.

4) “Confidential information, considered reliable, further discloses that Edward Betz has been a close associate of Charles W. Gorman for several months;

5) “that prior to November 13, 1961, he was actively participating in the handbook activity at 23334 Lakewood with Charles Gorman;

6) “and that he is now engaged in accepting wagers at his personal residence at 21212 Masonic Street, St. Clair Shores, Michigan, in direct association with Charles W. Gorman.”

7) Examination of telephone company records disclosed that there were two unlisted telephones at 21212 Masonic, one in the name of defendant and one in his wife’s name.

8) There was no record of any wagering tax stamp having been issued to defendant.

9) Neither was there any record of 21212 Masonic having been registered as the business or residence address of a wagering stamp holder.

The Fourth Amendment forbids the issuance of warrants except “upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” Probable cause does not require the quantum of evidence needed to prove guilt, nor on the other hand can it be equated with bare suspicion. It exists “[i]f the facts and circumstances before the officer are such as to warrant a man of prudence and caution in believing that the offense has been committed.” Stacey v. Emery, 97 U.S. 642, 645, 24 L.Ed. 1035 (1878), quoted with approval in Carroll v. United States, 267 U.S. 132, 161, 45 S.Ct. 280, 288, 69 L.Ed. 543 (1925).

“These long-prevailing standards seek to safeguard citizens from rash and unreasonable interferences with privacy and from unfounded charges of crime. They also seek to give fair leeway for enforcing the law in the community’s protection. Because many situations which confront officers in the course of executing their duties are more or less ambiguous, room must be allowed for some mistakes on their part. .But the mistakes must be those of reasonable men, acting on facts leading sensibly to their conclusions of probability. The rule of probable cause is a practical, nontechnical conception affording the best compromise that has been found for accommodating these often opposing interests. Requiring more would unduly hamper law enforcement. To allow less would be to leave law-abiding citizens at the mercy of the officer’s whim or caprice.” Brinegar v. United States, 338 U.S. 160, 176, 69 S.Ct. 1302, 1311, 93 L.Ed. 1879 (1949).

A search warrant may not properly issue “upon mere affirmance of suspicion or belief without disclosure of supporting facts or circumstances.” Nathanson v. United States, 290 U.S. 41, 47, 54 S.Ct. 11, 13, 78 L.Ed. 159 (1933); accord, United States v. Lassoff, 147 F.Supp. 944 (E.D.Ky.1957). Thus the affiant’s expression of belief that the premises in question housed certain articles being used in violation of Internal Revenue laws is, without more, insufficient basis for the warrant.

However, the affidavit purports to disclose supporting facts and circumstances. Most directly apposite is the “confidential information, considered reliable,” to the effect that defendant was then engaged in illegal gambling activity at his home. Although this information obviously is hearsay, it is not to be disregarded where there exists “a substantial basis for crediting the hearsay”. Jones v. United States, 362 U.S. 257, 272, 80 S.Ct. 725, 736, 4 L.Ed.2d 697 (1960). In Jones, an informant’s tip was deemed worthy of credence because he had previously given [930]*930accurate information, his story was corroborated by other sources of information, and the suspect was known to the police as a narcotics user. All these corroborating facts were set forth in the affidavit for the warrant. In the instant case, we must look beyond the conclusionary statement of the affiant that the information was “considered reliable” if we are to find, as in Jones, a factual basis for crediting the hearsay.

In his affidavit, Agent Zawadzki states upon personal knowledge that defendant was observed (at unspecified occasions) entering the home of another suspected bookmaker; that there were two unlisted telephones at defendant’s home; that no wagering tax stamp had been issued to defendant, and that defendant’s home was not registered as the address of a wagering stamp holder. The difficulty with these facts is that they do not afford a substantial basis for crediting the confidential information that an illegal gambling operation was being conducted on defendant’s premises.

Defendant’s visits to the home of Charles Gorman are not suggestive of unlawful activity at Betz’ own home. Cf. Lowrey v. United States, 161 F.2d 30 (8th Cir.1947),3 cert. denied, 331 U.S. 849, 67 S.Ct. 1737, 91 L.Ed. 1858, rehearing denied, 332 U.S. 787, 68 S.Ct. 36, 92 L.Ed. 369. Perhaps the information could have been confirmed had defendant’s house been placed under surveillance. This was done in United States v. Woodson, 303 F.2d 49 (6th Cir.1962), and in the following cases cited by the government, and it developed that the suspects regularly visited the premises at the usual bookmaking hours, Merritt v.

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Bluebook (online)
205 F. Supp. 927, 10 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 6394, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5074, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-betz-mied-1962.