United States v. Brown

183 F.3d 1306, 1999 WL 611869
Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit·Decided August 13, 1999·No. 95-5293·Published·Cited by 17 cases

Opinion

HULL, Circuit Judge:

The Government appeals the dismissal with prejudice under the Speedy Trial Act, 18 U.S.C. §§ 3161-3174, of an eleven-count indictment against Keith Brown. After review, we affirm the dismissal with prejudice of one count and reverse the dismissal with prejudice of the remaining counts.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

On January 24, 1992, Brown was arrested. On February 4, 1992, the grand jury *1308 returned a one-eount indictment (the “first indictment”) against Brown, charging him with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846. Two years later, in February 1994, Brown filed a motion to dismiss this indictment, alleging violation of his constitutional and statutory rights to a speedy trial.

On July 5, 1994, the district court granted Brown’s motion and dismissed the first indictment. The district court found that even “[gjiving the Government a generous count of 265 days of excludable time for defense motions filed pro se and by counsel, plus ninety days to reorganize after the disruptions caused by the hurricane [Hurricane Andrew in 1992], over 180 days of delay are the result of unexplained Government inaction.” The district court indicated that it had considered “[t]he twenty-five month delay, the reasons given for the delay, and the Defendants’ assertion of the right [to a speedy trial]” and had found those factors to “weigh heavily against the Government.” In addition, the district court described the case as “a 'dry reverse sting’ operation based on a government-initiated contact for a small drug transaction, where the Defendants, ostensibly, had no money and the informant-seller, at the time, had no drugs,” suggesting that the court did not view Brown’s offense as particularly serious. The district court also mentioned that Brown had been incarcerated for more than thirty months. The district court concluded that the Speedy Trial Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3161, had been violated, and hence, the indictment had to be dismissed. The court did not state whether the dismissal of the indictment was with or without prejudice.

The Government did not appeal the dismissal of the first indictment. Instead, on July 5, 1994, the Government filed another complaint against Brown. On July 19, 1994, the grand jury returned an eleven-count indictment (the “second indictment”) based on the July 5,1994 complaint.

The second indictment recharged Brown with the one count from the first indictment, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine (Count I). In addition, the second indictment charged Brown with one count of knowingly and intentionally attempting to possess with intent to distribute cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846 (Count II) and nine counts of using a communication facility in the commission of a drug felony in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 843(b) (Counts III to XI).

On August 23, 1994, Brown moved to dismiss the second indictment for violation of the Speedy Trial Act, violation of his constitutional right to a speedy trial, and prosecutorial vindictiveness. Brown’s motion was referred to a magistrate judge.

In a report and recommendation filed November 22, 1994, the magistrate judge inferred from the discussion in the district court’s July 5, 1994 order that the court had intended to dismiss the first indictment with prejudice. The magistrate judge also determined that only Count I of the second indictment set forth a charge that was part of the first indictment. Accordingly, the magistrate judge recommended granting Brown’s motion to dismiss as to Count I but denying the motion as to Counts II through XI.

On August 12, 1995, the district court entered an order affirming the magistrate judge’s report and recommendation as to Count I. The district court stated that in its July 5, 1994 order dismissing the first indictment it had considered the factors relevant to determining whether to dismiss the case with or without prejudice — the seriousness of the offense, the facts and circumstances of the case which led to the dismissal, the impact of a reprosecution on the administration of the Speedy Trial Act and on the administration of justice, and the prejudice to the defendant. See 18 U.S.C. § 3162(a)(2); United States v. Taylor, 487 U.S. 326, 333-34, 108 S.Ct. 2413, 101 L.Ed.2d 297 (1988). The district court then set forth factual findings from the July 5, 1994 order relating to each of these factors. Based on these findings, the district court concluded that the magistrate judge correctly had interpreted its July 5, *1309 1994 order as a dismissal with prejudice. Hence, the district court determined that Brown’s motion to dismiss Count I of the second indictment should be granted.

The district court overruled the report and recommendation as to Counts II through XI. The district court decided that Brown’s motion to dismiss Counts II through XI should be granted, reasoning that those counts “are simply a more detailed version of crimes described in the initial complaint.”

Accordingly, the district court dismissed all counts of the second indictment with prejudice. The Government appeals the district court’s determination both as to Count I and as to Counts II through XI.

II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

We review de novo the district court’s interpretation of the Speedy Trial Act. United States v. Schlei, 122 F.3d 944, 984 (11th Cir.1997), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 118 S.Ct. 1523, 140 L.Ed.2d 674 (1998). We review for abuse of discretion the district court’s determination about whether the dismissal of a case to remedy a violation of the Speedy Trial Act should be with or without prejudice. United States v. Taylor, 487 U.S. 326, 332-35, 108 S.Ct. 2413, 101 L.Ed.2d 297 (1988); United States v. Derose, 74 F.3d 1177, 1182 (11th Cir.1996).

III. DISCUSSION

We first review the general principles governing dismissals to remedy Speedy Trial Act violations and charges on which a defendant may be prosecuted after an indictment is dismissed on the defendant’s motion under the Speedy Trial Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3162(a)(2). We then apply those principles to the events in this case.

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