United States v. Carl Skolek

474 F.2d 582
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedFebruary 28, 1973
Docket72-1534
StatusPublished
Cited by64 cases

This text of 474 F.2d 582 (United States v. Carl Skolek) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth 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. Carl Skolek, 474 F.2d 582 (10th Cir. 1973).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

Carl Skolek, charged with violating 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. § 2, was convicted by a jury and appeals.

A review of the trial transcript discloses that Special Agent David Hanks of the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, together with a partner, Pas-sick, and pursuant to a pre-determined arrangement, proceeded to a room at the Ramada Inn in Denver, Colorado, on February 2, 1972, at approximately 7:00 p. m. to meet one Randall Caldwell. Caldwell appeared stating that he had recently arrived from California with his “connection” who was then en route to Caldwell’s residence on Chase Street in Denver. Caldwell handed Hanks eight ounces of a substance containing cocaine which was represented to be similar in quality to prior sales between the parties. Shortly thereafter another accomplice, Patrick Egan, arrived and was also asked about the quality of the cocaine which he also stated was the same as prior transactions. Caldwell and Egan were promptly placed under arrest.

Agent Hanks then took the cocaine to his office and proceeded with another agent, Castille, to the Chase Street residence to talk with the “connection”. They were met at the residence by a boarder, Robert Montoya, known through prior dealings, and informed him that they needed to talk with “Carl J. Stone” as to an alleged discrepancy in the amount of cocaine involved in the earlier transaction. Stone was an alias that the appellant, Skolek, had been using at that time, according to Hanks.

Montoya introduced the agents to Sko-lek who was asked whether he had sent *584 Caldwell and Egan to the Ramada Inn with eight ounces of cocaine. Skolek responded that he had. When told that Caldwell and Egan had wanted to sell them six rather than eight ounces, Sko-lek replied: “Let me figure that out.” He then sat at a table with paper and pencil and began to write. Skolek then apparently suspected the circumstances for he abruptly stated, in effect, that he didn’t know anything and wasn’t going to say anything else. Skolek was also promptly taken into custody.

At trial, Egan, who had the same day entered a plea of guilty to one of the counts charged in the indictment, was called as a Government witness. A discussion followed with Egan’s attorney concerning Egan’s Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. The court denied Egan’s claim of privilege and he testified. The testimony showed that Skolek, a friend of Egan’s had been contacted by' telephone and agreed to bring the cocaine to Denver where he planned to vacation, in return for $300. Egan and Caldwell met Sko-lek at the Denver airport and proceeded to the Chase Street residence. Egan stepped out of the house momentarily and when he returned, the cocaine that he had discussed with Skolek had appeared on the table, at the same time Skolek appeared. Caldwell picked up the four ounces of cocaine to which Egan subsequently added four ounces of baking powder. Skolek had been informed that the cocaine he was to carry was intended for sale.

Three of the issues in this appeal are directed to the testimony of a witness, Patrick Egan, and Egan’s Fifth Amendment claim of privilege against self-incrimination. Basically, the argument is that Egan was compelled to testify without a grant of immunity and without a waiver of his privilege, an alleged denial of due process, and that Skolek was denied effective assistance of counsel and right to cross-examination by Egan’s “arrangement” to testify.

There is no constitutional right not to be incriminated by the testimony of another. Some constitutional rights may not be vicariously asserted. See Alderman v. United States, 394 U.S. 165, 89 S.Ct. 961, 22 L.Ed.2d 176 (1969). The privilege against self-incrimination is solely for the benefit of the witness and is purely a personal privilege of the witness, not for the protection of other parties. Rogers v. United States, 340 U.S. 367, 71 S.Ct. 438, 95 L.Ed. 344 (1951).

We have held that the protection against self-incrimination, a shield of silence, is a personal privilege for the sole benefit of the witness. Edwards v. United States, 131 F.2d 198 (10th Cir. 1942), cert. denied, 317 U.S. 689, 63 S.Ct. 262, 87 L.Ed. 552. This principle is well settled. Gollaher v. United States, 419 F.2d 520 (9th Cir. 1969), cert. denied, 396 U.S. 960, 90 S.Ct. 434, 24 L.Ed.2d 424; United States v. Elliott, 418 F.2d 219 (9th Cir. 1969); United States v. Bruton, 416 F.2d 310 (8th Cir. 1969), cert. denied, 397 U.S. 1014, 90 S.Ct. 1248, 25 L.Ed.2d 428; Quintero v. United States, 409 F.2d 839 (9th Cir. 1969); Bowman v. United States, 350 F.2d 913 (9th Cir. 1965), cert. denied, 383 U.S. 950, 86 S.Ct. 1209, 16 L.Ed.2d 212; Poole v. United States, 329 F.2d 720 (9th Cir. 1964); United States v. Goldfarb, 328 F.2d 280 (6th Cir. 1964), cert. denied, 377 U.S. 976, 84 S.Ct. 1883, 12 L.Ed.2d 746.

Where the witness is not the party, the party may not claim the privilege nor take advantage of an error of the court in overruling it. Bowman v. United States, supra. Accord, Long v. United States, 124 U.S.App.D.C. 14, 360 F.2d 829 (1966), authored by Judge, now Chief Justice, Burger. The party, as contrasted to the witness, simply lacks standing. United States v. Ceniceros, 427 F.2d 685 (9th Cir. 1970); United States v. Elliott, supra; United States v. Bruton, supra; Lopez v. Burke, 413 F.2d 992 (7th Cir. 1969). See also Alderman v. United States, supra, and United States v. Galvez, 465 F.2d 681 (10th Cir. 1972).

*585 The self-incrimination provision of the Fifth Amendment is to “be accorded liberal construction in favor of the right it was intended to secure”. Hoffman v. United States, 341 U.S. 479 at 486, 71 S.Ct. 814, at 818, 95 L.Ed. 1118 (1951). A defendant has a vested interest only in his own Fifth Amendment rights. Poole v. United States, supra. There is no violation of the privilege when the information elicited is used not against the witness but against another. Lopez v. Burke, supra. The privilege belonged to Egan, not to Skolek.

Egan did not undertake to test the validity of the court’s rulings by standing upon his claim of privilege and refusing to answer.

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Bluebook (online)
474 F.2d 582, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-carl-skolek-ca10-1973.