United States v. Fischbach and Moore, Inc.

576 F. Supp. 1384
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedDecember 22, 1983
DocketCrim. 83-98
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 576 F. Supp. 1384 (United States v. Fischbach and Moore, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Fischbach and Moore, Inc., 576 F. Supp. 1384 (W.D. Pa. 1983).

Opinion

OPINION

COHILL, District Judge.

The defendants in this case were indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with criminal violations of Section 1 of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1. The government allegations charge defendants with conspiracy and bid rigging in connection with electrical contracting work done for United States Steel at its “Western Pennsylvania Works” from 1974 to 1981. 1 Specifically, the government claims that defendants formed a continuing agreement by which they allocated electrical construction projects among themselves, fixed the prices at which these projects were bid, and submitted noncompetitive, collusive bids, or refrained from bidding with relation to the construction projects. The defendants were involved in bidding on over 150 projects during this period.

Before the Court are a number of joint discovery motions made by defendants: 1) Motion for a Bill of Particulars; 2) Motion for Disclosure Regarding Alleged Prior Misconduct or Conviction; 3) Motion to Compel Discovery; 4) Motion for Disclosure of Matters Occurring Before the Grand Jury; 5) Motion to Strike Surplus-age; and 6) Motion to Disclose Electronic Surveillance.

I. Defendants’ Motion for a Bill of Particulars

Defendants have moved, pursuant to Rule 7(f) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure for a bill of particulars. In support of this motion, defendants argue that they need more information to 1) prepare their defenses, and 2) ascertain whether they may be prosecuted a second time in the future for the offenses presently charged. The defendants claim that the conspiracy alleged by the government eovers a seven-year period and over 150 projects, but that the counts of the indictment are so .general that defendants are unable to ascertain which projects the government asserts were the subjects of the conspiracy, when the actions took place, or who was involved.

The government, in opposition to this motion, argues that defendants are not entitled to a script of the government’s case; that the case is a simple one involving bid rigging; that defendants have received the grand jury testimony of 28 witnesses and numerous documents and exhibits, and that defendants have access to all information necessary to prepare their defenses. The government has also claimed that all jobs bid for during this period are covered by the indictment as subjects of the conspiracy, and that the question of which particular jobs are involved is not relevant.

The defendants are entitled to more information as to the conspiracy and actions with which they are charged; we will therefore grant defendants’ motion in part and deny it in part.

We note at the outset that the granting of a bill of particulars is a matter within the discretion of the trial court. Wong Tai v. United States, 273 U.S. 77, 82, 47 S.Ct. 300, 302, 71 L.Ed. 545 (1927), United States v. Armocida, 515 F.2d 49, 54 (3d Cir.), cert. denied, 423 U.S. 858, 96 S.Ct. Ill, 46 L.Ed.2d 84 (1975). The purpose of a bill of particulars is to inform the defendant(s) of the nature of the charges brought against him to adequately prepare his defense, to avoid surprise at trial, and to protect against a second prosecution for an inadequately described offense. United States v. Addonizio, 451 F.2d 49, 63-64 (3d Cir.1971), cert. denied, 405 U.S. 936, 92 S.Ct. 949, 30 L.Ed.2d 812 (1972). See also, Will v. United States, 389 U.S. 90, 99, 88 S.Ct. 269, 275, 19 L.Ed.2d 305 (1967); United States v. Davis, 582 F.2d 947, 951 (5th Cir.1978), cert. denied 441 U.S. 962, 99 S.Ct. 2408, 60 L.Ed.2d 1067 (1979).

*1389 It is well established that a bill of particulars is not to be used by the defendant as a discovery tool, United States v. Litman, 547 F.Supp. 645, 654 (W.D.Pa. 1982), by which defendants obtain disclosure of every detail of the theory and preparation of the government’s case. United States v. Boffa, 513 F.Supp. 444, 485 (D.Del.1980). In ascertaining whether a bill of particulars is appropriate, the Court may consider not only the indictment, but also all of the information which has been made available to the defendants; United States v. Kenny, 462 F.2d 1205, 1212 (3d Cir.), cert. denied, 409 U.S. 914, 93 S.Ct. 233, 34 L.Ed.2d 176 (1972); United States v. Bloom, 78 F.R.D. 591, 600-01 (E.D.Pa. 1977); United States v. Azzarelli Construction Co., 459 F.Supp. 146, 151 (E.D. 111.1978), aff'd, 612 F.2d 292 (7th Cir.1979), cert. denied, 447 U.S. 920, 100 S.Ct. 3010, 65 L.Ed.2d 1112 (1980); United States v. Barrows, 122 F.Supp. 324, 325 (D.Del. 1954).

The government has already provided defendants with “relevant portions” of the grand jury testimony of twenty-eight witnesses, relevant grand jury exhibits from related District of Columbia grand jury proceedings, relevant exhibits from the Pittsburgh grand jury proceedings, relevant documents subpoenaed in connection with these proceedings, and documents voluntarily produced to the government. The government has also stated that it will provide to defendants a list of unindicted co-conspirators, as well as transcripts of relevant grand jury testimony of employees within the definition of Fed.R.Crim.P. 16(a)(1)(A).

A significant amount of information has already been made available to defendants. An indictment under the Sherman Act is not required to be detailed or evidentiary in nature, since the basis of a conspiracy charge is “agreement rather than action, and the agreement is usually established by a course of dealing or pattern of conduct and the reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom.” United States v. Tedesco, 441 F.Supp. 1336, 1340 (M.D.Pa.1977) (citing United States v. United States Steel Corp., 233 F.Supp. 148,152 (S.D.N.Y. 1964)). Thus, overt acts need not be alleged in a Sherman Act conspiracy indictment, since the conspiracy itself is the nature of the crime. Nash v. United States, 229 U.S. 373, 33 S.Ct. 780, 57 L.Ed. 1232 (1913). '

In Russell v. United States, 369 U.S. 749, 82 S.Ct.

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Bluebook (online)
576 F. Supp. 1384, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-fischbach-and-moore-inc-pawd-1983.