United States v. Foster

823 F. Supp. 884, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8211, 1993 WL 198895
CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedJune 10, 1993
Docket92-9044M-01
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 823 F. Supp. 884 (United States v. Foster) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Foster, 823 F. Supp. 884, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8211, 1993 WL 198895 (D. Kan. 1993).

Opinion

ORDER

REID, United States Magistrate Judge.

On February 20, 1992, an information was filed in the United States District Court at Ft. Riley, Kansas, charging the defendant with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI), a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 13 and K.S.A. 8-1567(a)(2). On April 2, 1992, the government and the defendant entered into a pretrial diversion agreement, which was approved by the court. The diversion, or deferred prosecution agreement, was to run from April 2, 1992 to April 1, 1993. Special condition # 7 of the diversion agreement states, in part, as follows:

“Should you violate the conditions of this pretrial diversion the United States Attorney may during the period of pretrial diversion,
(1) Revoke or modify any condition of this pretrial diversion;
(2) Change the period of supervision;
(3) Discharge you from supervision; and
(4) Prosecute you for these offenses if you violate any of the conditions stated above. If you comply with these conditions during the period of supervision, no criminal prosecution against you concerning the above-mentioned crimes will be instituted in this district, and any proceedings already instituted will be deferred and the charges presently pending in court and referred to above will be dismissed upon completion of your diversion period.”

On April 16, 1993, William Martin, a U.S. probation officer, informed Marshall Piecini-ni, the assistant U.S. attorney, that the defendant had satisfied all the conditions of the diversion agreement, and thus was recommending that the charge against her be dismissed. However, the probation officer prepared a violation report on April 29, 1993 after discovering that the defendant was arrested and subsequently charged on March 24, 1993 for DUI in Geary County, Kansas, District Court. On April 26,1993, the defendant was found guilty of DUI. The arrest occurred during the period that the defendant was on the diversion program for DUI in this court. On May 20, 1993, the government filed a motion to revoke the diversion agreement with the defendant based upon her violation of the law. On June 3, 1993, the motion came before the court for a hearing. Defense counsel orally moved that the motion to revoke be deemed moot, contending that the period of diversion had lapsed before any action was taken to revoke the diversion. Testimony was taken from the probation officer, and the court then took the matter under advisement.

*886 A diversion agreement is a contract; an agreement between the prosecutor and the defendant. The court has a duty to supervise this process. If the government alleges violations of the diversion agreement, the court is therefore entitled to make sure that the government has lived up to its side of the bargain. United States v. Hicks, 693 F.2d 32, 33 (5th Cir.1982), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 1220, 103 S.Ct. 1226, 75 L.Ed.2d 461 (1983). As with a contract, the diversion agreement, if ambiguous, should be construed against its draftsman. United States v. Allen, 683 F.Supp. 1136, 1139 (E.D.Mich.1988). When the prosecution makes a deal within its authority and the defendant relies on it in good faith, the court should not let the defendant be prejudiced as a result of that reliance. United States v. Garcia, 519 F.2d 1343, 1345 (9th Cir.1975).

Three cases in the federal courts have dealt with the issue now before this court. The first case is United States v. Garcia, 519 F.2d 1343 (9th Cir.1975). In that ease, the government and the defendant entered into a deferred prosecution agreement after the defendant was arrested on June 5, 1974. As part of that agreement, the defendant agreed to provide to the government a dealer in drugs within 90 days of the agreement. The agreement further provided that if the defendant did not provide an acceptable dealer within 90 days, the government could seek an indictment against him on the basis of the June 5th arrest at any time within 150 days of the date of the deferred prosecution agreement. The defendant failed to produce a dealer, and the 150 days during which the government was authorized by the agreement to seek an indictment against the defendant based on the June 5th arrest expired without an indictment being sought. Only after the 150 days expired did the government seek and obtain an indictment based on the June 5th arrest. Defendant sought to dismiss the indictment, claiming that it was obtained in violation of the deferred prosecution agreement.

The court held that by the unambiguous terms of the agreement, the government had only 150 days from the date of the agreement to bring the indictment. After the 90 days had expired for the defendant to produce a seller, the government still had 60 days left to institute indictment proceedings. Thus, the government could still fully protect its interests while complying with the clear terms of the agreement. Because the indictment was obtained in violation of the express terms of the agreement, it was therefore invalid. The conviction was vacated, and the indictment dismissed. Id. at 1344-45.

The second case is United States v. Gogarty, 533 F.2d 93 (2d Cir.1976). In that case, the government and the defendant entered into a deferred prosecution agreement. The agreement provided that if the defendant violated any of the terms of the agreement, the government could, “within the twelvemonth period of supervision, initiate prosecution for these offenses.” The agreement, however, went on to state that “if, upon the completion of your period of supervision, a written report from the clinic is received to the effect that you have fully complied with all of the above conditions and have remained a satisfactory participant in the approved program, no prosecution will be instituted in this District for the above offense.” Id. at 94. Eighteen months after the agreement was signed, the charges were dismissed without explanation or any reference to the deferred prosecution agreement. Three months later, the defendant was indicted on the charges which were the subject of the deferred prosecution agreement.

The court held that the agreement permitted prosecution beyond the 12 month period of the agreement, citing the language of the agreement that the government’s promise not to prosecute was explicitly conditioned on receipt of a favorable, report from the treatment center upon the completion of the 12 month period of supervision. No such letter was ever written. Therefore, the government was justified in prosecuting him after the 12-month period when no favorable report had been received. The court distinguished Garcia, which contained a time limit on the government’s right to prosecute the defendant in the event of noneompliance.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
823 F. Supp. 884, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8211, 1993 WL 198895, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-foster-ksd-1993.