United States v. Garcia

780 F. Supp. 166, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18204, 1991 WL 268744
District Court, S.D. New York·Decided December 16, 1991·No. S2 90 Cr. 890 (PKL)·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

LEISURE, District Judge.

In this criminal case, the defendants, Jorge Garcia (“Garcia”), Raul Rodriguez (“Rodriguez”) and Wasang Tomas Mock (“Mock”), are charged in the second superseding indictment (“indictment”) with conspiracy to possess and distribute narcotics, and with use of a gun in relation to drug trafficking. Defendant Mock now moves the Court for relief concerning statements he made on July 30,1991, at the first trial of this action, before the Hon. Mary Johnson Lowe, United States District Judge of this Court. Defendants Garcia and Rodriguez also move the Court, seeking a finding that double jeopardy bars their retrial and dismissal of their indictment in the exercise of the Court’s supervisory powers. In addition, all of the defendants move the Court to sever the penury counts against Mock from the trial of the other offenses. For the following reasons, the defendants’ various motions are denied in their entirety. 1

BACKGROUND

The first indictment in this case was filed on December 18, 1990, and charged Garcia, Rodriguez and Pedro Henriquez Valdez (“Valdez”) with conspiracy to possess with *169 intent to distribute over 50 grams of crack, possession of over 50 grams of crack and over 500 grams of cocaine and the use of a firearm in relation to drug trafficking, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2 and 21 U.S.C. §§ 812, 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A) and 846. Valdez entered into a cooperation agreement, pleading guilty to the conspiracy and firearm counts on March 20,1991, in return for his testimony against Garcia and Rodriguez. A superseding indictment was filed on April 25,1991, and a trial against Garcia and Rodriguez began on July 23, 1991, before Judge Lowe (“first trial”). The trial ended in a mistrial on August 2, 1991, when Judge Lowe discharged the jury, which was deadlocked 11-1 for acquittal, after two days of deliberations. The case was reassigned to this Judge on September 20, 1991.

During the first trial, on July 30, 1991, after the government rested, the defense called Mock as its first witness. At this time, the government approached the bench and asked for the jury to be excused, so that agents could execute an arrest warrant for Mock, which had been issued on May 24, 1991, relating to the same drug distribution conspiracy at issue in the first trial. The defense objected to execution of the warrant before Mock testified, because “if they execute it now, you will be depriving the defendant of a defense.” Trial Transcript (“Transcript”), at 354. Judge Lowe excused the jury, the government went to seek advice from the Appeals Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s office and the discussion was adjourned to the robing room.

After discussions in the robing room, Judge Lowe arranged for a deputy U.S. marshal to be posted outside the courtroom so that Mock could be arrested after testifying. Accordingly, Mock testified and was cross-examined without the benefit of counsel and without being informed that he was going to be arrested. See Transcript, at 360 (statement of Judge Lowe) (“I don’t want [Mock] to be aware of the arrest warrant or any arrest take place [sic] before he has completed his testimony so as not to deprive the defendants of the benefit of his testimony.... [When] he finishes his testimony he will leave the courtroom, and if you could execute the arrest warrant outside of the courtroom as soon as he leaves.”).

Nevertheless, Mock was clearly on notice that he had been implicated in the conspiracy at issue, and that his appearance in court posed the danger of arrest. In the robing room, counsel to Garcia and Rodriguez represented that they had told Mock and two other unindicted co-conspirators that “they might subject themselves to arrest if they come to court.” Transcript, at 357. In fact, Richard Tannenbaum, Esq. (“Tannenbaum”), counsel for Rodriguez, represented that he had told Mock “to get an attorney.” Id. The following questions by Philip R. Edelbaum, Esq. (“Edelbaum”), and responses from Mock at the trial lend further support to the conclusion that Mock was aware of his situation when he testified:

Q. You know from reading the minutes that Mr. Valdez claimed that you were a partner in the drug business with Jorge Garcia?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Did anybody tell you whether or not there was a chance you might be arrested if you came to testify in court?
A. Well, there is always the chance because I was afraid of my permanent [sic] that I had back in 1984 because just he says something I could be in trouble, but I just wanted to clear my name.

Transcript, at 409-10.

DISCUSSION

I. Motions Relating to Mock Testimony at First Trial

The Court first turns to the considerations raised by Mock arising out of his testimony at the first trial. Mock claims that his rights under the fifth, sixth and fourteenth amendments were violated by the manner in which his testimony was procured. He therefore seeks suppression of this testimony.

A. Suppression of Statements under Sixth Amendment

Mock begins by asserting that his testimony at the first trial violated his *170 rights under the sixth amendment. He contends that adversary judicial proceedings against him had been initiated at the time he testified, by the filing of a complaint and the issuance of an arrest warrant. He therefore asserts that his right to counsel under the sixth amendment had attached, and that statements made by him without the assistance of counsel must be suppressed. In response, the government argues that adversary judicial proceedings had not commenced at the time of the first trial, and that no sixth amendment rights had attached.

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United States v. Garcia, 780 F. Supp. 166, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18204, 1991 WL 268744 (S.D.N.Y. 1991).

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