United States v. Garrison

353 F. Supp. 306, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12633
District Court, E.D. Louisiana·Decided July 24, 1972·No. 71-541-Crim.·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

BOYLE, District Judge:

The three count indictment herein charges that the defendant, who is and at the times alleged was District Attorney for the Parish of Orleans, State of Louisiana, did make and subscribe and caused to be made and subscribed income tax returns for the years 1965, 1966 and 1967 verified by written declarations that they were'made under the penalties of perjury which he did not believe to be true and correct as to every material matter in violation of 26 U.S. C.A. § 7206(1).

The defendant has filed a Motion to Dismiss, a Motion for Bill of Particulars and a Motion for Discovery and Disposition to each of which the Government has filed written response.

These motions have been submitted for adjudication, without oral argument, on defendant’s memoranda in support of his motions, the Government’s memoranda in opposition and the defendant’s reply memoranda.

After careful consideration of the motions and the responses thereto, the memoranda and the law applicable, we now rule.

The Motion to Dismiss

The stated basis of the Motion to Dismiss is “the Grand Jury [which returned the indictment] was prejudiced by pre-indictment publicity.”

Defendant’s memorandum filed in support of this Motion states: “Counsel, therefore, reproduced herein, verbatim, the memorandum in support of the motion to dismiss in criminal action number 71-542” because the “arguments advanced in support of that motion have equal cogency in the matter herein.” The Motion to Dismiss in No. 71-542A is based on the contention that Grand Jury was prejudiced by the same pre-indictment publicity which mover cites in support of the Motion in the instant case.

Beyond submitting a photocopy of newspaper serialization in eighteen installments in the period from July 1, 1971 through July 21, 1971 of the affidavit executed by the Government Agent in support of the complaint, filed before the United States Magistrate on June 30, 1971, in which the defendant, two police officers and seven other citizens were charged with violations of Title 18 U.S.C. Sections 1511, 1955, 1952, 2 and 371, 1 and a photocopy of the Revised U. S. Department of Justice Fair Trial-Free Press Guidelines, 2 no other evidence in support of the Motion to Dismiss was offered by mover. Garrison does not contend that the newspaper serialization of the complaint affidavit, as it appears in the public record, is not accurate.

The indictment charging the defendant, along with the others named in the complaint aforesaid, with a violation of Title 18 U.S.C. Section 1511 was returned on December 3, 1971 in No. 71-542A Criminal. The indictment in this case was also returned on December 3, 1971. 3

To be successful in his challenge the defendant must show that the grand *310 jury was in fact prejudiced by the publicity. Beck v. U. S., 298 F.2d 622 (9 Cir. 1962), cert. den. 370 U.S. 919, 82 S.Ct. 1558, 8 L.Ed.2d 499.

In the Beck case, prior to Beck, a prominent Union President and a public figure, being indicted for violation of the Federal Income Tax laws, wide publicity had been given to the investigation by a United States Senate Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field and to an investigation, announced by a State of Washington county prosecutor, into possible misuse of his union’s funds by Beck. Beck had been very much in the headlines as a corrupt labor boss and there was a high concentration of such headlines in the State of Washington where Beck lived and was indicted. On such evidence of publicity, Beck urged that it was apparent “that he was denied his right to an impartial Grand Jury.” The trial Court refused to dismiss the indictment and the Circuit Court, in affirming that action, found “There was no evidence that in fact the grand jury was prejudiced or that any member thereof had been affected by the vast amount of publicity accorded Beck” (p. 627). The appellate Court’s ruling was “ . that a specific showing of prejudice is necessary to make erroneous the action of the trial judge in refusing to dismiss the indictment” (p. 627). 4

Merely citing the publicity falls far short of establishing that the grand jury here was, in fact, prejudiced against him. Specific showing of prejudice is necessary to vitiate the indictment and no such showing has been made.

To accept Garrison’s contention that merely because there was publicity (for some of which he was himself responsible) the grand jury was so prejudiced and biased that it did not give fair and impartial consideration to the matters presented to it would require a finding, without evidence in support thereof, that the grand jurors completely ignored the evidence presented to them and violated their oaths.

Absent the required specific showing of prejudice, to apply Garrison’s contention as a rule of law would produce absurd results. In such a case no persons, who may be prominent and well known or who may be elected officials, whether popular and established, as defendant contends he is, or not, could be charged with the commission of any crime because doubtlessly the fact of charging would cause unfavorable pre-indictment publicity, thus precluding indictment or vitiating one found by a grand jury.

The mover suggests the Court take judicial notice of other publicity resulting from “television, radio and newspaper reports.” If we did we should also take judicial cognizance of the fact that the defendant himself contributed to the very publicity which he claims prejudiced the Grand Jury by statements to the news media attacking the Federal Government and indeed generating further publicity by causing charges to be filed against the United States Attorney and the Attorney in charge of the New Orleans Organized Crime Strike Force. Judicial notice of such other publicity would not in and of itself — just as the offered newspaper serialization of the complaint affidavit does not — establish that the grand jurors were, in fact, prejudiced thereby.

Mover also complains in argument that prejudice resulted from the fact that the United States Attorney “passed out to members of the media an unsigned copy of the instant indictment before the grand jury was afforded an opportunity to vote upon it.” (Emphasis ours). Since, as already noted, his memorandum states that it is a verbatim reproduction of his memorandum filed *311 in support of his Motion to Dismiss in No. 71-542A, Criminal, we consider that the indictment referred to is not the indictment in this case, but rather that in No. 71-542A, charging a violation of Title 18 U.S.C. § 1511. We note the Government’s memorandum opposing the Motion states:

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United States v. Garrison, 353 F. Supp. 306, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12633 (E.D. La. 1972).

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