United States v. Hsu

590 F. Supp. 2d 565, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 107691, 2008 WL 5274575
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedDecember 16, 2008
Docket07 CR 1066 (VM)
StatusPublished

This text of 590 F. Supp. 2d 565 (United States v. Hsu) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Hsu, 590 F. Supp. 2d 565, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 107691, 2008 WL 5274575 (S.D.N.Y. 2008).

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

VICTOR MARRERO, District Judge.

On October 17, 2008, defendant Norman Hsu (“Hsu”) filed a motion to suppress statements and physical evidence pursuant to Rule 12 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure or, in the alternative, for the Court to grant a hearing on the motion. The Government replied to Hsu’s motion on October 30, 2008, conceding the need for an evidentiary hearing on Hsu’s request to suppress the statements made by Hsu but arguing that there was no need for a hearing regarding the physical evidence. Hsu replied to the government’s opposition on November 7, 2008. The Court held an evidentiary hearing on Hsu’s motion on December 4, 2008 and December 8, 2008. For the reasons set forth below, Hsu’s motion is DENIED.

I. BACKGROUND 1

On September 6, 2007, while traveling on a train from San Francisco, California *567 to Denver, Colorado, Hsu tried and failed to end his own life. According to Hsu, he took a large number of over-the-counter sleeping pills and lost consciousness. He was taken off the train in Grand Junction, Colorado and admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital, apparently suffering from acute renal failure.

After learning that there was an outstanding bench warrant for Hsu’s arrest in California, local police took custody of Hsu. Later that day, a federal unlawful flight to avoid prosecution warrant (“UFAP”) was issued for Hsu’s arrest. Local Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) agents, John Piatanesi (“Piatanesi”) and Jane Quimby (“Quimby”) then took custody of Hsu. Although the status of his custody changed, Hsu was very ill at this time and was not physically moved from his hospital bed. While under federal custody at the hospital, Hsu was shackled to his bed and guarded by a private security firm contracted by the FBI for that purpose.

Upon Hsu’s release from the hospital on September 12, 2007, he was driven to the Mesa County Detention Facility (the “Mesa County Jail”) by Piatanesi and placed in a holding cell. Before leaving Hsu at the Mesa County Jail, Piatanesi gave his business card to Hsu.

On September 13, 2007, Hsu left two messages on the Grand Junction FBI office answering machine asking Piatanesi to come speak with him at the Mesa County Jail and stating that there was something he forgot to tell him. (Government Ex. 8.) The following morning, September 14, 2007, Hsu called the Grand Junction FBI office again and spoke with Piatanesi. Hsu repeated his request that Piatanesi come to the jail to speak with him.

Later that morning, Piatanesi and Quim-by went to the Mesa County Jail and met with Hsu. Before beginning the interview that followed, Hsu signed an advice of rights form waiving his right to counsel and his right to remain silent. (Government Ex. 1.) Hsu then spoke to the agents for several hours regarding his past business dealings and political fund-raising activities. Hsu also signed consent-to-search forms for his home, office, suitcase, laptop, cell phone and blackberry. (Government Exs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.)

II. DISCUSSION

Hsu seeks to suppress from the Government’s use at Hsu’s trial in this case the statements he made to Piatanesi and Quimby on September 14, 2007, as well as the physical evidence the Government found after obtaining Hsu’s consent to search his office, home and personal property. Hsu asserts that any waivers or statements he provided were not voluntary.

A. LEGAL STANDARD

To introduce a post-arrest statement of a defendant, the Government bears the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant knowingly and voluntarily waived his rights to remain silent and to the assistance counsel under Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966) before making the statements. See United States v. Ramirez, 79 F.3d 298, 304 (2d Cir.1996). The Government may meet *568 this burden by establishing that the defendant’s statement was “truly the product of free choice.” Id. (quoting United States v. Anderson, 929 F.2d 96, 99 (2d Cir.1991)). Courts assess the voluntariness of defendants’ waivers by considering the totality of the circumstances in which they were made. Green v. Scully, 850 F.2d 894, 900-01 (2d Cir.1988). This inquiry focuses on three sets of circumstances: “(1) the characteristics of the accused, (2) the conditions of the interrogation, and (3) the conduct of law enforcement officials.” Id. at 901-02.

B. APPLICATION

Piatanesi and Quimby testified that they advised Hsu of his right to remain silent and his right to have his attorney present before they began their interview with him on September 14, 2007. (Tr. at 18-20, 130-31.) The agents also testified that Hsu waived those rights and consented to the searches of his home, office and personal property, both verbally and in writing. (Tr. at 19-20, 27,131,137.)

Hsu took the stand and testified in his defense at the Suppression Hearing. While Hsu claims to have little memory of the September 14, 2007 interview with Pia-tanesi and Quimby, he recalls signing some documents that day. (Tr. at 174.) A written waiver of Miranda rights and consent forms for the search of Hsu’s home, office and personal property, all bearing Hsu’s signature and dated September 14, 2007, were admitted into evidence. (Government Exs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.) Hsu recognized his signature and initials on those forms. (Tr. at 173-76.) Hsu testified that he “think[s]” the agents did tell him that he had the right to have a lawyer present during the interview. (Tr. at 184.) Hsu also acknowledged that the addresses of his home and office and the descriptions of his personal property listed on the consent to search forms are correct and that he “probably” provided the password to his cell phone to the agents during the interview. (Tr. at 174-76.)

There does not appear to be any dispute that Hsu signed a waiver of Miranda rights form as well as forms consenting to the searches of his property. (Hsu Decl. ¶ 27.) This finding is not the end of the Court’s inquiry, however. See United States v. Paracha, No. 03 Cr. 1197, 2004 WL 1900336, at *5 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 24, 2004) (“The fact that a defendant signed a written waiver form may be highly probative but is not by itself dispositive in establishing the voluntariness or involuntariness of a waiver of rights.” (internal citations omitted)).

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Miranda v. Arizona
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Bluebook (online)
590 F. Supp. 2d 565, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 107691, 2008 WL 5274575, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-hsu-nysd-2008.