United States v. Lahey

967 F. Supp. 2d 698, 2013 WL 4792848
District Court, S.D. New York·Decided August 8, 2013·No. Case No. 10-CR-765 (KMK)·Published·Cited by 5 cases

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

KENNETH M. KARAS, District Judge:

On August 26, 2010, a Grand Jury returned a sealed Indictment charging Defendants with committing various narcotics and firearms crimes. (Dkt. No. 2.) Several days later, law enforcement officials arrested Defendants Robert Santiago (“Santiago” or “Comanche”) and Walter Tarrats (“Tarrats”) (collectively, “the Moving Defendants”), along with several others, and executed warrants to search multiple residences, including those associated with the Moving Defendants. The searches yielded physical evidence, including weapons and gang related paraphernalia. On August 2, 2011, the Government filed a Superceding Indictment. (Dkt. No. 53.) The Moving Defendants have moved to dismiss the Superceding Indictment as to them and/or to suppress the physical evidence from their residences. The Court denies Santiago’s Motion in its entirety. The errors that Santiago has identified in the Government’s presentation to the Grand Jury and in the search warrant affidavit are not prejudicial or material. Tarrats’s Motion is granted insofar as he seeks suppression, but denied insofar as he seeks dismissal of the Superceding Indictment.1

I. Background

A. Factual History

This case is the result of an eighteen-month undercover operation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”). Starting in March 2009, an ATF undercover agent (“the UC”) infiltrated the Pagans Outlaw Motorcycle Club (“the Pagans”). (Mem. of Law of the U.S. in Opp’n to Defs.’ Pretrial Mots. 5 (Dkt. No. 84).) While in role, the UC at times carried an audio recorder, which, he used to capture events relevant to ATF’s investigation of the Pagans. {See Post Hr’g Mem. of Law of the U.S. in Opp’n to Defs.’ Mots. To Suppress Evidence (“Gov’t Mem.”) 4 & n. 1 (Dkt. No. 145).) Due to safety concerns, the UC could not break role during the investigation, and he accordingly had to convey information, including audio recordings, to other ATF agents, who were preparing the case against Defendants.2 When the time came for the Government to present its case to the Grand Jury for an indictment and, later, to submit affidavits in support [702]*702of search warrants, the UC was still in role, and other ATF agents, including Special Agent Brian DiGirolamo, who was the case agent for the investigation, and Special Agent Robert Grander, were responsible for performing these tasks. {See Hr’g Tr. 26-27, Oct. 1, 2012.)

On August 26, 2010, following testimony by Special Agent DiGirolamo, a Grand Jury returned an Indictment under seal, charging seven individuals, including the Moving Defendants, with participating in a conspiracy to distribute narcotics from at least 2009 through in or about 2010, and with various firearms crimes. (Dkt. No. 2.) On September 13, 2010, Special Agent Grander submitted an affidavit in support of a search warrant for premises associated with Defendant Santiago (“the Santiago Affidavit”), (Gov’t Ex. 201 (“GX 201”)), and, the next day, Special Agent DiGirolamo submitted an affidavit in support of a search warrant for certain premises and properties associated with other Defendants, including Defendant Tarrats (“the Tarrats Affidavit”), (Gov’t Ex. 3502-G (“GX 3502-G”)), (collectively, “the challenged affidavits”). Magistrate judges in various federal districts in New York, New Jersey, and Maryland issued these two and several other search warrants, and, on September 15, 2010, ATF agents executed them, arresting Defendants and seizing contraband at their residences. Special Agent DiGirolamo, as the case agent, was primarily responsible for preparing the various search warrant affidavits, including those that he did not personally swear out. {See Hr’g Tr. 19-21, 157, Oct. 1, 2012.) Special Agent DiGirolamo explained that in preparing the affidavits, he relied on his discussions with the UC, reports prepared by Special Agent Kotchian that documented information relayed by the UC, (“the Kotchian Reports”), and his own review of the UC’s audio recordings. {See id. at 20-21, 30,119.)

The challenged affidavits describe, among other things, a party held at Defendant Lahey’s property on May 22, 2010 in Swan Lake, New York (“the Lahey Party”) — which party the UC attended, pretending to be a Pagans Member. The Moving Defendants’ arguments in support of dismissal and suppression are largely based on alleged discrepancies between the Governments’ description of various aspects of the Lahey Party — the sequence of events, the nature of the party, the Moving Defendants’ activities during the party, etc. — and the actual aspects of the party, as revealed by the UC’s partial audio recordings from May 22, 2010. In the challenged affidavits, which are identical in most respects, the Government affiants offered the following allegations regarding the Lahey Party:

9. According to the UC, members of the Pagans frequently gathered for meetings and/or parties, and purchased, used, and distributed narcotics, including, among others, cocaine, crack cocaine, amphetamines, prescription medications, and marijuana, during those gatherings. The Pagans members sometimes purchased narcotics from the members of other outlaw motorcycle gangs, including the Mongols____
11. According to the UC, on or about May 22, 2010, the UC attended a Pagans gathering at the residence of TRACY LAHEY in Swan Lake, New York, and where numerous other members of the Pagans were present, including, among others: CUEVAS, LAHEY, YOU-MANS,[3] BLAIR,[4] TARRATS, and LEGG. According to the UC, the follow[703]*703ing events occurred during the gathering:
a. [Doc] told the UC that members of the Mongols Outlaw Motorcycle Gang would be coming to the party and would be bringing cocaine to sell. [Doc] asked the UC if the UC wanted to purchase some cocaine. The UC told [Doc] that he/she wanted to buy an “eight ball” and two 1-gram bags of cocaine. [Doc] told the UC that he would let the UC know the price for the cocaine.
b. [Doc] also showed the UC multiple firearms that were located inside LAHEYs residence, including a shotgun with a shortened barrel above the front door of the Residence; a shotgun with a shortened barrel inside a bedroom of the Residence; a High-Point 9 millimeter rifle; and a small caliber handgun in LAHEYs waistband, among others.
c. That afternoon, [Doc] and [Roadblock] arranged for a security assignments [sic] for the Pagans gathering. The UC saw [Doc] put a High-Point rifle in the front seat of a pick-up truck located at one of the two security checkpoints, and [Doc] told the UC that a second rifle was placed at the second security check-point.
d. [Doc] assigned the UC and another Pagans member to conduct security at the two security check-points from noon to 3:00 pm.
e. At approximately 3:00 p.m., TAR-RATS and LEGG replaced the UC and the other Pagans member at the respective security check-points. The UC told LEGG that the High-Point rifle was placed in the front seat of the pick-up truck. During the course of the afternoon, the UC observed LEGG and TAR-RATS at both security check-points and saw them alternate security checkpoints.
f.

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United States v. Lahey, 967 F. Supp. 2d 698, 2013 WL 4792848 (S.D.N.Y. 2013).

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