United States v. Law Firm of Zimmerman & Schwartz, P.C.

738 F. Supp. 407, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6233, 1990 WL 70323
CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedMay 23, 1990
Docket1:90-mc-00036
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 738 F. Supp. 407 (United States v. Law Firm of Zimmerman & Schwartz, P.C.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Law Firm of Zimmerman & Schwartz, P.C., 738 F. Supp. 407, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6233, 1990 WL 70323 (D. Colo. 1990).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

BABCOCK, District Judge.

On January 26, 1990, the twelve defendants in this case were indicted in the District of Colorado on fifty-three counts of criminal wrongdoing, including conspiracy, mail fraud, “pension kickback”, “embezzlement from pension and profit sharing plans”, and bankruptcy fraud. After denying defendants’ motions to declare the case complex in an Order entered March 8, 1990, all of the defendants, with the exception of Steven L. Zimmerman (Zimmerman), Tommy Brown (Brown), and Shari Schlapman (Schlapman), filed waivers of speedy trial. Defendant Stanley Lansing entered a guilty plea, but has not been sentenced. Accordingly, the case was set on two “tracks”. The track one defendants, Zimmerman, Brown, and Schlapman, begin a jury trial on June 4, 1990. The remaining defendants, the track two defendants, are scheduled for trial in November.

Pending before me are Zimmerman’s Motion for Disclosure and to Dismiss filed with the Court under seal and Motion to Dismiss Count 1 of the indictment for failure to charge an offense or, in the alternative, alleging a multiple conspiracy and Brown’s Motion to Dismiss for Grand Jury Abuse and Motion to Dismiss Count 1 of the indictment. Schlapman joins in Zimmerman’s motion for disclosure of grand jury material and in his motion to dismiss Count 1. Hearing on the motions was held on May 18, 1990.

Zimmerman moves to dismiss the indictment on the grounds that his Fifth Amendment right to indictment and due process has been violated. Specifically, Zimmerman argues that 1) the prosecutor usurped the province of the grand jury to deliberate independently the charges contained in the proffered indictment by ignoring proffers of exculpatory evidence, by offering con-clusory evidence of interested parties and by commenting on the assertion of the privilege against self-incrimination, and 2) the government improperly used civil process to develop information to further this criminal prosecution. Defendant Tommy Brown (Brown) also seeks to dismiss the Indictment because exculpatory pre-indictment statements from alleged co-conspirators were not presented to the grand jury for its consideration. I deny the motions.

I.

A.

An indictment valid on its face is not subject to challenge on the ground that the grand jury acted on inadequate or incompetent evidence, or even on information obtained in violation of a defendant’s privilege against self-incrimination. United States v. Calandra, 414 U.S. 338, 345, 94 S.Ct. 613, 618, 38 L.Ed.2d 561 (1974); United States v. Beery, 678 F.2d 856, 858 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 471 U.S. 1066, 105 S.Ct. 2142, 85 L.Ed.2d 499 (1982). An indictment can be dismissed only for prosecutorial misconduct that results in “some significant infringement on the grand jury’s ability to exercise independent judgment.” United States v. Pino, 708 F.2d 523, 530 (10th Cir.1983). “[A] district court may not dismiss an indictment for errors in grand jury proceedings unless such errors prejudiced the defendants.” Bank of Nova Scotia v. United States, 487 U.S. 250, 108 S.Ct. 2369, 2373, 101 L.Ed.2d 228 (1988). In the Nova Scotia case, the Supreme Court articulated the applicable standard when dismissal is sought for nonconstitutional grand jury abuse.

The prejudicial inquiry must focus on whether any violations had an effect on the grand jury's decision to indict. If violations did substantially influence this decision, or if there is grave doubt that the decision to indict was free from such *411 substantial influence, the violations cannot be deemed harmless.

Nova Scotia, supra 108 S.Ct. at 2378, quoting United States v. Mechanik, 475 U.S. 66, 78, 106 S.Ct. 938, 945, 89 L.Ed.2d 50 (1986) (O’Connor, J., concurring).

1. Exculpatory Evidence.

In order to render a decision free from bias, the grand jury must be both independent and informed. United States v. Williams, 899 F.2d 898, 903 (10th Cir. 1990). “To be independent and informed, the grand jury must be able to obtain all relevant evidence, since only then can its judgment truly be informed.” Id. at 903, quoting United States v. Flomenhoft, 714 F.2d 708, 711 (7th Cir.1983), cert. denied, 465 U.S. 1068, 104 S.Ct. 1420, 79 L.Ed.2d 745 (1984). Accordingly, a prosecutor has the duty to present substantial exculpatory evidence to the grand jury. Id. at 900-901. Although a prosecutor is not required to “ferret out” and disclose every bit of potentially exculpatory evidence to the grand jury, substantial exculpatory evidence discovered during the course of an investigation must be revealed. Id.

Having reviewed the documents presented, I conclude that the government did not withhold exculpatory evidence from the grand jury. The government honored its obligation to present exculpatory evidence when it 1) tendered to the grand jury two detailed letters written by Zimmerman’s attorney and corresponding exhibits explaining why the evidence did not support an indictment against Zimmerman, 2) allowed a character witness for Zimmerman to testify a second time, and 3) marked Zimmerman’s proposed instructions as a grand jury exhibit and allowed the grand jury to consider them as the law of the case.

Brown’s argument that certain witnesses gave misleading and untruthful statements to the grand jury regarding his involvement in the alleged scheme to defraud creditors boils down to a challenge to the weight and credibility of the evidence presented to the grand jury. The evidence presented on the motion demonstrates that the government presented to the grand jury Brown’s requested exculpatory evidence. The government allowed Brown to testify narratively before the grand jury prior to cross-examination and to introduce prepared written statements and other exhibits for the grand jury’s consideration. Moreover, Brown and every other defendant who gave a statement, exculpatory or otherwise, to the United States Attorney had their statements transcribed and submitted to the grand jury upon request.

Further, the Supreme Court has held that “the mere fact that evidence itself is unreliable is not sufficient to require a dismissal of the indictment.” Nova Scotia, 108 S.Ct. at 2377. Here defendants have not shown that the government knowingly introduced false or misleading evidence or that the government caused the witnesses to give false or misleading testimony. Id. Issues of weight and credibility of the evidence are properly for the petit jury.

2. Conclusory Evidence of Interested Parties and Comments on the Assertion of Fifth Amendment Privilege.

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Bluebook (online)
738 F. Supp. 407, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6233, 1990 WL 70323, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-law-firm-of-zimmerman-schwartz-pc-cod-1990.