United States v. Lua

990 F. Supp. 704, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 694, 1998 WL 24310
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Iowa
DecidedJanuary 15, 1998
DocketNo. CR 97-3008-MWB
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 990 F. Supp. 704 (United States v. Lua) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Lua, 990 F. Supp. 704, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 694, 1998 WL 24310 (N.D. Iowa 1998).

Opinion

ORDER REGARDING DEFENDANT KOZAK’S MOTION TO DISMISS

BENNETT, District Judge.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND.................................... 706

II. FINDINGS OF FACT..................................................... 707

III. LEGAL ANALYSIS....................................................... 708

A. Overview of Cooperation Agreements....................................708

B. The Existence Of Cooperation Agreement In This Case ...................710

C. Authority To Bind The United States....................................711

IV. CONCLUSION............................................................714

Due process requires the government to adhere to the terms of any immunity agreement it makes. Courts are bound to enforce such agreements when the defendant has fulfilled his or her side of the bargain. The motion to dismiss presently before the court turns on the purported existence of an oral cooperation agreement reached by defense counsel and two state agents, and whether such a cooperation agreement is binding upon the United States.

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

Defendant Sarah Ann Kozak (“Kozak”), along with Luis Lúa, Aurelio Ortiz, Jr., Shawn Wayne Knakmuhs, Benjamin L. Alden, Ricardo Castillo, and Ramiro Astello, is charged in a three count indictment returned on July 17,1997, with kidnapping, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1201(a), conspiring to kidnap, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1201(c), and using a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(j). The allegations in the indictment all concern the kidnapping and murder of Gregory Sky Erickson.

Defendant Kozak has filed a motion to dismiss in this case. As grounds for her motion, defendant Kozak asserts that the government has breached a cooperation agreement she had with it and, as a result, its prosecution of her violates her right to due process. The government has filed a timely resistance to defendant Kozak’s motion to dismiss. In its resistance, the government contends that no cooperation agreement was ever reached between defendant Kozak and Iowa law enforcement personnel. The government further asserts that even if a cooperation agreement does exist between Kozak and state actors, those state actors did not have authority to offer Kozak transactional immunity from federal prosecution.

An evidentiary hearing on defendant Ko-zak’s motion was held on November 10,1997, and November 21,1997, at which the government presented the testimony of Assistant Emmet County Attorney Richard Meyer, Clay County Attorney Michael L. Zenor, Special Agents Kevin B. Curran and Robert Birnie of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Special Agent Dan Moser of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (“DCI”). Defendant Kozak offered the testimony of John P. Whitesell and Jennifer A Bicknese. The United States was represented by Assistant United States Attorney Janet Papenthien. Defendant Kozak was represented by Stanley E. Munger of Munger & Reinschmidt, Sioux City, Iowa, and Jennifer A Bicknese of Whitesell & Bicknese, Iowa Falls, Iowa.

Although the court initially indicated to the parties that it would set defendant Kozak’s motion for further oral arguments following the submission of supplemental briefs by the parties, upon review of the parties’ submissions and the record in this case, the court concludes that oral argument would not be beneficial. Therefore, the oral arguments [707]*707will not be scheduled and defendant Kozak’s motion to dismiss is deemed fully submitted.

II. FINDINGS OF FACT

For the purpose of this motion only, the court finds the following facts:

On June 14, 1997, Gregory Sky Erickson’s body was found in an abandoned farmhouse in Jackson County, Minnesota. A criminal investigation was commenced involving local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. On June 17, 1997, a car owned by defendant Kozak’s father, Laddie Kozak (“Laddie”), and which defendant Kozak had been using, was seized by law enforcement officers pursuant to a search warrant. Also on June 17, 1997, Dan Moser of the DCI and Paul Soppe-land of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (“BCA”) interviewed defendant Kozak. During this interview defendant Kozak admitted driving defendants Luis Lua and Aurelio Ortiz to an apartment in Spencer, Iowa, and driving Lua, Ortiz and Erickson back from Spencer to Estherville, Iowa. Defendant Kozak further told the officers that she had dropped Lua and Erickson off at Lua’s house, and dropped Ortiz off at his apartment. She also claimed to have seen Erickson walking away from Lua’s house on June 6, 1997, and to having spent the rest of that evening with Lua. The law enforcement authorities investigating the death of Erickson believed these last two statements to be false.

The next day, June 18, 1997, Laddie telephoned John P. Whitesell, an attorney who had previously represented Laddie on other legal matters, and requested an emergency appointment for later that day. Laddie explained to Whitesell that an automobile he owned, but which Kozak had been using, had been seized by law enforcement officers the previous night. Whitesell made arrangements for himself and his law partner, Jennifer Bicknese, to meet with defendant Kozak and her parents, Laddie and Zoe, that evening. Whitesell requested that Bicknese contact DCI Special Agent Dan Moser regarding the seizure of Laddie’s automobile.

At approximately 1:45 p.m., Bicknese telephoned the Law Enforcement Center in Estherville and spoke with Special Agent Moser and Assistant Emmet County Attorney Richard Meyer. Bicknese inquired about Laddie Kozak’s ear. She was informed that the automobile had been seized pursuant to a search warrant in a kidnapping investigation, and that the automobile had been transported to a crime laboratory in St. Paul, Minnesota. . Bicknese was also told of the ongoing homicide investigation, and that the investigation was a multi-jurisdictional effort which involved Iowa, Minnesota and federal authorities. Bicknese informed Moser and Meyer that she represented Kozak. Bick-nese was then told by Moser that he believed Kozak had been the driver of a car involved in the crime. Bicknese was also told that Kozak had been questioned the previous evening, and that Moser did not believe Kozak had been entirely truthful in her statement to the officers. Bicknese was told that it was in Kozak’s interest to be re-interviewed. Bicknese was told that a “window of opportunity” existed for defendant Kozak to be a material witness rather than a defendant but that the window could close quickly due to the rapidly evolving nature of the investigation. Bicknese requested that there be no further contacts with Kozak in Bicknese’s absence, and Moser and Meyer agreed to that condition.

Later on June 18, 1997, law enforcement officers arrested Ortiz, Shawn Knakmuhs, and Ben Alden.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
990 F. Supp. 704, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 694, 1998 WL 24310, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-lua-iand-1998.