United States v. Mannion

54 F. App'x 372
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
DecidedDecember 19, 2002
Docket02-4426
StatusUnpublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 54 F. App'x 372 (United States v. Mannion) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Mannion, 54 F. App'x 372 (4th Cir. 2002).

Opinion

*373 OPINION

PER CURIAM.

Michael Scott Mannion was indicted for possession of child pornography in violation 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(5)(B) (2000). The district court denied Mannion’s motion to suppress evidence obtained by the police from his wife and in the execution of a search warrant at his residence. Mannion then entered a conditional guilty plea to the offense. See Fed.R.Crim.P. 11(a)(2).

Mannion now appeals the adverse determination of his motion to suppress arguing that his wife’s transfer of a computer disk containing images of child pornography to the police constituted an illegal search and that the warrant did not establish probable cause supported by oath or affirmation. The Government contends that the transfer of the computer file was not a search, that the warrant was supported by probable cause, and that even if it were not, the good faith exception to the warrant requirement applies. Finding no error, we affirm.

The factual findings underlying a motion to suppress are reviewed for clear error, while the legal determinations are reviewed de novo. Ornelas v. United States, 517 U.S. 690, 691, 116 S.Ct. 1657, 134 L.Ed.2d 911 (1996); United States v. Rusher, 966 F.2d 868, 873 (4th Cir.1992). When a suppression motion has been denied, this court reviews the evidence in the light most favorable to the government. United States v. Seidman, 156 F.3d 542, 547 (4th Cir.1998).

Mannion argues that when his wife gave the computer disk to Detective Blanchard and Blanchard took and viewed the disk, it was a warrantless search and seizure. Mannion also asserts that the police conduct cannot be justified on the basis of his wife’s consent because the computer and computer files were his private property and his wife did not have equal access to the items. Mannion challenged the admission of evidence from the disk and its use to establish probable cause for a search warrant, but did not raise this consent issue in the district court. The failure to preserve a related suppression issue amounts to waiver under Fed.R.Crim.P. 12(f). United States v. Wilson, 115 F.3d 1185, 1190 (4th Cir.1997) (holding that defendant’s argument that the warrant was improperly executed when defective warrant argued below resulted in waiver under Rule 12).

Nonetheless, there is no evidence in the record that Mannion’s wife did not have access to the computer. On cross-examination, Blanchard testified that as far as she knew, Mannion’s wife had access to the computer, just as the Defendant did. Defense counsel did not introduce any evidence to the contrary. In fact, during the course of the hearing, Blanchard testified that she met with Mannion’s wife in the bedroom where the computer was kept. Further, the disk was labeled “grocery list” and had a note about a school project, making it more likely that the computer was used as a family computer. Finally, Janet Mannion was able to log onto the computer and view and download Defendant’s files.

Regardless, Mannion’s wife had authority to give the disk to Detective Blanchard, as a resident of Mannion’s home. A search without probable cause is valid if consent is voluntarily given. Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 219, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 36 L.Ed.2d 854 (1973). By using the family computer, Mannion assumed the risk that his wife would give such contraband to police. Consent to search may be given by a person other than the subject or victim of the search if “the thud person shares with the absent target of the search a common authority over, general access *374 to, or mutual use of the place or object sought to be inspected under circumstances that make it reasonable to believe that the third person has the right to permit the inspection in his own right and that the absent target has assumed the risk that the third person may grant this permission to others.” United States v. Block, 590 F.2d 535, 539-40 (4th Cir.1978). Mannion’s reliance on cases where the third party who gave consent for a search had no relationship or authority over the property or premises is misplaced and may be distinguished.

Mannion argues that the involvement of federal officers makes the application a federal warrant and, therefore, Fed. R.Crim.P. 41 should be complied with, which requires oral statements to be sworn and recorded. He further argues that, even if compliance with Rule 41 is not required, the Fourth Amendment requires that a warrant be based upon probable cause supported by oath or affirmation. See United States v. Clyburn, 24 F.3d 613, 617 (4th Cir.1994). Without Blanchard’s oral statements to Judge Dennis, Mannion contends that the warrant application was not supported by probable cause because the use of a confidential informant was not supported by a statement of the confidential informant’s reliability. See id. at 617.

The suppression hearing transcript establishes that federal officials were not the driving force behind the application for the warrant and therefore the warrant obtained from the state court judge did not have to comply with Fed.R.Crim.P. 41. The test to be applied in determining whether a warrant must be obtained in compliance with Rule 41 is “whether the warrant application was made ‘at the direction or urging of a federal officer.’ ” United States v. Williams, 977 F.2d 866, 870 (4th Cir.1992) (quoting United States v. Smith, 914 F.2d 565, 569 (4th Cir.1990)).

Here, the only federal involvement seen in the record related to application for the search warrant is when Detective Blanchard called FBI Agent McCants for advice about whether to reveal Mannion’s wife’s name in the warrant affidavit. The case was not referred for federal prosecution until after the search was over. Therefore, Fed.R.Crim.P. 41 was not applicable.

The Government argues that, even if the warrant lacked probable cause, the Leon

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Bluebook (online)
54 F. App'x 372, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-mannion-ca4-2002.