United States v. McIntyre

271 F. Supp. 991, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7218
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedJune 7, 1967
Docket64 Cr. 597
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 271 F. Supp. 991 (United States v. McIntyre) 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. McIntyre, 271 F. Supp. 991, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7218 (S.D.N.Y. 1967).

Opinion

OPINION

TENNEY, District Judge.

On October 14, 1965, this Court heard oral argument on defendant’s motion to dismiss the instant indictment on the ground that he had been denied his right to a speedy trial as guaranteed by the sixth amendment. Said motion was denied since no prejudice was shown and the case proceeded to trial on that same day before this Court sitting without a jury. The defendant was found guilty and, pursuant to the judgment of conviction, he was given the minimum mandatory sentence of ten years for second narcotics offenders with this Court recommending that such sentence be served concurrently with a State court sentence under which he was then incarcerated. The recommendation was followed by the Attorney General, and Clinton State Prison was designated as the place for service of defendant’s Federal sentence.

Defendant appealed from the judgment of conviction, principally alleging that the pre-trial delay had the effect of increasing his Federal sentence by diminishing the period of concurrence. The Court of Appeals, commenting on the insufficiency of the record before it, remanded the case *993 to the district court for a hearing to develop the issues raised by defendant’s motion. Such hearing was to encompass the following:

“What events transpired from October 1964 to October 1965, including whether appellant [defendant] was represented by counsel, waived the right to a speedy trial, and was brought by the Government to the Southern District for the purpose of testifying before a Grand Jury in another matter; what the reasons for delay were in this period and whether defendant acquiesced therein, including the Government’s role, if any, in preparing the calendar of cases to be tried in the summer months; and when appellant’s state sentence expired.” United States v. McIntyre, 375 F.2d 127, 128 (2d Cir. 1967) (per curiam).

Accordingly, this Court conducted a hearing on May 4-5, 1967. The hearing was adjourned sine die on May 5, pending the recovery from illness of Philip Segal, Esq. Counsel informed this Court that said Philip Segal died on May 7, 1967, and a stipulation was signed by counsel and the Court terminating the hearing.

The following facts were adduced at the hearing: The instant indictment was filed June 25, 1964, some ten months after the date of the offense charged. 1 A bench warrant for defendant’s arrest was issued the same day and, on July 1, 1964, was lodged as a detainer at Clinton Prison, Dannemora, New York, where defendant was serving a two and one-half to three year sentence imposed on December 2, 1963 in the New York State Supreme Court for New York County. On July 4, 1964, defendant wrote to the clerk of the district court seeking information about the nature of the Federal charge. On July 22, 1964, the Government applied for a writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum and, on August 4, 1964, defendant appeared for pleading in the Criminal Calendar Part of the Court (hereinafter referred to as “courtroom 318”). On that date, Judge MacMahon of this Court adjourned the matter to August 10, 1964, to enable defendant to obtain counsel. Defendant appeared in courtroom 318 on August 10, 1964 and requested a further adjournment of “a couple of weeks” as he had been unable to obtain counsel. Judge Herlands put the matter over to August 25, 1964, on which date defendant indicated that he had obtained counsel who failed to appear. On the following day, August 26, 1964, Philip Segal, Esq. appeared before Judge Murphy, informed the Court that his brother, Samuel Segal, Esq., was appearing for defendant, and immediately requested a three-week adjournment. Judge Murphy denied the request, defendant entered a plea of not guilty, and September 14, 1964 was designated as the return date for motions. Samuel Se-gal was hospitalized from September 3-10, 1964.

On September 14, 1964, the matter was adjourned by consent until October 14, 1964. The record is unclear as to who appeared for defendant on that day but the testimony adduced at the hearing indicates that Philip Segal was present. As appears from the diary maintained by Samuel Segal’s office, he was fully informed of all the proceedings carried on in his absence. Without objection from defendant, the writ pursuant to which he had been brought down from Clinton Prison was satisfied, with defendant being returned to Clinton Prison.

McIntyre was not returned to the Southern District on October 14, 1964. On that date, the case was adjourned to October 29, then to November 30, then to December 16 and, finally, to December 17, 1964. All the adjournments were granted at the request of the Government and, if Samuel Segal did not consent to them, it is undisputed that his office was aware of them. On December 17, 1964, the Assistant United States Attorney noted that the defendant had not appeared in court on the previous day or on that day, that he had received no com *994 munication from Samuel Segal, and he therefore sought a bench warrant and bail forfeiture, failing to recall that defendant was confined in State prison. The error was discovered on the same day by the clerk of the criminal division, who so advised the Assistant United States Attorney and was, in turn, told “that he would eventually correct” it.

No mention of McIntyre appears in any Government record until March 29, 1965 when the outgoing Assistant United States Attorney, in his reassignment memorandum, stated, “The remaining defendant in this case, Edward McIntyre is incarcerated in state jail and should be brought here for prosecution by way of writ of habeas corpus.” The incoming Assistant testified that the pending McIntyre case was assigned to him at about that time.

On April 23, 1965, the Government applied for a writ of habeas corpus ad testificandum seeking production of defendant in connection with an unrelated grand jury investigation. The defendant was brought back to the Southern District from Clinton Prison, and an attempt was made with the consent of Philip Segal to induce him to cooperate with the investigation. On May 11, 1965, after attempts at persuasion failed, the ad testificandum writ was satisfied, a writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum was issued and the case was restored to the 318 calendar for May 18, 1965. However, on May 17, 1965, defendant moved pro se for a speedy trial, setting forth the events as hereinbefore described (with some slight discrepancies).

On May 18, 1965, defendant appeared in courtroom 318 with Samuel Segal. At that time, an Assistant United States Attorney who appeared for the Government pointed out that no notice of appearance was in the file. Segal explained that no notice had indeed been filed and that he wished to withdraw as counsel to McIntyre without filing any notice of appearance. Segal contended that “I just went in to inquire and see what I could do for him by way of bail.” However, Segal knew that defendant was incarcerated at Clinton Prison at the time he was asked to see him and from the record it appears that Segal (or his brother Philip) adequately represented defendant at the time a plea was entered, took part in fixing a return date for motions and for sending the case out to a trial part and either sought or consented to adjournments.

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Bluebook (online)
271 F. Supp. 991, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7218, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-mcintyre-nysd-1967.