United States v. Oberoi

295 F. Supp. 2d 286, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22444, 2003 WL 22955868
District Court, W.D. New York·Decided December 11, 2003·No. 1:99-cr-00197·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

ARCARA, District Judge.'

INTRODUCTION

On June 20, 2003, defendant Tejbir Ob-eroi moved pro se to dismiss the instant Indictment based on an alleged violation of the Speedy Trial Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3161 et seq. He filed supplemental material in support of his motion on June 24, 2003. The government filed a response opposing the motion on July 2, 2003. Defendant filed an affirmation and table in support of his motion on July 3, 2003. Defendant also filed supplemental 'reply memoranda on July 8, July 10, August 12, August 14, August 21, August 25, September 10, October 22 and October 24, 2003. In his October 22nd memorandum, defendant raised for the first time a claim that the indictment should also be dismissed under the Speedy Trial Act because of pre-indictment delay. The government filed a memorandum regarding the pre-indictment delay issue on November.4, 2003. Defendant *289 filed reply memoranda thereto on November 5 and 13, 2003. 1 Oral argument on the motion to dismiss was held on November 12, 2003.

After reviewing the submissions of the parties and hearing oral argument, the Court denies defendant’s motion to dismiss.

DISCUSSION

A. The Speedy Ti'ial Act

The Speedy Trial Act is designed to protect a defendant’s constitutional right to a speedy trial and to serve the public interest in ensuring a quick resolution of criminal proceedings. United States v. Breen, 243 F.3d 591, 594 (2d Cir.) (citation omitted), cert. denied, 534 U.S. 894, 122 S.Ct. 214, 151 L.Ed.2d 152 (2001). The Act commands the government to bring criminal defendants to trial within 70 days of their first appearance before a judicial officer of the court or the filing of an indictment, whichever is later. See 18 U.S.C. § 3161(c)(1) 2 ; see also United States v. Anderson, 902 F.2d 1105, 1108 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 867, 111 S.Ct. 182, 112 L.Ed.2d 146 (1990). The 70-day deadline, however, is not absolute; 18 U.S.C. § 3161(h) excludes certain periods of delay from the 70-day calculation. The periods of delay defined in §§ 3161(h)(l)-(6), which include delays resulting from interlocutory appeals, pretrial motions and “other proceedings coneern-ing the defendant,” are automatically excluded from the Speedy Trial clock. 3 See Henderson v. United States, 476 U.S. 321, 327, 106 S.Ct. 1871, 90 L.Ed.2d 299 (1986); Anderson, 902 F.2d at 1108; United States v. Tunnessen, 763 F.2d 74, 76 (2d Cir.1985). Put differently, these sections of the Act are self-executing, i.e., no specific finding or order by the court is required for the exclusions to apply, and the exclusions are not limited to delays that are reasonably necessary. Henderson, 476 U.S. at 329-30, 106 S.Ct. 1871.

The Speedy Trial Act also excludes from the 70-day time limit any period of delay “resulting from a continuance granted by any judge on his own motion or at the request of the defendant or his counsel or at the request of the attorney for the Government, if the judge granted such continuance on the basis of his findings that the ends of justice served by taking such action outweigh the best interest of the public and the defendant in a speedy trial.” 18 U.S.C. § 3161(h)(8)(A). Unlike §§ 3161(h)(l)-(6), § 3161(h)(8)(A) is not self-executing. No period of delay based on the “ends of justice” may be excluded under § 3161(h)(8)(A), “unless the court sets forth, in the record of the case, either orally or in writing, its reasons for finding that the ends of justice [would be] served” by granting the excludable delay. Subsection (h)(8)(B) contains a nonexclusive list of factors for the court to consider in deciding whether to grant a *290 continuance under subsection (h)(8)(A). The court may not grant an ends-of-justice continuance under § 3161(h)(8)(A) nunc pro tunc. Tunnessen, 763 F.2d at 77. “[A]n ends-of-justice continuance [must] be prospective, not retroactive; an order granting a continuance on that ground must be made at the outset of the excluda-ble period.” Id. However, a court may enter its ends-of-justice finding after it grants the continuance if it is clear from the record that the court conducted the mandatory balancing contemporaneously with the granting of the continuance. Id. at 77-78.

If a criminal indictment is not brought to trial within the 70-day time limit imposed by § 3161(c)(1), as extended by operation of § 3161(h), the penalty provisions of the Speedy Trial Act mandate that “the information or indictment shall be dismissed on motion of the defendant.” 18 U.S.C. § 3162(a)(2). The dismissal may be with or without prejudice. Id.; Tunnessen, 763 F.2d at 76.

B. The Speedy Trial Clock has not Expired

Defendant Oberoi contends that the 70-day Speedy Trial clock expired long ago in this case and that the Indictment must therefore be dismissed. The Court finds this contention without merit.

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United States v. Oberoi, 295 F. Supp. 2d 286, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22444, 2003 WL 22955868 (W.D.N.Y. 2003).

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