United States v. Payner

434 F. Supp. 113, 39 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1433, 1977 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16142
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedApril 28, 1977
DocketCR76-305
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 434 F. Supp. 113 (United States v. Payner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Payner, 434 F. Supp. 113, 39 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1433, 1977 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16142 (N.D. Ohio 1977).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF OPINION MOTION TO SUPPRESS

MANOS, District Judge.

On September 14, 1976 the defendant Jack Payner was indicted for knowingly and willfully making a false statement in a matter within the jurisdiction of an agency of the United States in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001. Specifically, the Government charged Payner with falsely stating on his 1972 Federal Income Tax Return that he did not have a foreign bank account when in fact he had an account of over *118 $100,000 in the Castle Bank of the Bahamas. 1

On January 6,1977, the defendant filed a motion to suppress all evidence obtained by the Government from allegedly illegal searches conducted by government agents during January of 1973. In response the Government argued that the evidence it intended to introduce against Payner was neither the direct product, nor the fruit of the allegedly unconstitutional searches, but was evidence obtained from sources independent of the searches in issue. Also, the Government argued that even if the evidence against Payner was obtained from information arising out of the January, 1973 searches, the evidence should not be suppressed because Jack Payner has no standing to raise the issue of the constitutionality of the searches. On March 14, 1977, by agreement of the parties, the Court proceeded to try the defendant on the merits of the indictment together with the motion to suppress. 2 This opinion deals only with the issues raised by the motion to suppress.

I.

FINDINGS OF FACT

A. The seizures of January, 1973.

In 1965 the Internal Revenue Service initiated Operation Trade Winds for the purpose of gathering information about the financial activities of American citizens in the Bahamas. 3 Special Agent Richard Jaffe of the Jacksonville, Florida Office of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) supervised the investigation. 4 IRS agents gathered information pertinent to Operation Trade Winds by making numerous trips to the Bahamas and by the use of over 30 informants. 5

In June, 1972 the IRS suspected that the Castle Bank and Trust Company of the Bahamas functioned as an illegal tax haven for American taxpayers. 6 The IRS’ suspicion was based on information about an alleged California narcotics dealer, Allan Palmer, who deposited a check in his bank account originally drawn on the Castle Bank of the Bahamas. Further investigation revealed that the Castle Bank had an account with the Bank of Perrine in Florida, and that Palmer had $25,000 in a Castle Bank account which he opened through the assistance of the Bank of Perrine. 7 In August, 1972 representatives of the IRS districts in San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, and Pittsburgh met in Jacksonville, Florida to discuss the involvement of the Castle Bank with respect to narcotic trafficking investigations pending in each district. 8

In late October, 1972, Special Agent Jaffe met with one of his informants, Norman Casper, and asked him to obtain the names and addresses of the individuals holding accounts with the Castle Bank. 9 In the first week of November of 1972 Casper decided to secure the requested information 10 and in late November of 1972, as part of the scheme to get the names of the Castle Bank depositors, Cas-per introduced Sybol Kennedy to Michael Wolstencroft. 11 Wolstencroft was then an *119 acquaintance of Casper’s 12 and Vice-President and Trust Officer of Castle Bank. Sy-bol Kennedy was a private detective employed by Casper. 13 At the time Casper introduced Wolstencroft to Sybol Kennedy, Casper knew that Wolstencroft frequently traveled to the United States carrying a briefcase containing documents concerning the operation of the Castle Bank. 14 In early January, 1973 Casper learned that Wol-stencroft planned a business trip to the United States on January 15, 1973, and would have records of the Castle Bank in his possession during the trip. 15

In the week preceding January 15, 1973 Casper and Special Agent Jáffe discussed a covert plan to intercept copies of the documents that Wolstencroft planned to bring into the United States. On Tuesday, January 9, 1973 Casper told Jaffe that he could get the documents from Wolstencroft but that he needed Jaffe to supply photographic services, 16 and on Thursday, January 11, 1973 Casper outlined to Jaffe his plan to get the documents from Wolstencroft. 17 Casper specifically told Jaffe that he planned to enter an apartment from which he expected to remove Wolstencroft’s briefcase. 18 Jaffe told Casper that he would have to clear such an operation with his superior, Troy Register, Jr., Chief of the IRS Intelligence Division in Jacksonville. 19 After obtaining authorization from Register, Jaffe told Casper to proceed with the operation. On Friday, January 12 Casper phoned Jaffe and asked if the IRS could refer him to a locksmith who could be “trusted,” 20 which Jaffe did. 21

On January 15,1973 Wolstencroft arrived in the United States and went to Sybol Kennedy’s apartment. What occurred at her apartment, if anything, was not brought out at trial. 22 However, at 7:30 p. m. Sybol Kennedy and Wolstencroft left Kennedy’s apartment to go to a restaurant on Key Biscayne, whereupon Casper entered the apartment with a key . given him by Kennedy, and removed Wolstencroft’s briefcase without permission. 23 Casper took the briefcase to a locksmith who had been recommended by the IRS, and who had previously refused to enter the apart *120 ment with him. Casper met the locksmith in a parking lot five blocks from Kennedy’s apartment and instructed him to make a key for the briefcase. 24 Casper then took the briefcase to an IRS agent’s private residence, selected by Jaffe as the rendezvous point, and opened it in Jaffe’s presence. Over 400 documents were taken out of the briefcase and photographed. 25

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Related

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772 F.3d 969 (Second Circuit, 2014)
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752 S.E.2d 907 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 2013)
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State v. Summers
444 N.E.2d 1041 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1981)
United States v. Payner
447 U.S. 727 (Supreme Court, 1980)
Whitler v. Commissioner
1980 T.C. Memo. 214 (U.S. Tax Court, 1980)
Karme v. Commissioner
73 T.C. 1163 (U.S. Tax Court, 1980)
United States v. Bonnell
483 F. Supp. 1070 (D. Minnesota, 1979)
Proesel v. Commissioner
73 T.C. 600 (U.S. Tax Court, 1979)
United States v. Jack Payner
572 F.2d 144 (Sixth Circuit, 1978)
State v. Smallwood
574 P.2d 1361 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1978)
Kanter v. Internal Revenue Service
433 F. Supp. 812 (N.D. Illinois, 1977)
United States v. Baskes
433 F. Supp. 799 (N.D. Illinois, 1977)

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Bluebook (online)
434 F. Supp. 113, 39 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1433, 1977 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16142, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-payner-ohnd-1977.