United States v. Peters

333 F. Supp. 3d 366
CourtDistrict Court, D. Vermont
DecidedAugust 10, 2018
DocketCase No. 2:17-cr-00092
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 333 F. Supp. 3d 366 (United States v. Peters) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Vermont primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Peters, 333 F. Supp. 3d 366 (D. Vt. 2018).

Opinion

(Docs. 66 & 67)

Christina Reiss, District Judge

Defendant Mickayla Peters is charged in a three-count Indictment alleging (1) conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine base; (2) possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine; and (3) violation of the "crack house" statute, which criminalizes the use of a private residence for drug use or distribution. The conspiracy charge in Count I further alleges that the illegal conduct involved one hundred grams or more of a detectable amount of heroin.

On May 21, 2018, Defendant filed two pre-trial motions which are presently pending before the court. In her first motion, she seeks dismissal of Count I pursuant to the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution on the grounds that Count I charges her with engaging in the same conspiracy for which she has already pled guilty in another pending case. In the second motion, Defendant contends that the government violated the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution by tracking a cell phone in the possession of her co-defendant while he was a passenger in her vehicle and by subsequently performing a warrantless search of her vehicle after it was impounded. She seeks suppression of all evidence seized as a result. The government opposes both motions.

On July 30, 2018, the court held a non-evidentiary hearing and thereafter took the pending motions under advisement. Assistant United States Attorney Wendy L. Fuller represents the government. Defendant is represented by Michael J. Straub, Esq.

I. Factual and Procedural Background.

The government asserts that, beginning in 2015, Vermont Drug Task Force ("VDTF") officers and agents from Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI") began an investigation into the importation and sale of controlled substances in the Newport, Vermont area ("the Newport conspiracy"). In connection with this investigation, the government maintains, Defendant was arrested after selling two hundred bags of heroin to an undercover Drug Enforcement Agency agent, but was not prosecuted in light of her status as a juvenile.

The government proffers that, by the fall of 2015, Defendant and others involved in the Newport conspiracy were regularly traveling to destinations outside of Vermont to purchase controlled substances for re-sale. In December 2015, eight individuals died by drug overdose in Newport, each having consumed drugs which the government alleges were linked to Defendant and her associates. In March 2016, *371HSI agents from the Derby Line, Vermont field office opened an investigation into a drug distribution ring headed by Defendant's brother, Justin Peters. HSI received information from the VDTF officers that Justin Peters and others were engaged in large scale sales of heroin, cocaine, and cocaine base in and around Orleans County, Vermont.

In February 2017, a federal grand jury returned a series of indictments charging Defendant and others for their roles in the Newport conspiracy during the period from early 2015 to February 2017. The indictment charges Defendant as follows:

Count 1

The Grand Jury charges:

On or about July 11, 2016, in the District of Vermont, defendant MICKAYLA PETERS knowingly and intentionally distributed fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance.
( 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) )

Count 2

The Grand Jury further charges:

On or about September 1, 2016, in the District of Vermont, defendant MICKAYLA PETERS knowingly and intentionally distributed heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance and fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance.
( 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) )

Count 3

On or about September 7, 2016, in the District of Vermont, defendant MICKAYLA PETERS knowingly and intentionally distributed heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance.
( 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) )

Count 4

On or about October 4, 2016, in the District of Vermont, defendant MICKAYLA PETERS knowingly and intentionally distributed heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance.
( 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) )

Count 5

On or about October 25, 2016, in the District of Vermont, defendant MICKAYLA PETERS knowingly and intentionally distributed heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance.
( 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) )

(Doc. 1, Case No. 17-cr-00017, Feb. 9, 2017.)

According to the government, Defendant attended a proffer session with prosecutors in connection with this indictment, and confirmed that she worked with several other individuals to distribute drugs in the Newport area during the alleged period. She subsequently pled guilty to a Superseding Information related to the Newport conspiracy on July 20, 2017. The Superseding Information pursuant to which Defendant pled guilty states:

SUPERSEDING INFORMATION

The United States Attorney charges:

From in or about 2015, to in or about February 2017, in the District of Vermont and elsewhere, defendant MICKAYLA PETERS, knowingly and willfully conspired with others known and unknown to distribute heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance, fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, cocaine base, a Schedule II controlled substance, and cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance.
*372( 21 U.S.C.§§ 846, 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C) )

(Doc. 67-1.)

Defendant was in the community on conditions of release awaiting sentencing when the government alleges she engaged in the further criminal activity that gave rise to a second conspiracy charge. More specifically, at some point during the summer of 2017, the government obtained information that an individual with the alias "G" began distributing heroin and cocaine in the Newport area from Defendant's residence.

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Related

United States v. Lucas
382 F. Supp. 3d 280 (W.D. New York, 2019)

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Bluebook (online)
333 F. Supp. 3d 366, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-peters-vtd-2018.