United States v. Rivera

738 F. Supp. 1208, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6800, 1990 WL 72723
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Indiana
DecidedMay 18, 1990
DocketHCR 89-87(12)
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 738 F. Supp. 1208 (United States v. Rivera) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Rivera, 738 F. Supp. 1208, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6800, 1990 WL 72723 (N.D. Ind. 1990).

Opinion

ORDER

LOZANO, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on the Motion to Suppress, filed by the defendant, Hardy Rivera, on March 12, 1990. On March 19, 1990, after a hearing and arguments on the Motion, the Court orally denied the defendant’s Motion. The ruling denying the Motion to Suppress is VACATED only as to the money seized in the search of the defendant, Hardy Rivera’s pocket; the Motion to Suppress the money seized from the defendant, Hardy Rivera’s, pocket is GRANTED, and the Court hereby ORDERS that evidence suppressed. The Motion to Suppress is DENIED in all other aspects. This Order sets forth the Court’s findings and the basis for the Court’s decision.

BACKGROUND

The defendant seeks suppression of all evidence seized in the execution of a search warrant upon his residence on October 13, 1988. 1 As the search warrant was being executed, the defendant drove his pick-up truck up the driveway to his residence. The defendant was stopped as he got out of his truck, and agents searched his person and the passenger compartment of his truck. The defendant also seeks suppression of all evidence seized in the search of his person and of his truck.

The defendant argues that the documentation supporting the search warrant, namely the Affidavit of Special Agent George Karountzos of the DEA, contains information which is “allegedly suspicious in the mind of Karountzos,” but “which does not rise to the level of such probable cause and/or reliable suspicion to believe that evidence of narcotics transactions could be found within the home to which the warrant was directed.” The defendant argues that the search of his person and of his truck violated his constitutional rights for several reasons. The defendant maintains that he did not consent to these searches and that there was no probable cause or articulable suspicion involved in the commission of a felony or contained any evidence of a felony having been committed.

In response to the defendant’s Motion, the government argues that the sufficiency of the affidavit supporting the warrant should be determined by its “four corners” and the government objects to a hearing on that issue. The government argues that a hearing, if any, on the defendant’s Motion, should be limited in scope to probing the *1210 validity of the search of the defendant’s person and truck.

Prior to the commencement of the hearing on March 19, 1990, the Court reviewed sufficiency of the affidavit sworn in support of the warrant by Agent Karountzos on October 13, 1988, before Magistrate Andrew P. Rodovich, United States District Court, Northern District of Indiana. This Court found that, considering the totality of the circumstances, the facts before Magistrate Rodovich provided a substantial basis for believing that the defendant’s house at 11717 Wicker Avenue, Cedar Lake, Indiana, contained evidence of narcotics trafficking. Massachusetts v. Upton, 466 U.S. 727, 104 S.Ct. 2085, 2088, 80 L.Ed.2d 721 (1984); Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 235-36, 238, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 2330-31, 2332, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983). Accordingly, the Court limited the scope of the hearing to probing the validity of the search of the defendant’s person and truck.

The defendant objected to the limited scope of the hearing, and moved orally for the Court’s reconsideration of this ruling. The defendant also moved orally for the Court to order the government to divulge the names of the confidential informants who supplied the information relied upon to obtain the warrant, and the circumstances under which the informants supplied this information. The defendant cited the case of Franks v. Delaware, 438 U.S. 154, 98 S.Ct. 2674, 57 L.Ed.2d 667 (1978) as the basis for these motions. The Court inquired of the defendant’s counsel, Nick Thi-ros, whether he had any evidence to support these motions, and counsel’s reply was that he had none and could supply none unless he was afforded an opportunity to speak to the confidential informants. The Court reserved ruling on the defendant's oral motion and the hearing commenced.

After hearing the testimony of Agent Karountzos, Special Agent Barry Carew of the DEA, and Task Force Officer Ted Har-grove, and the arguments of counsel, the Court made four rulings. The Court orally denied the defendant’s motions to reconsider limiting the scope of the hearing and for an order requiring the government to divulge the names of the confidential informants and the circumstances under which the information was given. The Court also orally denied the defendant’s Motion to Suppress. The Court reserved ruling on the defendant’s motion for production of a list of witnesses and written materials, also filed on March 12, 1990, and ordered the government to respond to that motion on or before March 21, 1990. 2 After these rulings were announced in open court, the defendant moved orally for a hearing on the defendant’s bond status. The Court directed the defendant to file a written motion on that issue. 3 Having reviewed the record, this Court hereby VACATES the ruling which denied suppression of the money seized from the defendant’s pocket, GRANTS the Motion to Suppress only as to the evidence seized from the defendant’s pocket, and hereby ORDERS that evidence suppressed. In all other aspects, the ruling denying suppression of the evidence seized on October 13, 1988, is REAFFIRMED. This Order sets forth the Court’s findings based on the hearing and the reasons underlying the Court’s rulings. DISCUSSION

Motion to Suppress Evidence Seized In The Execution of the Search Warrant.

In Illinois v. Gates, the Supreme Court held that in determining whether there is probable cause upon which to issue a warrant,

[t]he task of the issuing magistrate is simply to make a practical, common sense decision of whether, given all the circumstances set forth in the affidavit before him, including the “veracity” and “basis of knowledge” of persons supplying hearsay information, there is a fair probability that contraband or evidence of a crime will be found in a particular place.

462 U.S. 213, 238, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 2332, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983). A magistrate’s “determination of probable cause should be paid *1211 great deference by reviewing courts.” Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. at 237, 103 S.Ct. at 2332 (quoting Spinelli v. U.S., 393 U.S. 410, 419, 89 S.Ct. 584, 590, 21 L.Ed.2d 637 (1969)).

The task of a court in reviewing a magistrate’s determination is not to conduct a de novo determination of probable cause, but only to determine whether there is substantial evidence in the record supporting the magistrate’s decision to issue the warrant. Massachusetts v. Upton,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
738 F. Supp. 1208, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6800, 1990 WL 72723, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-rivera-innd-1990.