United States v. Schlesinger

439 F. Supp. 2d 255, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 51388, 2006 WL 2085043
District Court, E.D. New York·Decided July 26, 2006·No. Criminal 02-485 (ADS)(ARL)·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

ORDER

SPATT, District Judge.

Presently before the Court is a third motion by defendants Nat Schlesinger and Goodmark Industries, Inc., (the “Defendants”), for a new trial based on newly discovered evidence. In particular, the Defendants allege that the government assisted a trial witness, Bradley Lanes, in his efforts to obtain benefits in connection with his sentencing and has otherwise afforded him undisclosed preferential treatment in exchange for his testimony against Nat Schlesinger. The undisclosed beneficial treatment alleged to have been provided by the government includes: (1) consenting to the request by Lanes to transfer his case to this Court for sentencing, (2) consenting to adjournments of his sentencing to a date after the scheduled sentencing of Schlesinger; and (3) refraining from seeking a revocation of bail or alteration of the conditions of bail after Lane committed a post-release crime.

It has long been the law that the government has a duty to disclose evidence favorable to the accused when it is material to guilt or punishment. See Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 87, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963). This duty under Brady to disclose is not limited to “exculpatory” information, but it also includes information that could be used to impeach government witnesses, so-called Giglio material. See Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150, 154, 92 S.Ct. 763, 31 L.Ed.2d 104 (1972).

The Supreme Court recently provided a clear summary of the rules governing an alleged Brady violation:

A Brady violation occurs when the government fails to disclose evidence materially favorable to the accused. This ... Brady duty extends to impeachment evidence as well as exculpatory evidence, and Brady suppression occurs when the government fails to turn over even evidence that is known only to police investigators and not to the prosecutor. Such evidence is material if there is a reasonable probability that, had the evidence been disclosed to the defense, the result of the proceeding would have been different, although a showing of materiality does not require demonstration by a preponderance that disclosure of the suppressed evidence would have resulted ultimately in the defendant’s acquittal. The reversal of a conviction is required upon a showing that the favorable evidence could reasonably be taken to put the whole case in such a different light as to undermine confidence in the verdict.

Youngblood v. West Virginia, — U.S. ---, ---, 126 S.Ct. 2188, 2190, 165 *257 L.Ed.2d 269, --- (2006) (citations and quotations omitted).

' Stated succinctly, the Second Circuit has recently held that a Brady violation has three components: “The material evidence ‘must be favorable to the accused, either because it is exculpatory, or because it is impeaching; that evidence must have been suppressed by the [government], either willfully or inadvertently; and prejudice must have ensued.’ ” United States v. Madori, 419 F.3d 159, 169 (2d Cir.2005) (quoting Strickler v. Greene, 527 U.S. 263, 281-82, 119 S.Ct. 1936, 144 L.Ed.2d 286 (1999)); see also United States v. Rivas, 377 F.3d 195, 199 (2d Cir.2004).

Information is material under Brady “if there is a reasonable probability that, had the evidence been disclosed to the defense, the result of the proceeding would have been different.” Pennsylvania v. Ritchie, 480 U.S. 39, 57, 107 S.Ct. 989, 94 L.Ed.2d 40 (1987). A “reasonable probability” is a probability “sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome.” Id. (citations omitted); United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667, 682, 105 S.Ct. 3375, 87 L.Ed.2d 481 (1985); Kyles v. Whitley, 514 U.S. 419, 437, 115 S.Ct. 1555, 131 L.Ed.2d 490 (1995) (holding that the state’s obligation under Brady turns on the “cumulative effect of all such evidence suppressed by the government”); Modori, 419 F.3d at 169 (“Impeachment evidence is evidence ‘having the potential to alter the jury’s assessment of the credibility of a significant prosecution witness.”); see also United States v. Avellino, 136 F.3d 249, 255 (2d Cir.1998); United States v. Payne, 63 F.3d 1200, 1209 (2d Cir.1995).

Here, the Court need not determine whether the government actually failed to disclose the potential impeachment evidence because such information would not have been material to the verdict. Along with numerous other witnesses, Lanes testified at the trial regarding the insurance fraud. Lanes stated that he was an insurance adjuster, and that he received more than $35,000 in cash bribes from Schlesinger in exchange for fraudulently inflating insurance claims for three fires that occurred in 1987, 1990, and 1991 at the Wallabout Street factory. ■ This testimony was substantially corroborated by five "other witnesses, namely, Seymour Berson, Joseph Pánico, Jeffrey L. Foug-ere, Thomas Tesonero, and John Cronin.

In addition, the credibility of Lanes was fully explored at the trial. Lanes testified that in the- 1990’s he plead guilty to federal charges of mail fraud,, tax evasion, and conspiracy. He understood when he plead guilty that he was subject to more than ten years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Lanes explained that he then entered into a cooperation agreement with the government, but that in 2004 he was notified by the government that he had breached the agreement by being arrested and charged by the Broward County Sheriffs Office with possession of cocaine and tampering with evidence, and by falsely reporting to the government that he had not used cocaine. Due to the breach of the cooperation agreement, he - understood that he would no longer be eligible for a 5K letter.

The testimony also established that, although Lanes breached his cooperation agreement, he nonetheless provided voluntary assistance to the government in testifying against Schlesinger. When asked by the prosecutor, “Do you believe that testifying here today, even without a cooperation agreement, ;will help you in some fashion when you are sentenced?”-: Lanes replied, “I don’t know. I’ve been cooperating-with the government for nine years right now, and I’m not about to give up over a mistake I made.” Trial Tr. at 425.

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United States v. Schlesinger, 439 F. Supp. 2d 255, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 51388, 2006 WL 2085043 (E.D.N.Y. 2006).

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