United States v. Silva

470 F. Supp. 2d 1202, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 82276, 2006 WL 4007006
CourtDistrict Court, D. Hawaii
DecidedNovember 9, 2006
DocketCR. 05-00503-05 JMS
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 470 F. Supp. 2d 1202 (United States v. Silva) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Hawaii primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Silva, 470 F. Supp. 2d 1202, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 82276, 2006 WL 4007006 (D. Haw. 2006).

Opinion

ORDER DENYING DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO SUPPRESS EVIDENCE FROM SEARCHES CONDUCTED DECEMBER 1 AND 2, 2005

SEABRIGHT, District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

Defendant Corey Keoni Silva (“Silva”) seeks an order suppressing evidence obtained as a result of searches conducted on December 1 and 2, 2005. Silva was arrested in Honolulu on December 1, 2005, after crashing the vehicle he was driving into a City bus while fleeing from arrest. On that date, law enforcement officials conducted a search incident to arrest. In addition, various items located in the vehicle Silva was driving, including a locked Travel Pro duffel bag, were removed and taken to the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) office located in Honolulu. On December 2, 2005, DEA agents sought, obtained, and executed a search warrant on the Travel Pro bag.

On October 20 and 27, 2006, the court received oral testimony from: DEA Special Agents Matthew Rumschlag, Daria Lupacchino, Pat Piciano and James Yuen; Honolulu Police Department (“HPD”) Officer Gordon Gomes; Corinna Callahan; Daniel Sylva; Honolulu Fireman Frank Johnson; and Rodrigo Liberato. After reviewing Silva’s motion, the supporting and *1205 opposing memoranda, the testimony of the witnesses, and the arguments of counsel, the court DENIES the motion to suppress.

II. BACKGROUND

A. Silva’s Arrest

The DEA began investigating a drug distribution conspiracy headed by Carlos Martinez in July 2005. Between July and October 2005, the DEA gathered evidence from confidential sources and conducted surveillance, and then received court-ordered authorization for a wiretap on Martinez’s cell phone on October 11, 2005. Several conversations were intercepted between Martinez and an individual the government identified as “Oni.” 1 Some of the intercepted calls related to a scheduled meeting between “Oni” and Martinez on October 17, 2005 at TJ’s Sports Bar near downtown Honolulu. HPD Sgt. Gordon Gomes (“Gomes”) conducted surveillance of the meeting and observed an individual arrive in a white Honda. 2 This individual parked in TJ’s lot next to Martinez’s truck, exited the white Honda, and entered Martinez’s truck. 3 After the meeting, while the white Honda was driving away, Gomes was able to record the vehicle’s license plate, and subsequently determined that it was registered to Chad Ke-a. Further investigation led law enforcement officials to Chad’s brother, Charles Keoni Ke-a (“Ke-a”). 4 On November 22, 2005, Ke-a was indicted by a grand jury. Gomes and other law enforcement agents, however, were not confident that Ke-a was the same “Oni” heard on the intercepts, and thus continued their investigation. 5

Surveillance was conducted at Ke-a’s residence, but law enforcement did not observe the white Honda parked in the area. Gomes testified that he then spoke to an informant and was told that a different “Oni” — Corey Keoni Silva — was a drug dealer living in the Kalihi area of Honolulu. After determining that Silva was linked to a home at 1917 Ahuula Street, Gomes conducted surveillance at that address and observed the white Honda parked on the grass of the property adjacent to the driveway. Also parked on the property was a truck with the license plate “ONZ4X4,” which apparently translates to “Oni’s 4x4.” Based on the license plates of other cars parked at the house, Gomes learned that Silva’s family members lived at 1917 Ahuula Street.

One of the vehicles parked at 1917 Ahu-ula Street was registered to Chassidy Qua-lye, Silva’s ex-girlfriend and the mother of his children. Quayle listened to the intercepted phone call setting up the October 17 meeting with Martinez at TJ’s, and identified Silva’s voice as “Oni.” DEA Special Agent Matt Rumschlag also determined that the phone number registered to Brandon Parlett (808-352-8349) made *1206 several calls to the 1917 Ahuula Street address. 6

The government sought an arrest warrant for Silva on November 30, 2005, which was signed by Magistrate Judge Barry M. Kurren. In support, the United States submitted a criminal complaint and affidavit prepared by DEA Special Agent Daria Lupacchino (“Lupacchino”). Lupaechino’s affidavit did not mention that Ke-a had previously been indicted, or that the government no longer believed that he was the “Oni” on the intercepts who met with Martinez on October 17, 2005. During a Franks hearing, Lupacchino explained that within the span of a few days (between November 25 and 29, 2005), the government realized that Ke-a was the wrong suspect. 7 The government learned that Silva may have been on the run and the government therefore sought an arrest warrant quickly to prevent Silva from fleeing.

Silva was arrested on December 1, 2005 pursuant to the arrest warrant. Special Agent Rumschlag first observed Silva in a green Honda registered to Corinna Callahan in the parking lot of a condominium in a residential area of Honolulu. Rumschlag approached the green Honda, observing Silva in the driver’s seat. Rodrigo Libera-to was in the front seat and Chelsea Bani-sihan was in the back. As Rumschlag approached, the green Honda fled, requiring Rumschlag to move out of its path. As it fled, the green Honda was observed on the wrong side of the street hitting vehicles parked on the curb. While attempting to elude law enforcement officials at a high rate of speed, Silva crashed into a City bus driven by Daniel Sylva. By all accounts, the accident was serious, requiring the “jaws of life” to extricate Silva from the green Honda. Silva, Liberato, Banisihan and Sylva (the bus driver) were injured and treated at the scene by emergency medical personnel and then transported to Queen’s Hospital. At the hospital, Silva (the defendant) and Sylva (the bus driver) were placed in the same room. Special Agent Rumschlag traveled with Silva in the ambulance and remained in his room at the hospital that evening.

B. Searches Conducted December 1 and 2, 2005

After the emergency personnel completed their work, DEA Agents searched Silva incident to his arrest and removed several items from the passenger compartment and trunk of the green Honda. The items taken from the car were transported to the DEA office and stored in a locked closet. One of the items taken from the trunk was a black Travel Pro bag secured by several locks. The following day, December 2, 2005, Lupacchino submitted an affidavit in support of an application for a search warrant for the Travel Pro bag, which was authorized by Magistrate Judge Kevin *1207 S.C. Chang that day. DEA agents then cut the locks off the bag, and found $319,560 packed into three small boxes.

Silva now seeks an order suppressing all items seized from his person and from the green Honda he was driving at the time of his arrest on December 1, 2005.

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470 F. Supp. 2d 1202, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 82276, 2006 WL 4007006, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-silva-hid-2006.