United States v. Sims

808 F. Supp. 607, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14619, 1992 WL 295672
District Court, N.D. Illinois·Decided September 28, 1992·No. 92 CR 166·Published·Cited by 5 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

ALESIA, District Judge.

In this case, nineteen defendants are charged in a nineteen count indictment with various offenses including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine, money “laundering”, criminal racketeering and murder. In a Memorandum Opinion and Order dated September 17, 1992, the court addressed the motions to suppress evidence. 808 F.Supp. 596. This memorandum opinion addresses the remaining pretrial motions filed in this case.

I. DEFENDANTS’ PRETRIAL MOTIONS

A. Motion for Determination on Admissibility of Co-Conspirator’s Statements and to Require Production of Santiago Memorandum

Defendant Delwin Langston’s Motion for Determination on Admissibility of Co-conspirator’s Statements and to Require Production of a Santiago Memorandum is denied as moot. The government has produced a Santiago proffer. The Determination on Admissibility of Co-Conspirator’s Statements will be held in abeyance until the court has had adequate time to review the Santiago proffer.

B. Motion to Preserve Agents’ Notes

Defendant Delwin Langston’s Motion to Preserve Agents’ Notes is denied as moot since the government has instructed the agents to preserve their notes. Government’s Consolidated Response to Defendants’ Pretrial Motions [hereinafter Government’s Consolidated Response], at 5.

C. Motion to Require Notice of Intention to Use Other Crimes, Wrongs or Acts as Evidence

Defendant Delwin Langston moves this court to require the government to provide notice of intention to use other crimes, wrongs or acts as evidence pursuant to 404(b) and 608(b). Insofar as the government has agreed to abide by the notice requirements of Rule 404(b), 1 the motion is *611 denied as moot. See Government’s Consolidated Response, at 7. Rule 404(b) only requires a statement of the general nature of 404(b) evidence the government will seek to introduce. With respect to requests seeking information more specific than Rule 404(b) requires, Langston’s motion is denied as overbroad. The purpose of the disclosure requirement is to “reduce surprise and promote early resolution on the issue of admissibility.” Fed.R.Evid. 404(b) advisory committee’s note. It is not a tool for open ended discovery. United States v. Swano, No. 91 CR 477-02-03, 1992 WL 137588, *6, 1992 U.S.Dist. LEXIS 7554, *16 (N.D.Ill. June 1, 1992).

The defendant seeks production of the following information pursuant to Rule 404(b): the dates, times, places and persons involved in the specific crimes or acts; the statements of each participant; the documents which contain such evidence; and a statement of the issues to which the government believes such evidence may be relevant. The government objects to the specificity of the information sought by the defendant. The Senate Judiciary Committee “considered and rejected a requirement that the notice satisfy the particularity requirements normally required of language used in a charging document.” Fed.R.Evid. 404(b) advisory committee’s note. Instead, the Advisory Committee “opted for a generalized notice provision which requires the prosecution to apprise the defense of the general nature of the evidence of extrinsic acts.” Id. No language in the rule or the Committee Notes supports the discovery of the type of specific information Langston seeks. Therefore, to the extent Langston requests notice beyond the requirements of 404(b), Langston’s motion is denied.

Defendant Langston also seeks disclosure before trial of the government’s intent to use “specific instances of conduct” or Rule 608(b) material. 2 Rule 608(b) restricts the use of specific instances of conduct of a witness to the cross-examination of that witness and even then at the discretion of the trial judge. Fed.R.Evid. 608(b). Rule 12(d)(2) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure allows the “defendant [to] request notice of the government’s intention to use {in its evidence in chief at trial) any evidence which the defendant may be entitled to discover under Rule 16 subject to any relevant limitations in Rule 16.” Fed.R.Crim.P. 12(d)(2) (emphasis added). By its terms, Rule 608(b) evidence may not be used by the government in its case-in-chief and therefore such evidence is not discoverable under Rule 12 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. See United States v. Hartmann, 958 F.2d 774, 789 n. 5 (7th Cir.1992) (“defendants are not entitled access to Rule 608(b) materials which are not discoverable under Fed. R.Crim.P. 16”); United States v. Cerro, 775 F.2d 908, 914-15 (7th Cir.1985); United States v. Swano, No. 91 CR 477-02-03, 1992 WL 137588, *6-7,1992 U.S.Dist. LEXIS 7554, *16-17 (N.D.Ill. June 1, 1992); United States v. Santillanes, 728 F.Supp. 1358, 1360 (N.D.Ill.1990). Therefore, Langston’s request for notice of the government’s intent to use Rule 608(b) evidence is denied.

In summary, Langston’s motion is denied in part as moot since the government has agreed to provide notice as required under Rule 404(b) and denied in part insofar as Langston requests information more specific than the notice the government is required to provide under Rule 404(b) and *612 specific instances of conduct pursuant to Rule 608(b).

D.Motion for a Bill of Particulars

Defendants Ruby Chambers and Estella Sims have each filed a Motion for a Bill of Particulars pursuant to Rule 7(f) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. Chambers requests the dates, times and locations regarding counts of the indictment that relate to her. Estella Sims seeks the names of any witnesses the government intends to call to establish the allegations in the indictment pertaining to Sims along with the time, place, and persons present. The decision whether to grant a motion for a bill of particulars rests with the sound discretion of the trial court. United States v. Glecier, 923 F.2d 496 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 112 S.Ct. 54, 116 L.Ed.2d 31 (1991).

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United States v. Sims, 808 F. Supp. 607, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14619, 1992 WL 295672 (N.D. Ill. 1992).

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