United States v. Sitzmann

74 F. Supp. 3d 128, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 161216, 2014 WL 6476696
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedNovember 18, 2014
DocketCriminal No. 2008-0242
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 74 F. Supp. 3d 128 (United States v. Sitzmann) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Sitzmann, 74 F. Supp. 3d 128, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 161216, 2014 WL 6476696 (D.D.C. 2014).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

PAUL L. FRIEDMAN, United States' District Judge

This matter is before the Court on defendant Gregory Joel Sitzmann’s motion for an order directing the production of the grand jury testimony of George Jones and Terrence Colligan, as well as all other impeachment evidence that may be in the government’s possession. The government opposes the defendant’s motion. ’Upon consideration of the parties’ written submissions, the relevant case law, and pertinent portions of the record in this case, the Court will deny the defendant’s motion. 1

I. BACKGROUND

After a 23-day trial in .April and May 2012, Gregory J. Sitzmann was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841 and 846. The government alleged that Sitzmann conspired with numerous other individuals, including George Jones, over the span of fourteen years, to distribute large quantities of cocaine in at least eight countries. See Indictment at 1, Aug. 7, 2008 [Dkt. No. 2]; Third Amended Bill of Particulars, Aug. 11, 2011 [Dkt. No. 116].

On December 11, 2012, Sitzmann’s present counsel — not his trial counsel — wrote the government to request any unpro- *132 duced Brady or Giglio material relevant to the defendant’s case. Def. Dec. 11, 2012 Letter. 2 More specifically, counsel asked the government whether Brady and Giglio disclosures pertaining to George Jones and Terrence Colligan — the latter of whom was a cooperating individual in the drug investigation against Sitzmann — had been produced to the defense in light of Rule 806 of the Federal Rules of Evidence. Id. 3 When the government failed to respond to counsel’s December 11, 2012 letter, counsel renewed his request at a hearing held before this Court on October 24, 2013, at which argument was held on Sitzmann’s motion for judgment of acquittal or for a new trial. Def. Mot. at 2.

On November 6, 2013, the government responded by letter to Sitzmann’s counsel, stating that it had reviewed the grand jury transcripts of Jones and Colligan and had not found any exculpatory information in the transcripts. Gov’t Nov. 6, 2013 Letter at 1. The government provided defense counsel with the dates on which Jones and Colligan had testified before the grand jury, as well as brief descriptions of their testimony, but did not provide copies of the transcripts. Id. at 1-2. The government also attached a copy of the statement of facts in support of Jones’ guilty plea, which had been introduced in evidence before the grand jury.

Dissatisfied with the government’s response, Sitzmann filed the instant motion requesting an order directing the government to produce the grand jury testimony of Jones and Colligan, as well as any other impeachment evidence. Def. Mot. at 1. Sitzmann argues that the government’s November 6, 2013 letter describing aspects of Jones’ and Colligan’s grand jury testimony reveals “critical impeachment evidence” that the government failed to disclose. Def. Mot. at 3.

More specifically, Sitzmann asserts that the testimony offered at trial by William Buss, a retired Metropolitan Police Department officer called by the government, appears to contradict Jones’ grand jury testimony on two points. Def. Mot. at 3-4. 4 First, Sitzmann claims that the government’s description of Jones’ grand jury testimony appears to show that Jones approached Sitzmann in February 2004 because he “hoped” the defendant would give him drug-related work. Id. at 4. According to Sitzmann’s characterization of Buss’ testimony, however, Buss indicated that *133 Jones had tried to acquire cocaine from Sitzmann “back into ‘September, October of 2003,’ ” and then made efforts to acquire 20 kilograms of cocaine from others, “[b]e-cause Mr. Sitzmann failed to supply it to him.” Id. at 3-4 (quoting Apr. 30, 2012 Trial Tr. at 9:24-10:11) (Buss testimony) (emphasis in defendant’s motion). Thus, Sitzmann argues that Jones’ purported grand jury testimony appears to directly refute Agent Buss’ trial testimony regarding when Jones approached the defendant and what happened during that exchange. Second, Sitzmann claims that Buss characterized as “Sitzmann’s people” the individuals to whom Jones had hoped to sell cocaine, which purportedly contradicts Jones’ grand jury testimony because it appears that Jones never stated that those individuals were involved in the conspiracy charged in this case. Id. at 5 (quoting Apr. 30, 2012 Trial Tr. at 11:19).

On the basis of this comparison of Agent Buss’ trial testimony and the government’s summary of Jones’ grand jury testimony, Sitzmann asserts that Jones’ grand jury testimony appears to contain both Brady and Giglio material that should have been produced to the defense before trial. Def. Mot. at 3-4. In addition, Sitzmann alleges, without any discussion, that the government violated its obligations under Napue v. Illinois, 360 U.S. 264, 79 S.Ct. 1173, 3 L.Ed.2d 1217 (1959) and Mooney v. Holohan, 294 U.S. 103, 55 S.Ct. 340, 79 L.Ed. 791 (1935), as well as Rule 16 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, and the Jencks Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3500. Def. Mot. at 1.

The government opposes Sitzmann’s motion, maintaining that the defendant has not demonstrated the “particularized need” required under Rule 6(e)(3)(E)(ii) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, nor identified any previously undisclosed Brady or Giglio material in Jones’ or Col-ligan’s grand jury testimony. Gov’t Opp. at 1-2. Furthermore, the government states that because neither Jones nor Col-ligan testified at trial, there is no basis under the Jencks Act obligating the government to produce their grand jury testimony. Id. at 2.. For the reasons explained below, the Court agrees with the government. 5

II. DISCUSSION

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
74 F. Supp. 3d 128, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 161216, 2014 WL 6476696, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-sitzmann-dcd-2014.