United States v. Smith

65 F.R.D. 464
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Georgia
DecidedDecember 31, 1974
DocketCrim. No. CR74-304A
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 65 F.R.D. 464 (United States v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Smith, 65 F.R.D. 464 (N.D. Ga. 1974).

Opinion

ORDER

EDENFIELD, Chief Judge.

In this 36-count indictment the three defendants are accused of a variety of fraudulent acts involving securities and banking and of a conspiracy to commit those acts. Defendant Smith has filed 12 pre-trial motions and this order will attempt to dispose of those motions.

I. Motion to Dismiss Counts 1 Through 7 Because of Selective Prosecution.

The defendant has neither presented nor offered to present any evidence in support of this motion. Even those cases cited by the defendant make it clear that in the rare case in which dismissal is an appropriate sanction for selective prosecution, there is a presumption that the prosecution is proper and the burden is on the defendant to make an initial presentation of evidence to rebut that presumption. United States v. Falk, 479 F.2d 616 (7th Cir. 1973). This motion is denied without prejudice to the defendant’s right to revive it after laying a proper evidentiary basis.

II. Motion to Impound and Preserve Any and All Documents and Records Relevant to the Instant Indictment.

The defendant cites no authority which supports this motion and the [468]*468court is aware of none. The motion is denied.

III. Motion to Dismiss Conspiracy Count.

. The defendant seeks dismissal of Count 36 of the indictment, the conspiracy count, on three grounds: (1) the count is so vague as to be constitutionally invalid; (2) the count is so vague that it would not allow the defendant to avail himself of a plea of double jeopardy in a subsequent prosecution; and (3) the count violates a prior verbal agreement by the United States attorney not to prosecute the defendant for conspiracy. As a general rule an indictment can be dismissed for vagueness only if it fails to allege an essential element of the offense or is so vague that it will not serve as the basis for clarification through a bill of particulars.1 Here a review of Count 36 reveals that it does clearly allege all of the elements of a violation of Section 371, Title 18, United States Code. The indictment also sets forth one “object” of the conspiracy and three “parts” of the conspiracy. These “objects” and “parts” are extremely vague. However, the indictment next alleges 63 overt acts, 21 of which were allegedly participated in by defendant Smith. Similar indictments have been upheld as valid even against defendants who were not alleged to have participated in any of the overt acts. United States v. Stromberg, 22 F.R.D. 513 (S.D.N.Y.1957). The court cannot conclude that Count 36 is so vague that its dismissal is constitutionally required.

It is established law that in ruling on a subsequent claim of double jeopardy it is permissible for the court to refer to the entire record of the prior proceeding and not be bound by the indictment alone. 1 C. Wright, Federal Practice and Procedure: Criminal § 125 (1969). The court is confident that the completed record in this case including the indictment and the bill of particulars will be sufficient to enable the defendant to successfully assert his claim of double jeopardy in any subsequent prosecution.

Finally, the defendant asserts that Count 36 should be dismissed because it was sought in violation of a prior promise of the United States Attorney that any superseding indictment would not contain a conspiracy count. In the record of the case there is no evidence that the United States attorney made any such commitment nor is there citation of authority which supports the proposition that violation of such a promise would require dismissal of the indictment. On this record the motion to dismiss Count 36 must be denied.

IV. Motion for Bill of Particulars.

The defendant has filed an extensive motion for a bill of particulars. Although both sides have filed briefs on the motion the briefs are entirely composed of conclusory statements of the proper standard to be applied and do not contain any attempt to address the specific merits of each requested particular.

In 1966 Rule 7(f) was amended to eliminate the requirement of a showing of cause and to liberalize the standard for granting a bill of particulars. Since that time the courts have frequently paid lip service to this liberalized standard, but have nonetheless manifested considerable reluctance to give effect to this change in policy. Professor Moore’s analysis indicated that there are two reasons for this reluctance. First, many courts apparently feel that defense counsel utilize Rule 7(f) motions in an attempt to circumvent the limitations on criminal discovery. Professor Moore finds little validity in this argument. 8 Moore’s Federal Practice ¶7.06 [1] (1973). Secondly, many courts are reluctant to “freeze” the government’s evidence in advance of trial. This “freezing” stems from the common-law rule that a bill of particulars “strictly limits [469]*469the prosecution to proof within the area of the bill.” United States v. Neff, 212 F.2d 297, 309 (3d Cir. 1954). This “freezing” can, however, be avoided and the motion for a bill of particulars defeated, if the government has provided the defendant with the information sought in some other satisfactory form. 1 C. Wright, Federal Practice and Procedure: Criminal § 129, p. 284 (1969). Additionally the court has inherent power to attach conditions to its grant of the motion in order to promote a fair and just conduct of the prosecution. This power is made explicit as to discovery in Rule 16(c), Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.

In many respects the instant indictment, while not subject to a motion to dismiss, is regrettably vague. It is clear that justice requires that more information be provided to aid in the preparation of the defense. The defendant has sought broad discovery through the motion for a bill of particulars and has made no effort to distinguish those items which are legitimately regarded as crucial to preparation of the defense. The government has refused to concede the need for any further particulars. Neither position is sustainable and the court is left with little guidance as to which requests are properly the subject of a motion for a bill of particulars. In ruling on this motion it is not the court’s intention to strictly or unduly limit the government’s proof at trial. Accordingly, the court will advise the government of those requests as to which the court feels the defendant is legitimately entitled to further particulars. However, where any request for particulars is granted, the government need not respond at this time with the detail envisioned by the motion. A general disclosure of the information sought will suffice. Similarly, if the government cannot safely respond in precise terms because of uncertainty as to the facts, it should respond in approximate terms. United States v. Tanner, 279 F. Supp. 457 (N.D.Ill.1967). If after the government has responded to this order (and the court will expect a good-faith response), the defense genuinely believes that further disclosure is required under Rule 7(f), the court will entertain a further motion for a bill of particulars.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. Eisenberg
773 F. Supp. 662 (D. New Jersey, 1991)
United States v. Rogers
617 F. Supp. 1024 (D. Colorado, 1985)
United States v. Thevis
474 F. Supp. 117 (N.D. Georgia, 1979)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
65 F.R.D. 464, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-smith-gand-1974.