United States v. Wagers

339 F. Supp. 2d 934, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20698, 2004 WL 2339065
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Kentucky
DecidedOctober 12, 2004
DocketCRIM.A. 04-66-S
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 339 F. Supp. 2d 934 (United States v. Wagers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Wagers, 339 F. Supp. 2d 934, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20698, 2004 WL 2339065 (E.D. Ky. 2004).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

FORESTER, Chief Judge.

This matter is before the Court for consideration of the Defendant Lyman Wagers, Jr.’s (hereafter, the “Defendant” or “Wagers”) Motion to Suppress certain evidence discovered pursuant to the execution of three (3) search warrants at his residence, his business and America On-Line’s corporate headquarters regarding his account [DE # 30]. The United States has filed a Response to the Motion to Suppress [DE #34], the Defendant replied [DE # 36], and the government submitted a Sur-Reply. [DE #37] Concurrent with his reply, Wagers also filed a Motion for leave to place evidence in the record absent a stipulation [DE # 36], to which the United States responded. [DE # 37] Accordingly, the motions are now ripe for adjudication.

I. BACKGROUND

Previously, the United States submitted three (3) Applications and Affidavits for Search Warrants regarding an investiga *936 tion into Mr. Wagers’ alleged criminal wrongdoings involving child pornography. Specifically, the United States sought to search the residential and business premises of Mr. Wagers at 3818 Mimosa Lane, Lexington, Kentucky and 1608 Harrods-burg Road, Lexington, Kentucky on April 5 and 8, 2004, respectively. [See April 5, 2004, Application and Affidavit For Search Warrant, hereafter the “April 5th Affidavit”, and April 8, 2004 Application and Affidavit For Search Warrant, hereafter the “April 8th Affidavit”.] The United States also filed an application for search warrant for searching records involving Mr. Wagers at America On-Line’s (AOL) headquarters in Dulles, Virginia, on April 8th. [See the April 8, 2004, Application and Affidavit For Search Warrant of AOL Headquarters, hereafter the “AOL Affidavit”.] Based on these applications and affidavits, and after finding probable cause had been established, Magistrate Judge James B. Todd signed each application and issued search warrants on the corresponding dates the warrants were submitted.

Wagers now challenges the sufficiency of those affidavits in the instant Motion to Suppress. Through his motion, Wagers argues that the evidence seized pursuant to three (3) search warrants should be suppressed because: (1) they do not create probable cause to believe that Mr. Wagers committed any crime; and (2) they do not create probable cause to believe that in-strumentalities or evidence of a crime would have been found at the premises to be searched. For the reasons stated herein, Wagers’ Motion to Suppress will be DENIED.

II. LEGAL STANDARD

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides:

No Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the places to be searched, and the person or things to be seized.

U.S. Const., Amend. IV. Wagers does not challenge the “particularity” of the affidavits; rather, he contests the sufficiency of the “probable cause” for the issuance of said search warrants.

To be sufficient, the affidavits must establish probable cause to believe that evidence of the alleged crimes would be present at the three premises searched. United States v. Davidson, 936 F.2d 856, 859 (6th Cir.1991). Probable cause is defined as “reasonable grounds for belief, supported by less than prima facie proof but more than mere suspicion,” United States v. Bennett, 905 F.2d 931, 934 (6th Cir.1990), and is said to exist “when there is a ‘fair probability,’ given the totality of the circumstances, that contraband or evidence of a crime will be found in a particular place.” Davidson, 936 F.2d at 859; see also, e.g., United States v. Johnson, 351 F.3d 254, 258 (6th Cir.2003). In reviewing the sufficiency of a search warrant affidavit, the “magistrate’s determination of probable cause is afforded great deference,” and should only be reversed if arbitrarily made. United States v. Greene, 250 F.3d 471, 478 (6th Cir.2001) (emphasis added); United States v. Finch, 998 F.2d 349, 352 (6th Cir.1993). To this end, “review of an affidavit and search warrant should rely on a ‘totality of the circumstances’ determination, rather than a line-by-line scrutiny.” Greene, 250 F.3d at 479. In other words, the magistrate judge’s responsibility in examining the challenged search warrant is “simply to make a practical, common sense decision whether, given all the circumstances set forth in the affidavit before him ... there is a fair probability that contraband or evidence of a crime will be found in a particular place.” Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 238, 103 *937 S.Ct. 2317, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983) (emphasis added).

“It is well settled that in seeking suppression of evidence the burden of proof is upon the defendant to display a violation of some constitutional or statutory right justifying suppression.” United States v. Feldman, 606 F.2d 673, 679 n. 11 (6th Cir.1979). “When reviewing the denial of a motion to suppress evidence, we must consider the evidence in the light most favorable to the government.” United States v. Garza, 10 F.3d 1241, 1245 (6th Cir.1993). The standard of review for determining the sufficiency of the affidavit “is whether the magistrate had a substantial basis for finding that the affidavit established probable cause to believe that the evidence would be found at the place cited.” United States v. Davidson, 936 F.2d 856, 859 (6th Cir.1991). See U.S. v. Rodriguez-Suazo, 346 F.3d 637, 643 (6th Cir.2003).

III. ANALYSIS

A. The Affidavits In General

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Related

State v. Felix
942 So. 2d 5 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2006)
United States v. Lyman Wagers
452 F.3d 534 (Sixth Circuit, 2006)
United States v. Wagers
Sixth Circuit, 2006

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Bluebook (online)
339 F. Supp. 2d 934, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20698, 2004 WL 2339065, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-wagers-kyed-2004.