United States v. Yung

786 F. Supp. 1561, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5628, 1992 WL 52656
CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedFebruary 3, 1992
DocketCrim. A. 91-20049-01
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 786 F. Supp. 1561 (United States v. Yung) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Yung, 786 F. Supp. 1561, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5628, 1992 WL 52656 (D. Kan. 1992).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

EARL E. O’CONNOR, Chief Judge.

This matter is before the court on motions to suppress filed by defendants Dan E. Gibson (Doc. # 195), Alex Yung (Doc. # 131 and # 210), Steven J. Hemsley (Doc. # 104) and Edward T. Skinner (Doc. 146). A hearing was held on the motions on December 2, 1991, and defendant Gibson was given additional time to file a supplemental brief on his motion. Having considered the arguments presented by the parties, the court makes the following findings and order.

I. Defendant Gibson

On February 27, 1990, Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent Douglas Handley (“Handley”) applied for a warrant to search defendant Gibson’s offices located at 908 West College, Suite A, Independence, Missouri. In support of the application, Handley filed a seventeen-page affida *1564 vit setting forth the background of his investigation and alleging probable cause to believe that Gibson had committed violations of 18 U.S.C. § 371 (conspiracy to defraud the United States). The application further included an exhibit describing the property to be seized:

1. Originals and copies of domestic and foreign trust contracts, indentures, agreements, certificates, minutes of trustees, and trust correspondence, and related documents.

2. Originals and copies of trust accounting records, including workpapers, ledgers, journals, notes, checks and other banking instruments, memoranda, and correspondence for the taxable year beginning January 1, 1985, and continuing to the present.

3. Lists of trust customer’s and client’s names, addresses and telephone numbers.

4. Records of payments received from trust clients, including workpapers, ledgers, journals, receipts, invoices, bank account statements, checks, deposit tickets, memoranda, and correspondence for the taxable year beginning January 1, 1985, and continuing to the present.

5. Electronic equipment, such as computers, printers, word processors, printouts, magnetic storage media, software and related manuals used to generate and/or store the information described in items 1, 2, 3, and 4 of this exhibit.

6. Mechanical sealing devices of trusts, individuals, and other organizations, used to affix seals and notarizations to trust documents.

7. Retained copies of Internal Revenue Service forms including forms SS-4, W-8, 1040, 1041S, 1041, and 1040NR, along with related and supporting schedules prepared for trust purchasers and clients for taxable years beginning January 1, 1985, and continuing to the present.

8. Membership agreements for members of IBA (International Business Association) or any other organization promoting the sale of trusts, dated on or after January 1, 1985.

9. Records of payments made on or after January 1, 1985, for sales of trusts or the payment of commissions and fees to salesmen and others, paid in connection with the sale of trusts and related services.

10. Video tapes, audio tapes, photographs, pamphlets, brochures, and other promotional material used to promote the sale of domestic and foreign trust organizations.

11. Indicia of occupancy, residency, and/or ownership of the premises described above, including, but not limited to utility and telephone bills, and canceled envelopes.

Following issuance of the search warrant, Handley, accompanied by other government agents, executed the warrant and obtained numerous items of evidence.

Defendant Gibson, appearing pro se, now seeks suppression of the evidence on various grounds.

A. Collateral estoppel

The majority of arguments now raised by Gibson were previously asserted in a pre-indictment motion to suppress evidence and return property filed by Gibson and his co-tenants with the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri on March 13, 1990. That motion was denied by Judge Dean Whipple in a well-reasoned opinion filed on July 17, 1990.

In response to Gibson’s current motion to suppress, the government argues that the doctrine of collateral estoppel precludes Gibson from reasserting the arguments presented in his first motion to suppress. “A party is generally estopped from re-litigating an issue decided against him or her in a prior lawsuit when (1) the issue is identical to one presented in the prior adjudication; (2) the prior adjudication resulted in a final judgment on the merits; (3) the estopped party was a party or in privity with a party in the prior adjudication; and (4) the estopped party had a full and fair opportunity to litigate the issue in the prior suit.” United States v. Rosenberger, 872 F.2d 240, 242 (8th Cir.1989).

The court finds that Gibson is collaterally estopped from reasserting the arguments *1565 previously presented and ruled upon by Judge Whipple. Five of the issues now presented by Gibson in his motion to suppress are identical to those presented by Gibson to Judge Whipple in the initial motion. Further, Gibson received a judgment on the merits of his initial motion. Finally, a review of Judge Whipple’s opinion gives every indication that Gibson had a full and fair opportunity to litigate the five issues presented in his initial motion. Accordingly, the court finds that each of the prerequisites for application of the collateral estoppel doctrine have been met. Id.

Although several federal courts have held that the doctrine of collateral estoppel can be used to prevent a criminal defendant from relitigating the lawfulness of searches and seizures, Rosenberger, 872 F.2d at 242; United States v. Thoresen, 428 F.2d 654, 667 (9th Cir.1970); United States v. Levasseur, 699 F.Supp. 965, 980-82 (D.Mass.1988), the Tenth Circuit has never addressed this issue. Accordingly, out of an abundance of caution, the court will briefly discuss each of the issues now presented by Gibson, including those previously raised. 1

B. Probable cause for issuance of warrant

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
786 F. Supp. 1561, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5628, 1992 WL 52656, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-yung-ksd-1992.