§ 7476. — 7476. (Amended by Stats. 1998, Ch. 757, Sec. 2.)

California § 7476.

• Jurisdiction: California
• Code GOV: Government Code - GOV
• Div.: 7.
• Title 1.: DIVISION 7. MISCELLANEOUS
• Ch. 20.: CHAPTER 20. Governmental Access to Financial Records
• Art. 3.: ARTICLE 3. Confidentiality of, and Access to, Financial Records

Text

(a)
Except as provided in subdivisions (b) and (c), an officer, employee, or agent of a state or local agency or department thereof, may obtain financial records under paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 7470 pursuant to a judicial subpoena or subpoena duces tecum only if:
(1)
The subpoena or subpoena duces tecum is issued and served upon the financial institution and the customer in compliance with Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 1985) of Title 3 of Part 4 of the Code of Civil Procedure and the requirements of paragraph (2) or (3) have been met. In the event actual service on the customer has not been made prior to the time the financial records are required to be produced in response to a subpoena or subpoena duces tecum the court shall, prior to turning over any records to the agency, and upon good cause shown, make a finding that due diligence has been exercised by the agency in its attempt to effect such service; and
(2)
Ten days after service have passed without the customer giving notice to the financial institution that the customer has moved to quash the subpoena. If testimony is to be taken, or financial records produced, before a court, the 10-day period provided for in this subdivision may be shortened by the court upon a showing of good cause. The court shall direct that all reasonable measures be taken to notify the customer within the time so shortened. The motion to quash the subpoena must be made, whenever practicable, in the judicial proceeding pending before the court; or
(3)
A judge or magistrate in a judicial proceeding to which the customer is a party rules that the subpoena should not be quashed. Nothing in this paragraph is intended to preclude appellate remedies which may be available under existing law.
(b)
(1)
A deputy district attorney, deputy attorney general, or other person authorized to present evidence to a grand jury in a criminal investigation before a grand jury, or scheduled to be presented to a grand jury, may obtain financial records for return to the grand jury pursuant to a judicial subpoena duces tecum which, upon a written showing to a judge of the superior court that there exists a reasonable inference that a crime within the jurisdiction of the grand jury has been committed and that the financial records sought are reasonably necessary to the jury’s investigation of that crime, is personally signed and issued by a judge of the superior court, and meets one of the following:
(A)
The subpoena is issued and served upon the financial institution and the customer and 10 days after service have passed without the customer giving notice to the financial institution that the customer has moved to quash the subpoena. In the event actual service on the customer has not been made prior to the time the financial records are required to be produced in response to a subpoena duces tecum the court shall, prior to turning over any records to the grand jury, and upon good cause shown, make a finding that due diligence has been exercised by the grand jury in its attempt to effect this service. The 10-day period provided for in this subparagraph may be shortened by the court upon a showing of good cause. The court shall direct that all reasonable measures be taken to notify the customer within the time so shortened. The motion to quash the subpoena must be made wherever practicable before the judge who issued the subpoena.
(B)
A judge rules in a judicial proceeding to which the customer is a party that the subpoena should not be quashed. Nothing in this subparagraph is intended to preclude appellate remedies that may be available under existing law.
(C)
A court orders the financial institution and the grand jury to withhold notification to the customer for 30 days from the date of receipt of the judicial subpoena duces tecum after making a finding upon a written showing that notice to the customer by the financial institution and the grand jury would impede the investigation by the grand jury. The withholding of this notification may be extended for additional 30-day periods up to the end of the term of the grand jury or the filing of a criminal complaint if a court makes a finding upon a written showing, at the time of each extension, that notice to the customer by the financial institution and the grand jury would impede the investigation by the grand jury. Whenever practicable, any application for an extension of time shall be made to the judge who issued the subpoena duces tecum.
(2)
For the purpose of this subdivision, an “inference” is a deduction that may be reasonably drawn by the judge of the superior court from facts relevant to the investigation.
(3)
If notification was withheld from the customer pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1), the state or local agency that made the presentation to the grand jury shall notify the customer in writing after the criminal investigation is terminated without the return of an indictment, or a filing of a criminal complaint. The notice shall specify the financial records that were examined and the reason for this examination. At the time of the notification to the customer, the state or local agency shall notify the financial institution of the notification to its customer. The financial institution shall not have a further obligation to notify its customer of the judicial subpoena duces tecum and the disclosure of records pursuant to the subpoena duces tecum.
(4)
Any showing that is required to be made pursuant to this subdivision, as well as the court record of any finding made pursuant to this showing, shall be sealed until one person named in the indictment or the criminal complaint to which the showing related has been arrested, or until the termination of the criminal investigation without the return of an indictment or the filing of a criminal complaint. However, a court may unseal a showing and court record relating thereto on a written showing of good cause and upon service of that showing upon the grand jury and the expiration of 10 days after service without the grand jury giving notice to the court that the jury moves for an in camera hearing regarding the existence of good cause. If notice is given by the grand jury the court shall conduct an in camera hearing upon any terms and with any persons present that the court deems proper. At the conclusion of the in camera hearing, the court, if it finds that good cause exists, may order the showing and court record relating thereto to be unsealed upon any terms that it deems proper.
(c)
In any criminal case in which an accusatory pleading is on file charging a violation of Section 476a of the Penal Code, an officer, employee, or agent of a state or local agency or department thereof, may obtain financial records under paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 7470 pursuant to a judicial subpoena or subpoena duces tecum to be returned to the court issuing the subpoena or the subpoena duces tecum only if:
(1)
The financial records to be produced are of the bank account or accounts as to which the defendant is alleged to have violated Section 476a of the Penal Code;
(2)
The subpoena or subpoena duces tecum is issued and served upon the financial institution in compliance with Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 1985) of Title 3 of Part 4 of the Code of Civil Procedure; and
(3)
The records are to be produced at a preliminary hearing or trial at which the defendant will have the opportunity to move to quash the subpoena or subpoena duces tecum prior to the disclosure of any information contained within said records, and to move to suppress any portion of the records which the court finds irrelevant to the charges.

Legislative History

Amended by Stats. 1998, Ch. 757, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1999.