overcoming obstacles to discovery and investigation in federal court peter offenbecher
TRANSCRIPT
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO DISCOVERY AND INVESTIGATION
IN FEDERAL COURT
Peter Offenbecher
TRUTHJUSTICE
THE AMERICAN WAY
WHO WE THINK WE ARE
WHAT WE ALWAYS DO
WHO WE REALLY ARE
THE DECK IS STACKED AGAINST US
SHARING STUFF
SHARING STUFF
FPD BRIEFBANK
CALL ME
DISCOVERY AND INVESTIGATION: OVERVIEW
RULE 16(a)(1)(E)(i)
BRADY AND GIGLIO TIPS
JENCKS DELAY
NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK PLOY
USING RPCS
USING DOJ RULES
RULE 17(c) SUBPOENA
WHAT IS OUR ULTIMATE GOAL?
WIN THE TRIAL!
ACQUITTAL!
LESSER INCLUDED
HUNG JURY
DISMISSAL / SMOKING DEAL
The merits of your defense
The government is afraid of getting caught in some form of misconduct either: on their part or the part of the law enforcement agency
They don’t want to work as hard as you are going to make them work
Evidence to persuade the government to dismiss the case or offer
a smoking deal that works for the client because:
DISCOVERY AND INVESTIGATION:
Make the government commit a serious error
Make the court commit a serious error
MAKING A RECORD FOR APPEAL OR HABEAS
DISCOVERY AND INVESTIGATION:
Finding admissible evidence to present at trial:
To support client’s defense: That can be used to attack the credibility of the government’s case
What are we trying to accomplish?
BIGGEST PROBLEM FINDING EVIDENCE IN FEDERAL COURT?
THE RULES
ARE NOT FAIR
NO OPEN FILE DISCOVERY
NO WITNESS INTERVIEWS
NO RECORDING OF WITNESS INTERVIEWS
Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 16
Specific items Items material to
preparing the defense
RULE 16: SPECIFIC ITEMS
Defendant’s criminal history
Defendant’s statements Documents and objects:
Government intends to use in case in chief
Items obtained from/or belong to defendant
Reports of examinations and tests
Expert witnesses
FAVORITE WEAPON IN RULE 16
MATERIAL TO PREPARING THE DEFENSERULE 16 (a)(1)(E)(i)
The government must permit defendant to inspect and copy if within government’s possession, custody or
control
ANY ITEM THAT IS MATERIAL
TO PREPARING THE DEFENSE
MATERIAL TO PREPARING THE DEFENSE
RULE 16 (a)(1)(E)(i)
“Rule 16 is intended to provide a criminal defendant ‘the widest possible opportunity to inspect and receive such materials in
the possession of the Government as may aid him in
presenting his side of the case.’”
United States v. Safavian, 233 F.R.D. 12, 15 (D.D.C. 2005)D.C. District Judge Paul Friedman
“There is no requirement in Rule 16(a)(1)(E)(i) that the material be exculpatory.”
United States v. Safavian, 233 F.R.D. 12, 15 (D.D.C. 2005)
“It is not limited to evidence that is favorable or helpful to the defense and does not immunize inculpatory
evidence from disclosure.”United States v. Safavian, 233 F.R.D. 12, 15 (D.D.C. 2005)
“Inculpatory evidence, after all, is just as likely to assist in ‘the preparation of the defendant’s
defense’ as exculpatory evidence....”
“[I]t is just as important to the preparation of a defense to know its potential pitfalls as to
know its strengths.”
United States v. Safavian, 233 F.R.D. 12, 15 (D.D.C. 2005)
Rule 16(a)(1)(E)(i) permits discovery of information
“relevant to the development of a possible
defense.”
United States v. Muniz-Jaquez, 718 F.3d 1180, 1183-84 (9th Cir. 2013)
Judge Alfred Goodwin
“Materiality” under Rule 16(a)(1)(E)(i) is “broader than
Brady…because [i]nformation that is not exculpatory or impeaching may still be relevant to developing a
possible defense.” United States v. Muniz-Jaquez, 718 F.3d 1180, 1183-84 (9th Cir. 2013)
Rule 16(a)(1)(E)(i) “[m]ateriality is a low
threshold” and is satisfied so long as the
information sought could help the
defendant prepare a defense.
CHIEF JUDGE ALEX KOZINSKI
United States v. Hernandez-Meza, 720 F.3d 760, 768 (9th Cir. 2013)
“It…behooves the government to interpret the disclosure
requirement [of Rule 16(a)(1)(E)(i)] broadly and turn over
whatever evidence it has pertaining to the case.”
United States v. Hernandez-Meza, 720 F.3d 760, 768 (9th Cir. 2013)
A defendant needn’t spell out his theory of the case in order to
obtain discovery.
Nor is the government entitled to know in advance specifically what
the defense is going to be.United States v. Hernandez-Meza, 720 F.3d 760, 768 (9th Cir. 2013)
LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OR
DUE DILIGENCE IS NO EXCUSE FOR
GOVERNMENT’S FAILURE TO COMPLY
United States v. Hernandez-Meza, 720 F.3d 760, 768 (9th Cir. 2013)
CHIEF JUDGE KOZINSKI
WHY RULE 16(a)(1)(E)(i) IS SO GOOD
Defense counsel constitutionally ineffective for failing to conduct
an investigation which would have revealed a meritorious Fourth
Amendment motion to suppress physical evidence and failing to pursue the motion to suppress.
Kimmelman v. Morrison, 477 U.S. 365, 385-86 (1986)
INFORMATION REGARDING MOTIONS TO SUPPRESS EVIDENCE IS
“MATERIAL TO PREPARATION OF THE DEFENSE”
Because defense counsel have a constitutional obligation to investigate and file
these motions to suppress, the information and evidence requested regarding the motion is “material to preparation of the defense.”
Fed. R. Crim. P. 16(a)(1)(E)(i).
OTHER WEAPONS IN THE ARSENAL
Brady v. Maryland
Giglio v. United States
DISAVOW THE STANDARD OF MATERIALITY UNDER BRADY/BAGLEY
The evidence is material only if there is a reasonable probability that, had the evidence been disclosed to the defense, the result of the proceeding would have been different.
A ‘reasonable probability’ is a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the
outcome.
TRIAL COURT STANDARD OF REVIEW
The standard of whether evidence would have
changed the outcome “is only appropriate, and thus
applicable, in the context of appellate review . . . [I]t
obviously cannot be applied by a trial court facing a
pretrial discovery request.” United States v. Sudikoff, 36 F. Supp. 2d 1196 (C.D. Cal.
1999)
Judge Harry Pregerson
The government must always produce any potentially exculpatory
or otherwise favorable evidence without regard to how the
withholding of such evidence might be viewed – with the benefit of
hindsight – as affecting the outcome of the trial.
United States v. Safavian, 233 F.R.D. 12, 16 (D.D.C. 2005)
A trial prosecutor’s speculative prediction about the likely materiality of favorable evidence,
however, should not limit the disclosure of such evidence, because it is just too difficult to
analyze before trial whether particular evidence ultimately will prove to be “material” after trial.
Thus, “there is a significant practical difference between the pretrial decision of the prosecutor
and the post-trial decision of the judge.”United States v. Olsen, 704 F.3d 1172, 1183 n.3 (9th Cir. 2013)
The ‘materiality’ standard usually associated with Brady . . . should not be
applied to pretrial discovery of exculpatory materials.
The absence of prejudice to the defendant does not condone
the prosecutor’s suppression of exculpatory evidence.
United States v. Price, 566 F. 3d 900, 911 n.12 (9th Cir. 2009) Judge Stephen
Reinhardt
Rather, the proper test for pretrial disclosure of exculpatory evidence should be an evaluation of whether the evidence is
favorable to the defense, i.e., whether it is evidence that helps bolster the defense case or impeach the prosecutor’s witnesses. . . .
If doubt exists, it should be resolved in favor of the defendant and full disclosure made. o
pretrial discovery of exculpatory materials. . .United States v. Price, 566 F. 3d 900, 911 n.12 (9th Cir. 2009)
UNITED STATES ATTORNEYS MANUAL
ADOPTED BY THE DOJ
The USAM requires prosecutors to disclose information beyond that which is “material” to guilt
as articulated by the U.S. Supreme Court, and prosecutors must disclose exculpatory or
impeachment information
. . . . regardless of whether the prosecutor believes such information will make the difference between
conviction and acquittal of the defendant for a charged crime.
U. S. Attorneys Manual § 9-5.001.
FIRST ASK NICELY WHAT YOU WANT
MAKE THE PROSECUTOR ADOPT THE TRIAL COURT STANDARD OF REVIEW
Send them a letter asking them to agree that this is the standard.Then file a motion asking the
judge to set that standard for the prosecutor.
Practical Order of Events1. Letter – specific and general2. Meeting – Local Rule 16 requires a meet
and confer3. Follow-up letter4. Motion for order compelling discovery5. Request a hearing on the motion6. Oral argument – present evidence – call
witnesses
United States v. Phair and Louie
No. CR 12-16 RAJ
Judge Richard A. Jones
INFORMATION, NOT JUST STUFFUnited States v. Kohring, 637 F.3d 895, 900 (9th Cir. 2011)
JENCKS DELAYSThe prosecutor promised to provide Jencks
Act statements “at a reasonable time before trial.” The Court concluded that
“this statement is, in essence a waiver by the government of its right to withhold any statements covered by the Jencks Act until
after the relevant witness testifies on direct examination.”
United States v. Hikiau, Inc., 2:07-CR-00792-DAKPMW, 2008 WL 803053 (D. Utah Mar. 21, 2008)
Affirming trial court order directing the disclosure of
the government’s final witness list one year prior
to trial
THE COURT’S INHERENT POWER TO CONTROL ITS CALENDAR
United States v. W.R. Grace, 526 F.3d 499, 508-12 (9th Cir. 2008)(en banc)
GET AN EVIDENTIARY HEARING ON ANYTHING WHERE YOU CAN CALL THE
AGENTS TO TESTIFY
Get the Jencks (Rule 26.2 (g)) [preliminary hearing, sentencing
hearing, revocation hearing, detention hearing, suppression hearing]
GET THE AGENTS TESTIFYING UNDER OATH
Because you know what’s going to happen
Get the agents and witnesses talking to the
AUSAs, so that NEW BRADY AND
RULE 16 MATERIAL will be
generated
USE THE RULES OF
PROFESSONAL
CONDUCT
28 U.S.C. Section 530B(a) (also known as the “Citizen’s Protection Act of 1998”) (“An attorney for the
Government shall be subject to State laws and rules, and local Federal court rules, governing attorneys in
each State where such attorney engages in that attorney's duties, to the same extent and in the same
manner as other attorneys in that State.”);
28 C.F.R. § 77.3 (“In all criminal investigations and prosecutions . . . attorneys for the government shall
conform their conduct and activities to the state rules and laws, and federal local court rules.”)
RPC 3.8(d)The prosecutor in a criminal case shall . . . (d) make timely disclosure to the defense of all evidence or information known to the prosecutor that tends to negate the guilt of the accused or mitigates the offense.See ABA Formal Op. 09-454, at (July 8, 2009))
NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK DISCOVERY PLOY
Judge Marsha J. Pechman
United States v. SilvaNo. CR12-047 MJP
CRIMINAL RULE 17(c) AND CIVIL RULE 45
Practice pointers•Affirmative duty to search possible sources of exculpatory information
•Government’s witness preparation material•Within its possession custody or control•Jencks request after the direct examination of witness
•Request for preservation of notes
HENTHORN
Review of the personnel files of any government witness to
determine whether such files contain any information
tending to cast doubt on that witness’s credibility.
United States v. Henthorn, 931 F.2d 29, 30-31 (9th Cir. 1991).
United States v. Jennings, 960 F.2d 1488, 1491-92 (9th Cir. 1992).