United States v. Albert Anzalone and Anthony Vivelo, 555 F.2d 317, 2d Cir. (1977)
United States v. Albert Anzalone and Anthony Vivelo, 555 F.2d 317, 2d Cir. (1977)
United States v. Albert Anzalone and Anthony Vivelo, 555 F.2d 317, 2d Cir. (1977)
2d 317
the black family and for making false declarations before the federal grand
jury.
2
There is no claim that there was insufficient evidence to prove their guilt
beyond a reasonable doubt, nor is any claim of error asserted with respect to the
court's charge.
I.
4
We turn first to the federal grand jury use immunity point. When an indictment
is the product of the immunized testimony it must be dismissed so far as
substantive offenses are concerned. Kastigar, supra. And we have recently held
that "as a matter of fundamental fairness, a Government practice of using the
same grand jury that heard the immunized testimony of a witness to indict him
after he testifies, charging him with criminal participation in the matters being
studied by the grand jury, cannot be countenanced." United States v. Hinton,
543 F.2d 1002, 1010 (2 Cir. 1976). In that case we reversed and ordered the
dismissal of the indictment. The Hinton case involved a substantive count as
noted.
6
Since we there discussed the problem of using the "same grand jury" in terms
of "fundamental fairness" and since the pervasive vice is that the same grand
jury could not help but "use" the immunized testimony in reaching its result, we
are not prepared to say that the decision was only prospective in operation. The
essential unfairness of "using" that which may not be "used" predated the actual
exercise of our supervisory power, and trenches upon the constitutionally
impermissible as defined in Kastigar, see 406 U.S. at 453, 92 S.Ct. 1653. It is,
accordingly, the rule of the circuit that when, as here, the same grand jury that
heard the immunized testimony indicts the defendants, the conviction must be
reversed and the indictment dismissed, with respect to substantive offenses. We
must therefore reluctantly reverse the convictions of both appellants on all but
the false declaration counts.
Turning to the false declaration counts, the rule is, as 18 U.S.C. 6002 itself
provides, that false testimony given under use immunity in the grand jury may
nevertheless become the predicate for a perjury or false declaration charge.
Bryson v. United States, 396 U.S. 64, 90 S.Ct. 355, 24 L.Ed.2d 264 (1969);
Glickstein v. United States, 222 U.S. 139, 32 S.Ct. 71, 56 L.Ed. 128 (1911); see
United States v. Housand, 550 F.2d 818 (2d Cir. 1977). Cf. United States v.
Tramunti, 500 F.2d 1334 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 419 U.S. 1079, 95 S.Ct. 667,
42 L.Ed.2d 673 (1974).
Appellants counter that when they were indicted for making false statements
before a grand jury, the statements themselves became the issue of fact to be
ultimately determined at a trial. The implication is that they cannot be "false"
until they are found to be so. In support of their view, they cite only United
States v. Kurzer, 534 F.2d 511 (2d Cir. 1976). But Kurzer says no such thing.
There the issue was whether Kurzer's immunized testimony had motivated the
principal prosecution witness to testify, because of what Kurzer had told the
grand jury under the immunity grant. The Government argued that, in any
event, Kurzer had forfeited all of his immunity by testifying falsely. Judge
Feinberg rejected this contention, noting that "the ordinary remedy for the
Government when an immunized witness lies . . . is a prosecution for perjury . .
. rather than . . . use of the information truthfully given by the immunized
witness to prosecute him for other offenses." 534 F.2d at 518 (emphasis added).
That is precisely what was done here when the appellants were indicted for
making false declarations before a grand jury in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1623.
petit jury has found him guilty of perjury. This would vitiate the Glickstein rule.
See 18 U.S.C. 6002. This indictment clearly set forth as a predicate for the
indictment the alleged perjurious answers given. The charge was that the
defendant "did knowingly make" the false material declarations which were set
out in the indictment with particularity.
10
We hold that the grant of immunity did not protect the grantee against the false
declarations he knowingly made under the federal immunity grant, and that the
proper body to determine whether the declarations made were, in fact, false was
the trial jury. By its verdict of guilty, it established that the declarations were
false and, hence, outside the immunity conferred.
II.
11
The second claim, made by appellant Anzalone alone, relates to the state grand
jury and the transactional immunity there conferred. He contends that the
indictment should be dismissed because it was "tainted" by the Government's
use of his immunized testimony before the state grand jury.
12
Anzalone testified before the Richmond County grand jury investigating the
fire at 351 Milton Avenue under grant of transactional immunity against state
prosecution. He contends that the indictment should be dismissed because of
taint arising from the federal government's alleged use of that testimony in this
prosecution. Murphy v. Waterfront Commission, 378 U.S. 52, 77-79, 84 S.Ct.
1594, 12 L.Ed.2d 678 (1964). The "transactional" immunity granted by the
state does not prevent federal prosecution for the same transaction. The rule is
simply:
13
"Once
a defendant demonstrates that he has testified, under a state grant of
immunity, to matters related to the federal prosecution, the federal authorities have
the burden of showing that their evidence is not tainted by establishing that they had
an independent, legitimate source for the disputed evidence."
378 U.S. at 79 n. 18, 84 S.Ct. at 1609. 1
14
In view of our holding that the substantive counts must be dismissed in any
event, because the indictment was tainted, we need not consider this contention
with regard to Anzalone's conviction on the substantive civil rights count.
16
17
However, we have no such question here. Anzalone was indicted on two false
declaration counts, Counts Four and Nine. The false declarations charged in
Count Four, on which Anzalone was convicted, related to appellant's denials
that he had ever been involved in acts of vandalism against the premises at 351
Milton Avenue; and specifically, that he had ever shot a gun or seen anyone
shoot a gun at the front windows of that house, or known the identity of anyone
who inflicted any kind of damage on those premises. Significantly, he was not
asked about shooting a gun or anything related thereto in the state grand jury
and no leads could possibly have been developed from that testimony which
consisted of a wholesale denial of complicity.
18
The false declaration charge in Count Nine was limited to two questions
concerning the night of the fire at 351 Milton Avenue as follows:
19 After he left your house, called his wife, had a cup of coffee which you say is
"Q.
about one o'clock, after that time prior to the fire which took place at two o'clock or
shortly thereafter, in that intervening time did Mr. Vivelo come over to your house
again?
"A. No.
20
"Q. You are sure about that?
21
"A. Positive."
22
23
directly or derivatively, from the state grand jury testimony. Judge Neaher,
nevertheless, properly held an evidentiary hearing at which he recognized that
the Government has the burden of showing that it derived its evidence from
wholly independent sources. We have reviewed the testimony and affirm the
District Court's finding that the Government has sustained that burden.
III.
24
Finally, both appellants contend that they are entitled to a new trial because
FBI Agent Savadel, who had interviewed Gerard Maddalone, a principal
prosecution witness, testified that he had destroyed his rough notes of the
interview after dictating and proof-reading a report thereof; and that this was
the practice of the FBI.
25
We said in United States v. Terrell, 474 F.2d 872, 877 (2d Cir. 1973):
26 court has several times held in varying contexts that the Jencks Act, 18 U.S.C.
"This
3500, imposes no duty on the part of law enforcement officers to retain rough
notes when their contents are incorporated into official records and they destroy the
notes in good faith. E. g., United States v. Covello, 410 F.2d 536, 545 (2d Cir.
1968), cert. denied, 396 U.S. 879, 90 S.Ct. 150, 24 L.Ed.2d 136 (1969) (good faith
destruction does not require new trial); United States v. Jones, 360 F.2d 92, 95 (2d
Cir. 1966), cert. denied, 385 U.S. 1012, 87 S.Ct. 721, 17 L.Ed.2d 549 (1967) (good
faith destruction does not require striking agent's testimony). Here there was no
suggestion or showing as in United States v. Lonardo, 350 F.2d 523 (6th Cir. 1965),
that the notes were deliberately destroyed on the eve of trial and were substantially
different in content from the formal report."
27
We adhere to the view expressed in Terrell. There was no showing that the
notes were destroyed with intent to keep them from the defendants. Nor do we
think they would be likely Brady material, as was intimated in United States v.
Harrison, 173 U.S.App.D.C. 260, 524 F.2d 421, 429 (1975), unless there is
more of a showing that, notwithstanding the existence of the typewritten report
which was furnished to defendants, the handwritten notes would have been
helpful to the defense. To protect itself against the day when the witness may
claim that the typed summary (which is discoverable, see United States v.
Johnson, 525 F.2d 999, 1003, 1004 (2d Cir. 1975), cert. denied, 424 U.S. 920,
96 S.Ct. 1127, 47 L.Ed.2d 327 (1976)), was contrary to what he said, we think
that the FBI would be well-advised, however, to retain the handwritten notes
until the prosecution is terminated.
28
that count is ordered dismissed; his conviction on Count Four is affirmed. The
conviction of Vivelo on Counts One and Two is reversed, and the indictment
on these counts is ordered dismissed; his conviction on Count Five is affirmed.
See also Kastigar, supra, 406 U.S. at 457, 92 S.Ct. 1653, where the Court drew
from Murphy the conclusion that use immunity, without the grant of
transactional immunity, satisfied the constitutional requirements of the Fifth
Amendment