United States v. Moore

Citation290 F.2d 436
Decision Date04 May 1961
Docket NumberNo. 216,Docket 26558.,216
PartiesUNITED STATES of America, Appellee, v. Henry MOORE, Defendant-Appellant.
CourtU.S. Court of Appeals — Second Circuit

Kevin Thomas Duffy, Asst. U. S. Atty., New York City (S. Hazard Gillespie, Jr., U. S. Atty. for Southern District of New York, George I. Gordon, Asst. U. S. Atty., New York City, on the brief), for appellee.

Lewis A. Stern, New York City (Anthony F. Marra, New York City, on the brief), for defendant-appellant.

Before CLARK, MAGRUDER and MOORE, Circuit Judges.

LEONARD P. MOORE, Circuit Judge.

Defendant, Henry Moore, appeals from a judgment of conviction, after a trial before a jury, on counts I and III of an indictment charging him and a co-defendant Clarence Grant with unlawful transportation and sale of narcotics (count I) and with conspiring (count III) to violate the narcotics laws (21 U. S.C.A. §§ 173, 174). Grant pleaded guilty to count I, Moore was convicted on this count; count III was dismissed at the end of the government's case.

The appellant's claim of reversible error is based primarily upon the receipt in evidence of pre-arraignment admissions which he contends were made without any warning of his rights during an illegal delay in arraignment and post-arraignment statements made without the benefit of counsel, without adequate advice as to his rights and during a period of illegal detention. In so arguing, appellant relies strongly on the dissenting opinions in In re Groban, 352 U.S. 330, 77 S.Ct. 510, 1 L.Ed.2d 376; Anonymous Nos. 6 and 7 v. Baker, 360 U.S. 287, 79 S.Ct. 1157, 3 L.Ed.2d 1234; Crooker v. State of California, 357 U.S. 433, 78 S.Ct. 1287, 2 L.Ed.2d 1448; and Cicenia v. Lagay, 357 U.S. 504, 78 S.Ct. 1297, 2 L.Ed.2d 1523. He also asserts that the district court refused to hold a hearing on the "totality of circumstances" surrounding the making of his statements, thereby committing reversible error.

Probably no problem in recent years has received more attention from the courts than the proper technique to be used, and the protocol to be observed, by law enforcement agencies in making arrests and endeavoring to solve serious crimes. If appellant's contentions were carried to their logical conclusions, they would require police officers in pursuit of a suspect to commandeer a lawyer during the chase and, if by chance they did overtake the object of their pursuit, to say, respectively and simultaneously, "You are under arrest," "Don't say a word." Yet without counsel present, any statement no matter how voluntarily made, if this were to be the law, might well fall within the category of an illegal pre-arraignment statement which would practically assure the defendant (if convicted) of a new trial.

The majority opinions in Groban, Baker, Crooker and Cicenia do not indicate that any such procedure is required. Furthermore, these cases and many others cited by appellant all involve the review of state convictions which "presents a very different situation." The Supreme Court in the state confession cases1 was "concerned solely with determining whether a confession is the result of torture, physical or psychological, and not the offspring of reasoned choice." United States v. Mitchell, 1944, 322 U.S. 65, 68, 64 S.Ct. 896, 897, 88 L.Ed. 1140. Obviously, in a civilized society, a "coerced confession" should not be used as proof of guilt. But what constitutes coercion must be determined from the facts in order to ascertain whether the behavior of the law enforcement officials was such as to "overbear petitioner's will to resist and bring about confessions not freely self-determined — a question to be answered with complete disregard of whether or not petitioner in fact spoke the truth" (Rogers v. Richmond, 356 U.S. 534, 81 S.Ct. 735, 741, 5 L.Ed.2d 760). Moreover, in the Federal Courts an incriminating statement is inadmissible if it was elicited from the defendant "during a period of unlawful detention." Mallory v. United States, 1957, 354 U.S. 449, 77 S.Ct., 1356, 1359, 1 L.Ed.2d 1479; see McNabb v. United States, 1943, 318 U.S. 332, 63 S.Ct. 608, 87 L.Ed. 819. Just as an admission will therefore be inadmissible when the facts establish that it was obtained through coercion or during an illegal detention, the absence of such facts which would support such a conclusion leaves appellant's statements without taint of illegality.

Appellant on the night of August 18, 1958, delivered a package of heroin to his co-defendant Grant, who in turn gave it to a narcotics agent in fulfillment of a purchase transaction negotiated between Grant and the agent.

On December 4, 1958, Moore was arrested and taken to the office of the Bureau of Narcotics where he was photographed and fingerprinted. This process took about a half-hour to an hour. During this period, he talked with narcotics agents but was not very informative — particularly with respect to his source of supply which they were desirous of ascertaining. He was then taken before a United States Commissioner. After his Rule 5 appearance (F.R.Crim.Proc. rule 5(a)), Moore was interviewed and a statement taken by an Assistant United States Attorney for a period of three to five minutes according to Moore's testimony.

In default of posting bail, he was then taken to jail.

Upon the trial, the government did not offer the statement or any "confession" as a part of its case. After the government had rested, Moore took the stand in his own defense. Upon cross-examination, he was confronted with certain questions and answers which were read to him from his statement. No objection was interposed to this procedure. Moore admitted giving many of the answers but when the question was read relating to the delivery of narcotics by Moore to his co-defendant Grant, Moore's counsel asked for an opportunity to inspect the statement "to establish whether his constitutional rights were protected." The request was granted. After reading it and apparently satisfied, defense counsel said, "You may proceed." Further questions and answers were thereupon read, again without objection. Moore admitted giving some of the answers and denied giving others. The defense then rested. Two days later, the stenographer who had taken down the statement was called by the government to attest to its accuracy by reading his original notes. The statement was offered in evidence but before it was received, defense counsel was afforded an opportunity to cross-examine as to the circumstances under which it was given. At the conclusion of such cross-examination, defense counsel moved to suppress the contents of the statement on the grounds (1) that "a lay defendant was being questioned by a government attorney after a prosecution had been commenced"; that defendant "was never advised of his right to remain silent"; and that "no inference could be...

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2 cases
  • United States v. Marakar, 13662 and 13697.
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — Third Circuit
    • March 5, 1962
    ...640, 66 S.Ct. 1180, 90 L.Ed. 1489 (1946); Pereira v. United States, 347 U.S. 1, 74 S.Ct. 358, 98 L.Ed. 435 (1954); United States v. Moore, 290 F.2d 436, 439 (C.A. 2, 1961); United States v. Stromberg, 22 F.R.D. 513 (D.C.N.Y.1957). Offenses are not the same simply because they relate to the ......
  • United States v. Bellamy
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — Fourth Circuit
    • January 9, 1964
    ...rights, but no such circumstances appear here. United States v. Smith, 283 F.2d 760, 764 (2d Cir. 1960); see also, United States v. Moore, 290 F.2d 436, 439 (2d Cir. 1961). From this it follows that in our view the motion to quash the indictment was also properly refused. We need not accept......

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