United States v. Levasseur

• Decision Date: 04 October 1985
• Docket Number: No. 85 Crim. 143.,85 Crim. 143.
• Parties: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff, v. Raymond Luc LEVASSEUR, Jaan Karl Laaman, Thomas William Manning, Richard Charles Williams, Carol Ann Manning, Patricia Gros and Barbara Curzi, Defendants.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Eastern District of New York

618 F. Supp. 1390

UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff, v. Raymond Luc LEVASSEUR, Jaan Karl Laaman, Thomas William Manning, Richard Charles Williams, Carol Ann Manning, Patricia Gros and Barbara Curzi, Defendants.

No. 85 Crim. 143.

United States District Court, E.D. New York.

October 4, 1985.

Asst. U.S. Atty. John Gallagher, E.D. N.Y., Brooklyn, N.Y., for plaintiff.

William M. Kunstler, New York City, for Thomas William Manning.

Susan Tipograph, Flood, Tipograph & Holmes, New York City, for Gros.

Margaret Ratner, Center for Constitutional Rights, New York City, for Curzi.

Elizabeth Fink, Brooklyn, N.Y., for Carol Ann Manning.

Lynne Stewart, New York City, for Richard Charles Williams.

Jesse Berman, New York City, for Jaan Karl Laaman.

Robert Boyle, Brooklyn, N.Y., Legal Asst. to Levasseur.

Raymond Luc Levasseur, New York City, pro se.

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

GLASSER, District Judge:

The defendants Curzi and Laaman have moved, pursuant to Rule 12(b)(3) of the Fed.R.Crim.P. for an order suppressing physical evidence seized at their residence, 4248 West 22nd Street, Cleveland, Ohio, prior to the issuance of a warrant to search those premises. The physical evidence thus sought to be suppressed consists of 3 weapons found on a shelf on the first floor of that residence; a fourth weapon in a bag on the floor of a second floor bedroom, and a cannister in an open cabinet in the basement. The cannister was wrapped in plastic and a paper bag, with approximately one-third of it showing, the top blackened.

By way of brief background, the defendants Curzi and Laaman, together with their co-defendants had been the subjects of what has been described in other preliminary proceedings thus far, as one of the largest, if not the largest, manhunt in the history of the country. They were wanted for a series of bombings which are charged in the underlying indictment. Some of the defendants (Thomas Manning and Richard Williams) were wanted for the murder of a New Jersey State Trooper, for the attempted murder of a Massachusetts State Trooper (Laaman) and for bank robbery (Levasseur).

Their presence in the Cleveland, Ohio area in the early days of November caused the convergence on that area of many agents of the F.B.I. from various parts of the country as well as other law enforcement personnel. The house on West 22nd Street was believed to be a place where some or all of the defendants were to be found. After the occupants were notified by loudspeakers of the police presence outside and asked to come out, the defendants Laaman, Curzi, Williams and several children emerged. Shortly after they were taken into custody, Special Agent Ralph J. Young, a SWAT team leader from the Pittsburgh Division of the F.B.I. who, together with members of his team were summoned to Cleveland and were present on the scene when the arrests were made on November 4, 1984, entered the house to ascertain whether there were other persons who were the targets of the manhunt inside.

Special Agent Young testified that he entered the house together with Special Agents Ostronic and Pino. Almost immediately upon entering, he testified, he noted three weapons on the top shelf of a room he described as a dining area. Received in evidence were photographs marked as Exhibits 10 and 11 which depict the condition of that area other than the lighting. Neither Agent Young nor Agents Ostronic or Pino touched those weapons, nor did they touch anything else. There were standing instructions to members of that SWAT team not to touch or move anything.

Those three agents were joined by Special Agent Freiwald and they went to the second floor to make certain that there were no other persons in that portion of the house. Shortly after entering upon the second floor, Agent Young testified that he was alerted by Agent Ostronic that in one of the bedrooms there was a weapon in a bag. Received in evidence was Exhibit 12, an accurate photograph of what Agent Ostronic and Agent Young saw. Pursuant to the standing instructions, nothing was touched or moved. The Agents cleared the attic, closets and other places where persons might be concealed (under beds) and then proceeded to the basement, where they encountered a Doberman Pinscher dog which required the assistance of a canine handler from the Cleveland police to remove. No persons were found in the basement.

Agent Young then testified that after the work of his team was completed, he turned the house over to Special Agents of the Cleveland Field Division of the F.B.I. Agent Young told them at that time that there were three weapons downstairs and one upstairs.

One of the Agents to whom Agent Young relinquished control of the house was Special Agent Richard Wrenn, who was next called as a witness.

Agent Wrenn testified that it was his responsibility to secure the premises until such time as a search warrant was obtained and also to effect a possible arrest of Thomas Manning should he return to the residence. He testified that he (Wrenn) arrived at the house just about the time the SWAT team was leaving and was aware that a protective sweep had been done by them. Agent Wrenn also knew that weapons were found in the home, having heard Agent Young notify another Agent, Agent Drab of that fact. Agent Drab accompanied Wrenn. Notwithstanding that awareness, Agent Young went through the premises immediately upon his entry as was his practice out of concern for his own safety. In the basement he saw a cannister on a shelf in an open metal cabinet. Approximately one third to one fourth of it was showing. It was wrapped in plastic and what appeared to be a paper sac was also wrapped around it. The top of the cannister appeared to be blackened. He also saw a bit of a label on the cannister and could read the words, "red dot." Agent Wrenn then testified that he thought that what he saw should be examined by someone qualified to handle it and notified Detective Rocco Polutro of the Cleveland Bomb Squad. Agent Wrenn did not move the cannister prior to notifying Detective Polutro nor was he present when the cannister was moved thereafter. Agent Wrenn then left the basement area and never returned there. Agent Wrenn also testified that upon entering the house initially, the weapons in the dining room were plainly visible and he saw the weapon protruding from the bag in the bedroom upstairs. Agent Wrenn remained in that house from the time of his arrival at approximately 11:00 A.M. on November 4th until the evening of November 5th almost without interruption. No search was conducted until after the arrival of the search warrant, which was at approximately 3:00 P.M. on November 5, 1985.

Discussion

In a motion to suppress physical evidence the burden of proof is on the defendant who seeks the suppression. United States v. Feldman, 606 F.2d 673 (6th Cir.1979), cert. denied, 445 U.S. 961, 100 S.Ct. 1648, 64 L.Ed.2d 236 (1980). However, once the defendant has established some basis for the motion, as for example, by a preliminary showing that the search was conducted without a warrant, then the burden shifts to the government to show...