US v. Premises Known as 2639 Meetinghouse
| Citation | 633 F. Supp. 979 |
| Decision Date | 04 April 1986 |
| Docket Number | Civ. A. No. 83-1829,83-3266. |
| Parties | UNITED STATES of America v. PREMISES KNOWN AS 2639 MEETINGHOUSE ROAD, JAMISON, PENNSYLVANIA, a Parcel of Real Property and All Appurtenances Thereto, Lying in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and Containing 5 Acres, More or Less; Premises and Business Known as McNally's 355 York Road, Warminster, Pennsylvania, a Parcel of Real Property and All Appurtenances Thereto, All Furnishings and Contents Therein, Including Liquor License No. R18284; Liquor License No. R19229 Owned by Jamill Inc. t/a Spanky's; and Liquor License No. TR19233 Owned by Abbey's Bar, Inc. t/a Warminster Abbey; and Any and All Proceeds From the Sale of Said Properties. Robert F. SEBZDA, individually and as Secretary of Jamill, Inc., Abby's Bar, Inc., and Glemic, Inc., George M. Leiby, individually and as President of Jamill, Inc., Abby's Bar, Inc., and Glemic, Inc. Glenn R. Leiby, individually and as Treasurer of Jamill, Inc., Abby's Bar, Inc., and Glemic, Inc. Jamill, Inc., Abby's Bar, Inc. Glemic, Inc. v. Francis MULLEN, Administrator, United States Drug Enforcement Administration, Norton J. Wilder, Special Agent in Charge, United States Drug Enforcement Administration, Edward S.G. Dennis, United States Attorney. |
| Court | U.S. District Court — Eastern District of Pennsylvania |
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James C. Sheehan, Serena H. Dobson, Asst. U.S. Attys., Philadelphia, Pa., for the U.S.
C. McCarthy, Bensalem, Pa., for Premises Known as 2639 et al.
John R. Crayton, McCarthy and Crayton, Bensalem, Pa., for Glenn Leiby, Glemic, Inc., Robert F. Sebzda, claimants.
Gregory J. McCarthy, John R. Crayton, Bensalem, Pa., by Brenda M. Nelson, Philadelphia, Pa., amicus curiae ACLU.
Alexander Ewing, Jr., Serena H. Dobson, Asst. U.S. Attys., Philadelphia, Pa., for Francis Mullen, Norton J. Wilder, Edward S.G. Dennis.
FINDINGS OF FACT and CONCLUSIONS OF LAW
This is an action in rem by the United States to forfeit certain business and real property alleged to have been acquired with the proceeds of illegal drug transactions and therefore subject to forfeiture under the provisions of 21 U.S.C. § 881(a)(6). The properties were originally seized pursuant to a warrant issued by a United States Magistrate on April 19, 1983. On June 8, 1983, the warrant of seizure was quashed for lack of probable cause and return of the property seized was ordered. (Reconsideration denied September 16, 1983). The matter then proceeded on the Government's civil complaint in forfeiture, filed simultaneously with the attempted seizure on April 19, 1983, in accordance with the Supplemental Rules for Certain Admiralty and Maritime Claims (Rule E).
The properties the subject of the complaint in forfeiture are:
The claimants are Robert Sebzda, Glenn Leiby and George Leiby; subsequent to the complaint in forfeiture, Robert Sebzda and Glenn Leiby were indicted for violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841, 846 and 848. Robert Sebzda was also indicted for violation of 26 U.S.C. §§ 7203 and 7206(1).1 On January 18, 1984, claimants Robert Sebzda and Glenn Leiby entered pleas of guilty to Count 1 (conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine); Glenn Leiby also entered a plea of guilty to Count 6 (unlawful manufacture of methamphetamine) and Robert Sebzda entered pleas of guilty to Count 8 (continuing criminal enterprise) and Count 11 (making false statement on an income tax return). Robert Sebzda and Glenn Leiby were sentenced on their pleas of guilty and are currently incarcerated.
No criminal charges have been brought against George Leiby to date. By consent of all the individual claimants filed October 23, 1984, the claim of George Leiby to a one-third interest in three of the four defendant properties2 was severed for this separate trial; the individual claimants also agreed to the determination of the constitutional issues at this trial.
From January, 1978 to December, 1982, Robert Sebzda and Glenn Leiby admittedly manufactured and distributed methamphetamine in substantial quantities.
Robert Sebzda and Glenn Leiby admittedly invested in businesses, including bars known as Warminster Abbey, McNally's and Spanky's, to hide proceeds earned from the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine. There is no substantial evidence that George Leiby was involved in that manufacture or distribution of methamphetamine.
George Leiby was President and bookkeeper of each of the three corporations and spent a substantial amount of time at Warminster Abbey, Spanky's and McNally's; claimant testified to working at each of the bars sometimes as many as eighty hours per week in addition to his full-time position as controller of another company. (Tr. 2.178-187).
Because of his official position, his demeanor, and the credibility of the evidence in its entirety, claimant George Leiby has not established that he did not know of the illegal drug transactions or of the investment of the proceeds of illegal drug transactions in those businesses.
Abby's Bar, Inc. was incorporated in June, 1980. Robert Sebzda, Glenn Leiby and George Leiby each held a one-third interest therein until January, 1984, when George Leiby acquired a two-thirds' interest and Bernard Sebzda a one-third interest.
Glenn Leiby, George Leiby and Robert Sebzda purchased the Warminster Abbey business and liquor license on April 28, 1980 from William H. McCreary. Shortly thereafter, Leiby, Leiby and Sebzda assigned their respective interests in Warminster Abbey to Abby's Bar, Inc.
Abby's Bar, Inc. acquired Warminster Abbey for $65,000, paid by a purchase money mortgage from the seller in the amount of $50,000 and $15,000 received from Penn Vending Company; there is no evidence or contention that either the mortgage money or the money received from Penn Vending Co. was the illicit proceeds of drug transactions.
The $65,000 purchase price included the business, liquor license, fixtures and equipment but only the liquor license is a subject of this action.
There is no evidence from which the actual cash value of the Abby's Bar, Inc. liquor license at time of purchase can be determined; the value on the books on August 31, 1980 and at all relevant times thereafter was $10,000 (Ex. G-15 — G-21).
The Government has not established that the purchase price for Warminster Abbey was not $65,000 but approximately $115,000 because there was a $50,000 "under-the-table" cash payment.
The court does not find that drug proceeds were used to purchase Warminster Abbey or the liquor license that is the subject of this litigation. Robert Sebzda and Glenn Leiby admittedly invested drug proceeds in Warminster Abbey. But the credible evidence of record establishes that drug proceeds were invested after the purchase of the business. This investment may have enhanced the value of the liquor license. The book value was not increased as a result of the investment of drug proceeds and there is no evidence from which the court can determine the actual cash value of the liquor license at the time this action was initiated (April, 1983).
Abby's Bar, Inc. had no legitimate income other than receipts from the operation of Warminster Abbey.
Jamill, Inc. was incorporated in November, 1980. Glenn Leiby, George Leiby and Robert Sebzda each held a one-third interest in the corporation until January, 1984 when George Leiby acquired a two-thirds' interest and Bernard Sebzda a one-third interest.
Robert Sebzda, George Leiby and Glenn Leiby purchased Spanky's business and liquor license from Ronray, Inc. on September 2, 1980 for $31,000. Shortly thereafter, Sebzda, Leiby and Leiby assigned their respective interests in Spanky's to Jamill, Inc.
The $31,000 purchase price included the business, liquor license, fixtures and equipment but only the liquor license is the subject of this action.
There is no evidence from which the actual cash value of the Jamill, Inc. liquor license at time of purchase can be determined; the value on the books at all relevant times was $10,000 (Ex. G-26, 12/31/80; G-27, 1/31/81).
To pay for Spanky's, $10,000 was borrowed from Robert Sebzda's father, Bernard Sebzda; there is no evidence that the $10,000 borrowed from Bernard Sebzda was drug proceeds. Ten Thousand Dollars was also borrowed from Abby's Bar, Inc.; it is more likely than not that this $10,000 borrowed from Abby's was received from exchanges for controlled substances because it cannot be accounted for by earnings (profits) from the bar's legitimate business operations or anything else. The remaining $11,000 was paid in cash: $5,000 as a deposit and $6,000 at settlement. It is more likely than not that this $11,000 was also cash received from exchanges of controlled substances for the same reason.
There is no evidence from which the actual cash value of the liquor license at the time this action was initiated can be determined (April, 1983). To the extent that drug money was used for business improvements or investment, there might have been a corresponding increase in the value of the liquor license. But the Government presented no evidence on the increase in value, if any, and traced no such increase to the investment of drug proceeds.
Jamill, Inc. had no legitimate income other than receipts from the operation of Spanky's.
Glemic, Inc. was incorporated in August, 1981. Robert Sebzda, Glenn Leiby and George Leiby each held a one-third interest in the corporation until January, 1984 when George Leiby acquired a two-thirds' interest and Bernard Sebzda a one-third interest.
Glenn Leiby, George Leiby and Robert Sebzda agreed to purchase the premises at which McNally's was operated from Marguerite Eliades on March 12, 1981 for...
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