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GARY M. RESTAINO

United States Attorney

District of Arizona

KEVIN M. RAPP (Ariz. Bar No. 014249, kevin.rapp@usdoj.gov) MARGARET PERLMETER (Ariz. Bar No. 024805, margaret.perlmeter@usdoj.gov) PETER S. KOZINETS (Ariz. Bar No. 019856, peter.kozinets@usdoj.gov) ANDREW C. STONE (Ariz. Bar No. 026543, andrew.stone@usdoj.gov) Assistant U.S. Attorneys

40 N. Central Avenue, Suite 1800

Phoenix, Arizona 85004-4408

Telephone (602) 514-7500

DAN G. BOYLE (N.Y. Bar No. 5216825, daniel.boyle2@usdoj.gov) Special Assistant U.S. Attorney

312 N. Spring Street, Suite 1400

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Telephone (213) 894-2426

NICOLE M. ARGENTIERI

Acting Assistant Attorney General Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice

AUSTIN M. BERRY (Texas Bar No. 24062615, austin.berry2@usdoj.gov) U.S. Department of Justice

Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section

1301 New York Avenue, NW, 11th Floor

Washington, D.C. 20005

Telephone (202) 412-4136

Attorneys for Plaintiff

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

United States of America, 

 Plaintiff, 

v. 

Michael Lacey, et al., 

 Defendants. 

CR-18-422-PHX-DJH 

UNITED STATES’ NOTICE TO THE COURT

Case 2:18-cr-00422-DJH Document 1772 Filed 09/07/23 Page 1 of 3
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The United States files this notice to the Court regarding the current CDC guidelines 

regarding Covid exposure. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/yourhealth/isolation.html (last accessed Sept. 7, 2023). Based upon the CDC’s guidelines, the 

United States submits that, going forward, trial should not be delayed more than 5 days, 

regardless of the date of a positive Covid test.1 Specifically, the current guidelines 

recommend that a person should isolate for 5 days from the earlier of (1) the day of 

symptom onset or (2) the day of person’s first positive test result. Thus, for a person who 

experiences symptoms before they test positive, the CDC recommends counting from the 

date of symptom onset instead of counting from the date of a positive Covid test. 

In Mr. Spear’s case, symptoms began on Thursday, August 31, 2023. The CDC thus

states that August 31 would be day zero, and that isolation is recommended through 

September 5, 2023. At that point, the only objective question is whether the person has 

been fever-free without use of fever-reducing medication for 24 hours. Indeed, positive 

tests can continue for an extended period of time: “After a positive test result, you may 

continue to test positive for some time. Some tests, especially PCR tests, may continue to 

show a positive result for up to 90 days.” https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-

ncov/symptoms-testing/testing.html. 

Therefore, the United States recommends that the Court inquire of any Defendant 

or attorney regarding the date of symptom onset and the status of fever2 and base any future 

delay of the trial on the CDC’s guidelines. 

1 The only exception is if the individual is not fever-free five days after experiencing 

symptoms. 

2 A fever is defined as a measured temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 

greater. https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/air/reporting-deaths-illness/definitions- symptoms-reportable-illnesses.html

Case 2:18-cr-00422-DJH Document 1772 Filed 09/07/23 Page 2 of 3
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Respectfully submitted this 7th day of September, 2023.

 GARY M. RESTAINO United States Attorney District of Arizona

 NICOLE M. ARGENTIERI

Acting Assistant Attorney General Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice 

s/Austin M. Berry AUSTIN M. BERRY

Trial Attorney

KEVIN M. RAPP

MARGARET PERLMETER

PETER KOZINETS

ANDREW STONE

DANIEL BOYLE

Assistant U.S. Attorneys

 

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that on September 7, 2023, I electronically transmitted the attached 

document to the Clerk’s Office using the CM/ECF System for filing and transmittal of a 

Notice of Electronic Filing to the CM/ECF registrants who have entered their appearance 

as counsel of record.

s/ Austin M. Berry Austin M. Berry

Trial Attorney

U.S. Department of Justice

Child Exploitation & Obscenity Section

Case 2:18-cr-00422-DJH Document 1772 Filed 09/07/23 Page 3 of 3