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Paul J. Cambria, Jr. (Cal. Bar No. 177957, admitted pro hac vice)

LIPSITZ GREEN SCIME CAMBRIA LLP

42 Delaware Avenue, Suite #120

Buffalo, New York 14202

Telephone: (716) 849-1333

Facsimile: (716) 855-1580

Email: pcambria@lglaw.com

emccampbell@lglaw.com

Counsel for Defendant Michael Lacey

Thomas H. Bienert, Jr. (Cal. Bar No. 135311, admitted pro hac vice)

Whitney Z. Bernstein (Cal. Bar No. 304971, admitted pro hac vice)

BIENERT, MILLER & KATZMAN, PLC

903 Calle Amanecer, Suite 350

San Clemente, California 92673

Telephone: (949) 369-3700

Facsimile: (949) 369-3701

Email: tbienert@bmkattorneys.com

wbernstein@bmkattorneys.com

Counsel for Defendant James Larkin

Additional counsel listed on next page

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

United States of America,

Plaintiff, 

v. 

Michael Lacey, et al.,

Defendants. 

No. CR-18-00422-PHX-SPL

JOINDER IN EMERGENCY MOTION 

TO STAY SEIZURE OF ATTORNEYS’ 

FEES AND REQUEST TO EXTEND 

TEMPORARY RELIEF

Hon. Steven P. Logan

Date: November 16, 2018

Time: 9:00 a.m.

Case 2:18-cr-00422-DJH Document 366 Filed 11/09/18 Page 1 of 5
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Gary S. Lincenberg (Cal. Bar No. 123058)

Ariel A. Neuman (Cal. Bar No. 241594)

BIRD, MARELLA, BOXER, WOLPERT, NESSIM, 

DROOKS, LINCENBERG & RHOW, P.C. 

1875 Century Park East, 23rd Floor

Los Angeles, CA 90067-2561

Telephone: (310) 201-2100

Facsimile: (310) 201-2110

Email: glincenberg@birdmarella.com

aneuman@birdmarella.com

Counsel for Defendant John Brunst

Bruce Feder (AZ Bar No. 004832)

Feder Law Office, P.A.

2930 E. Camelback Road, Suite 160

Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Telephone: (602) 257-0135

Email: bf@federlawpa.com

Counsel for Defendant Scott Spear

It is expected that excludable delay under 18 U.S.C. § 3161(h)(1)(D) will occur as 

a result of this motion or an order based thereon, as explained more fully below.

Defendants Michael Lacey, James Larkin, John Brunst, and Scott Spear hereby 

join the Emergency Motion of Defendants Andrew Padilla and Joye Vaught to Stay 

Seizure of Attorneys’ Fees and Request for Immediate Hearing (Doc. 360; see also 

Docs. 360-1, 363, 363-1, collectively the “Emergency Stay Motion”). 

Further, Defendants request that the Court extend its Order (Doc. 361) to include 

other attorney trust accounts for which the government has obtained and is seeking to 

execute seizure warrants. 

As explained in the Emergency Stay Motion – which the Court granted – the 

government obtained seizure warrants for funds held in the trust accounts of counsel for 

Andrew Padilla and Joye Vaught. The government indicated that unless counsel wire 

transferred the funds by November 13 at 4:00 p.m., it would serve the seizure warrants 

on the respective banks. 

Case 2:18-cr-00422-DJH Document 366 Filed 11/09/18 Page 2 of 5
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It has now come to counsel’s attention that the government has obtained seizure 

warrants for several other attorney trust accounts intended to be used to fund 

Defendant’s defense of this case and related civil proceedings. This was reflected in a 

Warrant Application and Affidavit the government provided last night (filed in In the 

Matter of the Seizure of JP Morgan Chase Bank Funds: Up to and Including $10,000 

Held in Account #XXXXX9285; Up to and Including $100,000 Held in Account 

#XXXXX4381; Up to and Including $250,000 Held in Account #XXXXX9698; and Up to 

and Including $100,000 Held in Account #XXXXX5397, No. 2:18-MJ-2875 (C.D. Cal.).1

 

Based on conversations with the government, counsel understand the government 

likewise intends to serve these warrants by November 14 if the funds are not transferred 

before that date, and counsel also believe that additional seizure warrants may be 

forthcoming. 

The government’s effort to seize these additional retainer funds raises the same 

issues as discussed in the Emergency Stay Motion. The government’s putative seizures 

will deprive Defendants of resources to defend the charges and claims brought against 

them. The retainer funds were derived from lawful publishing activities. The pretrial 

seizure of the funds violates fundamental First Amendment principles, including that the 

government may never presume that speech is unlawful and cannot confiscate 

publishing assets based merely on probable cause. The putative seizures raise issues 

under the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments as well, including in particular the 

government’s attempt to interfere with Defendants’ rights to counsel of their choice. 

In addition, seizure of additional retainer funds threatens to compound problems 

of the Court’s management of this case, including by causing further delay and prejudice 

to Defendants if counsel must withdraw and be replaced. 

 

1 The Warrant Application and Affidavit are filed under seal in the underlying case. 

Defendants were unable to file these materials under seal with this Court today, but 

will do so on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 when the clerk’s office is next open.

Case 2:18-cr-00422-DJH Document 366 Filed 11/09/18 Page 3 of 5
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Accordingly, Defendants respectfully request that the Court extend its Order 

granting temporary relief to include all counsel trust accounts being held for 

representation of Defendants and that the government be enjoined from effecting 

seizures of these accounts pending the outcome of the November 16, 2018 hearing on 

the Emergency Stay Motion.2

 The government can claim no harm from such a brief 

stay, as counsel can be expected to maintain and preserve the funds in their trust

accounts pending this Court’s hearing and further direction.

Dated: November 9, 2018 Respectfully submitted,

 BIENERT, MILLER & KATZMAN, PLC

/s/ Thomas H. Bienert, Jr.

Attorneys for James Larkin

Pursuant to the District’s Electronic Case Filing Administrative Policies and 

Procedures Manual (May 2018) § II(C)(3), Thomas H. Bienert, Jr. hereby attests that 

all other signatories listed, and on whose behalf this filing is submitted, concur in the 

filing’s content and have authorized its filing.

/s/ Paul J. Cambria, Jr.

LIPSITZ GREEN SCIME CAMBRIA LLP

Attorneys for Michael Lacey

/s/ Bruce Feder

FEDER LAW OFFICE PA

Attorneys for Scott Spear

/s/ Gary S. Lincenberg

BIRD MARELLA BOXER WOLPERT 

NESSIM DROOKS LINCENBERG AND 

RHOW

Attorneys for John Brunst

 

2 Specifically, Defendants request that warrants be stayed as to the attorney trust 

accounts identified in the Warrant Application as Account nos. 28-31, 33-35, 37, 38 

and 40. (The Court’s prior Order imposed a stay as to Account nos. 36A, 36B, and 42.) 

Case 2:18-cr-00422-DJH Document 366 Filed 11/09/18 Page 4 of 5
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I certify that on this 9th day of November 2018, I electronically transmitted a 

PDF version of this document to the Clerk of the Court, using the CM/ECF System, 

for filing and for transmittal of a Notice of Electronic Filing to the following CM/ECF 

registrants listed below.

/s/ Michele Ueda

Michele Ueda

David Lawrence Botsford, Botsford & Roark, dbotsford@aol.com

Erin E. McCampbell, Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria LLP, emccampbell@lglaw.com

Daniel James Quigley, Daniel J Quigley PLC, quigley@djqplc.com

Michael L. Piccarreta, Piccarreta Davis Keenan Fidel PC, mlp@pd-law.com

Anthony R. Bisconti, Bienert Miller & Katzman PLC, tbisconti@bmkattorneys.com

Kenneth M. Miller, Bienert Miller & Katzman PLC, kmiller@bmkattorneys.com

Thomas H. Bienert, Jr., Bienert Miller & Katzman PLC, tbienert@bmkattorneys.com

Whitney Z. Bernstein, Bienert Miller & Katzman PLC, 

wbernstein@bmkattorneys.com

K. C. Maxwell, Maxwell Law PC, kcm@kcmaxlaw.com

Adam Christian Page, Karp & Weiss PC, apage@karpweiss.com

Stephen M. Weiss, Karp & Weiss PC, sweiss@karpweiss.com

Ariel A. Neuman, Bird Marella, aan@birdmarella.com

Gary S. Lincenberg, Bird Marella, gsl@birdmarella.com

Gopi K. Panchapakesan, Bird Marella, gkp@birdmarella.com

Michael D. Kimerer, Kimerer & Derrick PC, MDK@kimerer.com

Rhonda Elaine Neff, Kimerer & Derrick PC, rneff@kimerer.com

Bruce S. Feder, Feder Law Office PA, bf@federlawpa.com

Andrew C. Stone, Assistant U.S. Attorney, andrew.stone@usdoj.gov

John Jacob Kucera, Assistant U.S. Attorney, john.kucera@usdoj.gov

Kevin M. Rapp, Assistant U.S. Attorney, kevin.rapp@usdoj.gov

Margaret Wu Perlmeter, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Margaret.perlmeter@usdoj.gov

Reginald E. Jones, Assistant U.S. Attorney, reginald.jones@usdoj.gov

Peter Shawn Kozinets, Assistant U.S. Attorney, peter.kozinets@usdoj.gov

Case 2:18-cr-00422-DJH Document 366 Filed 11/09/18 Page 5 of 5