Source: http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/546/1151/204405/
Timestamp: 2017-08-23 08:16:24
Document Index: 558333699

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 2', '§ 2113', '§ 3500', '§ 2113', '§ 2113', '§ 2113']

United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. William Dwight Dotson, Defendant-appellant, 546 F.2d 1151 (5th Cir. 1977) :: Justia
Justia › US Law › Case Law › Federal Courts › Courts of Appeals › Fifth Circuit › 1977 › United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. William Dwight Dotson, Defendant-appellant
United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. William Dwight Dotson, Defendant-appellant, 546 F.2d 1151 (5th Cir. 1977)
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit - 546 F.2d 1151 (5th Cir. 1977)
Appellant William Dwight Dotson was convicted by a jury of kidnapping in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2 and 1201 and of armed bank robbery in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2113(a) and (d). He received concurrent sentences of thirty years' confinement on the kidnapping count and twenty-five years' confinement on the bank robbery count. Dotson appeals, urging two grounds of error: (1) the prosecutor withheld exculpatory material prior to trial in violation of the requirement of Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S. Ct. 1194, 10 L. Ed. 2d 215 (1963); and (2) the offenses of kidnapping and armed robbery were merged in one transaction so that appellant should have received only one sentence. Finding both contentions without merit, we affirm the convictions and sentences.
In making this argument, however, the appellant ignores the Jencks Act, which clearly prohibits the discovery of statements of government witnesses until after they have testified. 18 U.S.C. § 3500. This Court and others have recognized that the rule announced in Brady is not a pretrial remedy and was not intended to override the mandate of the Jencks Act. United States v. Frick, 5 Cir. 1973, 490 F.2d 666; United States v. Montos, 5 Cir. 1970, 421 F.2d 215; United States v. Regan, 2 Cir. 1974, 503 F.2d 1, 3 at fn. 1. Moreover, in United States v. Montos, 5 Cir. 1970, 421 F.2d 215, cert. denied, 397 U.S. 1022, 90 S. Ct. 1262, 25 L. Ed. 2d 532, where the defendant challenged as violative of Brady the government's failure to make pretrial disclosure of conflicting statements of government witnesses, Judge Goldberg, for this Court, held such statements squarely within the Jencks Act and thus not subject to pretrial discovery. There, as here, the defendant's right to impeach the witness was fully satisfied by the opportunity for cross-examination.
In support of his second allegation of error that he should have received only one sentence appellant cites United States v. Hunter, 538 F.2d 1239 (6th Cir. 1976), which involved a kidnapping-bank robbery scheme similar to the one in the instant case. Hunter was convicted of bank robbery by assault with a deadly weapon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113(b) and (d), and of kidnapping during commission of the bank robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113(e). Both charges were based upon provisions of the Federal Bank Robbery Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2113. The court imposed sentences of thirty-five years' imprisonment on each count to run concurrently. On appeal, Hunter argued that only one sentence might be properly imposed; and the United States Attorney conceded error in the administration of two sentences. The appeals court observed, "In view of the holding of the United States Supreme Court in Prince v. United States, 352 U.S. 322, 77 S. Ct. 403, 1 L. Ed. 2d 370 (1957), which rejected pyramiding penalties under the Federal Bank Robbery Act where the offenses arose from the same transaction, we accept the government's concession." 538 F.2d at 1240. The Hunter court vacated both sentences and remanded for resentencing on the kidnapping count.