Source: http://ny.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19880711_0040473.C02.htm/qx
Timestamp: 2018-03-24 00:26:25
Document Index: 483843043

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1962', '§ 1951', '§ 186', '§ 1954', '§ 1623', '§ 6002']

DOMINIC MARIANI, APPELLEE
Appeal from an order of the Eastern District of New York, Sifton, Judge, which vacated appellee Dominic Mariani's convictions for RICO conspiracy and other charges on the ground that the government had made impermissible, non-evidentiary uses of immunized testimony given by Mariani before a grand jury.
The government appeals from an order of Judge Sifton of the Eastern District of New York which vacated Dominic Mariani's convictions for conspiring to participate in the affairs of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering (18 U.S.C. § 1962(d)), conspiring to commit extortion (18 U.S.C. § 1951), making illegal payments to a union representative (29 U.S.C. § 186(a)(2)), and making illegal payments to influence the operation of an employee benefit plan (18 U.S.C. § 1954). The court dismissed the indictment against Mariani on the ground that the government improperly used testimony Mariani had given to a grand jury under a grant of immunity in order to obtain his conviction. Finding that Mariani's indictment and conviction were based on evidence wholly independent of his immunized testimony, we reverse the order of the district court and reinstate Mariani's conviction and sentence.
After a lengthy investigation by the government, the grand jury returned Indictment 85-CR-00354 (the "1985 Indictment") on June 10, 1985 charging Philip Rastelli and 16 others with participation in a RICO conspiracy consisting of various trucking companies and members of organized crime to corrupt Teamsters Union Local 814.*fn1 Although not then indicted on the conspiracy charges, Mariani was charged in counts 54 and 55 of this indictment with making false material declarations before the grand jury on August 23, 1984, and with obstruction of justice (in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1623(a), 1503). Those charges were based on Mariani's allegedly false testimony in regard to his role as a co-conspirator as the owner of Washington Moving and Storage Company and later as a principal of Guardian Worldwide Transport, as well as his status as a beneficiary of the conspiracy resulting from his participation in bid-rigging of government moving contracts, unlawful payments with respect to employee benefit funds and various Taft-Hartley law violations. The conviction of Mariani on counts 54 and 55 of this 1985 Indictment is not at issue in this appeal, but the investigation leading to that 1985 Indictment is relevant to our inquiry concerning the basis for his later indictment for RICO conspiracy and other charges.*fn2
After the district court consolidated the two indictments for trial, Mariani petitioned the court to conduct a hearing, pursuant to Kastigar v. United States, 406 U.S. 441, 32 L. Ed. 2d 212, 92 S. Ct. 1653 (1972), to determine whether the proceedings leading to, and the trial based upon, the 1986 Indictment were or would be tainted by his prior immunized testimony. On February 21, 1986, the district court ruled that such a hearing would be conducted after the trial.
On August 23, 1984, Mariani testified again before the same grand jury pursuant to a grant of immunity under 18 U.S.C. § 6002. He testified that he was part owner and president of Guardian Transport Company, Inc./Worldwide Moving. Previously, Mariani worked for his father's company, Washington Moving and Storage Company which was in existence from 1915 to 1981. Both companies' employees were represented by Local 814. Mariani's companies used non-union labor, were delinquent in paying their obligations to ...