Source: http://openjurist.org/128/f3d/949
Timestamp: 2014-11-24 07:15:15
Document Index: 61357245

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 846', '§ 841', '§ 1957', '§ 1512', '§ 853', '§ 982']

128 F3d 949 United States v. H Foster | OpenJurist
128 F. 3d 949 - United States v. H Foster	Home128 f3d 949 united states v. h foster
128 F3d 949 United States v. H Foster 128 F.3d 949
149 A.L.R. Fed. 695, 47 Fed. R. Evid. Serv. 1249
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee,v.Charles H. FOSTER, Jr., Defendant-Appellant.
No. 95-6645.
Argued Nov. 15, 1996.Decided Oct. 30, 1997.Rehearing and Suggestion for Rehearing En Banc Denied Feb. 6, 1998.
Charles P. Wisdom, Jr. (briefed), Asst. U.S. Attorney, James E. Arehart (argued), Asst. U.S. Attorney, Mark A. Wohlander, Asst. U.S. Attorney, Office of the U.S. Attorney, Lexington, KY, for Plaintiff-Appellee.
Thomas E. Clay (argued and briefed), Louisville, KY, for Defendant-Appellant.
Before: KEITH, MERRITT and SUHRHEINRICH, Circuit Judges.
KEITH, J., delivered the opinion of the court, in which SUHRHEINRICH, J., joined. MERRITT, J. (pp. 956-957), delivered a separate concurring opinion.
Defendant-Appellant Charles H. Foster (Foster) appeals his jury conviction and sentence for conspiracy to possess and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base and engaging in monetary transactions of criminally derived property. For the reasons that follow, we REVERSE the judgment of the district court and REMAND this case to the district court for a new trial.
In February, 1992, the Drug Enforcement Administration in Lexington, Kentucky, initiated an investigation of Reda Ghazaleh (Ghazaleh), and Osama Shalash (Shalash). Charles H. Foster (Foster) was one of the individuals identified as doing business with Ghazaleh and Shalash. Foster was subsequently seen receiving a package from Shalash. Thereafter, Shalash was indicted on drug trafficking charges and began cooperating with the government.
Shalash claimed that he met Foster, whom he knew as Wezo, through Ghazaleh and that Foster began buying cocaine from Shalash in August or June, 1992. Shalash recalled distributing cocaine to Foster on six separate occasions.
In October, 1994, a state search warrant was executed at the home of Timothy Williams, another individual suspected of trafficking drugs. Foster was present at Williams' home as the warrant was being carried out. During the search, officers found cocaine, cocaine base, baggies, two handguns, and over $80,000 in cash.1 Foster was also found carrying $3,222 in cash.
On December 9, 1994, a federal search warrant was executed at Foster's home in Lexington, Kentucky. Approximately, $5,245 in cash was seized from Foster's bedroom. Business records were also seized from Foster.
The records revealed that during 1993, Foster--who did not have a known source of legitimate income other than some earnings as a houseman at the Marriott Hotel and who did not file an income tax return for that year--purchased, mostly with cash: (1) a 1986 Mercedes for $13,500; (2) a 1987 Ford for $2,650; (3) a 1989 BMW for $23,263; (4) a cellular telephone for $237; (5) a car stereo for $898; (6) a house lease for $2,904; and (7) auto insurance for $920.
Similarly, in 1994, Foster, who again did not have a known legitimate source of income and who again did not file an income tax return for that year, purchased: (1) a 1987 Ford Bronco for $5000; (2) a 1985 Cadillac for $14,207; (3) a house lease for $6,500; (4) furniture for $1,039; (5) a Bahamas cruise for $2,546; and (6) auto insurance for $1,793. Foster also had $2,402 in a savings account.
In June, 1995, Williams testified before a grand jury on three separate occasions. During the course of Williams' testimony, he consistently testified that Foster had not been involved in selling drugs. Williams strongly asserted that on the day the DEA searched his home, Foster had merely stopped by and that Foster would not have been around if he knew that Williams dealt drugs.
On July 7, 1995, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Foster. On July 21, 1995, Foster's attorney filed a Motion for Disclosure of Impeaching Information in which he specifically requested a copy of Williams' grand jury testimony. The government did not turn over the testimony but responded on July 28, 1995, that Williams had "provided false exculpatory testimony regarding [Foster's] involvement with him" and that "Williams[ ] has specifically denied any involvement with [Foster] in any criminal activity."
The indictment against Foster was superseded by the grand jury on August 3, 1995. The superseding indictment charged Foster with: (1) one count of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and distributing a measurable quantity of cocaine and cocaine base in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846 (Count 1); (2) possessing with intent to distribute measurable quantities of cocaine and cocaine base in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) (Count 2); (3) money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1957 (Count 3); (4) intimidating a witness in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(2)(A) (Count 4); and (5) deriving and using certain specified personal property in relation to the crimes alleged in Counts 1 and 2 and thereby subjecting such property to forfeiture under 21 U.S.C. § 853 and 18 U.S.C. § 982 (Counts 5 and 6). Foster entered pleas of "Not Guilty" to all counts and was released on bond.
Thereafter, the district court directed the government to submit a copy of Williams' grand jury testimony for in camera review. The transcripts were given to the district court on August 22, 1995. On September 5, 1995, six days before the trial, the court ordered the government to release Williams' grand jury transcripts to Foster's counsel by September 7, 1995. The government complied with this order on Thursday, September 7, 1995.
On Friday, September 8, 1995, Foster's attorney called Williams' lawyer and faxed him a copy of a subpoena for Williams and a witness fee check. Williams' attorney allegedly told Foster's counsel that an Assistant United States Attorney had warned him that Williams' grant of immunity would be revoked and Williams would be subject to prosecution if he testified on behalf of Foster. The government has admitted that it made it "clear to counsel for Williams ... that the United States would pursue charges against Williams if he testified."
On September 11, 1995, the first day of trial, Foster moved for a continuance. In support, he claimed that (1) he was not provided with the grand jury testimony of Timothy Williams in time for effective use at trial and (2) it would have been futile to subpoena Williams because the government had threatened to revoke Williams' grant of immunity if he had testified on Foster's behalf.
The district court determined that Foster's counsel failed to exercise due diligence in locating and subpoenaing Williams for trial because his counsel knew as early as July 21, 1995, and no later than August 11, 1995, that Williams was a potential witness but did not issue a subpoena for Williams until September 8, 1995 (three days before trial). The court also found that the issue of whether the government improperly threatened to revoke Williams' immunity if he testified on behalf of Foster was not ripe for consideration because Williams had never been located. The court, thereafter, denied Foster's motion for a continuance.
During the presentation of his defense, Foster also tried to introduce Williams' grand jury testimony into evidence under Rule 804(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Evidence. The court, however, found that Williams was not "unavailable" under Rule 804 and thus refused to allow the introduction of the transcripts. Again, the court reasoned that Williams' absence was due to defense counsel's lack of diligence.
On September 14, 1995, Foster was convicted of Counts 1, 2, and 3 of the superseding indictment. A judgment of acquittal on Count 4 was also entered.
On September 21, 1995, Foster moved for a judgment of acquittal or a new trial. On October 24, 1995, the court denied the motion. On October 16, 1995, the court granted the government's motion for a Judgment of Forfeiture on Counts 5 and 6.
On December 8, 1995, the court sentenced Foster to 240 months imprisonment on Counts 1 and 2 and 120 months imprisonment on Count 3, both sentences to run concurrently. Foster filed a timely notice of appeal to this Court.