Opinion ID: 702365
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: 6 From February until April of 1992, the Defendant sold crack cocaine that was fronted to him by his co-defendant at trial, Frank Dean. On October 8, 1992, Mr. Arthur Smith (no relation to the Defendant), while working as an informant with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), bought three ounces of crack from the Defendant with money provided by DEA. Later in October of 1992, near the end of the month, Arthur Smith, again working undercover for the DEA, met with the Defendant in order to pay the Defendant money Arthur Smith owed for the drugs delivered on October 8, 1992. Arthur Smith was wearing a recording device and tape-recorded his meeting with the Defendant. During this meeting, the Defendant told Arthur Smith that he and his uncle had been stopped by the Nebraska Highway Patrol for speeding the previous August while they had one kilogram of crack in the car. 7 On January 7, 1993, based on the evidence obtained through Arthur Smith, the DEA sought search warrants from Magistrate Judge Kathleen A. Jaudzemis to search 5526 North 50th Street (the Defendant's house) and 2563 Ellison Avenue (his girlfriend's house) in Omaha, Nebraska. DEA agent Michael Schwers used pre-printed application for search warrant forms in applying for these warrants. On each of the pre-printed forms, in the section on the form which reads: The facts to support a finding of Probable Cause are as follows: were typed the words: SEE ATTACHED AFFIDAVIT. Attached to both of the pre-printed forms were ten page affidavits by Agent Schwers. Both of the pre-printed warrant applications were signed by Agent Schwers and Judge Jaudzemis. Additionally, the tenth page of the affidavit attached to the pre-printed application form for the search of 2563 Ellison Avenue was signed by both Agent Schwers and Judge Jaudzemis. However, on the tenth page of the affidavit attached to the pre-printed application form for the search of 5526 North 50th Street, the jurat following the signature of Agent Schwers was not signed by the Magistrate Judge. 8 Both search warrants were served on January 14, 1993. At the Defendant's house at 5526 North 50th Street, the DEA found a safe containing cocaine base, powder cocaine, a scale, and coffee grounds. They also recovered various receipts for merchandise purchased with cash, some in other people's names, and two photo albums containing photographs of the Defendant posing with cars and money. The search of the Defendant's girlfriend's house as 2563 Ellison Avenue produced only one item received into evidence at trial, a photograph of a green Jaguar sports car. 9 The Defendant's jury trial commenced on March 1, 1994. At trial, the materials recovered in the two searches, along with various other testimony and materials, were admitted into evidence. As noted above, the jury found the Defendant guilty of: (1) conspiracy to distribute cocaine base, (2) distribution of cocaine base, and (3) possession of a cocaine base with the intent to distribute.