Opinion ID: 2805884
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Search Warrant Application

Text: On January 24, 2011, Raab submitted a search warrant application for ʺ2462 GERRITSEN AVENUE, APT. #2, BROOKLYN, NY 11229.ʺ In his affidavit, Raab described the premises to be searched as follows: The SUBJECT PREMISES is an apartment located within a two‐story red brick multi‐family dwelling, which is attached on one side. The front of the dwelling has two exterior doors. The door to the left leads upstairs to apartment #1. The door to the right as you face the building leads to the SUBJECT PREMISES. The door is brown and bears the number ʺ2462 2ʺ. G. App. at 171. Raab did not mention whether the door to the right was upstairs or downstairs. In his affidavit, he also summarized the steps HSI took in investigating the computer associated with the IP Address. He repeatedly cited the IP Address as the target of the investigation. He further outlined how he determined that the IP Address was subscribed to ʺYuri Bershchansky of 2462 Gerritsen Avenue Apartment 2, Brooklyn, New York.ʺ Specifically, Raab represented that Cablevision, Con Edison, and Anna Klishina confirmed that Bershchansky lived in Apartment 2. Raab concluded that there was ʺprobable ‐6‐ cause to believe that there is kept and concealed within THE PREMISES KNOWN AND DESCRIBED AS 2462 GERRITSEN AVENUE, APT. #2, BROOKLYN, NY 11229 . . . evidence or instrumentalities of . . . sexually explicit material relating to children.ʺ G. App. at 168. In fact, records from Con Edison ‐‐ obtained after the search warrant was issued ‐‐ indicated that Bershchanskyʹs service address was ʺ2462 Gerritsen Ave 1FL.ʺ The Con Edison records also indicated that ʺ2462 GERRITSEN AVE 2FLʺ was assigned to ʺSvedlana Klishina.ʺ4 The Cablevision records obtained before the search indicated ‐‐ erroneously ‐‐ that Bershchansky resided in Apartment 2. The magistrate judge (Azrack, J.) reviewed the warrant application and Raabʹs supporting affidavit and issued the requested warrant authorizing the search of 2462 Gerritsen Avenue, Apartment 2. Thereafter, Raab prepared and distributed an Enforcement Operation Plan to apprise the search team of the place to be searched, the target of the investigation, and any potential safety hazards. The Enforcement Operation Plan repeatedly identified ʺ2462 Gerritsen Avenue #2, Brooklyn, NYʺ as the place to be searched and included no other 4 Raab later testified that he could not recall the ʺexact wordingʺ of his conversation with a Con Edison representative, but he admitted that the representative did not, in fact, tell him which apartment Bershchansky lived in. G. App. at 126‐27. ‐7‐ physical descriptions of the residence. Raab also held a pre‐search briefing with the search team and circulated a copy of the search warrant.