Opinion ID: 1699323
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Stolen Documents

Text: Pietri argues that his defense counsel rendered ineffective assistance by failing to properly investigate and litigate issues concerning a document that was allegedly stolen from his counsel's investigator and obtained by the State. The record reflects that on August 24, 1989, defense counsel filed a Motion to Compel Return of Documents. The motion noted that it had come to the attention of defense counsel that the State was in possession of documents that were obtained from defense counsel's investigator, Virginia Snyder. The Delray Beach Police Department had obtained the documents, and defense counsel asserted that they were within the purview of the attorney-client privilege and were strictly confidential. On that same day, defense counsel also filed a Motion to Compel Disclosure, requesting that the court order the State to disclose to the defense the names of all persons who had access to the documents obtained from Virginia Snyder. Those motions were both granted by the trial court and depositions of involved parties were subsequently taken. On December 27, 1989, defense counsel filed a Motion to Dismiss or Delay Proceedings Until State Investigation is Complete. Counsel asserted that the State was investigating Nancy Adams and her role in the procurement of the documents from Virginia Snyder's office and that the defendant was unable to establish the extent of any constitutional violations until the investigation was complete. A hearing on the motion was held on December 28, 1989. At the hearing, defense counsel explained that the relevant document, dated June 11, 1989, contained an in-depth interview between the investigator, Snyder, and Pietri. In it, Pietri had explained everything that happened on the day of the offense. Defense counsel asserted that the entire defense strategy was contained in the document. Both parties agreed that Nancy Adams, the woman who allegedly obtained the document from Virginia Snyder's office, had invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and would not testify regarding how she obtained the document. It was revealed during the hearing that the Delray Beach Police Department was investigating a security leak within their own department after learning of the leak from Nancy Adams. The Department suspected, based on information from Adams, that Virginia Snyder was involved in the leak and had access to private information. Virginia Snyder, who testified during the hearing, stated that Adams was a volunteer in her office. The main issue in dispute was whether Adams, working for the police, surreptitiously obtained the Pietri document, or was voluntarily given the document by Snyder. Although Adams refused to testify at the hearing, in a deposition before the hearing she asserted that Snyder had given her the document, as well as complete access to her office. Snyder testified that she never discussed the Pietri case with Adams, she never gave Adams access to the file, Adams was never left alone in Snyder's office, and she absolutely never gave Adams the Pietri document. Defense counsel argued that they could not ascertain the extent of any constitutional violation until it was established whether Adams was given the document by a member of the defense team, namely Snyder, or Adams stole the document either of her own volition or under the direction of the police department. The state attorney maintained that he had never read the document and did not know what it contained. The document was, however, read by members of the Delray Beach Police Department. The Delray Beach Police Department was not involved in the investigation of Pietri; however, members of the department did arrest Pietri for the offense and attempted to locate, unsuccessfully, the weapon that was used to commit the offense. The trial court denied, without explanation, both the motion to dismiss the indictment and the motion to delay the trial. Pietri now asserts that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to raise additional arguments, namely that counsel should have moved for a recusal of the state attorney's office, should have moved to bar any testimony from the Delray Beach Police Department, and should have moved to have all statements made by Pietri suppressed. This claim is denied, as it is clear that Pietri was not, in any way, prejudiced by his counsel's failure to present these proposed additional arguments. Important to this issue, it must be noted that Pietri had initially asserted his total innocence with regard to the offense. Defense counsel testified at the postconviction hearing that until approximately one month before trial, the defense was firmly based on the position that someone else, a man named Cholo, had committed the actual murder. Shortly before the trial began, however, Pietri contacted his defense attorney, and admitted to him what had actually happened  that it was he who had shot the police officer. [13] It was then, for the first time, that Pietri informed his counsel that it was his desire to admit that he had shot the officer and that he wanted to present an available defense that would be consistent with such admission. Although the record does not contain a copy of the purloined document, the record reflects that the document was written on June 11, 1989, over six months before Pietri informed his defense counsel that he had committed the act. It was written at a time when defense counsel had planned to utilize an innocence defense. Assuming that the document did contain the entire defense strategy as asserted by defense counsel, it can be further assumed with certainty that the strategy expressed in that document was one of total innocence, and it did not contain a confession by Pietri, as Pietri did not change his version of the events until December 1989. The record supports the foundation that it is most probable that any strategy contained in the document was wholly different, in fact, the exact opposite of that which was presented at trial. Further, it appears that the strategy actually utilized at trial was a result of the defendant's change of heart after a jailhouse conversion and was not produced by the leak of the document. The record reflects that defense counsel learned of the stolen document in August 1989, yet continued the plan to utilize the original innocence defense until December 1989. Clearly, the release of the document did not cause counsel to change strategy. Therefore, Pietri cannot demonstrate any prejudice related to the purloined document as his entire defense changed long after the document was taken, and was changed based exclusively on his desire to be truthful. Additionally, even if the document did contain the strategy that defense counsel intended to use at that time, this claim would still be without merit. The trial judge had denied defense counsel's motion to dismiss the indictment and motion to delay the proceedings, and it is more likely than not that he would have likewise denied any additional motions for relief. Further, the United States Supreme Court has held that intrusions into the attorney-client relationship do not establish a per se Sixth Amendment violation and there must be a showing of prejudice in terms of injury to the defendant or benefit to the State before a violation arises. See Weatherford v. Bursey, 429 U.S. 545, 558, 97 S.Ct. 837, 51 L.Ed.2d 30 (1977). The state attorney maintained that he never read nor had access to the stolen document, and defense counsel did not challenge that assertion. Because the state attorney had no access to the document, Pietri has failed to demonstrate how he was prejudiced by the state attorney prosecuting the case. Further, the three Delray Beach Police Department officers who testified at Pietri's trial also had not read the document, and their testimony was limited simply to their involvement in Pietri's arrest. Again, Pietri has failed to demonstrate any connection between any information in the document and the officers who testified, or how he was prejudiced by their testimony. Finally, Pietri alleges that by not moving to suppress all statements made by him, his counsel involuntarily waived his right to remain silent. As noted above, Pietri himself chose to testify at trial to afford the opportunity to admit to the jury that he shot Officer Chappell. Therefore, Pietri, of his own volition, elected to waive his right to remain silent. All of these related claims asserted by Pietri are without merit and counsel was not ineffective for failing to explore them. [14]