Opinion ID: 230885
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Effect of the Kefauver Hearings.

Text: 8 The Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce, 4 commonly known as the Kefauver Committee, held hearings in Los Angeles during the month of November, 1950. Appellant appeared under subpoena as a witness during these hearings and testified concerning the source and extent of his financial resources. He now contends that 2 U.S.C.A. § 192 5 created a statutory compulsion to testify and that immunity from prosecution in the federal courts followed automatically therefrom. The cases relied upon by appellant in support of this proposition, for example, United States v. Monia, 1943, 317 U.S. 424, 63 S.Ct. 409, 87 L.Ed. 376; Smith v. United States, 1949, 337 U.S. 137, 69 S. Ct. 1000, 93 L.Ed. 1264, are not in point since they deal with testimony compelled by a so-called compulsory testimony statute designed as a complete substitute for the privilege against self-incrimination, U.S. Const. Amend. V. These compulsory testimony statutes 6 have been enacted where Congress has been willing, in exchange for full testimony, to give immunity from prosecution in connection with the matters which were the subject of the testimony. No such statutory immunity has been granted in relation to testimony before the Kefauver Committee. 9 Since no compulsory testimony statute was applicable, appellant was fully protected by the privilege of the Fifth Amendment. In Counselman v. Hitchcock, 1892, 142 U.S. 547, 12 S.Ct. 195, 35 L.Ed. 1110, the Supreme Court held that where a statute merely prohibited the use of evidence obtained from a party by means of a judicial proceeding against that party in a federal criminal prosecution, rather than granting immunity from suit, it was not a full substitute for the constitutional privilege, which was therefore still available. The instant situation is comparable because the only statutory protection given appellant was a prohibition of his evidence subsequently being used against him. 18 U.S.C.A. § 3486. 10 Although the privilege against self-incrimination was always available to him, 7 appellant did not see fit at any time during the hearing to claim this privilege. Therefore, since appellant was never compelled to testify after claim of his constitutional privilege, no question of automatic immunity arises. 8 See Counselman v. Hitchcock, supra. 11 The further question raised concerning the Kefauver hearings involves the effect of 18 U.S.C.A. § 3486, which provides: No testimony given by a witness    shall be used as evidence in any criminal proceeding against him   . Appellant asserts that introduction into evidence of Exhibit 20, the so-called net worth statement, violated § 3486 because a copy of this document was obtained by subpoena from appellant's accountant and tax adviser by the Kefauver Committee and appellant was questioned concerning the document on November 17, 1950, by the Committee. This argument ignores the fact that agents of the Treasury Department, in the course of their independent investigation of appellant's financial affairs, had already obtained a copy of this document on January 3, 1950. Thus it cannot be said that evidence obtained by the Committee was relied upon in any way for the subsequent criminal prosecution. D. E. Goodykoontz, Treasury Department agent, made an affidavit averring that all the information used as a basis for the criminal indictment was obtained prior to November 15, 1950. Ernest A. Tolin, then United States Attorney, made an affidavit averring that no portion of the testimony or information derived from the Kefauver Committee hearings was to be used in the prosecution of the case. There was no violation of the statutory prohibition. 12