Opinion ID: 1349797
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Leslie White

Text: (7) As noted above, the allegations in petitioner's habeas corpus petition were largely supported by transcripts of tape recordings and declarations of Leslie White. [17] Petitioner notes that on March 3, 1992  two days before the rescheduled evidentiary hearing was set to begin  the Attorney General indicted and arrested White, apparently for perjury in past cases. One week later, after petitioner called White as a witness on his behalf, White invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to testify. Petitioner asserts the timing of the government's indictment and arrest transformed White from a willing witness to one who refused to testify, and hence constituted misconduct as defined in In re Martin, supra, 44 Cal.3d 1, 31. Once again, documents appended as exhibits to the People's briefs, and not objected to by petitioner, disprove petitioner's theory. The exhibits include the following: (i) An April 18, 1991, memorandum (and contemporaneous handwritten notes) by Deputy Attorney General Preminger. The memorandum states that on April 9, 1991, Leslie White and George Oglesby telephoned Preminger. According to the memorandum, Oglesby stated he feared his life would be endangered if he testified, and asked that he be given protective custody during the hearing. White stated that his 1989 declaration (in which he asserted that Oglesby told him Oglesby had lied in petitioner's case) was itself a lie, and that insofar as he knew, Oglesby had indeed told the truth in petitioner's case. (ii) An August 1, 1992, handwritten letter from Leslie White to Mr. Price (one of petitioner's attorneys), informing him that White would invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and decline to testify in petitioner's evidentiary hearing. The letter stated: Further, I'm not sure if I've ever told the truth regarding the Williams case or Oglesby  I can't recall, as the cops say.... It continued: I will not testify. If you bring me down I'll plead the 5th AFTER I tell about why I signed your declaration. It won't be pretty. Leslie White. (Italics and capitalization in original.) [18] (iii) A March 17, 1992, declaration by Deputy District Attorney Martin, recounting that on February 6, 1992, Leslie White telephoned him after he was served with a subpoena to testify at the evidentiary hearing by the People. According to Martin, White said his 1989 declaration was untrue. White claimed he signed the declaration while he was in county jail, and feared for his life. Moreover, White asserted, he was told by petitioner's counsel that the declaration would lead to his transfer to federal custody. White asserted he would testify at petitioner's hearing that his own 1989 declaration was a lie. We conclude, based on the hearing record and the above described exhibits, that petitioner has failed to show the indictment and arrest of Leslie White shortly before he was scheduled to testify for petitioner constitutes misconduct as defined in In re Martin, supra, 44 Cal.3d at page 31. Petitioner cannot show that the government's conduct was wholly unnecessary to the performance of its duties and was of such a character as to transform White from a willing witness to one who refused to testify.