Opinion ID: 1984141
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Henry Gemma's Affidavit.

Text: In spite of the fact that the Supreme Court discussed the probable effect of Henry Gemma's affidavit (Petitioner's Exhibit 4) upon Michelle Kuzia's credibility (see footnote State v. Jacques and quoted on page 18 [1134] of this decision) in that the Supreme Court permitted Jacques to supplement the record after oral argument with a copy of Gemma's affidavit, this Court will review the circumstances in which the omission of such information failed to reach the attention of defense counsel for Jacques prior to the trial. Henry Gemma, hereinafter referred to as Gemma, was subpoenaed to give testimony at the evidentiary hearing as to the conversation he had with the complaining witness, Michelle Kuzia, hereinafter referred to as Kuzia. Gemma testified that he and a Bud Counihan in the Spring of 1983 were in charge of the Criminal Division of the Attorney General's Department. He stated that there was no method in use at that time which required the recording of statements of complaining witnesses who either telephoned or personally appeared at the Attorney General's Office to make a complaint relative to the criminal activities of an individual. Gemma stated he recalled Kuzia going to his office to file a complaint against Jacques. He remembered the visit to be on a Friday afternoon at approximately 4:30 p.m. sometime in the Spring of the year 1983. He recalled that Kuzia told him of an experience she had encountered some nine months ago. She said she had met a Norman Jacques somewhere in the Federal Hill section of Providence after arriving from New York City; that she was a R.I.S.D. student and after meeting Jacques landed in a tree house somewhere in Lincoln. She said Jacques showed her some pictures of models and some celebrities which included Jane Fonda, and a Marlo Thomas. She said she was sexually assaulted and did not scream because of the location of the tree house in that no one would be able to hear her. Gemma said he had spoken to a Janet Huling after the trial sometime in October 1987 and subsequently spoke to Jacques later in the year by phone. Gemma said that when he spoke to Jacques he was not aware he was being taped. Gemma stated for the record a second time that there was no established procedure in operation at the Attorney General's Office which required the recording of conversations involving complaints which were of the nature filed by Kuzia. Gemma further stated that he did not discuss Kuzia's complaint with either Attorney General Roberts, who was the Attorney General at the time the complaint was made, or with Attorney General Violet, who was the Attorney General at the time the case was tried before a Petit Jury. Gemma stated that at the time Jacques' trial took place he was engaged in the Von Bulow trial and gave no attention or interest to the Jacques' trial. Gemma stated that during the Spring of 1983 Jacques had been charged with another sexual assault complaint and prior to the bail hearing on the charge, Kuzia's complaint reached Gemma. At this point, Gemma felt that the new Kuzia's complaint would have an impact upon the bail which the Attorney General's Office would recommend on the previous charge. Gemma called Jack Cicilline, Esq. who had entered his appearance on behalf of Jacques in the pending case for the purpose of informing him of Kuzia's visit. Gemma further stated that his call to Attorney Cicilline was not intended to meet the requirements on the part of the Attorney General to comply with Rule 16 of the R.I. Superior Court Rules of Criminal Procedure. Gemma further testified that other than Raymond Morrisette, who was an employee of the Attorney General's Office at the time Kuzia spoke to Gemma and who was invited by Gemma to be present at the time Kuzia filed her complaint, and the casual mentioning to Special Attorney General David Licht about the nature of Kuzia's complaint, Gemma did not speak to anyone else on the staff of the Attorney General nor did he record in writing in any way the nature of the complaint filed by Kuzia. He stated that prescribed procedures in effect at that time within the Department made no provision nor established any responsibility to register or record a complaint such as Kuzia had made. Gemma stated he followed the prescribed procedure at the time and referred Kuzia to the local police department of the town or city where the alleged offense had taken place. In this case, the complaint was referred to the Town of Lincoln. Gemma stated he knew of no alleged inconsistent statement which took place at the Petit Jury trial with the statement given to him by Kuzia until he was told of it by Jacques in the phone conversation of 1987 after the trial had taken place. Gemma was questioned as to the authenticity of his twice taped phone conversations with Jacques and stated he recalled the conversations and corroborated the content of the transcription of the taped conversations. (See Petitioner's Exhibit # 5). John F. Cicilline, Esq. was subpoenaed to give testimony on behalf of the Petitioner. Cicilline corroborated the testimony of Gemma as it related to the reason Gemma called him. He stated that Gemma had called him in the Spring of 1983, prior to a bail hearing involving Jacques, to inform him that a woman had appeared at the Attorney General's Office to inform Gemma that she had been sexually assaulted by Jacques, and that this new complaint would have an impact upon the pending bail hearing. Detective Joseph Almond of the Lincoln Police Department was subpoenaed by the Petitioner and testified that he received a call from Gemma on June 7, 1983 for the purpose of having a complaint involving a Michelle Kuzia referred to the Lincoln Police Department. Detective Almond did not recall Gemma relating any specific aspect of the complaint but only that it involved an alleged sexual assault. Randall White, the trial counsel for the State, was subpoenaed to testify on behalf of the Petitioner. Mr. White stated that he did not know prior to the Petit Jury trial the contents of the conversation which ensued between Gemma and Kuzia at the time Kuzia visited the Attorney General's Office for the purpose of filing the initial complaint against Jacques. The first consideration the Court must make relative to Gemma's affidavit is whether the nondisclosure of the content of the affidavit was intentionally or deliberately withheld from the defendant. There is absolutely not a scintilla of evidence to support any such theory. Neither Detective Almond or the State's trial counsel knew that Kuzia had told Gemma that she did not scream or cry out at the time of the assault. Having failed to establish that the State deliberately or intentionally withheld the substance of the conversation contained in Gemma's affidavit, the Petitioner has not met his burden under State v. Wyche, 518 A.2d 907, 909 (R.I. 1986 on p. 910). The court in that case stated that a deliberate act of nondisclosure occurs when the prosecution makes a considered decision to suppress ... for the purpose of obstructing or where it fails to disclose evidence whose high value to the defense could not have escaped its attention. Again, there is no evidence to establish or even suggest that this described process was implemented or as a matter of fact even contemplated. In spite of the lack of evidence of any deliberate intent to suppress Gemma's interview with Kuzia, the Petitioner may prevail with respect to the withholding of the contents of Gemma's affidavit if he can establish a standard of materiality set forth in United States v. Bagley [473 U.S. 667], 105 S.Ct. 3375 [87 L.Ed.2d 481] (1985). In that case, the Supreme Court set forth the standard of materiality to be applied when confronted with a failure to provide exculpatory information. Evidence is material only if there is a reasonable probability that had the evidence been disclosed to the defense, the result of the proceeding would have been different to undermine confidence in the outcome. The Supreme Court made it very clear that the failure to provide possible exculpatory information does not automatically warrant a reversal. Rather, it must be determined whether there is a reasonable probability that had the information been disclosed to the defense, the result of the trial would have been different. (Id. [at 684, 105 S.Ct.] at 3385). Petitioner alleges through the testimony of Defense Counsel Casparian and Appellate Counsel Hastings that had they been in possession of Gemma's statement at the time of trial, defense counsel would have used it to impeach Kuzia's testimony at the trial as it relates to her testimony that she cried and screamed at the time she was assaulted. In State v. Jacques, 536 A.2d 535 (R.I. 1988) the Rhode Island Supreme Court noted that after appellate counsel had argued before the Court, the Petitioner was allowed to supplement the record with a copy of Gemma's affidavit. In discussing the probable effect of such testimony upon Kuzia's credibility, the court in a footnote stated: After arguments were heard in this controversy the court, on the motion of Jacques's appellate counsel and over the state's objection, permitted the defense to supplement the record by the inclusion of an affidavit executed by a former assistant attorney general who had initially interviewed Kathy. This individual states as his recollection that Kathy told him that she did not scream or cry for help because it would have been futile for her to do so since no one would have been able to hear her screams. The attorney general, on the other hand, points out that Kathy's inconsistencies were demonstrated at trial through cross-examination by defense counsel who directed the jury's attention to the fact that Kathy never mentioned to the Lincoln police investigator that she had screamed during her encounter with Jacques. In explaining this omission Kathy, on cross-examination, said I might have told him, I don't know if I told them. She also conceded that if the investigator did not write the word scream, I probably did not use that word. Cross-examination did, however, indicate that the term used in the police report was that she began to whimper. It is obvious that the jury was well aware of the inconsistencies in Kathy's testimony relative to whether she screamed or cried once Jacques had pushed her onto the chair. Here the affidavit contains material which is cumulative at best but does not require the grant of a new trial. State v. Brown, 528 A.2d 1098 at 1104 (R.I. 1987). The conclusion reached by the Rhode Island Supreme Court accurately reflects the fact that had Kuzia's statement to Gemma been disclosed to the defense it would not have altered the result of the trial. As a result of the Supreme Court's conclusion, this Court has no alternative but to accept the Supreme Court's assessment of materiality of Gemma's affidavit upon the outcome of the trial. On the basis of this finding, Petitioner's allegation of prosecutorial misconduct does not meet the standard of materiality set forth in United States v. Bagley . Consequently, this Court finds that the Petitioner has failed to meet either burden enunciated in the Wyche and Bagley cases respectively.