Opinion ID: 739906
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: 1 In September 1983, Edward Trzaska was convicted in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York for unlawfully receiving firearms and was sentenced to prison for two years to be followed by five years probation. Upon release from prison, Trzaska violated the terms of his probation by possessing nineteen firearms and was sentenced to twenty years imprisonment. United States v. Trzaska, 859 F.2d 1118 (2d Cir.1988). After serving five years of this sentence, Trzaska was again released on parole. 2 United States Probation Officer Kelley O'Keefe supervised Trzaska while he was on parole. In May 1993, the probation officer learned from Trzaska's neighbor, Diane Johnson, that Trzaska was receiving a large number of magazines and mail-order catalogs relating to firearms as well as United Parcel Service (UPS) shipments from the Natchez Shooters Supply Company. The probation officer contacted the Natchez Shooters Supply Company and received invoices indicating that firearm and ammunition accessories addressed to Ed's Sporting Goods had been shipped to Trzaska's apartment. 3 The probation officer also began an investigation of UPS shipping records, and with the UPS's help, discovered that seventeen other weapon supply companies had made shipments to Trzaska's apartment. She contacted some of the weapon supply companies, and invoices provided by those companies indicated that the companies also had sent firearm and ammunition accessories to Trzaska's apartment. 4 In September 1993, while Trzaska was still on parole, probation officer O'Keefe and United States Probation Officer Eileen Kelly made a routine home visit to Trzaska's apartment in Queens. See United States v. Rea, 678 F.2d 382, 387 (2d Cir.1982) (a probation officer needs a warrant to search a probationer's home, but can conduct warrantless visit[s] to check up on the probationer). While the officers were aware of the deliveries to Trzaska's apartment, they did not expect to see firearms or ammunition within the apartment. When the officers were admitted into the apartment, they observed a variety of ammunition in plain view. The officers, fearing for their safety, promptly left the apartment. 5 About an hour later, the officers returned to Trzaska's apartment accompanied by four New York City police officers. Probation officers O'Keefe and Kelly then proceeded to conduct what they termed a plain view search and seizure, in which they seized all the guns and ammunition they had seen. O'Keefe requested, but was refused, permission to search areas not in plain view. As the officers left the apartment, Trzaska said to officer O'Keefe I'm a drug addict with this. Its a sickness. 6 Upon returning to the Probation Department's office, probation officer O'Keefe telephoned Johnson, Trzaska's next-door neighbor, and asked if Johnson could see whether Trzaska was taking anything out of the apartment. Johnson reported that Trzaska was loading several bags into his car. Officer O'Keefe asked Johnson to wait for Trzaska to leave and to see if Trzaska was putting the items into Trzaska's nearby garage. Several minutes later, Johnson called back and allegedly informed officer O'Keefe that Trzaska was indeed putting the items into the garage. Officer O'Keefe proceeded to Trzaska's garage and saw Trzaska drive by the garage at least six times within the next hour.