Opinion ID: 555459
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Gregory Ayers' Motion for a Bill of Particulars

Text: 86 Gregory Ayers appeals from the denial of his motion for a bill of particulars on Count One of the indictment. The denial of a bill of particulars is reviewed for an abuse of discretion. United States v. Giese, 597 F.2d 1170, 1180 (9th Cir.1979), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 979, 100 S.Ct. 480, 62 L.Ed.2d 405 (1979). 87 Gregory Ayers contends that the language of Count One is vague and failed to give him fair notice of the charges against him. Gregory argues that Count One charged him with impeding the collection of income tax, but failed to indicate whose tax. Gregory also asserts that Count One was vague because it departed from the charging language found in the cases and policy of the United States Department of Justice. Gregory Ayers' Opening Brief at 30. Count One charged Gregory Ayers only with conspiracy to impede, impair, obstruct and defeat the Department of the Treasury in the collection of revenue, but not in the ascertainment, evaluation, and assessment of income. 88 The purposes of a bill of particulars are threefold: 89 [T]o inform the defendant of the nature of the charge against him with sufficient precision to enable him to prepare for trial, to avoid or minimize the danger of surprise at the time of trial, and to enable him to plead his acquittal or conviction in bar of another prosecution for the same offense when the indictment itself is too vague, and indefinite for such purposes. 90 United States v. Giese, 597 F.2d 1170, 1180 (9th Cir.) (quoting United States v. Birmley, 529 F.2d 103, 108 (6th Cir.1976)), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 979, 100 S.Ct. 480, 62 L.Ed.2d 405 (1979). See also United States v. Mitchell, 744 F.2d 701, 705 (9th Cir.1984); United States v. Buckner, 610 F.2d 570, 573 (9th Cir.1979), cert. denied, 445 U.S. 961, 100 S.Ct. 1646, 64 L.Ed.2d 235 91 Count One of the indictment specifies five separate means and methods used to carry out the conspiracy. The indictment also details fifteen overt acts committed to further the conspiracy. In addition, the government provided Gregory with a significant amount of discovery. The district court found this sufficient to enable Gregory Ayers to prepare his defense for trial. We agree. Gregory does not claim that he was surprised at trial by evidence produced by the government or that he was prejudiced by any alleged lack of particularity. Furthermore, Gregory's argument that the charging language of the indictment is too vague to allow him to plead double jeopardy in any subsequent proceedings is not persuasive. The indictment is definite enough to enable Gregory Ayers to plead his conviction as a bar to any future proceedings for conspiracy to defraud the government during the same period of time. Review of the indictment and the record does not reveal any abuse of discretion by the district court in denying Gregory's motion for a bill of particulars.