Opinion ID: 1354261
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Motion to Dismiss the Indictment/Motion to Reconsider

Text: Brobst argues that the district court erred in not dismissing the indictment or reconsidering the motion to suppress the search warrant for lack of particularity, because the prosecutor failed (prior to the suppression hearing) to provide Brobst information that would have produced a different outcome had it been disclosed. The decision to reconsider a suppression order at trial is reviewed for abuse of discretion. United States v. Buffington, 815 F.2d 1292, 1298 (9th Cir. 1987). Dismissal of an indictment on due process grounds is reviewed de novo; dismissal based on the court's supervisory powers is reviewed for abuse of discretion. United States v. Barrera-Moreno, 951 F.2d 1089, 1091 (9th Cir.1991). We review possible violations of a defendant's due process rights under Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963), de novo. United States v. Lehman, 792 F.2d 899, 901 (9th Cir. 1986). In Brady, the Supreme Court held that withholding evidence that is material to the defendant's guilt violates due process. Brady, 373 U.S. at 87, 83 S.Ct. 1194. Evidence is material under the Brady rule only if there is a reasonable probability that, had [it] been disclosed to the defense, the result of the proceeding would have been different. United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667, 682, 105 S.Ct. 3375, 87 L.Ed.2d 481 (1985). Here, the prosecutor failed to turn over an email message received from Detective Yonkin, discussing Yonkin's opinion of Brobst's numerous pretrial motions. The message, however, included additional information about the officers' actions at Brobst's residence. Specifically, Detective Yonkin called dispatch to cross-check the present 9-1-1 address with the former address, and he ran the license on a vehicle parked nearby. Brobst argues that these facts demonstrate that Detective Yonkin's uncertainty as to what premise was to be searched. The district court did not agree. We affirm its decision. The fact that Detective Yonkin attempted to cross-reference Brobst's address is relevant only to the issue of the sufficiency of the search warrant, discussed above. As we concluded, the officers were able to drive to the premises based on the address in the search warrant and confirm it with little effort. Additionally the neighbors verified that Brobst owned the property. Detective Yonkin believed that they were at the correct residence, and his additional attempts to verify the location does not indicate that Detective Yonkin was unsure of the residence or unable to reasonably locate the premises to be searched. The district court found that Detective Yonkin's reasonable efforts satisfied the test of whether the officer with a search warrant could, with reasonable effort, ascertain and identify the place to be searched. There is no reasonable probability that the undisclosed evidence would have changed the district court's determination as to the warrant's particularity. Thus, the undisclosed evidence was not material. See Bagley, 473 U.S. at 682, 105 S.Ct. 3375.