Opinion ID: 515723
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Use of immunized grand jury testimony.

Text: 16 Gallo contends that his conviction should be reversed and the indictment against him dismissed because the government used immunized grand jury testimony to build the case against him. Specifically, Gallo argues that his appearance, in 1967, before a Queens County, New York grand jury entitles him to transactional immunity because the 1967 investigation was actually a joint state-federal operation. In the alternative, Gallo asserts that even if only use immunity applies, the government improperly used his testimony. Both arguments, however, are without merit. Prior to the enactment of 18 U.S.C. Sec. 6002 in 1970, the federal government could compel the testimony of a grand jury witness only pursuant to a grant of transactional immunity. See Kastigar v. United States, 406 U.S. 441, 451-52, 92 S.Ct. 1653, 1660-61, 32 L.Ed.2d 212 (1972). The 1967 testimony, however, was given before a state grand jury. Although Gallo contends that the Queens District Attorney's Office was acting either in conjunction with, or under the direction of the FBI, the record contains no evidence that such was the case. Thus, Gallo was entitled to no more than use and derivative use immunity. 17 Whether the government made use of the grand jury testimony is an issue of fact, which the district court thoroughly examined by holding two Kastigar hearings, one before and one after trial. Accordingly, the district court's findings are not to be reversed unless clearly erroneous. See United States v. Gaviria, 740 F.2d 174, 182 (2d Cir.1984). Our independent review of the record reveals ample support for Judge Weinstein's finding that [a]ll the information that was used by the government in this prosecution came to its attention from independent sources. Gallo has been the subject of government investigation and surveillance for over twenty years. Events, such as a 1966 meeting at a Queens restaurant, which Gallo claims became known to the government due to his grand jury testimony, were actually the subject of police surveillance. Agents involved in the current investigation testified that they did not even know of Gallo's grand jury appearance until Gallo raised it as an issue before the trial court. Furthermore, it should be noted that the nature of Gallo's grand jury testimony makes any claim of its direct or indirect use untenable. The testimony consisted mostly of denials and ambiguous answers. In short, there was nothing to use. The findings of the district court were not clearly erroneous. 18