Opinion ID: 28
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Indictment and Motion to Dismiss

Text: On August 6, 1996, Andres Peralta was charged in the United States District Court for the District of Maine in a one-count indictment. The indictment charged Peralta and three others with conspiring to distribute cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1). The conspiracy was alleged to have occurred between early 1992 and February 1996. Peralta remained at large for nearly eight years. He was ultimately arrested on May 12, 2004, in New York. On July 8, 2004, attorney Frank Ortiz entered an appearance as his counsel. Ortiz was a graduate of Harvard Law School and a member of the New York bar who had practiced law since 1959. Ortiz was fluent in Spanish; because Peralta is a native of the Dominican Republic whose English is limited, Ortiz communicated with him in Spanish. Peralta entered a plea of not guilty. On August 26, 2004, Ortiz filed a motion to dismiss the indictment, alleging a violation of Peralta's constitutional right to a speedy trial. As the Magistrate Judge later characterized the motion, it was substantial and well-researched. Because Peralta ultimately pleaded guilty pursuant to a plea agreement, the government never filed an opposition, and the District Court never resolved the issue. In addition to filing the motion, Ortiz entered into plea negotiations with the government. On September 16, 2004, Ortiz sent Peralta a copy of a proposed plea agreement with significant parts of it translated into Spanish. Ortiz believed at the time, and advised Peralta, that under the proposed agreement the guideline sentencing range would be 188 to 235 months. Ortiz also visited Peralta in Maine to discuss the plea agreement before he signed it. [1] Peralta executed the written plea agreement on September 21, 2004, and on October 1, 2004, it was filed with the court.