Opinion ID: 4540009
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: ICBC Subpoena

Text: Rule 17 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure governs the issuance of trial subpoenas in criminal cases. A decision to deny, quash, or modify a subpoena “must be left to the trial judge’s sound discretion” and “is not to be disturbed on appeal unless it can be shown that [the district court] acted arbitrarily and abused its discretion or that its finding was without support in the record.” In re Irving, 600 F.2d 1027, 1034 (2d Cir. 1979). We find that the district court appropriately concluded that Brennerman failed to effect service of the subpoena on ICBC as required by Rule 17(d). Significantly, Rule 17 provides that “[t]he server must deliver a copy of the subpoena to the witness.” Fed. R. Crim. P. 17(d). In an attempt to serve the subpoena, Brennerman sent a copy to ICBC’s New York-based attorney in the underlying civil case, not to ICBC’s London branch. This plainly did not comply with the rule. To the extent Brennerman argues that the government was required to retrieve the documents for him, that argument is also meritless. ICBC is not an agent of the government, and therefore the prosecution was under no obligation to make efforts to obtain information beyond what it previously collected and turned over to Brennerman. Cf. United States v. Yousef, 327 F.3d 56, 112 (2d Cir. 2003). 2