Opinion ID: 2651085
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Search Warrant for Accurate Roofing

Text: Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent Brent Lyons prepared the affidavit in support of the search warrant for Accurate Roofing. The affidavit alleged that the IP address assigned to Accurate Roofing “was utilized to transfer images of child pornography via the Internet by using an online instant messaging chat program in approximately June and July 2010.” It also stated that investigators had learned the IP address most recently used (on December 15, 2010) to log in to the “lowkey” account was assigned to Accurate Roofing and that IP addresses assigned to Accurate Roofing had been used to log in to the “lowkey” account on multiple other (unspecified) dates. Agent Lyons testified at the suppression hearing. He stated that investigators had requested six months of login data for the “lowkey” account, but the internet service provider could provide only approximately three months of data. He acknowledged that the records the investigators received did not include login data for June and July 2010, when the subject images had been transmitted, and that this fact had not been included in the warrant 6 Case: 12-60841 Document: 00512511135 Page: 7 Date Filed: 01/24/2014 No. 12-60841 application or supporting affidavit. However, Agent Lyons asserted that, for the period covered by the records, “almost all” of the logins to the “lowkey” account had been from IP addresses associated with Accurate Roofing. In particular, he stated that, of the approximately sixty logins to the “lowkey” account between October and December 2010, all but “five [or] six” came from IP addresses associated with Accurate Roofing. In rejecting Robinson’s motion to suppress the evidence seized from Accurate Roofing, the district court found that there were no records available to show what IP address had logged in to the “lowkey” account at the time the subject images were transmitted. However, it also noted that the records provided showed “multiple matches for the log-in to the ICQ Lowkey account and the IP address assigned to Accurate Roofing during the October through December time period.” The district court concluded that, at the time the warrant application was made, the investigators “had sufficient, reliable information to believe that . . . the IP address assigned to Accurate Roofing was being utilized for these transmissions” and that, therefore, “there was a sufficient nexus” between the location and the evidence sought. The district court also found that, even if the affidavit had included the information that the “lowkey” account had been accessed from other IP addresses, this “would not have negated a finding of probable cause” and that there was still “sufficient evidence to support a finding of probable cause”; it also concluded that, while the omission of this information may have been negligent, it was not “intentional or in reckless disregard.” Robinson argues that the good faith exception does not apply because the affidavit in support of the warrant application for Accurate Roofing was misleading and omitted important information. He asserts that the affidavit failed to disclose that the available records for the “lowkey” account dated back 7 Case: 12-60841 Document: 00512511135 Page: 8 Date Filed: 01/24/2014 No. 12-60841 only to October of 2010, several months after the subject images were sent. He also asserts that the affidavit failed to disclose that these records showed that the “lowkey” account had been accessed by other IP addresses not associated with Accurate Roofing. Robinson argues that these “omissions in the affidavit made it falsely appear” that the evidence showed that an IP address associated with Accurate Roofing had sent the subject images in June and July 2010. In response, the Government argues that these omissions were not dispositive. It notes that the district court found that, even if the information about logins from other IP addresses had been included in the affidavit, this would not have negated the finding of probable cause. To defeat the good faith exception, a movant must not only show that there was a knowing or reckless falsehood; he must also show “that without the falsehood there would not be sufficient matter in the affidavit to support the issuance of the warrant.” United States v. Davis, 226 F.3d 346, 351 (5th Cir. 2000). The omitted material must be “information that is not only relevant, but dispositive, so that if the omitted fact were included, there would not be probable cause.” Id. The district court did not err in finding that this evidence was not dispositive, because, even if the omitted information had been included in the affidavit, there would still have been probable cause for the issuance of a search warrant. See id. The affidavit stated that the “lowkey” account had most recently been accessed from an IP address assigned to Accurate Roofing. Investigators had determined that this same IP address had been used to login to the “lowkey” account on multiple other occasions. Thus, even if the affidavit had acknowledged that agents did not have records for the specific dates when the images were transmitted, these facts would still establish a “fair probability that contraband or evidence of a crime” would be found at that 8 Case: 12-60841 Document: 00512511135 Page: 9 Date Filed: 01/24/2014 No. 12-60841 location. See id. (stating that movant must show that, if the omitted fact was included, there would not have been probable cause). Likewise, the fact that several logins to the “lowkey” account came from IP addresses not associated with Accurate Roofing would not be dispositive because most of the logins did come from that location. Accordingly, we affirm the denial of Robinson’s motion to suppress evidence seized pursuant to the search warrant of Accurate Roofing.