Opinion ID: 677313
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Tape recording of Thomas Nietupski and Nancy Nietupski's conversation

Text: 55 Both Zarnes and Thomas Nietupski challenge the admission of the recorded conversation between Thomas and Nancy Nietupski concerning their drug dealings. Zarnes argues that statements made by Thomas and Nancy in the tape were not admissible against her as statements of co-conspirators under Fed.R.Evid. 801(d)(2)(E) because the statements were made after she was in jail and had withdrawn from the conspiracy. 2 To withdraw from a conspiracy, a conspirator has to do more than simply cease her activity. United States v. Patel, 879 F.2d 292, 294 (7th Cir.1989), cert. denied, 494 U.S. 1016, 110 S.Ct. 1318, 108 L.Ed.2d 494 (1990). [T]here must also be affirmative action, either the making of a clean breast to authorities, or communication of the abandonment in a manner calculated to reach co-conspirators. Id. No such action occurred here. Zarnes did not announce to the Nietupskis that she was no longer a member of the conspiracy. Nor did Zarnes make a clean breast to the authorities. Zarnes' incarceration, by itself, did not establish that she withdrew from the Nietupski ring. See United States v. Harris, 542 F.2d 1283, 1301 (7th Cir.1976) (The arrest or incarceration of a conspirator may constitute a withdrawal for a conspirator, but it does not as a matter of law.), cert. denied, 430 U.S. 934, 97 S.Ct. 1558, 51 L.Ed.2d 779 (1977); see also, e.g., United States v. Puig-Infante, 19 F.3d 929, 945 (5th Cir.1994); United States v. Casares-Cardenas, 14 F.3d 1283, 1288 (8th Cir.1994); United States v. Gonzalez, 940 F.2d 1413, 1427 (11th Cir.1991), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 910, 116 L.Ed.2d 810 (1992); United States v. West, 877 F.2d 281, 289 n. 4 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 959, 110 S.Ct. 377, 107 L.Ed.2d 362 (1989). As Zarnes failed to take the necessary steps to withdraw from the conspiracy, Nancy and Thomas's statements made during the course and in furtherance of the conspiracy were admissible as co-conspirator statements under Rule 801(d)(2)(E). See United States v. Hubbard, 22 F.3d 1410, 1417 (7th Cir.1994) (co-conspirator statements were properly admissible against a party who remained a conspirator and did not withdraw from the conspiracy); United States v. Schweihs, 971 F.2d 1302, 1323-24 (7th Cir.1992) (same). The district court did not err in admitting this evidence. 56 Thomas Nietupski argues that the tape of the conversation with his ex-wife violated Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Street Acts of 1968, 18 U.S.C. Sec. 2510 et seq., and should have been suppressed. Under Title III a person may intercept a telephone call to which he is a party unless the purpose of the interception is to commit a criminal or tortious act in violation of federal or state law. 18 U.S.C. Sec. 2511(2)(d). Thomas contended before the district court that Nancy made the tape in order to blackmail him. Thomas had the burden of proving an unlawful purpose by a preponderance of the evidence. Traficant v. IRS, 884 F.2d 258, 266 (6th Cir.1989); United States v. Phillips, 540 F.2d 319, 326 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 1000, 97 S.Ct. 530, 50 L.Ed.2d 611 (1976). After an evidentiary hearing at which Nancy testified, the district court refused to suppress the tape. The court found that Nancy's purpose in taping the conversation was not blackmail, and that her testimony to the contrary was incredible. Nancy admitted that she never used the tape against Thomas or even threatened to do so. The court found that, if anything, Nancy made the tape for the lawful purpose of turning [it] over to the Government if she were caught in the hope of obtaining a better deal for herself. United States v. Nietupski, 731 F.Supp. 881, 883 (C.D.Ill.1990); see United States v. Dale, 991 F.2d 819, 841 (D.C.Cir.1992) (per curiam) (taping the telephone call of a confederate in the hope of obtaining evidence to reduce one's sentence is not illegal), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 114 S.Ct. 650, 126 L.Ed.2d 607 (1993); see also United States v. Cassiere, 4 F.3d 1006, 1021 (1st Cir.1993) (district court's factual finding that party made tape recording for lawful purpose of preventing future distortions by a co-conspirator was not clearly erroneous). The district court's factual findings, reflecting its familiarity with the evidence and its determination of witness credibility, were not clearly erroneous. Anderson v. City of Bessemer City, 470 U.S. 564, 574, 105 S.Ct. 1504, 1512, 84 L.Ed.2d 518 (1985); Rodgers v. Western-Southern Life Ins. Co., 12 F.3d 668, 673-74 (7th Cir.1993). 57