Opinion ID: 198347
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: False Information in Affidavit

Text: 16 According to Owens, the affidavit improperly misled the magistrate in three respects. First, it claimed that the Boston police had a murder warrant for Don Miley when in fact the murder warrant identified the suspect only as Dwayne Owens. Second, it misstated that business records indicated Be Be's Barbecue was owned and incorporated by Don Miley when Don Miley was only listed in corporate documents as Vice President. And third, its statement that phone number 436-6658 was located at 26 Parsons Avenue improperly omitted that the number listed was in the name of Johnny Stephens, not Don Miley. 3 17 Owens's claims fail because he cannot establish that these misstatements were either knowingly false or reckless. At most, Broadmeadow's errors resulted from negligence, and [a]llegations of negligence or innocent mistake are insufficient. Franks, 438 U.S. at 171, 98 S.Ct. 2674. 18 Moreover, even if any of the misstatements were knowingly false or reckless, we do not see how they were material. See United States v. Vanness, 85 F.3d 661, 662-63 (D.C.Cir.1996) (warrant valid under Leon because false statement not material). The affidavit's statement that a warrant existed for Miley, rather than Owens, was immaterial because the affidavit also indicated that the subject known as Miley used the alias Owens. Nor can the statement that Miley was named in business records as owner rather than Vice President be characterized as material because, in either event, the suspect was linked to Be Be's Barbecue. Cf. State v. Groff, 323 N.W.2d 204, 210 (Iowa 1982) (stating that defendant owns land on which marijuana is growing, rather than that he farms the land, is not materially false). Finally, the affidavit's failure to recite that telephone number 436-6658 was listed in the name of Johnny Stephens was not material under the circumstances. Police questioning of the landlord of 26 Parsons Avenue had already established that a man known as Miley was living at that address. It was immaterial whether Miley was living there alone or with others. 19