Court Opinion

ID: 9472290
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 03:55:28.421838+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:42:50.909352
License: Public Domain

McMILLIAN, Circuit Judge,
with whom HEANEY and BRIGHT, Circuit Judges, join, dissenting.
I respectfully dissent. I would reverse the judgment of the district court for the reasons set forth in the panel opinion, United States v. Dockery, 718 F.2d 850 (8th Cir.1983). First, I would argue that appellant was in custody at the time of the interrogations. Appellant was summoned by a bank official, at the request of the investigating FBI agents, to a small, vacant office in the bank building. She was interrogated alone by the FBI agents with the office door closed. She was not interrogated in the midst of familiar surroundings at home like the defendant in United States v. Jones, 630 F.2d 613 (8th Cir.1980) (per curiam). Her freedom of movement was restricted to a certain degree by the fact of employment itself, as noted by the majority opinion, supra at —, citing INS v. Delgado, — U.S. —, 104 S.Ct. 1758, 1763, 80 L.Ed.2d 247 (1984) (fourth amendment issues). However, appellant was not at her customary work station in the bank during the interrogations; she had been summoned to another office specifically for questioning. By comparison, the employees in the Delgado case were going “about their ordinary business, operating machinery and performing other job assignments. While the surveys did cause some disruption, including the efforts of some workers to hide, the record also indicates that workers were not prevented from moving about the factories.” Id. But see id. at 1769-70 (Brennan, J., dissenting) (describing the surveys as having caused widespread disturbance among the workers and the intimidating atmosphere created by the INS investigative tactics). Moreover, appellant was specifically directed by the departing agents to remain in the area outside the office for further questioning by bank officials. Although there was no evidence of any physical restraint or “strong arm tactics,” the absence of these factors is not conclusive. Similarly, the fact that appellant had not been formally arrested or that she had been informed by the agents that she need not answer any questions does not automatically render the interrogation non custodial. United States v. Jones, 630 F.2d at 616. I would hold that the interrogations were conducted in a custodial setting and that appellant was improperly not given Miranda warnings.
In addition, I would agree that the agents’ affirmative misrepresentation to appellant about the incriminating fingerprint evidence, although not relevant to the question of custody for Miranda purposes, is not the type of interrogation technique we should condone and is clearly relevant to the voluntariness of the confession. United States v. Jones, 630 F.2d at 616.