Court Opinion

ID: 9487966
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 12:32:00.191037+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:52:35.859810
License: Public Domain

BECKER, Circuit Judge,

concurring in part and dissenting in part.

Judge Hutchinson has written a fine opinion and I agree with his disposition of the government’s claim under Exemption 7(D) (Confidential Sources). But while I acknowledge the issues are quite close, I respectfully disagree with the majority’s decision concerning thé government’s other claimed exemptions from the FOIA statute.
I. Exemption 7(A). (Interference with Enforcement Proceedings)
I acknowledge the importance of this exemption, but note that it applies only when release of the information “would produce the undesirable results specified,” and, like the other FOIA exemptions, it is to be “narrowly construed.” FBI v. Abramson, 456 U.S. 615, 630, 102 S.Ct. 2054, 2064, 72 L.Ed.2d 376 (1982). Manna submits that he requests only information pertaining to himself and that, having been confined for more than five years, the statute of limitations has expired as to him, and that this defeats the government’s claim that disclosure would 'interfere with enforcement proceedings. As to the crimes for which prosecution is barred by the statute of limitations! it is hard to follow the government’s argument, for the reasons *1168set forth in the margin.1 But even assuming that we can look beyond such matters, the agency must certainly aver with sufficient specificity that some criminal proceeding against someone is reasonably imminent.
More specifically, I think it is insufficient that the agency may at some unspecified future point in time bring an enforcement proceeding. As I see it, the agency must be actively conducting an ongoing investigation, or should have a present intent to bring an enforcement proceeding in the reasonably specified future. See Mapother v. Department of Justice, 3 F.3d 1533, 1540 (D.C.Cir.1993) (holding that to invoke Exemption 7(A) the agency must show that their disclosure “(1) could reasonably be expected to interfere with (2) enforcement proceedings that are (3) pending or reasonably anticipated ” (emphasis in original)). The government has not indicated that any such proceedings are in the works, but expects that they may be prosecuted “within the space of this decade.” First Stewart Deck ¶ 33 (A 159-60). I do not think that a span of ten years is sufficient to defect a requestor’s otherwise valid claim.
Manna also argues that he is only seeking records pertaining to his prior conviction, which are subject to the statute of limitations. Of course, insofar as those records could be used against other defendants as to whom the statute of limitations does not provide a safe haven (because they have committed at least one predicate act within the last five years), the government is correct in asserting that they cannot be released under Exemption 7(A). First Stewart Deck ¶ 13 (A 145). However, it is my view that the government must not only demonstrate (for each record) that its release would impede a prospective law enforcement proceeding that is viable, but also that it is impossible to redact the exempt information and release the other information. As I see it, the government might redact out that information in the documents which pertains to enforcement proceedings against other members of the Ge-novese LCN Family, but turn the rest over to Manna. I do not think the government has met that burden.2
*1169In sum, I do not believe that the government has made the required showing that the production of the requested law enforcement records or information could be reasonably expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings which in turn requires a showing that (1) a law enforcement proceeding is pending or prospective and (2) release of the information could reasonably be expected to cause some articulable harm. See NLRB v. Robbins Tire & Rubber Co., 437 U.S. 214, 242, 98 S.Ct. 2311, 2327, 57 L.Ed.2d 159 (1978).
II. Exemption 7(C). (Unwarranted Invasion of Privacy)
I acknowledge that law enforcement officers, interviewees, and witnesses involved in criminal investigations, not just suspects, have a substantial privacy interest in nondisclosure of their names, “because disclosure may result in embarrassment and harassment.” McDonnell, 4 F.3d at 1255 (citing Landano v. United States Dep’t. of Justice, 956 F.2d 422, 426 (3d Cir.1992), vacated in part on other grounds, 113 S.Ct. 2014 (1993)). The interest encompasses disclosure of their names in connection with the subject matter of the investigation. See id. at 1256. Passage of time alone is not enough to erase this privacy interest, although the interest does diminish over time. See id. Moreover, the fact that a convict would like access to the names to interview the witnesses and informants for a collateral attack on his or her conviction directly implicates the witnesses’ and informants’ privacy interests. See Landano, 956 F.2d at 427.
Manna, however, repeatedly asserts that all he is seeking is the records with the names redacted. This constitutes a far lower threat of invasion of privacy unless, of course, someone could from the context make out the speaker, in which case the identifying information should also be redacted. See Landano, 956 F.2d at 426 (noting that individuals have an interest in “not having their names revealed in connection with disclosure of the fact and subject matter of the investigation” (emphasis supplied)); cf. Ray, 502 U.S. at 173-75, 112 S.Ct. at 547-48 (upholding the agency’s disclosure of the subject of refugee interviews with the interviewees’ names redacted because while disclosure of the personal interview information would constitute only a de minimis invasion of privacy, release of the accompanying names would make the privacy invasion significant, especially since the interviewees could be subject to government retaliation in their home country). Thus, by not considering the possibility (which Manna requested) of redacting the names of the individuals to protect their privacy, the district court, in my view, improperly considered the privacy interest involved in the balancing exercise, and thus it needs to reconsider its conclusions using the proper analysis.3
*1170The Exemption 7(C) issue also implicates the question of the identity of the requester. The government, conceding that the court may not consider the requester’s identity, disputes Manna’s characterization that the court did so here, and contends that
a district court may consider all relevant facts in assessing the nature and extent of the invasion of privacy which result from disclosure. Such facts in this ease include the ability and willingness of the violent, powerful and ongoing criminal institution, in which Mr. Manna held a leadership role, to harm or otherwise invade the privacy of, for example, persons it suspects of cooperation with law enforcement authorities.
Br. of Appellee at 22 n. 13. While I agree that this information is relevant under Exception 7(F), I disagree with the government that the threat of retaliation is a cognizable concern under Exemption 7(C). Retaliation has nothing to do with privacy, and, moreover, such a construction of Exemption 7(C) would eliminate the need for Exemption 7(F), violating the well known rule of statutory construction not to interpret language to render other language surplus verbiage. See Exemption 7(F) (referring to information which “could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical safety of any individual”).
In any case, since the district court may have considered Manna’s personal identity as the requester, rather than him as the subject matter of the request (which would equalize the analysis between all requesters), in its analysis, the district court should, in my view, reconsider the matter using the proper standard.
I would therefore affirm in part, reverse in part and remand for further proceedings.

. The statute of limitations for two of the crimes the government relies on heavily, criminal RICO and obstruction of justice, both have a five-year statute of limitations. See 18 U.S.C. § 3282. The statute of limitations generally begins to run when the crime has been completed. See Toussie v. United States, 397 U.S. 112, 115, 90 S.Ct. 858, 860, 25 L.Ed.2d 156 (1970). The leading case on the issue of completion of the crime, United States v. Persico, 832 F.2d 705, 713 (2d Cir.1987), cert. denied 486 U.S. 1022, 108 S.Ct. 1995, 100 L.Ed.2d 227 (1988), held that "the crime of RICO conspiracy is not complete until the purposes of the conspiracy either have been accomplished or abandoned.” As to civil RICO claims, the statute of limitations is four years. See Agency Holding Corp. v. Malley-Duff & Assoc. Inc., 483 U.S. 143, 156, 107 S.Ct. 2759, 2767, 97 L.Ed.2d 121 (1987). Since Manna has been imprisoned for over five years, the government cannot be contemplating a RICO or obstruction of justice claim against him unless with respect to the RICO claim the government can show that Manna has committed a predicate act while in prison. Persico, 832 F.2d at 714 (concluding that "in order to satisfy the statute of limitations for section 1962(c), the government must demonstrate that a defendant committed at least one predicate racketeering act within the limitations period”). Manna argues there is no evidence in the record to establish this fact even though the agency had access to his visitation records, his mail, and his recorded telephone conversations. Br. of Appellant at 22. The government, of course, has the burden of showing that a FOIA exemption applied. However, the government’s submissions are conclusory, lacking in both time frames and any details as to either criminal involvement by Manna or contact by him with LCN associates.

. I acknowledge that, with respect to this exemption, the identity of the requestor, does matter, Grosso v. IRS, 785 F.2d 70 (3d Cir.1986), but that is so only in limited respects. In dealing with this exception, the district court and the majority focus on the violence of the Genovese Crime Family. That fact would certainly be relevant under Exemption 7(F) (referring to information which "could reasonably by expected to endanger the life or physical safety of any individual"), 815 F.Supp. at 808, but it is hard to see its relevance to Exemption 7(A) except to the extent that the Family might harass, intimidate, or murder a potential victim in a reasonably anticipated proceeding. Similarly, the district court apparently was worried about a general "chilling effect upon potential cooperators and witnesses in organized crime enforcement investigations." 815 F.Supp. at 808. However, that concern is not a cognizable harm under Exemption 7(A); the exemption applies only to particular planned or pending law enforcement proceedings. As I stress infra, the district court and the majority arguably read Exemption 7(A) to swallow Exemption 7(D), and in effect to be broader than that exemption. *1170agency's motion for summary judgment that no public interest was implicated by Manna's request.

. I also question the district court’s conclusion ■ that Manna has asserted no public interest in release of the information. 815 F.Supp. at 809. Part of the reason Manna seeks the records is to discover whether the government withheld Brady material at his trial. We have stated that the "public at large has an important stake in ensuring that criminal justice is fairly administered; to the extent disclosure may remedy and deter Brady violations, society stands to gain." Ferri v. Bell, 645 F.2d 1213, 1218 (3d Cir.1981) (prisoner sought information to overturn a conviction) ("Although the motivation behind Ferri’s request is ... personal, a FOIA request for material implicating the Brady rule simultaneously advances an 'indirect public purpose' satisfying the second prong of the test for disclosure under one of the privacy-based exemptions.”), modified, 671 F.2d 769, 771 (3d Cir.1982) (per curiam) ("[T]he purpose of the remand is simply to determine whether a Brady claim exists that is sufficiently colorable so that the public interest in fair administration of justice warrants disclosure despite Exemption 7(c).")
As a rule, the public's interest in exposing government corruption and wrongdoing is the primary rationale for FOIA. See e.g., NLRB v. Robbins Tire & Rubber Co., 437 U.S. 214, 242, 98 S.Ct. 2311, 2327, 57 L.Ed.2d 159 (1978) ("The basic purpose of FOIA is to ensure an informed citizenry, vital to the functioning of a democratic society, needed to check against corruption and to hold the governors accountable to the governed.”) Thus, I think that Manna may have a viable legal theory as to the facts. He avers that on December 21, 1986, "the New York Telephone Company removed a '189B Tek Com 88MH Load Com' from my telephone line.” First Manna Deck ¶ 8 (A 192); Second Manna Deck ¶ 5 (A 334). The agency responds with evidence that on January 20, 1987, the district court ordered a pen register attached to Manna's lines. Sealed Hanna Deck ¶ 6 (SA 3-4). Given the discrepancy in the dates, it seems to me the district court should not have concluded in the