KATHERINE B. FORREST, District Judge.
On June 7, 2017, Razhden Shulaya, Zurab Dzhanashvili, and thirty-one others were charged with a variety of racketeering, fraud, narcotics, firearms, and stolen property offenses; many, including Shulaya and Dzhanashvili, were arrested on the same day. The defendants—most of whom were born in the former Soviet Union and maintain substantial ties to Georgia, the Ukraine, and Russia—are alleged to be members of the "Shulaya Enterprise," an organized criminal group under Shulaya's command. According to the Indictment, the Enterprise is based in New York City but runs operations throughout the United States and abroad. The activities described in the Indictment include,
Defendants are charged with: racketeering conspiracy; conspiracy to sell and transport stolen goods; conspiracy to traffic contraband tobacco; conspiracy to commit fraud relating to identification documents; wire fraud conspiracy; narcotics conspiracy; and obstruction of justice.
Pending before the Court is a series of pretrial motions seeking suppression of evidence (based on purportedly improper communications interceptions and geolocation tracking), dismissal of Count IV, and routine pretrial disclosures. (
Zurab Dzhanashvili has moved to suppress the Title III Orders on the theory that the Government's application did not sufficiently demonstrate that other investigative techniques were inadequate. (ECF No. 387, Mem. of Law in Supp. of Def. Zurab Dzhanashvili's Pretrial Mots. ("Dzhanashvili Mem.") at 9-20.) Alex Mitselmakher has also moved to suppress the Title III Orders, arguing that the district court lacked "territorial jurisdiction to authorize the wiretaps." (ECF No. 390, Mem. of Law of Alex Mitselmakher in Supp. of His Mot. to Suppress Intercepted Conversations ("Mitselmakher Mem.") at 2.) Ivan Afanasyev has moved to suppress location information gathered about his cellphone, for a bill of particulars, for early disclosure of witness identities and Rule 404(b) evidence, and for an order requiring the Government to abide by its
In addition, seventeen defendants (including those mentioned above) purport to join in all motions. (
For the reasons set forth below, the Court DENIES each of the pending motions.
The following statement of facts is drawn from the parties' submissions.
In the summer of 2014, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") began investigating a criminal group based in New York City. (ECF No. 388-1, Aff. in Supp. of Application for Order Authorizing the Interception of Wire Commc'ns Over a Cellular Tel. ("December Aff.") at 16.) The FBI believed that the group was controlled by a "
The FBI deployed a range of techniques in investigating the Shulaya Enterprise. For example, they made controlled sales of purportedly stolen cigarettes, conducted stakeouts, and used an undercover officer. (
By fall 2016, the FBI had evidence that the Shulaya Enterprise had, among other things, operated an underground poker room, extorted debtors, and purchased and sold untaxed cigarettes. The FBI had also uncovered evidence that the Shulaya Enterprise was planning to defraud casinos in Atlantic City. Despite the investigative success to that point, the full scope of the Shulaya Enterprise's activities, its financing, and its complete membership remained unknown. (
In December 2016, following almost eighteen months of other investigative work, the FBI began intercepting wire and electronic communications of various members of the Shulaya Enterprise. At various points, the FBI intercepted calls to and from telephones used by Razhden Shulaya, Zurab Dzhanashvili, and Nazo Gaprindashvili. The communications were monitored from wirerooms in Manhattan, New York. (
The FBI acted pursuant to authority conferred by six consecutive judicial orders of interception:
Each of the Title III Affidavits described various investigative techniques deployed by the FBI up to that point, the limitations of those techniques, and the need for interception to satisfy outstanding investigative goals. (
On or about May 31, 2017, the Government sought a warrant and order for prospective location information for approximately seventeen different cellphones believed to be used by approximately seventeen different target subjects. (
The GPS Affidavit included specific allegations about the Shulaya Enterprise's identity fraud and cargo theft schemes. (GPS Aff. ¶¶ 11-19.) For example, it identified Afanasyev's and Hovhannisyan's cellphones as having been used in the counterfeit credit card and forged check schemes as well as Afanasyev's involvement in a scheme to deliver and sell stolen goods. (
On or about June 6, 2017, a grand jury returned an indictment charging twenty-six members and associates of the Shulaya Enterprise. (
The grand jury charged Zurab Dzhanashvili in four counts: racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to transport and sell stolen goods, conspiracy to distribute untaxed cigarettes, and identity fraud conspiracy. (
Agents with the FBI arrested Dzhanashvili, Mitselmakher, Afanasyev, Hovhannisyan, and many of the other defendants on or about June 7, 2017. That same day, the Government ceased Title III interceptions pursuant to the May 17 Order and ceased collecting cellphone location data pursuant to the GPS Warrant. (
Starting on or about June 27, 2017, the Government began producing discovery material to the defendants. Within approximately one month following the defendants' arrests and presentments, the Government produced all affidavits and legal process in support of the series of Title III Orders obtained in the course of the investigation; affidavits and warrants pertaining to various search electronic mail accounts, collected geolocation data, searched physical premises; draft transcriptions and line sheets of Title III interceptions, consensually recorded calls, and in-person meetings; surveillance video and photographs; pen register data; subpoena returns (including telephone subscriber information, bank records, and other business records); and photographs of the content of certain electronic devices and computers, including screenshots pertaining to software programs used to conduct the casino scheme charged in the Indictment. Meanwhile, the FBI processed and reviewed electronic devices collected at the time of the defendants' arrests. That process is nearing an end, and the Government has represented that it is copying the content of those devices to storage media provided by the defendants and will make this tranche of discovery available before the end of this year.
Among the first documents provided in discovery were the Title III Affidavits. The final such affidavit, the May Affidavit, totaled approximately 77 pages in length and incorporated each of the prior affidavits. As such, the May Affidavit alone provides well over 200 pages of narrative description and analysis of the Shulaya Enterprise's composition and activities. That affidavit specifically discussed the operation of the Shulaya Enterprise's poker house, its cargo theft scheme, its contraband cigarette distribution, its various identity theft schemes (including the cargo theft and other credit card and check-based frauds), extortions, violence, and the casino fraud. The May Affidavit and its attachment provides a detailed, narrative description of each of those offenses, and of the various defendants' (and other co-conspirators') roles in those offenses, much of which is directly incorporated into the overt acts set forth in the Indictment.
On June 9, 2017, the Court held an initial pretrial conference during which the Government set out a lengthy summary of the case. That summary also included a description of the various schemes charged in the original indictment, as well as a detailed summary of the evidence collected in the course of the Government's investigation. The following week, on June 16, 2017, the Court held a conference at which the bail conditions previously imposed for defendant Hovhannisyan in the district of his arrest, were appealed by the Government. In advance of that conference, the Government submitted a letter proffering facts regarding the fraudulent schemes in which Hovhannisyan and others (including, principally, Dzhanashvili, Afanasyev, and Savgir) had been involved. That proffer included quotations from draft line sheets obtained via the Title III intercepts described above, as well as summaries of surveillance, emails exchanged between defendants, and the Government's interpretation of key events and communications involving the defendants described in that letter. On July 26, 2017, the Government submitted a substantially similar letter in connection with a bail application by Savgir. That letter further included a description of various cardmaking equipment and devices found in Savgir's home as the result of a search warrant executed on those premises. On August 9 and 28, 2017 the Government submitted similar bail letters regarding in advance of bail and detention hearings requested by Shulaya and Gabisonia, respectively. Each of these letters has set forth detailed discussions of the respective defendant's roles and criminal conduct.
18 U.S.C. § 2518(3) allows a judge to "enter an ex parte order, as requested or as modified, authorizing or approving interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications within the territorial jurisdiction of the court in which the judge is sitting (and outside that jurisdiction but within the United States in the case of a mobile interception device authorized by a Federal court within such jurisdiction)." The statute defines "intercept" as the "aural or other acquisition of the contents of any wire, electronic, or oral communication through the use of any electronic, mechanical, or other device."
When reviewing a Title III application, a court must determine that there was probable cause to believe that (a) an individual was committing, had committed, or is about to commit a specified crime, (b) communications concerning that crime would be obtained through the wiretap, and (c) the facility (here, cell phones) to be wire tapped was being used for criminal purposes or was about to be used or owned by the target of the wiretap.
A Title III application for interception of telephonic communications must include,
As noted above, a judge may authorize interceptions "within the territorial jurisdiction of the court in which [he/she] is sitting." 18 U.S.C. 2518(3). The statute does not, however, "specify precisely where an interception is deemed to occur."
Courts may also authorize warrants for the disclosure of cell site records and real-time GPS monitoring if the judge determines that the warrant application's supporting materials demonstrate probable cause.
While evidence seized in violation of the Fourth Amendment may be subject to exclusion at trial under
Defendants here challenge the wiretap evidence on two grounds: (1) communications interceptions were unnecessary in light of the evidence obtained through normal investigative techniques (Dzhanashvili Mem.); and (2) the authorizing courts lacked territorial jurisdiction to permit the wiretaps (Mitselmakher Mem.).
As to necessity, the affidavit in support of each Title III application provided a sufficient basis for authorizing the interception. Each explained, in detail, the limits of other investigative methods and how they would not allow the FBI to adequately continue its investigation into the Shulaya Enterprise. For example, the May Affidavit stated that confidential sources are "limited in the scope of their respective access to the Shulaya Enterprise," and specifically explained the limitations on each of five informants. (May Aff. at 59-61.)
Relatedly, each affidavit explained that undercover operations were insufficient, as it was difficult to place someone in a prominent role within the Shulaya Enterprise; according to the May Affidavit, the defendants were been "reticent to discuss their criminal activity with outsiders and/or add superfluous members to their criminal organizations." (
Dzhanashvili contends that the affidavits, which detail the Shulaya Enterprise to the extent known when each was filed, demonstrate that the wiretaps were unnecessary precisely
Dzhanashvili's argument that regarding omissions in the affidavit fares no better. He contends that the December Affidavit omitted two sources of evidence—a live video feed where illegal gambling occurred and a fifth confidential source. However, omissions only trigger suppression where they were intentional, material, or misleading.
Second, the omission of the fifth confidential source was immaterial, as the December Affidavit (and all those that followed) explained the limitations of confidential sources. Dzhanashvili does not contend that CS-5 overcame those limitations (by, for example, being well-placed within the Shulaya Enterprise). And in fact, the January Affidavit explained that CS-5 was not "specifically embedded in the Shulaya Enterprise and, therefore, is not in a position to provide information sufficient to satisfy the goals of this investigation." (January Aff. at 71.) This suggests that inclusion of this information would not have materially altered Judge Failla's December Order.
The Court also denies Mitselmakher's motion to suppress based on lack of territorial jurisdiction. The uncontroversial evidence is that the intercepted communications were monitored from the FBI's wirerooms in the Southern District of New York. It is not the case, as Mitselmakher contends, that the conversation to be intercepted must occur in the jurisdiction where the judge authorized the wiretap. It is enough that the authorizing judge sits in the jurisdiction "where the redirected contents are first heard."
The GPS Affidavit demonstrated probable cause to collect geolocation information. Defendant Afanasyev submits that the GPS Affidavit failed to include the "use and aims" of the location information—but this is simply not necessary for a valid warrant to be issued. Rather, the Court must determine only that the judge who authorized the warrant acted properly based on the affidavit in support of the warrant application—that is to say, that the affidavit demonstrated the presence of probable cause. Here, the detailed GPS Affidavit specifies which phones were to be tracked and how each of the purported owners of those phones was involved in the criminal conspiracy, including in ways that involved their cellphones. (
"An indictment is duplicitous if it joins two or more distinct crimes in a single count . . . [but] must be distinguished from `the allegation in a single count of the commission of a crime by several means.'"
Count Four of the Indictment charges nine defendants with Conspiracy to Commit Fraud Relating to Identification Documents in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028(f). The statute itself lists eight actions that are punishable by law; defendants are accused of committing five of those actions: 18 U.S.C. §§ 1028(a)(1), 1028(a)(2), 1028(a)(3), 1028(a)(7), and 1028(a)(8). Defendant Hovhannisyan has moved to dismiss Count IV on the ground that it is duplicitous; he maintains that each of "these subsections contain different elements, not alternative methods under which you may violate the same subsection." (Hovhannisyan Mem. at 3.) However, Count IV properly alleges a single identity fraud conspiracy with multiple objectives. (That is to say, subsection (a) identifies the objectives, while subsection (f) identifies the overall criminal offense.) As such, the Count is not duplicitous, and the motion is DENIED.
In any case, the Court declines to address the Government's proposal to use a special verdict form at trial to solicit a verdict to each of the various conspiratorial objects at this time. (ECF No. 421, Mem. of Law of the United States of America in Opp. to Def.'s Mots. To Suppress Evidence and for Other Relief ("Gov't Mem.") at 26.) This proposal may be addressed closer to trial.
Defendants also demand discovery of routine material, including: (1) all evidence the Government intends to introduce under Fed. R. Evid. 404(b); (2) a Government witness list; (3) all exculpatory and impeachment material under
Defendant Afanasyev has requested early notice of the Government's intent to use Rule 404(b) evidence and a list of its witnesses' names and addresses. (Afanasyev Mem. at 10, 13.) This is, in effect, challenging the timing of the Government's discovery (for example, by requesting certain evidence immediately). The Court notes that the Government is under no legal obligation to provide the requested material so early. The Court declines to impose on the Government any additional discovery obligations not already contemplated by the applicable rules, absent some showing of delinquency or bad faith. The defendant has proffered no evidence to suggest that the Government will not comply with its discovery obligations in due course.
Defendant Afanasyev also requests a court order "requiring the government to abide by its obligations pursuant to
Accordingly, defendant has not provided any basis upon which the Court can grant the requested relief, and there is no need to issue an order directing the Government to comply with its discovery obligations at this time.
Rule 7(f) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure provides that a court may direct the Government to file a bill of particulars. Fed. R. Crim. P. 7(f). However, wide ranging pre-trial discovery is not available in criminal cases. The discovery available in a criminal matter is governed by the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, several key cases including
A bill of particulars is required "only where the charges of the indictment are so general that they do not advise the defendant of the specific acts of which he is accused."
A bill of particulars is also unnecessary when the Government has produced materials in discovery concerning the witnesses and other evidence.
In short, no provision of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure provide for the sort of detailed evidence supporting the charges that defendants Hovhannisyan and Afanasyev seek here. The purpose of a bill of particulars is not to provide the defense with a preview of all of the evidence that the Government intends to use at trial. The function, rather, is to ensure that the defendants understand the nature of the charges against them so that they may fairly meet those charges.
Here, the Government has already provided defendant with significant information and materials. The Indictment and the Title III Affidavits alert the defendants of the charges against them. For example, the Indictment describes phone calls between: Shulaya and Melman (ECF No. 1, ¶¶ 11(r), 11(u), 11(w)); Shulaya and Gabisonia (
Defendants may not request bills of particulars as "general investigative tool[s],"
Therefore, defendant's discovery demands are DENIED.
For the reasons stated above, the Court DENIES each of the pending pretrial motions.
The Clerk of Court is accordingly directed to terminate the motions at ECF Nos. 385, 388, 389, 391, 397, 398, 399, 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 413, and 420.
SO ORDERED.
Here, the Government had a warrant to collect the defendant's geolocation information—a fact which defendant acknowledges. (Reply Mem. at 1.) As such, it is unlikely that a decision in