United States v. Wittich
United States v. Wittich
Opinion of the Court
ORDER AND REASONS
Before the Court is Defendants Rainer Wittich (“Wittich”) and The Brinson Company’s (“TBC”) “Motion to Suppress Statement.”
I. Background
A. Procedural Background
On February 13, 2014, a grand jury indicted Wittich and TBC on charges of conspiracy, copyright infringement, trafficking in technology designed to circumvent copyright protection systems, and circumventing a technological measure that protects a copyrighted work.
On September 26, 2014, Defendants filed the instant motion to suppress Wittich’s July 13, 2012 statement.
B. Factual Background
On the morning of July 13, 2012, FBI agents conducted a search of TBC’s facility pursuant to a search warrant.
Wittich was not present at TBC on the morning of the search because he had undergone surgery on July 3, 2012, to remove his prostate due to prostate can
Mrs. Wittich testified that two FBI agents came to her home on the morning of July 13, 2012, asking to speak to her husband.
When Wittich arrived at TBC, Parsons and Agent Robert Blythe (“Blythe”) brought Wittich into his office,
Mrs. Wittich testified that later that day she tried to bring Wittich’s pain medi
II. Parties’ Arguments
A. , Defendants’ “Motion to Suppress Statement”
Defendants urge this Court to suppress the July 13, 2012 statement.
Mr. Wittich Was recovering from a very significant surgery, was taken from his home while still under the affects of serious pain medications and with a catheter in place, and taken to his office where more than a dozen federal agents in bullet proof vests carrying weapons were searching his office. Once he arrived there, he was not allowed to leave and was separated from his employees.34
Accordingly, they argue that because Wit-tich was not given a Miranda warning the statement should be suppressed.
B. The Government’s Opposition
The Government argues that Wittich’s statement should not be suppressed because he “was not under arrest, and he provided the statement voluntarily, at a place of his choosing, after refusing to leave Brinson during the execution of the search warrant.”
III. Law and Analysis
A. Applicable Law
“Miranda warnings must be administered prior to ‘custodial interroga
Here, it is undisputed that Wittich was not under formal arrest when he gave the July 13, 2012 statement. Therefore, the custody inquiry hinges on whether Wit-tich’s freedom “was restrained to such a degree as to constitute a defacto arrest.”
Just after 5:30 a.m., Cavazos was awakened from his bed, identified and handcuffed, while more than a dozen officers entered and searched his home; he was separated from his family and interrogated by two federal, agents for at least an hour; he was informed he was free to use the bathroom or get a snack, but followed and monitored when he sought to do so; and he .was allowed to make a phone call, but only when holding the phone so that the agents could overhear the conversation. An interrogation under such circumstances, and those others discussed abové, would lead a reasonable person to believe that he was not at liberty to terminate the interrogation and leave, notwithstanding the fact that the interrogation occurred in his home and he was informed the interrogation was non-custodial.49
In United States v. Cumberland, the Fifth Circuit found that a interview was non-custodial where the defendant “met with agents at a public park; he drove himself to and from the meeting; he was not told by the agents that he was not free to leave; he was not coerced by the agents, and his movements were not re
The Government cites United States v. Texas Oil and Gathering, Inc., in which a district court denied a Motion to Suppress statements made by the president of the defendant company at his place of business during the execution of a search warrant.
B. Analysis
The Government cites a number of factors to support a finding that Wittich was not “in custody:” (1) Wittich insisted on going to TBC while the search warrant was being executed and refused to leave until after the search was over; (2) Wittich was advised that any statement he might make was voluntary; and (3) Wittich was advised that he could terminate the interview and leave the premises at any time. None of these facts alone are dispositive of the issue, as the Court must consider the totality of the circumstances. Further, the Court finds the Government’s argument that Wittich insisted on going to TBC while the search was being executed is not supported by the evidence.
Although the Government states that Wittich insisted on going to TBC, the Court takes particular note of Mrs. Wit-tich’s uncontradicted testimony that FBI Agents Wood and Soyez arrived at their home at about 8:30 a.m. on July 13,- 2012, asking to talk to her husband. When asked why she did not tell the agents that Wittich could not talk to them because he was recovering from surgery, Mrs. Wittich testified she did not know that not talking to the agents was an option.
The Government argues that after arriving at TBC, Wittich was informed that he was free to leave at any time. However, the Government ignores the fact that Wit-tich had no way of leaving because the agents had transported him to TBC, despite his request that his wife drive him. Mrs. Wittich also testified that she believed Wittich was under arrest. Although the Government argues that Wittich insisted on going to TBC, the evidence presented indicates that the agents were sent to his home to get him so that he could provide Agent Parsons with a statement.
Wittich was recovering from a major surgery, removal of his prostate due to prostate cancer, and was taking Percocet, which his wife testified made him drowsy and caused him to lose any concept of time. Mrs. Wittich also testified that when he did not take his medication on time he was in a lot of pain. The parties do not address whether Wittich’s medication usage may have affected his ability to understand and process Parsons’s statement that he was free to leave, or whether he understood what Parsons meant when he told Wittich that his statement was voluntary—even after having sent two agents to his home to retrieve him so that he could make such a statement.
The Government does not dispute that when Wittich arrived at TBC there were more than a dozen federal agents in bullet
Based on the foregoing, the Court finds that an interrogation under these circumstances would lead a reasonable person to believe that he was not at liberty to terminate the interrogation and leave, notwithstanding the fact that the interrogation occurred at his place of business and he was informed that the interrogation was non-custodial. Accordingly, the Court finds that the totality of the circumstances indicate that Wittich was in custody at the time of his statement, and his statement should be suppressed because he was not given a Miranda warning.
TV. Conclusion
Based on the foregoing,
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Defendants Rainer Wittich and The Brinson Company’s “Motion to Suppress Statement”
. Rec. Doc. 60.
. Rec. Doc. 1.
. Rec. Doc. 20.
. Rec. Doc. 70.
. Rec. Doc. 60.
. Rec. Doc. 88 at 5. During the hearing, Parsons admitted that the search warrant affidavit he signed cited language related to child pornography. Id. at 50. Parsons admitted that child pornography was not an issue in this case. Id. Although defense counsel presented this discrepancy in the evidentiary hearing, he failed to argue how this issue relates to the present motion. Nevertheless, the Court notes that it reflects a lack of attention to detail evident throughout the execution of the procedures necessary to complete the investigation at issue here.
. Id. at 11, 34. Parsons testified that he employed additional agents during the search of TBC due to the size of warehouse and because it was a document intensive case. Id. at 35-36.
. Id. at 12.
. Id. at 34.
. Id. .at 7, 40.
. Id. at 13-16, 25-26. Parsons testified he was not aware of Wittich's surgery. Id. at 18.
. Id. at 16, 25.
. Id. at 32.
. Rec. Doc. 87 at 3-4. The FBI did not have a search warrant for Wittich’s home. Rec. Doc. 88 at 14.
. Rec. Doc. 87 at 4.
. Id. at 5.
. Id. at 6.
. Id.
. Id. at 7. Parsons testified that he spoke to Wood and Soyez prior to testifying in Court on October 16, 2014, and they indicated that they could not remember if they drove Wittich to TBC. Rec. Doc. 88 at 17, 27. Neither Wood nor Soyez completed a report. Id. at 27.
. Rec. Doc. 87 at 8.
. Rec. Doc. 88 at 44.
. Id. at 20-21. Parsons testified that during the search the TBC employees were notified that they were free to leave, but if they wanted to stay they must stay in the conference room. Id. at 20.
. Id. at 45.
. Id. at 46.
. Id. at 46-47.
. Id. at 57.
. Rec. Doc. -87 at 9. Mrs. Wittich testified she had not met Brian Capitelli before. Id. She contacted Capitelli because she believed Wittich was under arrest. Id.
. Rec. Doc. 88 at 49.
. Id. at 10.
. Id.
. Id.
. Rec. Doc. 60.
. Rec. Doc. 60-1 at 4 (citing United States v. Cavazos, 668 F.3d 190 (5th Cir. 2012)).
. Id. at 4.
.Id.
. Rec. Doc. 75 at 10 (citing Oregon v. Mathi-ason, 429 U.S. 492, 495, 97 S.Ct. 711, 50 L.Ed.2d 714 (1977); United States v. Courtney, 463 F.3d 333, 337 (5th Cir. 2006)).
. Id. at 12.
. Id.
. Id. at 12-13.
. Id. at 13.
. Id.
. United States v. Bengivenga, 845 F.2d 593, 595 (5th Cir. 1988) (citing Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 479, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966)).
. Oregon v. Mathiason, 429 U.S. 492, 495, 97 S.Ct. 711, 50 L.Ed.2d 714 (1977).
. United States v. Cavazos, 668 F.3d 190, 193 (5th Cir. 2012) (quoting Bengivenga, 845 F.2d at 596).
. Id. (quoting J.D.B. v. N. Carolina, — U.S. -, 131 S.Ct. 2394, 2402, 180 L.Ed.2d 310 (2011)).
. Bengivenga, 845 F.2d at 596.
. Cavazos, 668 F.3d at 193 (quoting California v. Beheler, 463 U.S. 1121, 1125, 103 S.Ct. 3517, 77 L.Ed.2d 1275 (1983)).
. United States v. Collins, 972 F.2d 1385, 1405 (5th Cir. 1992).
. Cavazos, 668 F.3d at 194 (internal citations and quotation marks omitted).
. 359 Fed.Appx. 519, 520 (5th Cir. 2010).
. United States v. Texas Oil and Gathering, Inc., Case No. 07-466, 2009 WL 742616 (S.D.Tex. Mar. 20, 2009).
. Id. at *3.
. Id. at *2, *4.
. Id. at *4.
. Id.
. Id.
. Rec. Doc. 87 at 13-14.
. The Court notes that Defendants do not raise the issue of whether Wittich's statement was voluntary. "A confession is voluntary if, under the totality of the circumstances, the statement is the product of the accused’s free and rational choice.” United States v. Scurlock, 52 F.3d 531, 536 (5th Cir. 1995). "To be considered voluntary, a confession cannot be the product of official overreaching in the form either of direct coercion or subtle forms of psychological persuasion.” Id. In United States v. Raymer, the Fifth Circuit addressed the voluntariness of a defendant’s waiver of his Miranda rights. The Fifth Circuit noted that following the Supreme Court’s decision in Colorado v. Connelly, the relevant test for voluntariness is the presence or absence of police coercion, rather than a test focused on the defendant’s free will. 876 F.2d 383, 386 (5th Cir. 1989) (citing Colorado v. Connelly, 479 U.S. 157, 107 S.Ct. 515, 93 L.Ed.2d 473 (1986)). However, the court noted that "a defendant's mental condition still properly figures into the voluntariness calculus,” as the court must analyze whether any police exploitation of the mental condition of the defendant occurred. Id. Wittich’s medication usage, coupled with the coercive actions by law enforcement at his home could support a finding that his statement was not voluntary.
. Rec. Doc. 88 at 31.
. Rec. Doc. 60.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- UNITED STATES v. Rainer WITTICH
- Status
- Published