United States v. Munoz
United States v. Munoz
Opinion of the Court
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Christian Munoz was arrested in the Bronx, New York, on May 1, 2013 for possession of marijuana. He was transported to the 41st precinct where a sergeant questioned him, purportedly in order to obtain information concerning local criminal activity. This questioning ultimately led the sergeant to believe that Munoz, a convicted felon and parolee, owned a gun that was stored at another location. Later that day, the police recovered the gun from the apartment where Munoz lived and then elicited a confession
These are the Court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law after a two-day suppression hearing at which the government introduced testimony from five police officers and one layperson present during the séarch of the apartment.
Factual Background
On the afternoon of May 1, 2013, Officer Homer Henriquez and two other New York City police officers observed a known drug user exchange cash for “small objects” with someone sitting in a parked minivan.
The officers then arrested Munoz and his two companions and took them to the police precinct.
Notwithstanding this assurance, Sergeant Pasquale — after Munoz gave some answers that he regarded as incredible or inconsistent — accused Munoz of dishonesty, remarking “you know, you’re lying so much I wouldn’t be surprised if you had a gun.”
Sergeant Pasquale and four other police officers traveled to Munoz’s apartment, hoping to obtain consent to search it for the weapon from Munoz’s father who, they had learned, lived in the apartment.
Upon arriving at the precinct, Sergeant Pasquale and another officer — Detective Lingeza — told Munoz that officers were waiting for his father to return to the apartment.
At approximately 8:45 p.m.,
. After waiting outside of the apartment for a period of time, Munoz’s brother, Christopher Munoz (“Christopher”), and a female companion left the apartment.
Gilberto Gonzalez, a friénd of the family who was renting a room in the apartment, returned home at least several minutes later. He speaks both Spanish and English and agreed to translate so that the police could communicate with Alipio, who speaks Spanish and broken English.
In any event, Alipio verbally granted the police permission to search the area where Munoz slept.
At approximately midnight, Officer Fidanza read Munoz the Miranda warnings, which Munoz waived. He then admitted verbally and in writing to having purchased the gun.
Discussion
I. Probable Cause to Arrest Munoz
The Fourth Amendment permits a police officer to make an “investigatory stop[] of persons or vehicles” where the officer has “reasonable suspicion to believe that criminal activity ‘may be afoot.’”
“Under the ‘automobile exception’ to the Fourth Amendment warrant requirement, police may conduct a warrantless search of a readily mobile motor vehicle if probable cause exists to believe the vehicle contains contraband or other evidence of a crime.”
Officer Henriquez credibly testified that he observed what, based on his knowledge of and experience with the neighborhood and its inhabitants, he believed to be a drug sale. While approaching the van, he observed Munoz and another individual throw objects that looked like marijuana cigarettes from their mouths to the vehicle floor. These observations provided Officer Henriquez with reasonable suspicion to believe that the occupants were engaged in criminal activity and to request that they step outside. The “strong odor of marijuana” that wafted from the vehicle and marijuana cigarettes that the officers retrieved from inside the van provided additional cause to believe that an offense had been committed and to arrest Munoz and his two companions.
The only evidence contradicting this sequence of events comes from Munoz’s affidavit. He there claims that “to [his] knowledge and observation, nobody in the vehicle was committing any crime or violating the law in any way.”
II. Voluntariness of Consent to Search
“It is well settled under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments that a search conducted without a warrant issued upon probable cause is ‘per se unreasonable ... subject only to a few specifically established and well-delineated exceptions.’”
The standard for evaluating consent is “ ‘objective’ reasonableness — what would the typical reasonable person have understood by the exchange between the officer and the suspect? Thus, ‘the Fourth Amendment is satisfied when, under the circumstances, it is objectively reasonable for the officer to believe that the scope of the [] consent permitted him to conduct the search that was undertaken.’ ”
This case lies between these two extremes. It is not clearly established whether consent is voluntary where, as here, the police threaten to obtain a search warrant in the absence of consent despite knowing that a search warrant most likely would not issue. The Second Circuit indicated in United States v. Vasquez
This is a sensible rule and a natural extension of the Supreme Court’s holding in Bumper v. North Carolina.
Similarly, offering a “good deal” — for example, a limited search or a loved- one’s freedom from arrest — does not automatically negate voluntariness,
A. Alipio’s Consent
The government argues that it has sustained its burden of demonstrating that Alipio consented to the search of his apartment voluntarily because the police acted reasonably, Alipio was alert, aware, and understood the events taking place, and the police’s statement of intent to obtain a warrant did not invalidate consent. Munoz counters that Alipio’s consent was involuntary because the police misleadingly informed him that if they “couldn’t get consent that [they] were going to get a search warrant to remove the firearm” and “with a search warrant everyone in the apartment was subject to getting arrested” if a gun were found.
The hearing testimony suggests that the police treated Alipio with respect. There was no show of force, weapons were not drawn, and handcuffs were not applied. Indeed, the officers apparently engaged in casual small talk with Christopher at various times while in the apartment. Although Alipio has limited English proficiency, the police communicated with him through a translator, and Munoz does not argue that his father was unable to understand what the police were asking or to what he ultimately consented.
It is unnecessary to resolve this dispute over the precise language used, as Officer Fidanza at least clearly implied that the police could and would obtain a search warrant if Alipio did not consent to the search. But that statement or clear implication, whichever it was, was highly misleading. As Sergeant Pasquale acknowledged at the hearing, he was aware that the police could not have obtained a warrant based on the information they had at the time.
Thus, this case is not akin to those in which the police represent accurately their intent or ability to obtain a search warrant. Instead, it is analogous to United States v. Cruz,
The government attempts to overcome this hurdle by insisting, that the police
Considering these circumstances in their totality, the government has failed to demonstrate that Alipio voluntarily consented to the search. The police officers’ polite treatment does not outweigh the coercive effect of a false promise that a warrant would issue, particularly when coupled with the threat of arrest, which is discussed below in greater
B. Munoz’s Consent
[3]The government next argues that Munoz voluntarily consented to the search and that this consent ina basis independent of Alipio’s supto deny suppression of the gun. It correctly identifies that an officer’s failure defenread a defendant the Miranda warnings before asking him to consent to a search does not violate the;defendant’s constitutional rights where the consent is voluntary.
[4] Courts in this district have held' that a police threat to arrest a suspect’s loved ones undermines the voluntariness of consent where the police lack probable cause to make such arrests.
[5] As an initial conthe Court considers threatSergeant Pasquale threatened to arrest Munoz’s family. Sergeant Pasquale testified that he told Munoz that he “would like him to give me consent. But if he said no and then his father gave consent and we did recover a firearm, if the gun did belong to Mr. Munoz and he said it did not, that the other occupants of the house were subject to arrest, that they could be arrested”
Next, the Court considers whether the government has sustained its burden of showing that it had probable cause to arrest anyone in the apartment. The government has introduced scant evidence in support of a theory of constructive possession.
As co-tenants, Alipio, Christopher, and Gilberto arguably would have had dominion and control over any common spaces in the apartment. It is not clear, however, that they had dominion and control over the living room area in which Christian slept and where he kept his belongings. This was the only section of the apartment that the officers requested permission or intended to search.
In United States v. Ortiz,
The facts in Ortiz resemble closely the facts of this case. Both cases involved threats to arrest third parties who, to all appearances, were innocent of any wrongdoing. Here, although the police had not yet located the weapon when they threatened to arrest the apartment’s inhabitants, the police officers’ testimony demonstrates that they believed that the weapon was among Munoz’s belongings and that Munoz owned it.
Memoli, relied upon by the government, is distinguishable. The police there had credible information that the' defendant owned and was in the process of selling up to fifteen guns, which he stored' in an apartment that he shared with his girlfriend.
Thus, because the government has failed to show that the police had probable cause to arrest Alipio and the apartment’s other inhabitants, it has not demonstrated by a preponderance of the evidence that Munoz consented voluntarily to the search. -
C. Inevitable Discovery
The government in a single sentence and a footnote of its memorandum argues that the gun’s discovery was inevitable absent consent. This contention proceeds on the assumption that the police would have notified Munoz’s parole officer and that he would have recovered the weapon. The government has failed to demonstrate, however, “that each of the contingencies necessary to the legal discovery of the contested evidence would be .resolved in the government’s favor.”
III. Munoz’s Inculpatory Statements
Munoz moves also to suppress two inculpatory statements that he made regarding the gun’s location and his ownership thereof.
A. The Location of the Gun
Prior to advising Munoz of his Miranda rights and while attempting to obtain consent to search the apartment, Sergeant Pasquale asked Munoz where in the apartment the gun was located. Munoz described accurately the gun’s location.
The government argues that this statement is admissible under New York v. Quarles,
Perhaps most persuasive is that the police did not at any time conduct a safety sweep of the apartment. It is unpersuasive for the government to acknowledge, on the one hand, that the police did not feel sufficiently threatened to look around the apartment for weapons in plain view or to ensure that the all of the apartment’s inhabitants were accounted for while arguing, on the other hand, that they were in enough danger that some unsecured individual would locate the weapon and use it against them to justify pre-Miranda questioning under Quarles. The police were inside the apartment for quite some time— long enough for them to make small talk with Christopher, for Gilberto to return home, for Alipio to give consent to search, and for the search to begin — before Sergeant Pasquale asked Munoz where the gun was located. Moreover, unlike in United States v. Estrada,
Accordingly, it was not objectively reasonable to believe that the officers’ safety was in danger such that Quarles questioning was appropriate. Indeed, holding otherwise would open the door to the police arresting a suspect who may or may not have a weapon in his home, later entering the home without a warrant, and then questioning the suspect without Miranda warnings under the guise of the public safety exception. Such a result would be untenable.
B. The Confession
At approximately midnight — three hours after obtaining Munoz’s consent to search the apartment and his statement about the gun’s location — the police read Munoz the Miranda warnings and elicited a confession.
The government argues that Munoz confessed voluntarily with full knowledge of his Miranda rights and that the confession therefore is admissible. Munoz relies on
“[T]he use of coercive and improper tactics in obtaining an initial confession may warrant a presumption of compulsion as to a second, even if the latter was obtained after properly administered Miranda warnings.”
The Court already has found that Munoz’s first statement was involuntary in light of Sergeant Pasquale’s threat to arrest his father. Thus, the only question remaining is whether the second confession was tainted by the first.
The two sessions took place in the same location at the police precinct and were separated by only three hours.. The government states in its brief that Officer Fidanza, not Sergeant Pasquale, read Mu: noz his Miranda rights.
In light of the temporal and spatial proximity and the fact that Munoz by all appearances only fulfilled his end of the bargain with Sergeant Pasquale when he made a full confession that he owned the gun, the Court finds that his written and verbal confessions were tainted by his earlier involuntary and un-Mirandized statements.
Conclusion
For the foregoing reasons, Munoz’s motion to suppress [DI 3] is granted.
SO ORDERED.
.Munoz submitted two affidavits in support of his position that the police officers did not have probable cause to arrest him and coerced his and his father’s consent to search the apartment. The Court considers these affidavits, but affords them less weight than credible testimony offered at the hearing. See generally United States v. Rodriguez, 368 Fed.Appx. 178, 180 (2d Cir. 2010) ("Although defendant submitted an affidavit ... it was not clearly erroneous for the' District Court to credit the officers' testimony over defendant's affidavit.” (citation omitted)); DiMattina v. United States, 949 F.Supp.2d 387, 410-11 (E.D.N.Y. 2013) ("DiMattina has chosen not to testify in his own defense. That is his constitutional right. Yet, he cannot use that right as shield to protect him from potential criminal liability while concomitantly wielding his affidavits as a sword to cast doubt on testimony found credible by the court as fact-finder. Without the threat of cross-examination, DiMattina’s affidavits are viewed as self-serving and given little weight.”); United States v. Al-Marri, 230 F.Supp.2d 535, 539 (S.D.N.Y. 2002) ("Consequently, this Court follows the lead of other. federal courts in valuing the weight of live witnesses’ testimony over the contents of a defendant's affidavit, and gives lesser consideration to Al-Marri's version of the facts.”) (citation omitted).
. Tr. at 3:19-6:15.
. Id. at 3:25-4:8. The officers collected marijuana cigarettes from the vehicle and vouchered them as evidence. Id. at 6:11-13.
. Id. at 5:22-25.
. Id. at 6:15.
. Id. at 45:22-46:3.
. Id. at 47:21-48:19.
. Id. at 19:21.
. Id. at 20:1.
. Id. at 20:9-13.
. Id. at 20:14-17.
. Id. at 20:23-24.
. Id. at 21:20-22:2.
. Id. at 23:6-24:3.
. Id. at 39:3-40:18.
. Id. at 26:22-27:9.
. Id. at 26:22-28:25.
. Id. at 28:5-25.
. Id. Sergeant Pasquale did not contact parole at any time that evening. Id. at 40:23-41:1.
. Id. at 29:6-11, 30:8-15; Ex. 1.
. Tr. at 31:16-21.
. Id. at 28:2-8.
. Id. at 38:1-4.
. Id. at 29:12-30:1.
. Id. at 81:5-9.
. Id. at 81:18-25, 115:18-116:1.
. Id. at 83:9-18, 84:9-12.
. Id. at 84:20-85:2, 96:13-97:7.
. Id. at 84:20-21, 85:24-86:6. Christopher does not speak fluent Spanish and thus was unable to translate for his father. Id. at 71:2-20.
. Id. at 86:9-19. Officer Edouard testified that he and Officer Fidanza, who he described as a petite female, predominantly spoke with Alipio. Id. at 86:20-87:4.
. Id. at 66-21-67:1 (emphasis added).
. Id. at 109:3-5 (emphasis added); see also id. at 117:9-118:1.
According to one of the officers who testified, Alipio apparently was "alert” and "very aware [of] what was going on.” Id. at 87:11-13. Gilberto provided a contradictory account, explaining that Alipio is "an ill person” and that he "didn’t know what was going on. He was afraid. He was nervous. What he wanted is [sic] to finish with the situation.” Id. at 67:11-13. It is undisputed that Alipio and his family stated that Alipio suffers from a heart condition. Id. at 113:6-16.
. Id. at 67:21-24. This was the only part of the apartment that the police requested consent to search. Id. at 109:9-12.
. Id. at 110:3-111:14; Ex. 2.
. Id. at 89:18-25, 122:23-125:21; Ex. 3.
. Id. at 124:19-21.
. Id. at 32:10-35:11; Ex. 6.
. United States v. Arvizu, 534 U.S. 266, 273, 122 S.Ct. 744, 151 L.Ed.2d 740 (2002) (citations omitted).
. Id.
. United States v. Gaskin, 364 F.3d 438, 456 (2d Cir. 2004) (citing Carroll v. United States, 267 U.S. 132, 151-62, 45 S.Ct. 280, 69 L.Ed. 543 (1925)).
. Id. (citing Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 238, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983)).
. Id. (citing United States v. Price, 599 F.2d 494, 501 (2d Cir. 1979)).
. United States v. Gagnon, 373 F.3d 230, 236 (2d Cir. 2004).
. Munoz Aff. [DI 3] ¶ 3.
. Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 219, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 36 L.Ed.2d 854 (1973) (quoting Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347, 357, 88 S.Ct. 507, 19 L.Ed.2d 576 (1967)) (alteration in original).
. United States v. Snype, 441 F.3d 119, 131 (2d Cir. 2006).
. Schneckloth, 412 U.S. at 222, 93 S.Ct. 2041.
. United States v. Garcia, 56 F.3d 418, 422 (2d Cir. 1995).
. Schneckloth, 412 U.S. at 228, 93 S.Ct. 2041.
. United States v. Guzman, 724 F.Supp.2d 434, 442 (S.D.N.Y. 2010) (citations omitted).
. Garcia, 56 F.3d at 423 (citations omitted).
. United States v. Lavan, 10 F.Supp.2d 377, 384 (S.D.N.Y. 1998) (quoting Schneckloth, 412 U.S. at 227, 93 S.Ct. 2041).
. Id. (citations omitted).
. United States v. Todd, 12 CR 45(RJS), 2013 WL 499857, at *6 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 28, 2013) (citation omitted).
. See, e.g., United States v. Calvente, 722 F.2d 1019, 1023 (2d Cir. 1983) (holding that truthfully informing a property owner that, absent consent, a search warrant could be obtained did not negate the voluntariness of the consent).
. See Bumper v. North Carolina, 391 U.S. 543, 549-50, 88 S.Ct. 1788, 20 L.Ed.2d 797 (1968).
. 638 F.2d 507 (2d Cir. 1980).
. Id. at 528-29 (expressing doubt as to whether consent was voluntary where there was no clear likelihood that the police would obtain a warrant, but they threatened to do so).
.See United States v. Cruz, 701 F.Supp. 440, 447 (S.D.N.Y. 1988) (relying on United States v. Vasquez, 638 F.2d 507 (2d Cir. 1980), in holding that “[i]n the case at bar, it is manifest that Cruz was misinformed. Her consent to the search was clearly obtained by a reasonable reliance on Occhipinti's false representation of his ability quickly to obtain a warrant. In consequence, Cruz’ consent to the search was not voluntary.”). But see United States v. Lopez, 752 F.Supp. 616, 618-19 (S.D.N.Y. 1990) (holding that an agent’s unsubstantiated statement that he would obtain a warrant absent consent did not render consent involuntary where the court believed that the individual who gave consent to search "would have consented to the search regardless of Agent Devaney’s comment about applying for a warrant” and the agent "did not represent his ability to obtain a warrant in such a way that Mrs. Lopez could only have concluded that the warrant was a fait accomplish.”).
. 391 U.S. 543, 88 S.Ct. 1788, 20 L.Ed.2d 797 (1968).
. Id. at 550, 88 S.Ct. 1788.
. Id. at 458-50, 88 S.Ct. 1788.
. United States v. Memoli, 333 F.Supp.2d 233, 237-38 (S.D.N.Y. 2004).
. E.g. United States v. Ortiz, 943 F.Supp.2d 447, 456-57 (S.D.N.Y. 2013) (collecting cases).
. Tr. at 108:18-20, 109:3-5.
. Id. at 67:11-13.
. Id. at 66-21-67:1.
. Id. at 109:3-5 (emphasis added); see also id. at 117:9-118:1.
. The only information they had that there might be a gun in the apartment was the statement to Sergeant Pasquale from the other occupant of the van. Under the AguilarSpinelli test, applied by New York courts in determining whether statements obtained from an informant establish probable cause to issue a warrant, the police must demonstrate "(1) the veracity or reliability of the informant, and (2) the basis of the informant’s knowledge.” Delgado v. City of New York, 86 A.D.3d 502, 507, 928 N.Y.S.2d 487, 493 (1st Dep’t 2011). The police here would have been unable to satisfy the reliability prong because the informant was not a known informant, was not under oath, did not make a statement against penal interest, and there were no known facts corroborating his statement. See id.; Tr. at 40:2-18.
. 701 F.Supp. 440 (S.D.N.Y. 1988).
. Id. at 446.
. See United States v. Patane, 542 U.S. 630, 642, 124 S.Ct. 2620, 159 L.Ed.2d 667 (2004).
. 333 F.Supp.2d 233 (S.D.N.Y. 2004).
. E.g., Guzman, 724 F.Supp.2d at 443.
. Tr. at 28:17-21.
.Id. at 55:21-22.
. The government argues that "the occupants could be arrested under a number of different theories, including but not limited to constructive possession,” but it does not identify any. The Court therefore considers only whether there was probable cause to arrest Alipio and the others for constructive possession.
. Tr. at 55:6-9.
. People v. Manini, 79 N.Y.2d 561, 573, 584 N.Y.S.2d 282, 594 N.E.2d 563, 569 (1992).
. People v. Roberson, 41 N.Y.2d 106, 109, 390 N.Y.S.2d 900, 359 N.E.2d 408, 410 (1976).
. People v. Vastola, 70 A.D.2d 918, 918, 417 N.Y.S.2d 287, 287 (2d Dep’t 1979) (citation omitted).
. Tr. at 109:11-12 ("Yes. I don’t know who but it was explained to him that we were limiting our search to where Christian was sleeping.”).
. Id. at 52:13-24.
. 943 F.Supp.2d 447 (S.D.N.Y. 2013).
. Id. at 458.
. Id. at 450.
. Id. at 458.
. Memoli, 333 F.Supp.2d at 234-35, 237.
. United States v. Stokes, 733 F.3d 438, 444 (2d Cir. 2013) (quoting United States v. Heath, 455 F.3d 52, 60 (2d Cir. 2006)).
. Tr. at 51:23-52:6.
. 467 U.S. 649, 104 S.Ct. 2626, 81 L.Ed.2d 550 (1984).
. 430 F.3d 606 (2d Cir. 2005).
. Id. at 657, 104 S.Ct. 2626.
. 929 F.2d 96 (2d Cir. 1991).
. 470 U.S. 298, 105 S.Ct. 1285, 84 L.Ed.2d 222 (1985).
. Anderson, 929 F.2d at 102.
. Id. (quoting Elstad, 470 U.S. at 310, 105 S.Ct. 1285).
. Gov. Br. [DI 10] at 7.
. Id. at 7; Tr. at 32:6-10.
. Tr. at 55:21-22.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- United States v. Christian MUNOZ
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published