The Largest Criminal Defense NYSACDL Membership Bar Association in New York State

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Largest Criminal Defense NYSACDL Membership Bar Association in New York State Summer 2012 | Volume 24 | Number 2 Publication of the New York State Association of ATTICUS Criminal Defense Lawyers INSIDE this ISSUE 5 Join The Call For Discovery Reform! 8 Legislative Report by Andy Kossover 18 Orders of Protection and The Disappearance of Due Process by Shailly Agnihotri and Nicolas Schumann 25 Pop*Star in Brooklyn The Emergence of Federal Drug Treatment Courts CRIME LAB SCIENCE by Jeffrey Pittell A Look Behind The Curtain 29 Handling Rat Testimony III By Benjamin Ostrer , Page 10 by Ray Kelly, Esq. and Donald G. Rehkopf, Jr., Esq. 34 Book Review: Taking Liberties Quantifying Evil: reviewed by Malvina Nathanson The Depravity Scale 37 NYSACDL’s Annual Syracuse Spring Seminar 2012 as Junk Science by Robert G. Wells by Robert Wilbur , Page 15 38 Second Thoughts by JaneAnne Murray New York State Association [email protected] 2 Wall Street Phone: 212-532-4434 of Criminal Defense Lawyers www.nysacdl.org New York, New York 10005 Fax: 888-239-4665 Publication of the New York State Association of ATTICUS Criminal Defense Lawyers PRESIDENT Richard Willstatter Message from the President PRESIDENT-ELECT Benjamin Ostrer FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT Aaron Mysliwiec Discovery Reform: VICE PRESIDENTS THE TIME HAS COME Wayne C. Bodden, Andrew G. Patel Michael Shapiro, Andre Vitale This Association has dedicated itself to making a difference on legislative SECRETARY John S. Wallenstein issues in New York State and nationally. We are proud to be a state affiliate of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and active in TREASURER Jane Fisher Byrialsen its efforts to support enactment of S. 2197, the Fairness in Disclosure of Evidence Act of 2012, co-sponsored by Sen. Linda Murkowski (R-Alaska) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR and Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii). NACDL leads a coalition supporting Margaret E. Alverson this bill, which includes the ACLU and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The BOARD OF DIRECTORS bill would require federal prosecutors to disclose information and materials James A. Baker Michael T. Baker that reasonably appear to be favorable to defendants. It would mandate Bruce A. Barket disclosure of this information without delay and as soon as reasonably Deborah Colson practical after the government learns of it. You should write your Senators Mitchell J. Dinnerstein Michael G. Dowd and Representatives to urge them to support discovery reform. Danielle Eaddy Marc Fernich Here in New York State, NYSACDL had been active in lobbying legislators David Goldstein and the Governor for discovery reform by way of amending Criminal James W. Grable, Jr. Timothy Hoover Procedure Law Article 240. We know all too well that state law is entirely Andrew Kossover inadequate to provide counsel with information necessary to defend a Arnold Levine criminal case. A variety of proposals are being suggested, and a coalition Marshall Mintz JaneAnne Murray has been forming to urge the passage of discovery reform this year. Since Lisa Peebles the public is learning that innocent people are sometimes convicted because Donald G. Rehkopf, Jr. favorable evidence has been withheld by prosecutors, people are becoming Mark J. Sacco Robert G. Wells aware that steps must be taken to protect the process of criminal prosecution from prosecutorial zeal and to prevent trial by ambush. Members are urged PAST PRESIDENTS to speak to their senators and assembly members to explain why discovery Lawrence S. Goldman Paul J. Cambria, Jr. reform is critical. Each of you can probably tell a story of how the D.A. Jack T. Litman withheld favorable evidence from you, sometimes until it was too late for Mark J. Mahoney you to use it to secure an acquittal, sometimes until after the client pleaded David L. Lewis William I. Aronwald guilty under pressure and fear of a longer sentence. Thomas F. Liotti Ira D. London ACCESS IN ALBANY Jeanne E. Mettler It has been a real privilege for me to travel to Albany to lobby the legislature Murray Richman Gerard M. Damiani and the Governor’s office on criminal justice issues. With the invaluable Marvin E. Schechter assistance of our able lobbyist, Sandra D. Rivera, counsel at Manatt, Phelps Kathryn M. Kase & Phillips, LLP, Steven L. Kessler met in March with a variety of legislative Russell M. Gioiella James P. Harrington leaders and staff counsel concerning our opposition to the Governor’s Richard J. Barbuto ill-conceived proposal to mandate criminal forfeiture in every criminal case. Martin B. Adelman Mr. Kessler, who worked on the original state statute on civil forfeiture Joshua L. Dratel Ray Kelly (CPLR Article 13-A) while he was in the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, Daniel N. Arshack spent many hours writing and speaking to people in Albany to express our Lisa Schreibersdorf Craig Schlanger concerns. The original proposal was to enact criminal forfeiture as part of George R. Goltzer the Governor’s budget. We–and our allies– succeeded in defeating that effort, Kevin D. O’Connell 2 Atticus | Volume 24 Number 2 | Summer 2012 | New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and yet we expect to have to resist further efforts from the prosecutors to enact EDITORS this legislation which is designed, in part, to enrich District Attorney’s Offices. Benjamin Ostrer John Wallenstein Recently, Legislative Committee Chair Andrew Kossover, NYSACDL Past Andy Patel President Lisa Schreibersdorf and I traveled to Albany to meet with members of the state senate, the state assembly and the Governor’s counsel on a variety PUBLISHER of criminal justice issues, discovery reform among them. We also promoted Niki Jones Agency legislation to provide for discretionary sealing of non-violent felonies and 39 Front Street misdemeanors. We supported Chief Judge Lippman’s proposal to raise the age Port Jervis, New York 12771 of criminal responsibility. We received a warm reception from both sides of the Phone: 845-856-1266 aisle. The leaders with whom we met were interested to hear from us and wanted Fax: 845-856-1268 to understand our point of view. Credit for the access we now have goes to those [email protected] who have worked on the Legislative Committee these last several years, and to NYSACDL’s lobbyist. We cannot promise the members that we will always stop Publication of the repressive legislation, or that we will succeed in enacting positive criminal justice New York State Association of reforms, but we can say that our voice is heard in Albany. Criminal Defense Lawyers JOIN US ©2012 NYSACDL The Association has a terrific new set of Board members, who volunteer their time to work on this magazine, create CLE programs, work on amicus curiae cases, 2 Wall Street defend members through the Strike Force, and hear complaints about misconduct New York, New York 10005 in our Prosecutorial and Judicial Complaint Center. It is an honor to represent Phone: 212-532-4434 this Association on our Board of Directors and I remind you that you should Fax: 888-239-4665 consider volunteering to join. If you are elected, you will have an opportunity www.nysacdl.org to help your colleagues and serve the cause of justice right here at home in a [email protected] larger sense than just the individual cases on which you are already working. Any member can volunteer to become a member of one of our committees. You [email protected] will find that effort to be well worth your time, because you will meet a new community of like-minded attorneys with whom you will be proud to work. Richard D. Willstatter, NYSACDL President Continuing Legal Education “SERVE YOUR CLIENTS; PROTECT BINGHAMTON TRAINER WEAPONS FOR THE FIREFIGHT YOURSELF”, PLEA BARGAINING Binghamton, NY Fall 2012 AFTER MISSOURI V. FRYE & September 2012 LAFLER V. COOPER Visit our website www.nysacdl.org Jointly with Suffolk County Bar Assn FEDERAL PRACTICE SEMINAR for registration information or contact: October 16, 2012 & November 1, 2012 Margaret Alverson, Executive Director October 30, 2012 SDNY Courthouse [email protected] 500 Pearl Street 212-532-4434 SYRACUSE TRAINER NYC Syracuse, NY October 2012 Atticus | Volume 24 Number 2 | Summer 2012CLE | New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers 3 Editor’s Page Events The variety of articles and viewpoints expressed in this issue of ATTICUS NYSACDL 2012 highlights the involvement of NYSACDL in matters of importance to the Board Meetings criminal defense community. Support for NYSACDL’s ongoing efforts to impact legislation under consideration in Albany is best demonstrated by the growing September 22, 2012 membership of this organization. We encourage all of our readers to pass on Albany a link to ATTICUS, www.nysacdl.org/atticus, to your contacts and others you December 1, 2012 believe would be interested in the work of NYSACDL. We also ask that when the New York City opportunity arises, you remind your colleagues to join the effort by becoming a Kindly check www.nysacdl.org member of this organization, which remains the largest independent criminal bar for dates and locations of future association in New York State. We hope you enjoy this issue, and welcome your Board Meetings. submissions for future publication. It is a practice to schedule board Thank you for your continued support of ATTICUS, meetings throughout the state. Co-Editors John S. Wallenstein Ben Ostrer Andy Patel LIKE US! [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] NYSACDL IS ON FACEBOOK Printed and published in New York. ADVERTISE inATTICUS Statewide print & electronic distribution Enamored readership Contact us for details & rates! Affordable rates 845.856.1266 [email protected] 4 Atticus | Volume 24 Number 2 | Summer 2012 | New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Items of Interest Join the Call for Discovery Reform! I used to say that, New York’s current criminal discovery scheme has contributed to a justice system that leads the Nation not in fairness but in wrongful convictions.
Recommended publications
  • Joe Tacopina Is the Hottest
    An artist's rendering of Tacopina during the Abner Louima trial hen I _,et into the tell of a courtroom, I smell blood a mile away. And I will bring you right // there. And I will do it slowly and mnethodically. And I will make slue the jury sees your innards JOE TACOPINA IS THE coming out of you ." HOTTEST YOUNG CRIMIP This is criminal defense lawyer Joe Tacopina DEFENSE LAWYER IN NE talking about cross-examining witnesses . He is sitting on the patio behind his handsome new YORK. HOW DID HE GE' clapboard house in Westport yes, he is your THERE? BY WINNING CA! neighbor. He is a striking man of thirty-six with a straight chiseled nose and thick brown hair PEOPLE SAID HE'D combed back off his face. "This is not a God complex, believe me," he continues. "Some peo- ple go to Las Vegas and gamble. I'm up there taking a shot with a witness . I have sonic guy's life literally in my hands. This is the scary part, but Reprinted with Permission from Westport Magazine it's also the part I sort of get off on." When not battling in the courtroom, Tacopina Tacopina does not credit abandoned morgue refrigerator factory in Brooklyn. Five of is often found on tele- himself with a superior intel- the so-called "Morgue Boys" confessed in 1995 . Even with vision commentating lect or an encyclopedic knowl- their testimony working against him, however, Tacopina won on the latest legal edge of the law ; rather, he an acquittal for Sanfilippo.
    [Show full text]
  • Fall 2010 Law School Briefs
    Contents FEATURES Making the Grade: Eight New Faculty Members Join Brooklyn Law School 23 In this feature we are proud to introduce the newest members of our BLS community: Bradley Borden, Adam Kolber, Gregg P. Macey, Samantha Amdursky, Mark Noferi, Jessica Attie, Margo Kaplan and Jane Yakowitz. These professors bring not only considerable professional experience, but also an impressive body of scholarship in the areas of tax, environmental justice, health law, bioethics and neuroethics, and data privacy. On the Road to the American Dream: Brooklyn Law School Leads the Way in Immigration Law 30 By Andrea Strong ’94 and Stephanie Staal ’10 Immigration issues have dominated the news headlines in recent years, and Brooklyn Law School is making a name for itself in the field. The Law School has produced an impressive group of judges and advocates working in all aspects of immigration law — from big firm practice to nonprofit organizations, from government to small law firms. In this feature we share some of their stories, and we also highlight some of the exciting changes in our curriculum that have inspired our students to begin their career as immigration lawyers. Cooperation’s Cost: A Look at the Real Price of Criminal Cooperation 40 By Professor Miriam Baer Fans of “The Wire” will want to read this insightful and provocative piece that explores the true effects of cooperation on potential offenders. Professor Baer argues that while cooperation is often useful, when used improperly, it may create more problems than it solves. This is particularly the case when defendants experience a Sanction Effect, in which criminal behavior may be encouraged (or at least not deterred) because of the belief that their ultimate punishment will be reduced as a result of their opportunity to become cooperators.
    [Show full text]
  • Leading Lawyers
    The influencers The influencers t h e Leading500 Lawyers i n a merica The influencers inside Q&As A wiTh l wdrAgon 500 MeMbers IP Law’s new enTrepreneuriAl clAss wAr criMes TrIaLs in The forMer YugoslAviA The influencers inside Q&As A wiTh l wdrAgon 500 MeMbers IP Law’s new enTrepreneuriAl clAss wAr criMes TrIaLs in The forMer YugoslAviA 102806-MOL_Agility_8x10.5_R4_HR.pdf 9/16/10 3:39:53 PM C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Complexity Requires Agility Complex litigation has evolved. Most law firms haven’t. The legal, technical, and economic demands of today’s sophisticated litigation require agility in staffing, fee structures, and strategic approach. That agility can be found only in a firm comprised exclusively of smart, experienced advocates, who not only are committed to understanding a client’s litigation challenges and goals, but also are willing to share a client’s risk by betting on themselves to achieve success. MOLOLAMKEN. A new model for today’s litigation environment. “Two superstars are opening their own boutique, MOLOLAMKEN.” The American Lawyer Both of our founding partners have been named to this year’s Lawdragon 500. Contact Steven Molo at 212.607.8160 (NY) or Jeffrey Lamken at 202.556.2000 (DC). www.mololamken.com One of the nation’s premier plaintiff’s personal injury law firms renowned for its achievements in the courtroom and its contributions to the community. Trial lawyers 33 N. DEARBORN, CHICAGO, IL 60602 | 888.364.3191 | WWW.CORBOYDEMETRIO.COM LAWDRAGON HONORS... Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, founded in 1997, has grown to over 250 lawyers practicing in offices stra- tegically located throughout the United States.
    [Show full text]
  • Made Men: the True Rise-And-Fall Story of a New Jersey Mob Family
    MADE MEN The True Rise-and-Fall Story of a New Jersey Mob Family Greg B. Smith b BERKLEY BOOKS, NEW YORK This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. MADE MEN A BERKLEY Book / published by arrangement with the author All rights reserved. Copyright © 2003 by Greg B. Smith This book may not be reproduced in whole or part, by mimeograph or any other means, without permission. Making or distributing electronic copies of this book constitutes copyright infringement and could subject the infringer to criminal and civil liability. For information address: The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. The Penguin Putnam Inc. World Wide Web site address is http://www.penguinputnam.com ISBN: 0-7865-3520-2 A BERKLEYBOOK® BERKLEY Books first published by Berkley Publishing Group, a member of Penguin Putnam Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. BERKLEY and the "B" design are trademarks belonging to Penguin Putnam Inc. Electronic edition: March 2003 To Lizzy, Damon and Brendan Acknowledgments Much thanks is due to a number of people who supported my effort to get things right and readable. The list is long and incomplete, starting with prominent members of the New York criminal defense bar Gerald Shargel, Steve Kartagener, Francisco Celedonio, Joseph Tacopina and Gregory O’Connell. On the government side, thanks especially goes to assistant U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • US V. Bruce Cutler
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Appellee, --v.-- BRUCE CUTLER, Defendant-Appellant. Docket No. 94-1382 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT 58 F.3d 825; 1995 U.S. App. LEXIS 15549; 23 Media L. Rep. 2089 March 23, 1995, Argued June 19, 1995, Decided SUBSEQUENT HISTORY: [**1] As Amended July 13, 1995. PRIOR HISTORY: Defendant, a criminal defense lawyer, appeals from a judgment of conviction and sentence entered in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Platt, then-C.J.). The district judge ordered him to comply with a local court rule during criminal proceedings against his client. Defendant, nevertheless, spoke repeatedly to the media about matters on which the rule forbade comment. After a bench trial, defendant was held in criminal contempt, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 401(3), and sentenced to probation.On appeal, defendant argues that: (1) the rule is unconstitutional; (2) the evidence does not support his contempt conviction; and (3) several aspects of his probation were an abuse of discretion. Because he could have challenged the district court's orders earlier, his constitutional challenge is collaterally barred. The evidence amply supports his conviction. The sentence of probation is affirmed. DISPOSITION: AFFIRMED. CASE SUMMARY: PROCEDURAL POSTURE: Defendant attorney appealed a decision from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, finding defendant guilty of criminal contempt, in violation of 18 U.S.C.S. § 401(3), and sentencing him to 90 days' house arrest and three years' probation, and also suspending him from practicing law in the Eastern District of New York for 180 days, in his violation of U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • The Making of a Lawyer Bls
    BLSLawNotesThe Magazine of Brooklyn Law School | Spring 2010 BLS LawNotes Spring 2010 THE MAKING OF A LAWYER A Conversation with Six Graduating Students BLSLawNotes Vol. 15, No. 1 Editor in Chief Graphic Design Linda S. Harvey Ron Hester Assistant Dean for External Affairs Photographers Managing Editor Damion Edwards Andrea Strong ’94 Ron Hester Alan Perlman Contributors Joe Vericker Andrea Strong ’94 Rachel Rehwinkel ’07 Printer Diana Barnes-Brown Finlay Printing Ivy Miller Josefina Colomar ’10 BLS LawNotes is published An Duong ’12 semi-annually by Valery Federici ’10 Brooklyn Law School Daniel J. Goodstadt ’10 for alumni, students, Carla Sanderson ’10 faculty and friends. Judith N. Soto ’11 Stephanie Staal ’10 Letters and Comments We welcome letters and comments ClassNotes Editor about articles in BLS LawNotes from Caitlin Monck-Marcellino ’02 our graduates and friends. We will Director of Alumni Relations consider reprinting brief submissions in LawNotes and on our Web site. Photo Editor Matilda Garrido mailing address: Managing Editor BLS LawNotes 250 Joralemon Street Brooklyn, New York 11201 fax: 718-625-5242 e-mail: [email protected] web: www.brooklaw.edu on the cover, clockwise from top: Paul Molina, James Hays II, Sparkle Alexander, Shannon Sneed, Gloria Yi, and Michael Pope. photo by ron hester. Contents FEATURES Equal Access and the Right to Marry by Professors Nelson Tebbe and Deborah A. Widiss 21 Although the subject of same-sex marriage has been a topic of national debate for several years, most state court challenges have been decided on the basis of due process or equal protection, two theories with fatal weaknesses.
    [Show full text]