United States v. John Carmine Mastrangelo, A/K/A John A. Marino, A/K/A John James RossiUnited States v. John Carmine Mastrangelo, A/K/A John A. Marino, A/K/A John James Rossi
On November 29, 1978, John Carmine Mastrangelo purchased a pistol from a licensed firearms dealer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In purchasing the pistol, Mastrangelo completed a firearms transaction form, ATF form 4473, falsely representing his name, place of birth, and date of birth. During the transaction, he also furnished and exhibited a false driver’s license to the firearms dealer.
Mastrangelo was arrested and charged in a two-count indictment. Count I charged that he knowingly made false and fictitious written statements on the firearms transaction form concerning his true name, place of birth, and date of birth, in violation of
Mastrangelo appeals his convictions and sentences arguing that the district court erred in denying his motion to dismiss for violation of the Speedy Trial Act, erred in denying his motion to suppress, and erred in adjudicating separate convictions and in imposing separate sentences. We find no violation of the Speedy Trial Act and no error in denying the motion to suppress. But, we view the appellant’s making false written statements and furnishing false identification as a single violation of
I. SPEEDY TRIAL ACT
Mastrangelo contends that his rights under the Speedy Trial Act,
Alternatively, Mastrangelo contends that if the exclusion in
Although we are aware of language in the Senate Report on the 1979 Amendments to the Speedy Trial Act that suggests that the exclusions should be applied to extend the limitations in
Finding that appellant was not brought to trial either too soon or too late, we hold that the district court did not err in denying the motion to dismiss for violation of the Speedy Trial Act.
II. MOTION TO SUPPRESS
The district court denied Mastrangelo’s motion to suppress (1) the pistol found in his car after an arrest by state police for conspiracy to traffic in marijuana, (2) a driver’s license in the name of John Angelo Marino, (3) a driver’s license in the name of John James Rossi, and (4) the ATF transaction form used in purchasing the pistol from the firearms dealer. Mastrangelo asserts that his original arrest for conspiracy to traffic in marijuana was illegal and tainted the seizure of the pistol and other evidence derived as a result of the arrest.
In August and September of 1980, undercover police officers met Peter Cristodero and William O’Donnell and made arrangements for Cristodero and O’Donnell to purchase 1,000 pounds of marijuana from the officers. Cristodero arrived at the agreed time and place for the sale along with several associates, including Mastrangelo, who was driving a Cadillac with O’Donnell as a passenger. One of the officers stated that he had to see the money before any marijuana was exchanged. Mastrangelo then leaned over, opened the glove box to the Cadillac, either pushed a button that opened the trunk of the car or told O’Donnell to push the button, and said the money was in the trunk in the suitcase. The officer counted $200,000 in the trunk and walked over to talk to another officer. The two officers returned to the car and appellant was told that the second officer wanted to view the money. Either Mastrangelo or one of his associates through his command again opened the trunk of appellant’s car. During the transaction, an officer noted what appeared to be a police radio in the Cadillac and asked Mastrangelo about it. Appellant responded that he checked out the area before he drove up for the meeting and stated that he could pick up United States Customs, DEA, and other local agencies with the radio.
Subsequent investigation by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department disclosed the ATF form 4473 reflecting that the pistol was sold to John Marino. The form indicated that a Florida driver’s license issued to John Marino had been presented during the gun transaction as a form of identification. The investigation also revealed that Mastrangelo applied for and received two Florida driver’s licenses, one in the name of John Rossi and the second in the name of John Marino. The police further determined that appellant had been arrested in New York under his real name and in Florida under one of his assumed names, John Marino.
Based on the information that Mastrangelo had a driver’s license in the name of John Marino, a detective for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, upon observing appellant’s parked vehicle, set up surveillance. Appellant was observed driving away and was stopped by the police and asked to produce his driver’s license. After presenting a license with the name John Marino, Mastrangelo was placed under arrest and charged with unlawful possession of a driver’s license.
As to the charge of conspiracy to traffic in cannabis, Mastrangelo filed a motion to dismiss which was granted by the state trial court on the ground that, because an essential ingredient of the offense was to be performed by a government agent, the defendant could not legally be convicted of a conspiracy under Florida law. On appeal, the ruling of the trial court was reversed and the case was remanded for further proceedings.
State v. Cristodero,
Appellant also filed a motion to dismiss the charge of unlawful possession of a driver’s license. The motion was granted on the premise that the police learned of Mastrangelo’s other driver’s licenses only through the conspiracy arrest, thus tainting the discovery of the false driver’s license. That decision was not appealed. However, the trial court’s basis for finding the arrest for unlawful possession of a driver’s license tainted was rejected by the appellate court in Cristodero.
Appellant argues that because the state trial court entered an order dismissing the charges for conspiracy to traffic in cannabis, and because the federal indictment in this case was entered two months before the state appellate court reversed the dismissal of the conspiracy charges, both the federal government and the district court were bound by the state trial court’s rulings and were required to suppress any evidence resulting from the state arrests.
We reject appellant’s contention for a number of reasons. First, the state trial court was concerned with whether the evidence would support a conviction and did not purport to determine if probable cause existed to arrest Mastrangelo on the conspiracy charges. Nevertheless, the sufficiency of the evidence and the validity of an arrest are judged by different standards:
The validity of the arrest does not depend on whether the suspect actually committed a crime; the mere fact that the suspect is later acquitted of the offense for which he is arrested is irrelevant to the validity of the arrest. We have made clear that the kinds and degree of proof and the procedural requirements necessary for a conviction are not prerequisites to a valid arrest.
Michigan v. DeFillippo,
Second, the admissibility of evidence in a federal prosecution is governed by federal law, rather than state law.
United States v. Melancon,
In determining whether there has been an unreasonable search and seizure by state officers, a federal court must make an independent inquiry, whether or not there has been such an inquiry by a state court, and irrespective of how any such inquiry may have turned out. The test is one of federal law, neither enlarged by what one state court may have countenanced, nor diminished by what another may have colorably suppressed.
Elkins v. United States,
Finally, the United States was not a party to the state court proceedings, nor were the actions of any federal officers considered by that court. Any suggestion that the doctrine of collateral estoppel bars the government in a federal proceeding from using the evidence obtained as a result of Mastrangelo’s two arrests by state police officers is unfounded.
See United States v. Singer,
Therefore, the admissibility of the evidence against Mastrangelo must be determined independently by the district court applying federal law. Under federal law, the validity of the arrest for conspiracy to traffic in cannabis depends on whether the arresting officer had probable cause to arrest Mastrangelo.
See Michigan v. DeFillippo,
The court also did not err in refusing to suppress any evidence seized as a result of Mastrangelo’s arrest for unlawful possession of a Florida driver s license, From the discovered information concern-in£ appellant’s unlawful use of false driver’s licenses, the police had reasonable grounds to suspect criminal activity and to st°P Mastrangelo’s vehicle and request production of a driver’s license.
See United States v. Michel,
Accordingly, we hold that the district court did not err in refusing to suppress the evidence obtained as a result of Mas-trangelo’s two arrests by state authorities.
Appellant was charged, convicted, and sentenced for two separate violations of
Appellant contends that the court erred in entering separate convictions under
While Mastrangelo’s failure to object to the indictment bars him from asserting that he cannot be indicted or convicted for two crimes, he may challenge the imposition of multiple sentences for the alleged commission of one crime. We reasoned in
United States v. Bradsby,
The argument that one waives his right to object to the imposition of multiple sentences by his failure to object to the multiplicitous nature of an indictment is a
non sequitur.
Id.
at 906,
(quoting United States v. Rosenbarger,
In deciding whether the district court could properly impose multiple sentences, we must determine the allowable unit of prosecution.
United States v. Universal C.I.T. Corp.,
for any person in connection with the acquisition or attempted acquisition of any firearm or ammunition from a ... licensed dealer ... knowingly to make any false or fictitious oral or written statement or to furnish or exhibit any false, fictitious, or misrepresented identification, intended or likely to deceive such ... dealer ... with respect to any fact material to the lawfulness of the sale or other disposition of such firearm or ammunition under the provisions of this chapter.
This provision “was enacted as a means of proving adequate and truthful information about firearms transactions.”
Huddleston v. United States,
When Congress does not fix the applicable unit of prosecution and its punishment clearly and without ambiguity, the ambiguity will be resolved in favor of lenity.
Bell,
Although we know of no reported case that has addressed the issue presented to this court, our conclusion that Mastrangelo’s actions constitute a single violation of
Other cases have involved separate instances of providing false information, but they are unlike the instant case, where, in the process of a single transaction form, the defendant used false written statements and false identification as the means of deceiving the firearms dealer solely with respect to the defendant’s true identity.
See United States v. Solomon,
While Mastrangelo’s convictions are affirmed, we hold that the district court erred in imposing separate sentences for Mastrangelo’s convictions on Counts I and II. The making of false statements and the exhibiting of false identification concerning the same material fact and the same firearm constitutes one offense under
Convictions AFFIRMED; sentences VACATED; and ease REMANDED with instructions for resentencing.
Notes
. Appellant acknowledges that all time between the March 4, 1983, motion to dismiss and the March 14, 1984, trial was excludable.
. Appellant suggests that even though the motion to suppress was decided with a hearing, we should exclude under
In this case, we need not and do not pass on whether exclusions under
. Appellant has not sought to show cause for his failure to object to the indictment prior to trial.
See
. During the sentencing hearing, Mastrangelo objected to the multiple sentences, arguing that only one crime had been committed and, therefore, only one sentence could be imposed. The government suggests that appellant also waived his right to object to his sentences by failing to follow up his objection at the sentencing hearing with an appropriate pleading, such as a motion under
. This paragraph [
H.R.Rep. No. 1577, 90th Cong., 2d Sess. 13 (1968), reprinted in 1968 U.S.Code Cong. & Ad. News 4410, 4419.
. Brown did not contest the imposition of the five-year term for the use of false identity, perhaps because that sentence ran concurrently with the consecutive sentences imposed under Counts I and II.