杏十八新茶分享

 

United States v. Oliva

Summarized by:

  • Court: 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Archives
  • Area(s) of Law: Criminal Procedure
  • Date Filed: 07-20-2012
  • Case #: 10-30126
  • Judge(s)/Court Below: Circuit Judge Fisher for the Court; Circuit Judges Paez and Clifton

An electronic surveillance order authorizing interception of background conversations while the telephone is "off the hook or otherwise in use" satisfies the requirements of 搂 2518 of Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 as a "standard" intercept and does not constitute a "roving" intercept.

The district court denied Jorge Ortiz Oliva鈥檚 motion to suppress evidence obtained from cellular phone interceptions. On appeal, Oliva argued that the surveillance orders were invalid because the government used 鈥渞oving bugs鈥 without meeting the statutory requirements of 搂 2518 of Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. For a 鈥渟tandard鈥 intercept, the statute requires the government to specify 鈥渢he nature and location of the facilities . . . where the communication is to be intercepted.鈥 鈥淩oving鈥 intercepts are permitted when the locations of conversations are 鈥渘ot practical to specify.鈥 The first surveillance order authorized interception of 鈥渂ackground conversations . . . while the telephone is off the hook or otherwise in use.鈥 Oliva asserted that the language 鈥渙ff the hook or otherwise in use鈥 permitted the government to use the microphone in his cell phone as a listening device when the phone was not actively engaged in a call. The Ninth Circuit agreed with the government鈥檚 interpretation, which was limited to the interception of background conversations while the cell phone was engaged in a call. The Court acknowledged the problematic language of 鈥渙ff the hook鈥 as applied to cell phones, suggesting that if the government intends to use a 鈥渞oving bug,鈥 it cannot do so by using such 鈥渙utmoded terminology.鈥 The second surveillance order authorized interception of 鈥渁ny changed telephone number . . . used by the instrument bearing the same ESN and/or IMSI as the Target Phones.鈥 Oliva argued that 鈥渁ny changed phone number鈥 did not meet the statutory requirement of 鈥渇acility鈥 for a 鈥渟tandard鈥 intercept, and therefore the order constituted a 鈥渞oving鈥 intercept. In United States v. Duran, the Court held that "interception of any phone number, so long as the phone used an ESN or IMSI specified in the order," was valid as a "standard" intercept. AFFIRMED.

Advanced Search


Back to Top