联邦探员被不恰当地询问纽约地铁枪手辩护律师在周四的一份法庭文件中说,弗兰克·詹姆斯(Frank James)本周指示他签署了某些文件,并提取了他的多个DNA样本。
据称,62岁的詹姆斯在布鲁克林日落公园靠近36街的一辆开往曼哈顿的N号列车上引爆了一枚烟雾弹,随后开枪射杀了10名警察被称为最严重的破坏自从911袭击以来纽约的通勤。
根据纽约联邦辩护律师协会(Federal Defenders of New York)的米亚·艾斯纳-格林伯格(Mia Eisner-Grynberg)和迪尔德丽·冯·多伦姆(Deirdre von Dornum)写给法庭的一封信,周二,在没有通知律师的情况下,联邦调查局特工进入了他在布鲁克林大都会拘留中心的牢房,“询问了他,提取了他的多个口腔DNA样本,并指示他签署了某些文件”。
“与标准做法相反,政府在没有事先通知律师的情况下进行了这种入侵,剥夺了我们被听取意见或出庭的机会。政府也没有随后通知律师。信中说,特工没有向詹姆斯提供逮捕令或收据的副本,违反了联邦刑事诉讼规则。
布莱恩·r·史密斯/法新社
在这张摄于2022年4月13日的资料照片中,62岁的弗兰克·r·詹姆斯正被领着离开第九届美国总统大选...
律师们说,政府未能解释为什么它偏离了标准程序,只是在律师询问后提供了一份搜查令的副本。他们指控政府侵犯了詹姆斯的宪法权利。
政府周四为自己辩护,称在与詹姆斯的互动中,政府是被授权的,也是在自己的权利范围内。
“与被告的夸张说法相反,他的DNA是根据司法授权的搜查令获得的,在执行搜查令的过程中没有侵犯被告的任何宪法权利,”DOJ写给纽约东区的一封信中说。
DOJ表示,对DNA样本的搜查令于4月22日公开提交。它还说,它没有强迫詹姆斯签署任何文件,也没有官员质疑他。
“政府的理解是,在要求提取口腔拭子样本的短暂时间内,被告没有被执行搜查令的执法人员询问,也没有向他们做出相关陈述,”DOJ的信中说执行的执法人员也没有指示被告签署任何文件。"
纽约东区的美国检察官办公室以一项与恐怖有关的罪名指控詹姆斯,拒绝置评。
辩护律师表示,他们将寻求压制詹姆斯在过去的周二对代理人所做的任何陈述,并要求法官命令政府交出一份作为搜查依据的宣誓书副本。
Alleged New York City subway gunman Frank James improperly searched, defense lawyers say
Federal agents improperly questioned allegedNew York City subway shooterFrank James this week, directed him to sign certain documents and took multiple swabs of his DNA, defense attorneys said in a court filing Thursday.
James, 62, allegedly set off a smoke grenade on a Manhattan-bound N train approaching 36th Street in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, before opening fire and shooting 10 people in what policecalled the worst disruptionto the commute in New York since the Sept. 11 attacks.
On Tuesday, without alerting his lawyers, FBI agents entered his cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn "questioned him, took multiple buccal swabs of his DNA, and directed him to sign certain documents," according to a letter to the court from Mia Eisner-Grynberg and Deirdre von Dornum of the Federal Defenders of New York.
"Contrary to standard practice, the government committed this intrusion absent advance notice to counsel, depriving us of an opportunity to be heard or to be present. Neither did the government provide subsequent notice to counsel. The agents did not provide Mr. James with a copy of the warrant or a receipt, in violation of Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure," the letter said.
The attorneys said the government failed to explain why it deviated from standard procedure and only provided a copy of a search warrant when the attorneys asked after the fact. They accused the government of violating James' constitutional rights.
The government defended itself Thursday, saying it was authorized and within its rights in its interactions with James.
"Contrary to the defendant’s hyperbole, his DNA was obtained pursuant to a judicially authorized search warrant and no violations of any of the defendant’s constitutional rights occurred in the execution of the warrant," a letter from the DOJ to the Eastern District of New York said.
The DOJ said the search warrant for the DNA swab samples was filed publicly on April 22. It also said it didn't force James to sign any documents nor did officials question him.
It is the government’s understanding that in the brief period required to take the buccal swab samples, the defendant was not questioned by and made no relevant statements to the law enforcement officers who executed the searchwarrant," the DOJ letter said. "The executing law enforcement officers also did not direct the defendant to sign any documents."
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, which has charged James with one terror-related count, declined to comment.
The defense attorneys said they would seek to suppress whatever statements James made to the agents this past Tuesday and asked the judge to order the government to turn over a copy of the affidavit that served as the basis for the search.