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United States v. Brennan

United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York

629 F. Supp. 283 (1986)

Facts

Judge William Brennan (defendant) was charged with soliciting and accepting bribes in relation to his cases. A career criminal, Salvatore Polisi, was arrested and faced charges in Brennan’s court. Polisi decided to become an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). At the FBI’s direction, Polisi began discussions with Anthony Bruno, an associate, and Brennan about trading information regarding Polisi’s case for money. At Brennan’s trial, the prosecution (plaintiff) introduced a map of the inside of a restaurant in which Brennan had dined with Bruno and discussed the bribe. The map depicted the table at which Brennan and Bruno sat, along with nearby tables at which undercover FBI agents sat. The map had a key that depicted the distance between the tables. In addition, during final argument, the prosecution used a chart containing pertinent dates and events in its case listed chronologically. The events depicted in the chart were based on authenticated phone records and recordings. The jury found Brennan guilty. Brennan filed a motion to set aside the verdict.

Rule of Law

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (Weinstein, C.J.)

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A "yes" or "no" answer to the question framed in the issue section;
A summary of the majority or plurality opinion, using the CREAC method; and
The procedural disposition (e.g., reversed and remanded, affirmed, etc.).

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