United States v. Jefferson
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
571 F. Supp. 2d 696 (2008)

- Written by Alex Ruskell, JD
Facts
William Jefferson (defendant), a sitting member of the United States House of Representatives, was charged with a variety of crimes, including bribery and conspiracy. As part of the investigation leading to the indictment, FBI agents went to Jefferson’s home to search for evidence. The agents seized and removed many documents. Because the agents believed that the search warrant did not allow them to remove some documents that they would have normally seized under the plain-view doctrine, an FBI photographer took high-resolution photographs of those documents and agents took cursory notes of the contents of some of those documents. At trial, Jefferson argued that the agents conducted unlawful searches and seizures when they took pictures and notes of those documents.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Ellis, J.)
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