Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Search Warrant Affidavits: What to Do

By Brien T. O'Connor and Randall D. Katz
August 18, 2003

Federal agents descend upon a manufacturing facility of a publicly traded client that makes parts for Department of Defense contractors. The agents conduct a day-long search and drive away with hundreds of boxes of documents, as well as data downloaded from company computers. You are the company's counsel, and within 2 days you piece together the government's core theories and many of the 'facts' that caused it to conduct the search.

The government has filed under seal a detailed affidavit with the search warrant that could help formulate a strategy for your client. But obtaining it unsealed may be a mixed blessing: The affidavit is likely loaded with scathing allegations by a government agent ' complete with citations to fraud and corruption statutes and possibly RICO ' based on untested hearsay and the word of a whistleblower with a profit motive. Such allegations, if made public, could cause serious problems for your client. While the lawyer for an organized-crime figure without a good reputation to lose would want the affidavit unsealed, counsel for a business must weigh the potential damage from release of these allegations against the benefits to be gained from seeing the government's theories and 'facts' in the warrant affidavit.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

The Bankruptcy Hotline Image

Recent cases of importance to your practice.

Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar Investigations Image

This article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.

How AI Has Affected PR Image

When we consider how the use of AI affects legal PR and communications, we have to look at it as an industrywide global phenomenon. A recent online conference provided an overview of the latest AI trends in public relations, and specifically, the impact of AI on communications. Here are some of the key points and takeaways from several of the speakers, who provided current best practices, tips, concerns and case studies.

New York's Latest Cybersecurity Commitment Image

On Aug. 9, 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul introduced New York's inaugural comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. In sum, the plan aims to update government networks, bolster county-level digital defenses, and regulate critical infrastructure.