United States v. Lussier

USCA1 Opinion









March 29, 1995 [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
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No. 94-1005

UNITED STATES,

Appellee,

v.

JOSEPH LUSSIER,

Defendant, Appellant.



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APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF RHODE ISLAND

[Hon. Ernest C. Torres, U.S. District Judge] ___________________

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Before

Torruella, Chief Judge, ___________
Selya and Boudin, Circuit Judges. ______________

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Joseph Lussier on brief pro se. ______________
Loretta C. Argrett, Assistant Attorney General, Robert E. ____________________ ___________
Lindsay, Alan Hechtkopf, Michael E. Karam, Attorneys, Tax Division, _______ _______________ _________________
Department of Justice, and Sheldon Whitehouse, United States Attorney, __________________
on brief for appellee.


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Per Curiam. Appellant was adequately advised of his ___________

right to proceed pro se and his right to an appointed

attorney.1 He was further properly told that unless he

waived the latter right, he would not be permitted to proceed

pro se and an attorney would be appointed. Tuitt v. Fair, ______________

822 F.2d 166, 167 (1st Cir.) (trial court may "insist that

the right to go pro se be conditioned upon an express and

unequivocal waiver of counsel"), cert. denied, 484 U.S. 945 ____________

(1987). Appellant refused to waive his right to counsel.

Consequently, the district court did not err in appointing

counsel for him.

Moreover, the district court did not abuse its

discretion in refusing to permit Peter Van Daam to sit at

counsel table, United States v. Lussier, 929 F.2d 25, 28 (1st ________________________

Cir. 1991) ("no infirmity in the district court's exclusion

of lay counsel from the proceedings"), or in not requiring

appointed counsel to consult with Van Daam.

We have considered all of defendant's arguments and do

not find any merit in his appeal.

Affirmed. See 1st Cir. R. 27.1. ________ ___






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1. In referring to appellant's right to be represented by an
attorney, the district court at some times used the word
"counsel" and at other times "attorney." The words were
interchangeable in the particular context. To the extent
appellant is contending otherwise, we find the argument
specious.