United States v. Leon Karp

On this appeal from convictions of possession of counterfeit notes under 18 U.S.C. § 472 and negatives for the making of counterfeit notes under 18 U.S.C. § 474 the sole contention is that the notes and negatives were discovered in an unlawful search and should have been suppressed. We affirm.

In May, 1973, the Secret Service learned from a convicted manufacturer and distributor of counterfeit notes that he had given $20,000 worth of counterfeit notes to Leon Karp, the defendant. On July 24, 1973, an individual matching defendant’s description made a purchase at a sporting goods store and offered a counterfeit note as payment. The clerks observed defendant leave the store and noted the license plate number of the automobile in which he drove away. They apprised the Secret Service of the occurrences and gave it the counterfeit note and the license plate number.

The Secret Service traced the license number through the Department of Motor Vehicles to the defendant. On July 26 the Secret Service went to defendant’s place of business and found his car in the parking lot. They waited nearby and observed defendant enter the car. At this point, without any warrant, they…