United States v. Armedo-Sarmiento

Appellants Francisco Adriano Armedo-Sarmiento and Libardo Gill were indicted (along with 36 others) for conspiring to import and distribute cocaine and marijuana, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 963. The Government moved to disqualify Armedo and Gill’s retained counsel, the firm of Kassner & Detsky, on the grounds that the law firm had previously, in criminal cases, represented three individuals whom the Government planned to use as witnesses. At a hearing before the trial judge, two of these witnesses had indicated that they were unwilling to waive their attorney-client privileges with…