UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT
____________________________________
No.
_________________________________________________________________
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx, Defendant-Appellant.
_________________________________________________________________
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
____________________________________________
BRIEF FOR APPELLANT
____________________________________________
JURISDICTION
The district court had jurisdiction over this criminal case under 18 U.S.C. 3231. A timely notice of appeal from the final judgment of the district court (dated June 21, 1994; entered July 6, 1994) having been filed on June 24, 1994, this Court has jurisdiction over this appeal under 28 U.S.C. 1291.
ISSUES PRESENTED FOR REVIEW
I. Whether the trial court committed plain error under Fed. R. Evid. 704(b) in allowing the government's narcotics expert to testify that the person who had the "tally sheet" on his person (i.e., the defendant) "plan[ned]" to "dole out" the seized drugs.
II. Whether the prosecutor engaged in misconduct in putting before the jury improper hearsay information that the defendant's own grandmother had linked him to the bag.
III. Whether it is reasonably likely that the jury was misled as to the standard of proof by the prosecutor's improper argument that they could acquit the defendant only if "all the government's witnesses" were "lying," by the court's instructions presenting a false choice of historical fact ("was that his bag or was it somebody else's bag"), and by the court's confusing supplemental instruction on the "kind of a doubt [needed] to convict."
STATUTES AND RULES
Pursuant to Rule 28(f), Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, and D.C. Circuit Rule 28(a)(5), the pertinent statutes and rules are set forth in the Addendum to this brief.
STATEMENT OF THE CASE
A. Nature of the Case, Course of Proceedings, and Disposition in the Court Below
On December 16, 1993, a federal grand jury sitting in the District of Columbia returned a one-count indictment charging Mr. Andre xxxxxx with possession with intent to distribute cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B)(ii). A. 8. (1)
A jury trial commenced before the Honorable Harold H. Greene on March 7, 1994. On March 9, 1994, the jury returned a verdict of guilty. On June 16, 1994, Mr. xxxxxx was sentenced to 78 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release (A. 30-33). Mr. xxxxxx filed a timely notice of appeal (A. 34).
B. Statement of Facts
1. The Government's Case
Detective John Centrella of the Metropolitan Police Department Drug Interdiction Unit testified that at 2:20 p.m. on November 22, 1993, he and Detectives Samuel Woodson and Jeffrey Huffman boarded the last car of a train that had just arrived from New York City and was continuing on to Florida. (Tr. 88-89). Mr. xxxxxx was sitting in the window seat in the third row from the rear. (Tr. 89). The detectives decided to approach him because he was "slumped down in his seat" with the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up over his head "as if he was trying to conceal himself." (Tr. 89-90). The closest person to Mr. xxxxxx was seated seven rows in front of him. (Tr. 90).
Mr. xxxxxx agreed to speak to Centrella. (Tr. 90-91). Upon request, Mr. xxxxxx produced a one-way train ticket (costing $114, paid in cash) from New Jersey to Southern Pines, North Carolina. (Tr. 91). Mr. xxxxxx stated that he lived in North Carolina and had been in New Jersey for the weekend visiting relatives. (Tr. 91). Mr. xxxxxx produced a North Carolina driver's license in the name of Andre xxxxxx (2) and showing a birthdate of January 2, 1975. (Tr. 92, 98). He stated that he was a student at Shaw College in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Tr. 92). He denied having any luggage, and specifically denied that the black leather jacket and small bag in the luggage rack overhead were his. (Tr. 92).
Centrella then took the bag down from the rack and walked through the car asking if anyone would claim ownership of it. No one did. (Tr. 92). Centrella then opened the bottom section of the bag, which was closed with a circular zipper, and found a kilo-sized brick of what turned out to be cocaine. (Tr. 93). (3) Inside the main portion of the bag was some clothing and toiletries. (Tr. 93).
Centrella then returned to Mr. xxxxxx's seat and asked him again where he went to college. He again said Raleigh, North Carolina. (Tr. 93). Mr. xxxxxx then stated that he lived in New Jersey and was travelling to Southern Pines, which was about 60 miles from Raleigh. (Tr. 93-94). When Detective Woodson asked him again "where is Shaw College?," Mr. xxxxxx dropped his eyes to the floor and did not answer. (Tr. 94).
Centrella then searched Mr. xxxxxx incident to arrest and found $107 in cash, two New Jersey identifications in the name Andre xxxxxx (one with the same birthdate as the North Carolina identification; one with a birthdate three years earlier), a piece of paper with names and numbers on them, some scraps of paper with some of the same names and telephone numbers, and a traffic ticket from North Carolina. (Tr. 98-100). On the way to the station in the police car, Mr. xxxxxx stated that the jacket was his but the bag was not. (Tr. 101). At the station, in the course of booking, Mr. xxxxxx stated that he was unemployed. (Tr. 101). When Centrella asked him where he got the $107 cash and the cash to pay for the ticket, Mr. xxxxxx stated that he had been paid $100 to transport the bag from New Jersey to South Carolina. (Tr. 101). He had been told to leave the bag on a park bench and hide until he saw someone pick it up. (Tr. 101-02). (4) Mr. xxxxxx said he lived with his grandmother in New Jersey and that they did not have a telephone. (Tr. 104).
On cross-examination, Centrella explained that he selected the last car because the
passengers in it were headed to points in North and South Carolina where the drug market
is lucrative. (Tr. 110-13). He testified that he spoke to Amtrak employee Phyllis Perpetua
after Mr. xxxxxx's arrest, but denied speaking to her before that time. (Tr. 124). He
specx.3hfq#|ӕ7=]dFrc^xoPXo#Ҹ!yWOv.'$X
qQeS%Tйh r/#E-! RqgR'bϻrkZxg _ubպ!rWO O ûmd ӮW[#I3R~u
z=?˥dr[SSܛm
zX
'wqΒ T̔=kDffge1nobCXuri Sxk
fY+6 SCtN}XWsta}ѵIizNXfwӻ!nWدN=ocMW˥ =[WTਲpbbW_fݱeƛoS^oN|Etgie~j WC
kҭ!sZpfNeݻl!gUyNg'X#ݯi WHr@ypWenꬋƁoWҮ\roR
+$ײ!lƇYTw RXmucWI g'X#ϩoƀbUʛiz_tWfr·dS PVЇuoN['wuiݲTi.uR_Ȼli.ȠYS5^ڵxf
'_jȻظbvWSBz'c^rfuh^Ўzo
R
bJikΏWOmfR-uaWץyN~~WZlץ`aY?HtN}bp/eSҮ\nkNV's<#Y4YiWCqdtUڴmjhWVpлslWOtxR
tj!Ƣr]WøCn| Xo/dnެwz
'_ϻkrjWHs
z'TlbsZRijo`saSrkYV'q0-YOX6m}NWEbdiSS௵=}oBμnbS^tkYf#sƃa }ءI|.akotÒZ͛Z=.bWS»esxPHڲi@&
)W7(a}%6SP}B9W6.aMWCe.Scwdr_' =.tW@m`bST٥d.dRwҹ`yWY~
wRk#mpZ=|NCT
7/sƿΡn`
'^#`7WSܛ==oX2B#5.:YS^xdgSXi#dƜt ҳՕziNCXkfoiW١\k.tW_#s1ԭC@[6.G.bW@bȻȵbsWIscXtw!t W@U(.:YI3-id}ȥ^ovOXui SIȰ=.~YfɯfƛhWxN`o`/ BCZ( -C
bbqoWTi.fQlreΒSIҮr.iz=nɩ!toNz-imuaȫ^u._um±owޛTNzu(psoW>No@?M+W7dƊx_xgY'b`Ƈizդ݉oz
^'#`5_','NKCɷtoeZڰ|
kXoE#ȵa[~jsWpiMYøC=j
Eblcr_'(?[.Y+ rf[ST=oXsR#udSUk
.U'fnnW өXj R+oλ!dΑI,'
nojiڧxNoXJ#ĥ!r6I[#M.Y??ڟ><إI|j=X
cfȪheƎSKi`o
b!aUޛ|ad0)WS^tNfV'fh T~o WDngoh̯N=}c
Gjuy±G_GxW
lWVm˵dlWZok['S31ƽa6rf-Xn-U ZDBOnk'VjSeWNྸ|| nVw10Gzyo˕=@FRXswhtSJ́szNhjȪd SϲRi`hWXproସnoXrR-0)WxmBhpvoեֆ=kTteqeƜ
ݛI= O ûm`eWO֛oksWQlɻȵkyWNݛo kSu
wӻul V֎riK9q YS>ڶ^x.bRXl/hW^ϡ=ktYaɻC"zK\ yo#srSڏsgVb.nnʛUs}
bWVvsaN=kopoaVtNh\?[7`"P9Ah.XKr??oԷu~wD#m [؛dNfsW^pgm\=NfRXcde HieWC
f#Ը!eon}rCXfooSNҮ3N.sz=lݻȴrƛh͛m}seopoхd{N^'vݸ! Wқ]xkwDXiulW_ȣ=k'Q#̸!kW^saYXsztƀnS}˩^څ=.EXkfi O=b
bWTvott.tXpuWiN|iWl!
Wȥ^xbNNXsfڪ!eTn~'_
hpSTਵ=y
)WuvϻȵegIʛ|zn#x եHik@}cbkڨdoWڣP{fbWC#t WRཱི=yr_#ҸheTylNXsnshWدVЎz`WCb??
ڟI[#* AwI:rscWۢ5!F࿒=93:UE=
#r|o#jɟ>~}}o^L%Z9?٬!=̤EQIK2PVWy̷jHoӡ=|iW_bȵ!eKxNfRuWfniW1ߏh.o#٬h ե=k'Vk!nU̯={u@#蜩uizUi.Cf``pMzzKYS5eI% sPĭ%AU96//i WVܛ=kXs^pٯoƈeS=oCh#q䵻Y?2UϥCyaX=msnWڮHra'B`un·OԦh .'_frmK\K#
z_tWpn SxkWC'w` SȥnctYW˥ =< #JR|/WJA驞=ɟ>}}OoY.jbr)]K1!2Y9#deWȥi`P;XGF ?.ΞCu"*bR#ĥyt^ݛi|hod WˡIi&z=ug˿stWکUx" b 2f!rƱOG^訹xgbwdƇaWIxkflɻ`iԮOilRXe#϶`tWv.lk!nΑY6,V#M.YLջ߯rˊxR1NvO putS^ځqj CibieLv` hR#-9լWTԛob+bAjoƘhW ^| gEbwuǭwӥ݅{j PDXjkެ!dΒWXq.uWDռ#tnYS_o˕0W'XF: ήr U=.@bfɻnsڤ،n|
Ac#ϻmhW՛Iִkd^fslS^˛x}hDf0pWZ͛n
wX/#-8 21˅{}bqneWϨskfPDXf!eΕ_Ϩn.
hVa✹!e}s.V'qn o?]NQ)milWڮ\rz'E#dpOਵsN}cM,˥=Q6STr
b[X~qnƛeOх=z
A'b,/}~}ɅYJ,<6U uqQBԢI~}R0