J-S65024-18

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA IN THE SUPERIOR COURT

OF PENNSYLVANIA

Appellee

v.

DMITRIY V. LITVINOV

Appellant No. 1851 MDA 2017

Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence Entered October 17, 2013

In the Court of Common Pleas of Centre County

Criminal Division at Nos: CP-14-CR-0000364-2011, CP-14-CR-0000462-

2010, CP-14-CR-0000464-2010, CP-14-CR-0001090-2010, CP-14-CR0001139-2010, CP-14-CR-0001157-2010, CP-14-CR-0001158-2010, CP14-CR-0001159-2010, CP-14-CR-0001161-2010, CP-14-CR-0001162-

2010, CP-14-CR-0001163-2010, CP-14-CR-0001164-2010

BEFORE: SHOGAN, and STABILE, and McLAUGHLIN, JJ.

MEMORANDUM BY STABILE, J.: FILED JANUARY 16, 2019

Appellant, Dmitriy V. Litvinov, appeals nunc pro tunc1from the October 

17, 2013 judgment of sentence imposing an aggregate thirty-nine years and 

four months to seventy-eight years and eight months of incarceration for 

multiple counts of robbery, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, 

kidnapping, recklessly endangering another person, conspiracy, and related 

offenses.2 We vacate and remand for resentencing. 

____________________________________________

1

 In a companion case docketed at 1771 MDA 2017, we affirmed the PCRA 

court’s order reinstating Appellant’s direct appeal rights. 

2

 18 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 3701, 3921, 3925, 2901, 2705, and 903, respectively. 
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The record reveals that Appellant, along with co-defendants Maksim 

Illarionov, Alexei Semionov, and Anatoliy Veretnov, was tried before a jury 

from February 8, 2011 to February 16, 2011, at which point Appellant 

successfully moved for a mistrial. Appellant’s second jury trial commenced in 

June of 2012. At the conclusion of the second trial, Appellant was convicted 

of the aforementioned charges. On July 3, 2012, the Commonwealth filed its 

notice of intent to seek mandatory sentences for many of Appellant’s 

convictions in accord with then-extant 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9712. On September 

21, 2012, the trial court imposed a sentence that included some but not all of 

the Commonwealth’s requested mandatory minimums. The Commonwealth 

appealed, this Court reversed, and on October 17, 2013, the trial court 

imposed a new sentence including several additional mandatory minimums in 

accord with this Court’s remand instructions. Appellant now challenges that 

sentence nunc pro tunc. The trial court did not file an order pursuant to 

Pa.R.A.P. 1925.3 

Appellant raises three issues: 

I. Whether the trial court erred in imposing various mandatory 

minimum sentences pursuant to 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9712, in 

____________________________________________

3

 The trial court believed the instant appeal should be held in abeyance 

pending the outcome of the Commonwealth’s appeal at 1771 MDA 2017. As 

set forth in the main text, the Commonwealth concedes that the mandatory 

minimum sentences are unconstitutional. We find Appellant’s remaining 

issues lacking in merit. We will not remand for a Rule 1925 order, because 

the absence of a trial court opinion has not hampered our review. 
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violation of Alleyne v. United States, 133 S.Ct. 1251 

(2013) and its progeny? 

II. Whether the Commonwealth appears to have engaged in 

prosecutorial misconduct, suborned perjury, committed a 

Brady[4] violation and/or otherwise failed to correct 

erroneous and misleading testimony of their star witness, 

confidential informant Lindsay Coatman, such that, at a 

minimum, Appellant’s case should be remanded to the trial 

court for an evidentiary hearing to develop a record on this 

colorable issue? 

III. Whether the trial court erred in allowing the Commonwealth 

to elicit testimony from their witness, Timothy Henry 

regarding uncharged prior bad acts of Appellant, including 

that Appellant allegedly made threats of violence against the 

District Attorney and other members of law enforcement 

and that he made a comment about escaping from the 

county jail while awaiting trial? 

Appellant’s Brief at 31 (some capitalization omitted). 

Appellant’s first assertion of error requires a remand for resentencing. 

In Alleyne, the United States Supreme Court held that any fact triggering an 

increased penalty, such as a mandatory minimum sentence, must be 

submitted to the fact finder and proved beyond a reasonable doubt. Prior to 

Alleyne, § 9712 of the Judiciary Code provided for the imposition of 

mandatory minimum sentences based on the trial court’s assessment of the 

facts at sentencing. Instantly, the sentencing court imposed mandatory 

minimums based on Appellant’s visible possession of a firearm during his 

offenses. Alleyne invalidated that practice. The courts of this Commonwealth 

have held that our then-extant mandatory minimum procedure was 

____________________________________________

4

 Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963). 
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unconstitutional under Alleyne and that the unconstitutional provisions of 

§ 9712 were not severable from the remainder of the statute. 

Commonwealth v. Wolfe, 140 A.3d 651 (Pa. 2016); Commonwealth v. 

Newman, 99 A.3d 86 (Pa. Super. 2014) (en banc), appeal denied, 121 A.3d 

496 (Pa. 2015); Commonwealth v. Valentine, 101 A.3d 801 (Pa. Super. 

2014), appeal denied, 124 A.3d 309 (Pa. 2015). The Commonwealth 

concedes the validity of Appellant’s first argument. Commonwealth’s Brief at 

8. Because the sentencing court imposed mandatory minimum sentences 

pursuant to a statutory scheme that has since been declared unconstitutional, 

we must vacate the judgment of sentence and remand for resentencing in 

accord with Alleyne and its Pennsylvania progeny. 

Next, Appellant argues the Commonwealth engaged in prosecutorial 

misconduct and/or committed a Brady violation in its presentation of the 

testimony of witness Lindsay Coatman. Brady held that the prosecution’s 

failure to disclose evidence favorable to the defendant violates due process of 

law if the evidence is material to the defendant’s guilt or to the punishment 

imposed. Brady, 373 U.S. at 87. Coatman was a government informant who 

accompanied Appellant and his co-defendants during the crimes at issue, in 

one case wearing a wire. He testified about Appellant’s participation in the 

charged crimes. As of trial, Coatman had pled guilty to unrelated drug and 

firearms charges, but had yet to be sentenced. He testified that he expected 

jail time but he eventually received only probation. From this, Appellant 
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infers: 1) that Coatman lied on the stand; 2) that the prosecutor failed to 

correct Coatman’s testimony despite knowing of its falsehood; 3) that 

Coatman received a promise of leniency from the prosecution in exchange for 

his testimony in this case; and 4) that the prosecution failed to disclose the 

existence of its deal with Coatman. 

The record provides no support for any of Appellant’s inferences. 

Indeed, Appellant was aware of the plea offer Coatman signed, in which the 

Commonwealth recommended two and one-half to five years of incarceration 

followed by five years of probation. Instead, after the conclusion of 

Appellant’s trial, Coatman received six years of probation. Coatman’s 

testimony was as follows: 

Q. In fact, had you pled guilty to those charges? 

A. Yes, sir. I pleaded guilty the other year. 

Q. Do you know what penalty you’re facing for that? 

A. Three to five or – a long time. 

Q. Have you been sentenced yet on those charges? 

A. Yes sir, I pleaded guilty, yes. 

Q. Okay, but did you get sentenced yet or not? 

A. (No response). 

Q. Did you go to jail for that charge yet? 

A. No, sir. 

Q. Okay. And have any promises been made to you by 

the District Attorney’s office or anyone else regarding what’s going 

to happen with your charges? 
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A. No, none at all, none at all. 

N.T. Trial, 6/20/12, at 1156. 

On cross-examination, Coatman testified as follows: 

Q. Did you testify on direct examination that you know 

what sentence you’re getting? 

A. Not really. 

Q. Not really?

A. No, I said I did it. I’m going to do time. 

Q. You pled guilty in November of 2009, right? 

A. Correct. 

Q. You still haven’t been sentenced yet, right. 

A. I don’t know. I know they told me I was going to jail. 

Q. Have you gone to jail yet, sir? 

A. No. 

Q. This is three years from the date of the arrest and 

almost two and a half years from when you pled guilty, right. 

A. Okay. 

Q. Do you agree with me? 

A. I’ll agree with you. 

Q. And you have no idea when you are getting 

sentenced, right? 

A. No. My lawyer keeps on filing continuances. 

Q. Do you know why this case keeps getting continued? 

A. Nope. That’s why I hired a lawyer. 

Q. You don’t think it’s because you’re testifying here? 
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A. It could be. 

Q. It could be, but you’re not sure? 

A. It’s not up to me. 

Q. Did you sign a plea offer in this case, sir. 

A. I signed paperwork. 

[...]

Q. Did you ever see this plea offer? 

A. Hell, I don’t remember. 

Q. Is your name Lindsay Coatman? 

A. Yeah. 

Q. You don’t remember seeing this? 

A. Not really. 

Q. Does this say that the terms of your sentence are two 

and a half to five years on count 1, SCI, followed by five years of 

consecutive probation on count 3? 

A. Yep, that’s what it says. 

Q. And it also says other family members will not be 

charged for this incident? 

A. Yes, sir. 

Q. Is that what it says? 

A. That’s what it says. 

Q But you don’t remember seeing it? 

A. It’s been a while. 

Q. Do you remember agreeing to those terms? 

A. That’s why I pleaded guilty. 

[...]
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N.T. Trial, 6/21/12, at 1316-18. 

In essence, Appellant’s argument on this issue is purely speculative. 

The record contains no evidence of any agreement whereby Coatman would 

not receive jail time. The record contains no evidence that Coatman lied when 

he testified that he expected jail time. The record also contains no indication 

that Coatman’s probationary sentence was anything other than an exercise of 

that sentencing court’s discretion. Defense counsel cross-examined Coatman 

extensively on the plea agreement, the delay in sentencing, and the possibility 

that the delay in Coatman’s sentencing was related to the need for his 

testimony at Appellant’s trial. The jury was free to assess Coatman’s 

credibility accordingly. 

Our Supreme Court addressed a similar scenario in Commonwealth v. 

Barksdale, 275 A.2d 291 (Pa. 1971). There, a Commonwealth witness who 

drove the getaway car after her co-defendant committed a murder, testified 

against the co-defendant. She testified that she received no promises from 

the Commonwealth in exchange for her testimony, and she received a lesser 

sentence than the co-defendant did. Our Supreme Court noted that there was 

“no clear proof that the prosecutor’s office made any deal with the witness.” 

Id. at 459. “In addition, it is far from unusual for a felon who testifies 

against a co-defendant to receive less severe treatment from the 

district attorney and the court even though no specific promises are 

made.” Id. at 460 (emphasis added). The witness expressly denied the 
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existence of any promise, and co-defendant’s counsel had a full opportunity 

to cross-examine her on her motives for cooperating with the Commonwealth. 

Id. The Supreme Court therefore rejected the co-defendant’s request for a

remand and special hearing on the issue. Id. 

Instantly, the applicability of Barksdale is clear. There, as here, the 

appellant insinuated that a Commonwealth witness lied on the stand and that 

the prosecution made promises in exchange for the testimony. There, as here, 

the witness denied receiving any such promise, and the appellant produced 

no evidence to contradict that testimony, other than the sentence the witness 

received. There, as here, the appellant cross-examined the witness on her 

motives for cooperating with the Commonwealth. Finally, the Supreme Court 

opined that a lesser sentence for a cooperating witness is not unusual, 

regardless of any specific promises from a prosecutor. Given all of the 

foregoing, we conclude that no relief is due. 

Finally, Appellant argues that the trial court erred in permitting the 

testimony of Timothy Henry, Appellant’s cellmate. Henry testified that 

Appellant expressed threats of violence against the prosecutor in this case, 

and that he spoke of plans for escaping from prison. We review the trial 

court’s evidentiary rulings for abuse of discretion. Commonwealth v. Orie, 

88 A.3d 983, 1000 (Pa. Super. 2014), appeal denied, 99 A.3d 925 (Pa. 

2014). An abuse of discretion occurs where the trial court’s decision “reflects 

manifest unreasonableness, or partiality, prejudice, bias, or ill-will, or such 
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lack of support to be clearly erroneous.” Id. Rule 404(b) of the Pennsylvania 

Rules of Evidence prohibits admission of bad acts that are not the subject of 

prosecution for the sole purpose of demonstrating the defendant’s bad 

character or propensity to commit crimes. Pa.R.E. 404(b)(1). Evidence of 

other bad acts may be admissible, however, for another purpose, such as to 

demonstrate the defendant’s consciousness of guilt. Commonwealth v. 

Flamer, 53 A.3d 82, 87 (Pa. Super. 2012). 

It is well settled that when a person has committed a crime, 

and knows that he is wanted for it, any attempt by that person to 

flee or conceal his whereabouts, to escape from custody or resist 

arrest, to conceal or destroy evidence, to give false statements or 

testimony, to intimidate or attempt to influence witnesses, or to 

otherwise engage in conduct designed to avoid apprehension or 

prosecution for such crime may be admissible as evidence of 

consciousness of guilt, and may, along with other evidence in the 

case, form a basis from which guilt may be inferred.

Commonwealth v. Pestinikas, 617 A.2d 1339, 1347–48 (Pa. Super. 1992). 

The Flamer Court held that evidence of a conspiracy among codefendants to kill a witness in order to preclude the witness’ testimony at trial 

was admissible as consciousness of guilt. Flamer, 53 A.3d at 87. In 

Pestinikas, this Court held that the trial court did not err in admitting 

evidence that the defendants attempted to avoid prosecution by exerting 

political influence on the prosecutor. Pestinikas, 617 A.2d at 1348. We also

have held that post-arrest threats can be admissible as consciousness of guilt. 

Commonwealth v. Sanchez, 610 A.2d 1020, 1026-28 (Pa. Super. 1992), 
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appeal denied, 620 A.2d 490 (Pa. 1993) (holding that the defendants postarrest talk of suicide was admissible as consciousness of guilt). 

Instantly, as in Sanchez, the trial court admitted evidence of 

Appellant’s post-arrest threats. Specifically, Appellant’s cellmate testified that 

he expressed his intent to kill the prosecutor and/or to escape prosecution by 

overtaking the guards during his transport from prison to the courthouse. 

These threats, in accord with the law as expressed in Pestinikas, plainly 

evidence Appellant’s plans to avoid prosecution for the charged offenses. We 

discern no abuse of discretion in the trial court’s decision to admit them. 

In summary, Appellant has presented a meritorious argument in support 

of his request for re-sentencing. His remaining arguments lack merit. We 

therefore vacated the judgment of sentence and remand for sentencing in 

accord with this Memorandum. 

Judgment of sentenced vacated. Case remanded. Jurisdiction 

relinquished. 

Judgment Entered.

Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.

Prothonotary

Date: 1/16/2019