Opinion ID: 182421
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Cellular Telephones

Text: Defendant also argues that Agent Lewis's testimony concerning throw-away cellular telephones was beyond the scope of his expertise, irrelevant, and unduly prejudicial. Agent Lewis testified, without objection, that drug traffickers often use throw-away phones because they can be set up with a fictitious name, making them untraceable. Defendant argues that this testimony was improper because there was no evidence in the record that Defendant used any of the three phones in the manner described by Agent Lewis. The testimony was within the scope of Agent Lewis's expertise because it concerned a method of operation of drug dealers. Id. at 281. Agent Lewis's testimony explaining why the items seized from the house were consistent with drug dealing was relevant to the issue of whether Defendant intended to distribute the drugs found with him in the bedroom closet. See Thomas, 74 F.3d at 682 ([W]ithout expert testimony, the average juror is unlikely to understand the significance of drug paraphernalia....). The fact that there was no direct evidence that Defendant used the cell phones in the way that Agent Lewis testified is of no consequence. Agent Lewis was not offered to provide percipient testimony directly demonstrating Defendant's actions. Instead, he was providing an opinion, based on extensive training and experience, about the items recovered from the residence and the reasons that they were consistent with drug trafficking. Defendant was free to cross-examine Agent Lewis to demonstrate that there were other legitimate uses for these items. In addition, the jury was instructed that they did not have to accept the opinion testimony and that they should consider how the witness reached his conclusion. Accordingly, we find nothing prejudicial in Agent Lewis's testimony concerning throw-away cellular telephones and conclude there was no error in its admission.