Opinion ID: 628059
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: cohron

Text: 56 Cohron presents a different severance argument. He argues that the refusal to sever his trial was error because specific and compelling prejudice flowed from his inability to obtain testimony from his co-defendant Jones, who was the only source of rebuttal for some of the testimony against Cohron. Some of the conspirators testified at trial that Cohron aided in the construction of an airstrip on the property of Jones. Cohron moved for a severance before and after trial, and after trial offered an affidavit from Jones averring that the airstrip was in existence prior to the time at which the others had testified it was constructed, and averring that Cohron had nothing to do with its construction. Had his case been severed, Cohron supposedly could have subpoenaed Jones' testimony; his inability to do that allegedly resulted in an unfair and prejudicial trial. We have held that: 57 To obtain a severance on the ground that a codefendant will testify favorably, a defendant must show: (1) a bona fide need for the testimony; (2) the substance of the desired testimony; (3) the exculpatory nature and effect of the desired testimony; and (4) that the codefendant would indeed have testified at a separate trial. Points one and three are interrelated in that there can be no bona fide need for testimony which is not materially helpful to the defendant's theory of defense. If the defendant satisfies those four threshold requirements, then the trial court must: (1) examine the significance of the testimony in relation to the defendant's theory of the case; (2) assess the extent of prejudice caused by the absence of the testimony; (3) consider judicial administration and economy; and (4) give weight to the timeliness of the motion. 58 United States v. Funt, 896 F.2d 1288, 1297 (11th Cir.1990) (citations omitted); accord, United States v. Cross, 928 F.2d 1030, 1037 (11th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 594, 116 L.Ed.2d 618 (1991), and cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 941, 117 L.Ed.2d 112 (1992); United States v. Machado, 804 F.2d 1537, 1544 (11th Cir.1986). 59 We need not inquire into the first three threshold requirements, because Cohron clearly did not meet the fourth one. He did not establish that Jones would have testified at Cohron's separate trial had the case been severed. Jones did not testify at the joint trial, electing instead to exercise his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. There is nothing to indicate that after he was convicted Jones would have foregone his privilege not to testify in a separate trial for Cohron. See United States v. Mathews, 997 F.2d 848, 850-51 n. 4 (11th Cir.1993) (A defendant who has been convicted does not necessarily lose the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination as it concerns facts and circumstances surrounding the crime.). The affidavit from Jones which Cohron proffered does not state that Jones would have testified for Cohron in a separate trial. 60 Even if Cohron had satisfied that and the other three threshold requirements, he would still lose under the second set of inquiries. The significance of the possible testimony to his defense and the extent of prejudice flowing from his inability to present that testimony are lessened by the multitude and magnitude of evidence used to convict Cohron. Moreover, the cost in judicial resources of a retrial in such a complex conspiracy case as this would be great. See Cross, 928 F.2d at 1038. The district court did not abuse its discretion in denying Cohron's severance motion.