Opinion ID: 727854
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Credibility Questioning

Text: 14 Cha was asked if Min Ryu lied when she testified, and whether Cha's son would be lying if he testified in agreement with the contents of a stipulation. Cha objected to these statements at trial, so we review them for harmless error. 15 Cha cites Hinton, 31 F.3d at 824-25, and United States v. Richter, 826 F.2d 206, 208-09 (2d Cir.1987), for the proposition that it is improper for a prosecutor in cross examination to ask the defendant to speculate as to whether another witness is lying. In Richter, the Second Circuit reversed a conviction when the prosecutor repeatedly asked the defendant whether law enforcement officers were mistaken or had lied on points of testimony that were inconsistent with defendant's testimony. 16 This case is much closer to the facts of Hinton than those of Richter. Like Hinton, in this case Cha never stated that he believed Min Ryu or Yong Hwan Cha was lying. While we agree that the prosecutor's comments may have been improper, any error was harmless, especially in light of the court's comments in front of the jury that, There's something in between being a lie. 17 Cha also challenges the prosecutor's argument that either Ryu or Cha was lying. This argument was a permissible inference from the evidence. United States v. Molina, 934 F.2d 1440, 1445 (9th Cir.1991).