Opinion ID: 437695
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: F.B.I. Agent McCarthy's Testimony Linking Hans to Bank Robberies in Michigan.

Text: 42 During the government's case-in-chief, the prosecutor questioned Agent McCarthy concerning how Grzybowski and Hans became suspects. Hans' attorney objected to that line of questioning, but was overruled. When the prosecutor asked McCarthy how the Bureau came to focus on Hans, McCarthy replied: 43 After we learned the identity of Norman Bauman and that he was from Michigan, I talked to some agents in our Detroit, Michigan office. I ran by the MO of the robbery to them and the description of the other bank robbers, asked them if they had anyone from that area who might logically fit as a suspect in this matter. 44 Hans objected to the testimony and at a sidebar the prosecutor told the judge that McCarthy would state that the Detroit agents came up with Hans as a likely suspect. After initially overruling Hans' objection and denying his motion for a mistrial, the trial judge sustained the objection to McCarthy's last statement and told the jury to disregard it. 45 Hans argues that the cautionary instruction was insufficient because of the highly prejudicial impact of McCarthy's testimony. The government, on the other hand, dismisses the testimony as vague in character and in no way indicating that Hans had ever been convicted of bank robbery. Appellee's brief at 36. The government also argues that McCarthy's testimony was admissible under Rule 404(b) to prove association, i.e., to show that Bauman and Hans knew one another prior to the commission of the bank robbery for which Hans is now charged. Id. at 37, n. 10. Both the government's arguments are disingenuous and attempt to gloss over the seriously prejudicial nature of the testimony. McCarthy's testimony was anything but weak. Stripped to its essentials it was that, based on the modus operandi (three armed robbers wearing halloween masks, windbreakers and dark gloves and ranging in height from 5'5 to 5'9), the Detroit F.B.I. could almost immediately come up with a prime suspect, i.e. Leslie Hans. Even though McCarthy never named Hans to the jury, the only reasonable inference that a reasonable juror could draw from the testimony was that Hans was well-known as a bank robber to the Detroit F.B.I. 46 Moreover, even if this testimony were admissible under Rule 404(b), it still has to meet the balancing requirements of Rule 403. Not only is this testimony highly prejudicial, but the government had no need to introduce it to show that Bauman and Hans knew each other. The prosecution had already established that Hans, Grzybowski and Hans' girl friend were present when the Detroit F.B.I. arrested Bauman. McCarthy's testimony was therefore cumulative, and excludable on that ground as well. 47 Because it is difficult to imagine testimony more prejudicial than McCarthy's implication that Hans was known to the Detroit police as a professional bank robber, we feel that the trial judge's error occurred when he failed to sustain Hans' objections to the entire line of questioning from the outset. This is especially true in light of the judge's ruling excluding all evidence of Hans' conviction for assault with intent to commit armed robbery. The judge ruled that inadmissible because the offense was too similar to that charged in this case. Nevertheless, as a result of McCarthy's testimony, the jury was left the probably indelible impression that, like Bauman, Hans was a professional bank robber. 48