Opinion ID: 606016
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Failure to Immunize Witnesses

Text: 36 The defendants next challenge the trial court's actions regarding two potential defense witnesses, Ed Hanserd and Dion Childress, who had earlier pled guilty. Defendants contend that the court committed reversible error by refusing either to immunize the witnesses or to compel the government to grant the witnesses use immunity. Further, error is alleged from the court's failure to conduct an evidentiary hearing to determine the scope of the Fifth Amendment privilege asserted by both prospective witnesses. Defendants also suggest that the court improperly influenced the witnesses' decision to assert their Fifth Amendment privilege. 37 We have held consistently that a district court has no authority to grant immunity to a witness who asserts the Fifth Amendment privilege. United States v. Mahar, 801 F.2d 1477, 1495 (6th Cir.1986); United States v. Pennell, 737 F.2d 521, 527 (6th Cir.1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 1158, 105 S.Ct. 906, 83 L.Ed.2d 921 (1985); United States v. Lenz, 616 F.2d 960, 962 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 447 U.S. 929, 100 S.Ct. 3028, 65 L.Ed.2d 1124 (1980). We are bound by our previous rulings on this matter. Other circuits have indicated that, under appropriate circumstances, they might find that a prosecutor's immunity decisions violate due process. See, e.g., United States v. Westerdahl, 945 F.2d 1083, 1086-87 (9th Cir.1991); United States v. Frans, 697 F.2d 188, 191 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 828, 104 S.Ct. 104, 78 L.Ed.2d 107 (1983); Earl v. United States, 361 F.2d 531, 534 n. 1 (D.C.Cir.1966), cert. denied, 388 U.S. 921, 87 S.Ct. 2121, 18 L.Ed.2d 1370 (1967). Defendants maintain that the government engaged in misconduct by failing to immunize Hanserd and Childress when both witnesses possessed allegedly relevant and exculpatory information. Although we have discussed the prosecutorial misconduct theory previously, we have generally declined either to accept or reject the theory. See Pennell, 737 F.2d at 526 (reserving the question whether prosecutorial misconduct in making immunity decisions can constitute a due process violation); Lenz, 616 F.2d at 963-64; see also United States v. Gullett, 713 F.2d 1203, 1210 (6th Cir.1983), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 1069, 104 S.Ct. 973, 79 L.Ed.2d 211 (1984). We decline the invitation to recognize the theory here, particularly when the defendants have made no showing that the government acted affirmatively to prevent testimony of defense witnesses. See Westerdahl, 945 F.2d at 1086 (decisions on prosecutorial misconduct have focused on whether the government or its agents took affirmative actions to prevent defense witnesses from testifying). The fact that the government did not make available to the defendants Childress' statement that he had never met Neville King does not constitute misconduct. 6 The government never attempted to prove that Childress did know Neville King. Indeed, in a conspiracy, it is often the case that many members do not know each other. Therefore, Childress' statement did not in any way exculpate King. 38 Defendants next challenge the district court's acceptance of the assertion of a Fifth Amendment privilege by the two witnesses without any inquiry into the legitimacy or scope of the privilege. The law of this circuit requires a witness to take the witness stand and assert the [Fifth Amendment] privilege in response to particular questions. United States v. Stephens, 492 F.2d 1367, 1374 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 419 U.S. 852, 95 S.Ct. 93, 42 L.Ed.2d 83 (1974); see also In re Morganroth, 718 F.2d 161, 167 (6th Cir.1983) (The privilege must be asserted by a witness with respect to particular questions, and in each instance, the court must determine the propriety of the refusal to testify.). Both Hanserd and Childress took the witness stand and asserted their right not to answer any questions, and the court found assertion of the privilege sufficient without further probing to determine whether the witnesses would be inclined to answer any questions. 39 Although it would have been preferable for the trial judge to have engaged in a deeper inquiry into the scope of the witness' privilege, no fundamental rights were affected by the court's ruling. See Mahar, 801 F.2d at 1495-97 (court's failure to make particularized inquiry into scope of privilege harmless error). Both Childress and Hanserd had a colorable basis to assert the privilege in that the specter of further state prosecution was real. People v. Formicola, 407 Mich. 293, 284 N.W.2d 334, 336 (1979) (double jeopardy clause of Michigan Constitution does not bar state prosecutions subsequent to federal prosecutions for offenses arising out of the same act where the interests of the two forums are substantially different). Moreover, the witnesses, after consultation with counsel, were adamant that they wished to invoke the Fifth Amendment with regard to any questions. Thus, a particularized inquiry by the court would have been futile.