Opinion ID: 1399696
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Testimony about prior drug deals with Powers and Brown

Text: The district court also allowed the government to present testimony under Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b) about Harris's drug transactions with Powers and Brown. Harris again argues that the district court abused its discretion by admitting improper propensity evidence. See Fed.R.Evid. 404(b); Simpson, 479 F.3d at 497. The government counters that the evidence was properly admitted because it was not introduced to demonstrate Harris's propensity to sell drugs, but instead to prove his intent, knowledge, opportunity, and the absence of mistake. See Fed. R.Evid. 404(b); Sebolt, 460 F.3d at 916. As with the other drug transactions between Harris and Haynes, evidence that Harris sold drugs to Brown was relevant to prove Harris's intent, see Moore, at 499; Taylor, 522 F.3d at 734; Ross, 510 F.3d at 713, and to prove his knowledge of the drugs and firearms recovered, see Best, 250 F.3d at 1092. It also helped establish Harris's motive to possess the gun. See United States v. Caldwell, 423 F.3d 754, 759 (7th Cir.2005); United States v. Lloyd, 71 F.3d 1256, 1264 (7th Cir.1995). Haynes's testimony about his conversation with Harris about prior drug dealing with Brown revealed that Harris also needed the firearm for protection from Brown's family. The testimony from Powers and Brown was also relevant to rebut the allegations of mistake that Harris raised by repeatedly challenging the veracity of Haynes's testimony, and by frequently citing the fact that the recordings of the controlled purchases did not portray drugs changing hands or any discussion of drugs. See Taylor, 522 F.3d at 733. Powers's testimony about how he and Harris negotiated prices during their drug transactions by silently passing a cell phone between them corroborated and illuminated Haynes's testimony about the controlled purchases and was especially probative to prove absence of mistake. Moreover, as the district court noted, the evidence that Harris purchased drugs from Powers was admissible to establish that Harris had the opportunity to make the controlled sales by tracing a potential supplier of the drugs sold to Haynes. The testimony from Powers and Brown was also similar enough and close enough in time to the charged conduct. Like Haynes, Powers and Brown also testified about drug deals involving cocaine within two years of the charged conduct. See Ross, 510 F.3d at 713; Ruiz, 178 F.3d at 880-81. The evidence was also sufficient to support a jury finding that Harris engaged in the prior drug transactions with Powers and Brown. See Mallett, 496 F.3d at 802. Finally, the substantial probative value of the testimony from Powers and Brown on the issues of intent, absence of mistake, knowledge, motive, and opportunity greatly outweighed any potential unfair prejudice, especially in light of the district court's time-frame limitation and diligent, unopposed limiting instructions. See Moore, at 499; Mallett, 496 F.3d at 802; United States v. Whitlow, 381 F.3d 679, 686 (7th Cir.2004). The district court did not abuse its discretion by admitting testimony about Powers's and Brown's drug transactions with Harris.