Opinion ID: 793659
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Evidence of Quattrone's Compensation

Text: 126 The government offered evidence of Quattrone's salary during 1999 and 2000 in order to argue that Quattrone's substantial salary established a motive for him to obstruct the IPO allocation investigations. Quattrone contends that the evidence was irrelevant and unduly prejudicial because it invited the jury to engage in class-based bias against him. To this end, Quattrone asserts that evidence of wealth is always irrelevant to motivation. In our view, the district court acted within the scope of its discretion in finding the evidence relevant and consistent with Rule 403. See United States v. Logan, 250 F.3d 350, 369 (6th Cir.2001); United States v. Mitchell, 172 F.3d 1104, 1108-10 (9th Cir.1999); United States v. Weiss, 914 F.2d 1514, 1523-24 (2d Cir.1990); United States v. Stahl, 616 F.2d 30, 32-33 (2d Cir.1980). While evidence of compensation, wealth, or lack thereof can unduly prejudice jury deliberations, that evidence may be admitted where other safeguards are employed such as limiting instructions or restrictions confining the government's references to that wealth. Compare, e.g., Logan, 250 F.3d at 369 (approving of inquiry into income from company used to conduct fraud as evidence of motive to falsify information submitted to government-backed entity over Rule 403 challenge), with Stahl, 616 F.2d at 32-33 (overturning conviction on ground of undue prejudice and misconduct in bribery prosecution when prosecutor made repeated inflammatory references to wealth during opening and summation). 127 We cannot say that the district court acted so far outside the range of reasonable decision making in admitting this evidence that it abused its discretion. The district court concluded that evidence of Quattrone's compensation for 1999 and 2000 was relevant to Quattrone's motive to protect his reputation and that of CSFB's Tech group. Despite Quattrone's protests to the contrary, the compensation evidence was not unduly prejudicial. As the government highlights, its references to Quattrone's compensation during its opening statement and summation specified that evidence of his compensation was to be used for the limited purpose of establishing a motive to obstruct and could not be used to convict Quattrone simply because of his wealth. Appellee Br. 96-97. 128