Opinion ID: 68611
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Admission of Carden’s statements

Text: We apply plain-error review when a defendant fails to object to an evidentiary ruling. United States v. Turner, 474 F.3d 1265, 1275-76 (11th Cir. 2007) (holding that a Bruton claim should be reviewed for plain error when a defendant failed to contemporaneously object to the admission of the evidence). 21 To establish plain error, a defendant must show an “(1) error, (2) that is plain and (3) that affects substantial rights. If all three conditions are met, an appellate court may then exercise its discretion to notice a forfeited error, but only if (4) the error seriously affects the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings.” Id. at 1276 (quotation omitted). “Where errors could have cut either way and uncertainty exists, the burden is the decisive factor in the third prong of the plain error test.” Id. (quotation and ellipsis omitted). In Bruton, the Supreme Court “held that despite a limiting instruction, the admission of a ‘powerfully incriminating extrajudicial statement’ of a non-testifying co-defendant violates a defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to confront and cross-examine an adverse witness.” Id. at 1277 (citing Bruton, 391 U.S. at 135-36, 88 S.Ct. at 1628). “A statement is ‘powerfully incriminating’ under Bruton if it directly implicates the defendant.” Id. It follows that testimony that does not implicate a codefendant directly does not violate Bruton. See id. at 1278 (“Thorp’s testimony initially did not violate Bruton, because it did not directly implicate Turner.”). Furthermore, to violate Bruton, a statement must be “facially incriminating,” and a statement is not facially incriminating if it has to be linked to other evidence in order to be inculpatory. United States v. Adams, 74 F.3d 1093, 1099 (11th Cir. 1996). 22 Here, the statements and topics about which Aguirre-Orozco complains do not implicate Aguirre-Orozco directly, and he cannot show that his substantial rights were affected by their admission. First, with respect to the nine statements and topics Aguirre-Orozco identifies, Carden mentions Aguirre-Orozco in only two, and none of the others implicates Aguirre-Orozco on their face. United States v. Beard, 775 F.2d 1577, 1581 (11th Cir. 1985) (finding no Bruton violation when a defendant’s “question to the F.B.I. agent did not directly name the defendant Roberts, nor d[id] it necessarily implicate Roberts in the commission of the bank robbery”). In the first statement that mentions Aguirre-Orozco, Carden states that Aguirre-Orozco was in the cell next to him and that law enforcement was trying to build a case on them. This was not facially inculpatory, and other testimony established that Carden and Aguirre-Orozco knew each other and that Aguirre-Orozco had been arrested. The next statement that mentions Aguirre-Orozco was Carden’s statement that Aguirre-Orozco had “done all he is going to do.” In order for this statement to make sense, it had to be linked with other testimony that Aguirre-Orozco paid Carden’s attorney a certain amount of money in a previous state case. This statement also was not facially incriminating, as it required other evidence in order to make sense, and did not suggest that Aguirre-Orozco was guilty of the charges for which he was then being tried. See 23 id. (noting that, to show a violation of Bruton, the defendant must show that “the out-of-court statement by his co-defendant [] directly implicated him and that the statement standing alone was clearly inculpatory”). Thus, Aguirre-Orozco failed to show that the district court committed an error under Bruton. Furthermore, even if the statements were admitted in violation of Bruton, Aguirre-Orozco cannot show that his substantial rights were violated because of the overwhelming evidence of his guilt. The statements were unrelated to Aguirre-Orozco’s possession charge, and, with respect to the conspiracy charge, the evidence at trial supported that Aguirre-Orozco was involved in a methamphetamine-distribution conspiracy. Canales testified that he bought pounds of methamphetamine from Aguirre-Orozco, and that Canales was a part of a conspiracy with Aguirre-Orozco and Carden. Fallin testified that he knew that Aguirre-Orozco was Carden’s source of supply and had seen Aguirre-Orozco and Carden exchange money in the presence of large amounts of drugs. Gilmore testified that Carden sold drugs that he got from Aguirre-Orozco. Freeman testified that Aguirre-Orozco was his supplier and that Aguirre-Orozco shared methamphetamine with him. Finally, Luker testified that Aguirre-Orozco supplied Carden with drugs. This evidence of Aguirre-Orozco’s guilt was overwhelming apart from the admitted statements, such that Aguirre-Orozco cannot show that any 24 Bruton error affected his substantial rights. See Turner, 474 F.3d at 1278 (holding that Turner did not show that Bruton error affected her substantial rights because, “independent of the challenged testimony, the government presented overwhelming evidence in support of Turner’s convictions”). Accordingly, we affirm as to this issue.