Opinion ID: 470998
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: witnesses with agreements with the government

Text: 163 Odoner reiterates Larry Peters' challenge to the admission of the testimony of witnesses who negotiated deals with the government. We have already fully discussed and rejected the argument that the agreements were contingent and therefore violated due process. See section II(D) supra. 164 Odoner also challenges the testimony of five witnesses who received immunity for their testimony. One of these witnesses, Mark Gernetzke, testified that the government threatened him with prosecution and obtained statements from him before he received immunity. Defense counsel did not object to the testimony at the time it was offered, and therefore reversal is warranted only if the admission of this testimony was plain error. Plain error must be conspicuous and such that reversal of the conviction is necessary to avoid a miscarriage of justice. United States v. Silverstein, 732 F.2d 1338, 1348 (7th Cir.1984), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 105 S.Ct. 792, 83 L.Ed.2d 785 (1985). These immunity agreements did not make the risk of perjury so great that the testimony was per se unreliable. See United States v. Cruz, 739 F.2d 395, 396 (8th Cir.1984). The immunity agreement was one factor the jury could weigh in determining the witness' credibility, but the agreement alone did not  'make ... [the] testimony so legally unsubstantial or ... [the person's] credibility as a witness so legally infirm as to require reasonable doubt to be recognized as a matter of law.'  United States v. Evans, 697 F.2d 240, 245 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 460 U.S. 1086, 103 S.Ct. 1779, 76 L.Ed.2d 350 (1983) (quoting Williams v. United States, 328 F.2d 256, 259 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 377 U.S. 969, 84 S.Ct. 1651, 12 L.Ed.2d 739 (1964)). Each witness disclosed the details of the immunity agreement under which he testified. The testimony related to known facts; the agreement did not require the witness to seek out incriminating evidence against the appellant. United States v. Librach, 536 F.2d 1228, 1230 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 939, 97 S.Ct. 354, 50 L.Ed.2d 308 (1976). This testimony was properly admitted as the jury was capable of evaluating the testimony in light of the witness' agreement with the government. 165 Furthermore, the court gave complete final instructions cautioning the jury about the testimony of witnesses with agreements with the government. The trial judge instructed the jury to consider the testimony of such witnesses with more caution than the testimony of other witnesses. The judge also indicated that the witnesses may have had reason to lie or exaggerate because they wanted to strike a good bargain with the government about their own cases. The court thus specifically addressed at length the concerns Odoner now raises for the first time on appeal. We find no error in the admission of the testimony of these witnesses with immunity agreements. 166