Opinion ID: 349677
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Appellant's Prior Convictions.

Text: 45 Over the objections of defense counsel, the district judge admitted into evidence testimony and the taped recordings of Standish reciting information regarding Lambros' then contemporaneous convictions for assaulting federal officers and conspiring to import and distribute narcotics. The court permitted the prosecution to introduce these statements into evidence as well as other evidence of Lambros' past crimes as bearing on identity. See Fed.R.Evid. 404(b). At the same time, the court instructed the jury that the evidence was to be received only for the purpose of identity. 46 We find no error in the district court's action. Because much of the Government's evidence was circumstantial, identity became a key issue in the case. Indeed, appellant admits in its brief that identity was at issue but argues that the evidence was cumulative and that its prejudicial effect outweighed its probative worth. We disagree. Appellant's own argument in part I of its brief on the insufficiency of the evidence on identity undercuts his argument here that the evidence was merely cumulative. We cannot say, under these circumstances, that the prejudicial effect of the evidence outweighed its probative worth. Moreover, the district court properly acted to minimize the prejudicial effect with cautionary instructions. 47