Opinion ID: 4554030
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The TOC Log

Text: Another piece of exculpatory evidence speaking to both the presence of snipers and the surveillance camera is the TOC Log. The log records the operations and actions of members of the SWAT team at the FOB. In one entry, the log records: “Snipers inserted.” The log also records observations from the camera’s live feed. The government did not produce the log until November 17, 2017—well after trial was underway. The government had taken the position that there were no “snipers,” and that agents in the “overwatch” position were simply “law enforcement officers.” Indeed, in the Tier 3 trial conducted some nine months earlier, the government had represented that no “snipers” were involved in the operation. Based on this representation, the district court had entered an order precluding testimony referencing snipers. The court even removed a testifying defendant from the stand because he made several references to snipers. Given the value of the TOC Log and its black-and-white reference to “snipers,” the district court concluded that it constituted Brady evidence and 32 UNITED STATES V. BUNDY that its withholding prejudiced the defense. There can be no question that the withholding of a government document recording “snipers inserted” caused prejudice.