Opinion ID: 2978017
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Prosecutorial Misconduct (Manjate)

Text: Manjate also contends he was denied his right to a fair trial because the prosecuting attorney attempted to impeach him on cross-examination by reference to a 2000 misdemeanor conviction, in direct violation of an express ruling by the district court. Again, because this objection was not made in the form of a motion for mistrial or other relief that was denied by the district court, we review for plain error. United States v. Rose, 522 F.3d 710, 716 (6th Cir. 2008). Prosecutorial misconduct—not merely some error by the prosecutor, but misconduct—warrants relief only if it was flagrant and is shown to have resulted in prejudice. Id.; United States v. Coker, 514 F.3d 562, 568 (6th Cir. 2008). Here, Manjate has shown no more than mere error, hardly flagrant in nature, and has not demonstrated prejudice. Yes, prior to cross-examination, the district court had expressly ruled that the federal prosecutor, the Assistant U.S. Attorney, was prohibited from inquiring into Manjate’s 2000 misdemeanor conviction for possession of marijuana. The court ruled that the probative value of the evidence was clearly outweighed by danger of unfair prejudice. Yes, on cross-examination, the AUSA asked a question of Manjate which elicited, whether deliberately or inadvertently, an answer that contravened the court’s limine ruling. Specifically, he asked, “Did you ever have any drugs in your car ever?” Defense counsel did not object to the question. Manjate answered, “In 2000, I had an incident where it was a misdemeanor.” Even then, defense counsel did not object. Rather, it was the AUSA who, in a sidebar conference, proposed that Manjate, through his answer, had opened the door to use of the misdemeanor conviction for impeachment purposes. Defense - 11 - Nos. 07-1652, 07-1711 United States v. Manjate and Lewis counsel objected and asked the court to enforce its limine ruling by prohibiting any further questioning relating to the 2000 incident. The court agreed, offering to strike Manjate’s answer from the record. Defense counsel declined the offer, preferring not to bring any more attention to the matter. Trial tr. pp. 1381-83, JA 1664-66. On its face, there is nothing improper in the AUSA’s questioning. Manjate could have answered the question truthfully without mentioning the misdemeanor conviction. We can thus hardly rule that the AUSA engaged in misconduct. Yet, even if he deliberately baited Manjate into disclosing the protected information, it was Manjate who volunteered it. The court and counsel then worked cooperatively to isolate the solitary remark and limit any damage. Hence, even if Manjate has identified an instance of prosecutorial misconduct, it can hardly be characterized as flagrant. Nor has it been shown to have resulted in such unfair prejudice as to affect Manjate’s substantial rights and deprive him of a fair trial. Again, Manjate has failed to show plain error.