Opinion ID: 33204
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Admission of The Anarchist's Cook-book

Text: 25 Walters argues that the district court erred in admitting into evidence both the title and a chapter from The Anarchist's Cookbook. The government offered the evidence under Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b), which provides: 26 Evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts is not admissible to prove the character of a person in order to show action in conformity therewith. It may, however, be admissible for other purposes, such as proof of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident. 27 FED.R.EVID. 404(b). Extrinsic evidence must satisfy two criteria for admission under Rule 404(b): (1) it must be relevant under Federal Rule of Evidence 401 to an issue other than the defendant's character; and (2) it must have probative value that substantially outweighs its prejudicial impact under Federal Rule of Evidence 403. United States v. Beechum, 582 F.2d 898, 911-13 (5th Cir.1978) (en banc). This court reviews the admission of evidence under Rule 404(b) for abuse of discretion. United States v. Grimes, 244 F.3d 375, 383 (5th Cir.2001). Although this review is necessarily heightened in criminal cases, United States v. Anderson, 933 F.2d 1261, 1268 (5th Cir.1991), abuse of discretion is only reversible if a defendant can demonstrate prejudice. United States v. Coleman, 78 F.3d 154, 156 (5th Cir.1996). 28 The government contends that the only portions introduced from The Anarchist's Cookbook were relevant to show that Walters knew how to make bombs similar to the bomb that injured McWilliams. Walters responds that two categories of differences between the government's theory against him and the contents of the book diminish its relevance: Walters asserts that the type of bomb used in this case was very different from the explosive devices discussed in the book, and that the government's theory as to the motivation for the bombing — revenge for a private wrong — was very different from The Anarchist's Cookbook's anti-government rhetoric. Walters contends that differences so diminish the relevance of the book that the prejudicial impact of the title and the sections of the chapter that included discussions of explosions of large buildings — an emotionally charged topic after September 11, 2001 — outweigh the minimal probative value. 29 The government gave notice before trial that it would offer portions of The Anarchist's Cookbook as extrinsic evidence under Rule 404(b). Coleman, 78 F.3d at 156. 2 The trial court carefully limited what the government could show the jury, admitting only the title for identification purposes, the inside cover page on which Walters's name was handwritten, and one chapter dealing with making explosives and booby traps. The trial court found that, so limited and with the proper instruction, the admitted portions of The Anarchist's Cookbook met the requirements of Rule 404(b). This court agrees. 30 The first issue is the extent to which the admitted portions were relevant under Rule 401 to an issue other than Walters's character. 3 The only chapter admitted discussed how to assemble components of explosive devices similar to components found in the Lackland bomb. The chapter discussed how to obtain and handle black powder, which was the explosive used in the bomb. The chapter also discussed tamping, a technique for channeling the power of the explosive used, a technique used on the black powder in the Lackland bomb. The chapter outlined a booby-trap triggering mechanism with the same sequence, power sources, conductors, and switches used in the Lackland bomb. The chapter that the trial court admitted was relevant to show Walters's knowledge and ability to make a bomb using such components. The admission of the title and inside cover page containing Walters's handwritten name were relevant to identify the source of the chapter and its relationship to Walters. See Coleman, 78 F.3d at 156; Royal, 972 F.2d at 647. 31 Walters's challenge to relevance based on temporal remoteness fails. The evidence at trial showed that Walters had been in Utah as recently as three months before the bombing and had visited his mother's home, where the book was found, as recently as March or April of 2000. The relatively short time between Walters's last visit to the place where the book was found and the date of the bombing does not diminish the probative value of the evidence. See Grimes, 244 F.3d at 385 (holding that a one-year gap between an extrinsic act and the charged offense does not remove relevance and stating that a ten-year gap would be too large). 32 Walters argues that the unduly prejudicial impact of The Anarchist's Cookbook substantially outweighed its probative value, in violation of Rule 404(b) and Rule 403. 4 Walters understates the probative value of the excerpts admitted and overstates their prejudicial impact. The similarity between specific components of the Lackland bomb and those described in The Anarchist's Cookbook chapter admitted made the evidence highly probative. The government redacted the book to admit relevant portions and placed no emphasis on the title or the contents unrelated to the components similar to the bomb at issue. The district court gave the jury a limiting instruction governing its consideration of this evidence. The instruction told the jurors that they could consider the evidence only for the limited purpose of determining the identity of the defendant as the person who constructed the destructive device used to commit the crimes alleged in the indictment, or for the limited purpose of deciding whether the defendant acted in preparation for constructing the destructive device used to commit the crimes alleged in the indictment, or for the limited purpose of deciding whether the defendant had the knowledge to construct the destructive device used to commit the crimes alleged in the indictment. Given the redaction of irrelevant portions of the Cookbook, the absence of any effort by the prosecutor to emphasize the title or create an unduly prejudicial impact, and the judge's instruction limiting the jury's use of the evidence, this court concludes that admission was proper under Rule 404(b). See United States v. Gonzalez, 328 F.3d 755, 760 n. 2 (5th Cir.2003) (a limiting instruction mitigates potential prejudicial effect). 5 33 Walters is not the first defendant found in possession of The Anarchist's Cookbook or similar how-to manuals to challenge their admission under Rule 404(b). In United States v. Rogers, 270 F.3d 1076 (7th Cir.2001), the defendant was charged with possession of an unregistered firearm after agents discovered a homemade silencer for a semiautomatic pistol in his garage. Id. at 1077. At trial, the defendant contended that he thought the device was an extension of the pistol and had no idea that it functioned as a silencer. Id. at 1081. The district court admitted the entirety of The Anarchist's Cookbook into evidence. The prosecutor treated the title as significant and read to the jury not only the parts about building silencers, but other portions as well. Id. The appellate court found error in some respects. Id. Although portions of the Cookbook were relevant, the trial court should have limited the portions admitted to those pertinent to the charged offense. Id. The appellate court nonetheless affirmed the conviction because of the weight of the evidence against the defendant, noting that [t]here is no problem ... in presenting to the jury written material in the defendant's possession that shows how to commit the crime, for this makes it more likely that the defendant rather than someone else was culpable. Id. 34 In United States v. Ellis, 147 F.3d 1131 (9th Cir.1998), the defendant was charged with illegally possessing stolen explosives. Id. at 1133. The government introduced The Anarchist's Cookbook based on evidence that the defendant had borrowed it a month before the explosives were reported stolen. Id. at 1134. The district court admitted the entire Cookbook into evidence. On appeal, the court found error because prejudicial books and manuals... are normally inadmissible when they are `entirely unnecessary to support the charge....' Id. at 1135 (internal citation omitted). Intent was not an element of the possession offense charged in Ellis, making the Cookbook unnecessary to support the charge. The prejudicial impact of the introduction of a revolutionary text and the absence of any probative value made admission erroneous under Rule 404(b). Id. at 1135-36. 35 In the present case, in contrast to Ellis, intent is an element of the offenses charged. 6 In the present case, in contrast to Rogers, the trial court limited the Cookbook portions admitted, allowing the jury to see only the chapter containing the description of building explosives with features similar to the bomb Walters allegedly assembled. The portions of the Cookbook pertinent to making a bomb with features similar to the one that exploded at the base were relevant to show Walters's knowledge and ability to make such a device. See United States v. Stotts, 176 F.3d 880, 890-91 (6th Cir.1999) (bomb-making books in defendant's residence admitted to show that an explosion at a suspected methamphetamine lab was from a device intended to be destructive and not merely an accidental result of chemicals combining); United States v. Salameh, 152 F.3d 88, 111 (2d Cir.1998) (possession of documents detailing how to construct bombs provided circumstantial proof of familiarity with bomb making and the use of explosives and had probative value in light of the similarity to the actual bomb); United States v. Ford, 22 F.3d 374, 381 (1st Cir.1994) (book seized from drug defendant's home entitled Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture properly admitted to show that the defendant was a drug dealer as opposed to someone who possessed drugs for personal use). The careful approach in this case distinguishes it from Rogers, in which the prosecutor treated the title, The Anarchist's Cookbook, as significant and read to the jury portions of the book in addition to those relating to the charged offenses. See Rogers, 270 F.3d at 1081 (warning that admission should be limited to those portions of the book relevant to the charge and the prosecutor may not suggest that a defendant should be convicted because he owned such seditious literature); see also Grimes, 244 F.3d at 385 (suggesting that the government redact narratives describing crimes of a different nature than those charged). 36 In addition, the weight of the evidence against Walters prevents him from demonstrating prejudice. See Rogers, 270 F.3d at 1081 (affirming conviction despite certain errors in the introduction and use of The Anarchist's Cookbook at trial, based on the weight of the evidence against the defendant). Walters had a history of education and training in bomb making and repeatedly expressed animosity toward the bomb victim. After the bombing, agents found in Walters's room a number of components also found in the exploded bomb. The amount and strength of the evidence against Walters does not support reversal based on the admission of the Cookbook. 37