Opinion ID: 491580
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: lynn miller's testimony

Text: 19 The next issue concerns the government's calling of a surprise witness, namely, Lynn Miller, the appellant's ex-wife. Massell contends that the trial court abused its discretion when it denied his motion for continuances made in order to locate the individuals mentioned in her testimony to determine whether their testimony would impeach her. 20 The trial commenced before the jury on May 20, 1986, shortly after 10:25 a.m. Before 8:35 a.m. the next day, the prosecutor told appellant's counsel that Ms. Miller would testify. Appellant requested a hearing on the marital privilege and complained of the late notification concerning Ms. Miller's status as a potential witness. The prosecutor, at the court's request, then made a proffer of her expected testimony. Appellant's counsel claimed that Ms. Miller refused to allow him to interview her in preparation for trial. In this pretrial in camera proceeding, the trial judge found that Ms. Miller's testimony would describe one continuous scheme of narcotics trafficking and was not testimony of other crimes under Fed.R.Evid. 404(b). The court also held that it would not allow the prosecutor to question Ms. Miller on her personal use of drugs in the company of the appellant. However, the court held that if the appellant tried to impeach Miller's credibility by asking her on cross about using drugs, the government would then be justified in allowing her to testify that Massell was the provider of the narcotics, and that they both partook of the drugs together. 21 At trial, Ms. Miller, who was the last witness called, testified that Massell owed her money when they divorced, and that he raised it by importing marijuana on his boat. She also testified that he knew of the secret compartment in the keel. Massell's motions for continuance were denied.
22 Defendant's motion for continuance was addressed to the sound discretion of the trial court. The denial of that motion by the trial judge is not due to be disturbed by us unless defendant can show that there was an abuse of that discretion. United States v. Smith, 591 F.2d 1105, 1110 (5th Cir.1979). 6 In this case, both appellant and the government agree that there is no precedent holding that the government must provide the defendant with a list of witnesses. United States v. Hancock, 441 F.2d 1285 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 404 U.S. 833, 92 S.Ct. 81, 30 L.Ed.2d 63 (1971). However, appellant argues that when the government does provide a witness list, it should contain all of the government's witnesses. Appellant claims that, otherwise, the government can mislead the defendant. Therefore, appellant concludes that the court should have granted a continuance for him to interview Ms. Miller. 23 The lower court did not abuse its discretion in denying this motion. The government did not tell the appellant that Ms. Miller would testify until the trial because there was concern for her safety. Evidently, the government convinced the lower court of this danger during the in camera proceeding, as the court ordered a special condition of probation that Massell is to avoid all future contact with his ex-wife. (R. 2-97). We also find that since the government did tell the defense that Ms. Miller would testify and also what she would say, along with the fact that appellant could have moved the court to order Ms. Miller to allow Massell's counsel to interview her, there was no abuse of discretion in the lower court's decision to deny Massell's motion for continuance. United States v. Sukumolachan, 610 F.2d 685 (9th Cir.1980) (There was no basis for argument that the omission of a government witness from the proffered witness list misled the defendant when defendant was well aware of said witness' existence and possible testimony).
24 The lower court did not err in presenting Massell with a Hobson's choice concerning his cross-examination of Lynn Miller. Since Miller's and Massell's residential drug use was inextricably intertwined, there was no way for the court to limit her testimony to a simple statement that she had used drugs. Even if we had found that the court erred in allowing this evidence against Massell, this error would be harmless when compared with the extensive evidence of Massell's guilt, including his own false statements about the keel to the Customs officials and evidence concerning the modification of the vessel which was under Massell's exclusive control.