Opinion ID: 792216
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Claim of improper pandering to jury prejudice.

Text: 28 A second prosecutor speculated during her closing that some of the jurors had probably been the victims of crimes. She asked the jurors how it made them feel that the defendant in this case wants [them] to think of him as the victim. She went on to question the plausibility of Owens's claim of duress in the robbery where he was caught on tape. Defense counsel did not object at the time. As with his claim of vouching, therefore, we review Owens's claim of pandering for plain error. Carroll, 26 F.3d at 1383. 29 Even in a straightforward case, improper pandering may furnish grounds to vacate and remand. See, e.g., Boyle v. Million, 201 F.3d 711 (6th Cir.2000). Yet Owens bears the burden of showing that the prosecutorial misconduct was so `especially flagrant that it constitutes plain error.' United States v. Modena, 302 F.3d 626, 635 (6th Cir.2002) (quoting United States v. Carter, 236 F.3d 777 (6th Cir.2001)). 30 This Court determines flagrancy by examining four factors: (1) whether the statements tended to mislead the jury or prejudice the defendant, (2) whether the statements were isolated or among a series, (3) whether the statements were deliberate, and (4) the total strength of the evidence against the accused. Boyle, 201 F.3d at 711. Although a single prosecutorial misstep can on occasion warrant reversal, see, e.g., Carroll, 26 F.3d at 1387, the second of these four factors has proved particularly salient. See Pritchett v. Pitcher, 117 F.3d 959, 964 (6th Cir.1997); United States v. Thomas, 728 F.2d 313, 320 (6th Cir.1984) (To warrant a new trial... prosecutorial misconduct `must be so pronounced and persistent that it permeates the entire atmosphere of the trial.') (quoting United States v. Lichenstein, 610 F.2d 1272, 1281 (5th Cir.1980)); cf. United States v. Beverly, 369 F.3d 516, 543 (6th Cir.2004) (In examining prosecutorial misconduct, it is necessary to view the conduct at issue within the trial as a whole.). 31 Not only was the comment at issue isolated, it is not clear from the record whether the comment was even calculated to prejudice the jurors against Owens: it may have been calculated to cast doubt on Owens's claim of duress. Further, the evidence against Owens, especially with respect to his defense of duress, was overwhelming. Each of his collaborators denied that Owens was under duress. The customers and employees of the bank, moreover, testified that Owens appeared to be the leader of the February 15 robbery. In light of the trial as a whole and the evidence against him, Owens has not shown that the prosecutor's comment was flagrant. Cf. Modena, 302 F.3d at 634 (prosecution's analogous comment-We can all take some satisfaction in the investigation and prosecution of [the defendant.] But we are not finished. We're not finished until this verdict is returned-not flagrant). Accordingly, we do not find plain error by the district court.