Opinion ID: 2782883
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Misconduct During Closing Argument

Text: During closing arguments, defense counsel argued that “the evidence presented to [the jury] by the law enforcement officers and the evidence presented by [Defendant] are consistent.” Defense counsel also urged the jury to “ask [themselves] whether [Defendant] was straightforward with [them] from that stand, including about some facts that he’s probably not proud of.” Defense counsel recognized that there was a “conflict” between the testimony of coconspirator Jones and Defendant, but asserted that Jones was not credible. The prosecutor responded in rebuttal, inviting the jury to question Defendant’s credibility. He noted that Defendant did not admit to selling crack cocaine until he was crossexamined. He also asked the jury to consider whether “there was any liquor found in those [motel] rooms” in light of Defendant’s testimony about drinking during his stay in Johnson City,4 implying that because law enforcement did not find any alcohol, Defendant lied about drinking. The prosecutor rehabilitated Jones’s credibility as well, stating that she came forward and admitted her guilt. Furthermore, he highlighted the fact that Jones was not a convicted felon, unlike Defendant, and that Jones confessed to having a drug addiction. 4 On direct examination, Defendant explained that he and Jamica Woods, his girlfriend, slept in the same room, but Woods “left maybe two or three times” to get liquor from the room of coconspirators Shanna Clark and Marquez Holloway. -21- No. 14-5430, United States v. Roberts Defendant states that his conviction should be reversed because the United States made “improper” closing arguments. Def.’s Br. 34. Specifically, Defendant contends the United States offered a “misleading and unfairly prejudicial” argument when it invited the jury to judge Defendant incredible because there was no physical evidence of liquor in the Motel 6, even though Defendant’s testimony concerning alcohol referred to drinking at the Red Roof Inn. Def.’s Br. 34. Defendant further contends that the United States untruthfully stated that Jones was not a convicted felon, and it improperly and prejudicially “vouch[ed] for the credibility of . . . Jones as a cooperating co-defendant.” Def.’s Br. 34-35. Because Defendant did not object to the statements made during closing argument, we review only for plain error. United States v. Henry, 545 F.3d 367, 376 (6th Cir. 2008). The court employs a two-part test when evaluating claims of prosecutorial misconduct based on improper statements during closing argument. United States v. Galloway, 316 F.3d 624, 632 (6th Cir. 2003). The court first determines “whether the remarks were indeed improper.” Id. If they were improper, the court then “determine[s] if the remarks were flagrant and warrant reversal.” Id. The court addresses four factors in determining flagrancy: “1) whether the statements tended to mislead the jury and prejudice the defendant; 2) whether the statements were isolated or pervasive; 3) whether the statements were deliberately placed before the jury; and 4) whether the evidence against the accused is otherwise strong.” Id. No single factor is dispositive, and even if the court does not find the remarks flagrant, it “will nonetheless reverse a conviction upon a determination that: 1) the proof of the defendant's guilt is not overwhelming; 2) the defense objected to the statements; and 3) the trial judge did not cure the impropriety through an admonishment to the jury.” Id. At the same time, we “afford wide latitude to a prosecutor during closing argument, analyzing disputed comments in the context of the trial as a -22- No. 14-5430, United States v. Roberts whole and recognizing that inappropriate comments alone do not justify reversal where the proceedings were ‘otherwise fair.’” Henry, 545 F.3d at 377 (quoting United States v. Young, 470 U.S. 1, 11 (1985)). The district court did not plainly err by allowing the prosecutor to make statements about the presence of liquor at the Motel 6 and Jones’s status as a convicted felon during closing arguments. First, the statements were not improper. The prosecutor asked the jury to consider whether the police found liquor in the searched Motel 6 rooms in order to impeach Defendant’s story about drinking alcohol the night before. While it is true that Defendant testified only about drinking liquor at the Red Roof Inn on the first day the co-conspirators spent in Johnson City, Defendant never claimed that liquor was consumed only at the Red Roof Inn. Indeed, on crossexamination, while discussing events that occurred at the Motel 6, the prosecutor asked Defendant whether “during your stay somebody had some liquor,” and Defendant confirmed that co-conspirators Clark and Holloway had liquor. Based on Defendant’s testimony, it was reasonable to infer that liquor was present in the Motel 6 room. See United States v. Roach, 502 F.3d 425, 434 (6th Cir. 2007) (noting that government’s comments during closing arguments “drew a reasonable inference based on the evidence” given at trial). The prosecutor also stated that Jones, unlike Defendant, was not a convicted felon. Of course, Jones pleaded guilty prior to the trial, so she was a convicted felon at the time of this closing argument. But she did not have a felony conviction prior to this case. That is why the prosecutor told the jury that Jones “did plead guilty to a lesser amount.” Second, even if the prosecutor’s statements were improper, they were not flagrant. In the context of the trial as a whole, two comments made by the prosecutor in passing were unlikely to have a great effect on the jury. See United States v. Mahar, 801 F.2d 1477, 1502-03 (6th Cir. -23- No. 14-5430, United States v. Roberts 1986) (holding that prosecutor’s three improper comments made during closing arguments did not constitute misconduct so pronounced and persistent that it permeated the entire atmosphere of the trial). Nor did the prosecutor improperly and prejudicially “vouch for the credibility of Marquesha Jones as a cooperating co-defendant.” Def.’s Br. 34-35. Improper vouching occurs when a prosecutor either (1) bluntly states a personal belief in a witness's credibility, “thereby placing the prestige of the office of the United States Attorney behind that witness,” or (2) “implies that the witness's testimony is corroborated by evidence known to the government but not known to the jury.” Henry, 545 F.3d at 378-79 (quoting United States v. Francis, 170 F.3d 546, 550-51 (6th Cir. 1999)). The prosecutor in this case did neither. He merely told the jury to consider various factors in assessing Jones’s credibility based on her testimony: the fact that Jones came forward and admitted her guilt, the fact that she was not a convicted felon prior to this prosecution, the fact that she admitted unsavory things like her prescription pill addiction, and the fact that her testimony was consistent with the testimony of other witnesses. At no point did the prosecutor state a personal belief in Jones’s credibility or raise evidence unavailable to the defense. Accordingly, the district court did not err by allowing those remarks.