Opinion ID: 3002091
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Pretrial Motions for Bill of

Text: Particulars and Severance Before trial, Blanchard moved for a bill of particulars pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 7(f). The indictment alleged that Blanchard committed both the methamphetamine manufacturing offense and the firearms offense “on or about December 30, 2004, in the Central District of Illinois.” In moving for a bill of particulars, Blanchard sought more specific information concerning the time and place of the alleged offenses, as well as the identity of the firearm (or firearms) alleged in 8 No. 07-2780 Count Two. The district court denied that motion, finding that “the charges are not complex, the indictment is sufficiently clear, and Defendant has been provided with discovery regarding the charges.” Blanchard now appeals, contending that the denial of this motion deprived him of an adequate opportunity to prepare for and meet the government’s evidence at trial. We review the trial court’s discretionary decision to deny a motion for a bill of particulars deferentially, reversing only upon an abuse of that discretion. United States v. Fassnacht, 332 F.3d 440, 446 (7th Cir. 2003); see also United States v. Hernandez, 330 F.3d 964, 975 (7th Cir. 2003). We will reverse only upon a showing of actual prejudice to the defendant. Hernandez, 330 F.3d at 975. Our bill-of-particulars analysis is similar to our constitutional sufficiency-of-the-indictment analysis; in both cases, the key question is whether the defendant was sufficiently apprised of the charges against him in order to enable adequate trial preparation. See Fassnacht, 332 F.3d at 446; see also Hernandez, 330 F.3d at 975 (“[A] bill of particulars [is] unnecessary where the indictment sets forth the elements of the charged offenses and provides sufficient notice of the charges to enable the defendant to prepare his defense.”). Information relevant to the preparation of a defense includes the elements of each charged offense, the time and place of the accused’s allegedly criminal conduct, and a citation to the statute or statutes violated. See Fassnacht, 332 F.3d at 446. Where the indictment fails to provide the full panoply of such information, a bill of particulars is nonetheless unnecessary No. 07-2780 9 if the information “is available through ‘some other satisfactory form,’ such as discovery.” Hernandez, 330 F.3d at 975 (quoting United States v. Canino, 949 F.2d 928, 949 (7th Cir. 1992)). Because Blanchard had ample access to the information necessary to prepare his defense, the district court did not abuse its discretion here. Although the indictment was somewhat sparse, Blanchard was the beneficiary of extensive pretrial discovery. For example, he received law enforcement reports concerning the searches of his two residences, the corresponding search warrants and supporting documents, and a report of his statements to law enforcement officers. Given knowledge of the evidence seized from both residences and the terms of the indictment, Blanchard was undoubtedly aware that the government might seek to prove that he manfuctured methamphetamine at either residence and that he possessed firearms at the Roberts residence on a date approximating the “on or about” date alleged in the indictment. This was more than sufficient to enable Blanchard to prepare for trial. See Fassnacht, 332 F.3d at 446 (noting that “the defendant’s constitutional right is to know the offense with which he is charged, not to know the details of how it will be proved” (quoting United States v. Kendall, 665 F.2d 126, 135 (7th Cir. 1981))). Therefore, the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying Blanchard’s motion for a bill of particulars. Before trial, Blanchard also moved to sever Counts One and Two for separate trials pursuant to Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure 8(a) and 14. He now appeals the 10 No. 07-2780 district court’s denial of that motion, arguing that the joinder of the drug and firearms offenses was improper and unduly prejudiced him at trial. Although Blanchard waived the Rule 14 severance aspect of this motion by failing to renew it at the close of the evidence, see United States v. Ross, 510 F.3d 702, 711 (7th Cir. 2007) (explaining that a Rule 14 motion for severance is waived if not renewed at the close of the evidence), the Rule 8 misjoinder aspect of the motion, though also not renewed, was properly preserved. See id. at 710 n.1 (“A defendant need not renew a Rule 8 motion at the close of the evidence to preserve the argument for appeal.”). We review Blanchard’s misjoinder claim de novo, focusing on the face of the indictment rather than the evidence adduced at trial. Id. at 710; see also United States v. Lanas, 324 F.3d 894, 899 (7th Cir. 2003). Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 8(a) permits joinder of offenses where they are (1) “of the same or similar character,” (2) “based on the same act or transaction,” or (3) “constitute parts of a common scheme or plan.” We construe this rule broadly in the interest of conserving judicial resources and avoiding costly, duplicative trials. United States v. Nettles, 476 F.3d 508, 516 (7th Cir. 2007); United States v. Rollins, 301 F.3d 511, 518 n.1 (7th Cir. 2002). Even where misjoinder occurs, we will not reverse unless the defendant can show actual prejudice—i.e., that the error “had substantial and injurious effect or influence in determining the jury’s verdict.” Ross, 510 F.3d at 710-11 (citing United States v. Lane, 474 U.S. 438, 449 (1986)); see also United States v. Hubbard, 61 F.3d 1261, 1271 (7th Cir. 1995). No. 07-2780 11 The first obstacle to Blanchard’s misjoinder argument is our presumption that, because of the close relationship between drug trafficking and firearms offenses, joinder of such offenses is ordinarily proper. See United States v. Stokes, 211 F.3d 1039, 1042 (7th Cir. 2000). This presumption arises from the “natural inferences that may be drawn from the contemporaneous possession of guns and drugs or drug paraphernelia: the firearm is an indication of drug activity, and participation in drug trafficking supplies a motive for having the gun.” Id. (quoting Hubbard, 61 F.3d at 1270). Although that presumption might be overcome by, for example, a significant temporal disconnect between the alleged offenses, see Hubbard, 61 F.3d at 1271 (concluding that firearms and narcotics charges were misjoined where nearly a year and a half transpired between the two offenses), there was no such disconnect here; the indictment alleged that the methamphetamine manufacturing and firearms offenses occurred at approximately the same time, and evidence of both offenses was recovered from the Roberts residence. See Stokes, 211 F.3d at 1042; United States v. Windom, 19 F.3d 1190, 1197 (7th Cir. 1994) (explaining that “joinder of a weapons offense with drug charges is proper under Rule 8(a), especially when the weapons and drugs are found in the same search”). Therefore, the district court did not err in joining these offenses for trial under Rule 8(a). Moreover, even if the offenses had been misjoined, the error would be harmless because Blanchard cannot show prejudice. See, e.g., Ross, 510 F.3d at 710-11; Hubbard, 61 F.3d at 1272. Blanchard points out that, absent joinder of 12 No. 07-2780 the two counts, the drug offense could have been tried without informing the jury that he was a convicted felon. Conceding this point, we are not convinced that the jury’s knowledge of Blanchard’s prior felony conviction had a “substantial and injurious effect or influence” on their deliberations. Ross, 510 F.3d at 711. As we explain in further detail below, the evidence of Blanchard’s guilt on both counts was considerable, mitigating any risk that the jury’s decision was influenced by knowledge that Blanchard had previously committed a felony. See id. Furthermore, the jury was properly instructed to consider each count and the corresponding evidence separately, not allowing their decision on one count to color their decision on the other. There is no reason to presume that they did not adhere to these instructions. Id; see also United States v. Coleman, 22 F.3d 126, 135 (7th Cir. 1994) (explaining that where the “jury [is] instructed to consider each count and the relating evidence separately . . . there [is] no reason to suppose that it would disregard this mandate” (citation omitted)). To recap, the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying Blanchard’s motion for a bill of particulars, because Blanchard was properly apprised of the charges against him and was the beneficiary of extensive pretrial discovery that filled in any gaps in the somewhat-sparse indictment; thus, he was not denied the opportunity to adequately prepare for trial. In addition, Blanchard has demonstrated neither misjoinder of the drug and firearms counts nor prejudice. Accordingly, the district court did not err in joining Counts One and Two for trial. Blanchard waived the Rule 14 aspect of his motion by failing to No. 07-2780 13 renew it at the close of the evidence, but even if it had not been waived, his inability to show prejudice would doom this claim as well.