Opinion ID: 2799391
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The prosecutor’s comments

Text: Hope points to the following four allegedly improper comments by the prosecutor: first, in discussing the data regarding the large number of claims Hope submitted to Medicaid for services, the prosecutor stated, “Are you kidding me 17 Case: 14-12462 Date Filed: 05/07/2015 Page: 18 of 25 with this? Really? 7,000 kids? 7,000 kids in one month. You all can do the math. That’s like 225 kids a day. 940 kids on September 11th of 2006. It makes me sick to think that September 11th, I’m going to remember it for this (indicating).” Second, in reference to testimony that untrained HNS employees pricked the fingers of Head Start children purportedly to obtain hemoglobin measurements, the prosecutor stated, What was truly horrifying to me -- and I don’t know if you caught this -- but you’ve got some folks that are up there testifying about how they’re pricking the fingers of these children -- no training, nothing. They’re stabbing these little kids. How would you feel, ladies and gentlemen, if you sent your kid to some center and have some stranger, high school educated person, that’s going bing and stabbing your kid with a pin? I don’t think you’d be too happy. Third, the prosecutor commented on Marissa Garcia, an HNS employee who testified at trial, as follows: “And you heard Marissa Garcia. Marissa Garcia is probably one of the funniest witnesses that I’ve seen in quite a long time. She got up there, and she was honest.” Finally, in rebuttal closing argument, the prosecutor stated, Ladies and gentlemen, counsel quotes for you a Biblical verse. Let me quote for you from the Old Testament, one other thing I’d like you to think about when you go back there, one of the Ten Commandments. You might have heard of it. “Thou shalt not steal.” That’s what this case has been about. 18 Case: 14-12462 Date Filed: 05/07/2015 Page: 19 of 25