Opinion ID: 567448
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Use of Prior Grand Jury Testimony for Impeachment

Text: 59 Elder complains that the trial court improperly allowed the United States to cross-examine him concerning the invocation of his fifth amendment right to remain silent in testifying before a Maine grand jury. As a result, Elder argues, Fed.R.Evid. 403 was violated because the jury was misled to believe that Elder lied to the grand jury. Elder contends that by asking him if he knew a man named James Bickett, contrary to a prior agreement, the United States implicitly questioned him concerning his invocation of his fifth amendment rights. 60 The United States responds that it never elicited testimony that Elder invoked his fifth amendment right during the Maine grand jury testimony. The government asserts that it used Elder's prior grand jury testimony only for impeachment purposes on cross-examination. The prosecutor asked Elder whether, during the Maine testimony, he was asked the question of whether he knew James Bickett. Elder admitted to being asked that question and responding in the negative. Elder then testified that he did not know James Bickett. 61 The proper standard of review concerning evidentiary issues is that of abuse of discretion. See United States v. Rios, 842 F.2d 868, 872 (6th Cir.1988) (per curiam), cert. denied, 109 S.Ct. 840 (1989). We find that the district court did not abuse its discretion in ruling that the cross-examination of Elder was proper. The prosecutor did not question Elder concerning the invocation of his fifth amendment right, nor did he ask Elder about the specific question to which Elder responded by invoking his fifth amendment right. Rather, the prosecutor asked Elder about the question he had answered before the Maine grand jury. The Maine grand jury had asked Elder whether he knew a man named James Bickett, and whether he knew anybody with the last name of Bickett. Elder had invoked his fifth amendment right in response to the second question. However, he had answered the first question in the negative. Elder errs in joining the two questions, which are separable. Accordingly, we affirm this ruling by the trial court.