Opinion ID: 795541
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Admission of criminal histories of Gary Jackson and Robert Corona

Text: 50 Medina argues, and the Government concedes, that the district court abused its discretion by allowing the Government to introduce into evidence a judgment of conviction against a man named Robert Corona, an alleged acquaintance of Medina's, for conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute. Medina further argues that the district court abused its discretion by allowing the Government to admit mug shots of Gary Jackson and Corona, as well as a Presentence Investigative Report of Corona. 3 We agree that the court abused its discretion in admitting each of these items. 51 Evidence is only admissible if it is relevant, that is, if it tends to demonstrate that a fact of consequence to the action is more or less probable than it would be without the evidence. Fed.R.Evid. 401, 402. Furthermore, a trial court may exclude evidence even when relevant if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading the jury. Fed.R.Evid. 403. Evidence that demonstrates only guilt by association, such as evidence of a family member's criminal history, is irrelevant to the question of a defendant's actual guilt. See United States v. Cunningham, 804 F.2d 58, 61-62 (6th Cir.1986); see also United States v. Polasek, 162 F.3d 878, 884, 885 n. 2 (5th Cir.1998) (collecting cases from other circuits holding that guilt-by-association evidence violates Rule 401, Rule 403, or both.). 52 Evidence of Corona's prior convictions was clearly irrelevant to Medina's guilt, as the evidence was used only to demonstrate that Medina knew a criminal. A jury may not infer membership in a conspiracy by mere association of individuals with one another. United States v. Gibbs, 182 F.3d 408, 423 (6th Cir.1999). Evidence of Jackson's criminal history was also irrelevant. This is so despite the evidence suggesting Jackson's involvement in the present case such as his departure from Medina's house and flight from the police, because evidence of even a co-defendant's prior convictions is irrelevant to the determination of a defendant's guilt. United States v. Taylor, 210 F.3d 311, 317 (5th Cir.2000). All of the evidence pertaining to Corona's and Jackson's criminal histories should have been excluded, and we conclude that the district court abused its discretion by allowing admission of the judgment as well as the two mug shots.