Opinion ID: 588821
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Miscellaneous Allegations of Error

Text: 53 The appellants contend a variety of legal error occurred in the admission of certain testimony and evidence. We disagree.
54 At trial, Castaneda testified that Brevell had stated Beaumont was the head of the conspiracy and Smith testified that Gerald also admitted that Beaumont was the head of the conspiracy. The district court, over the objections of appellants, admitted the testimony upon condition that the government demonstrate the existence of a conspiracy. See Fed.R.Evid. 801(d)(2)(E) (coconspirators' statements not hearsay). The district court, at the close of the government's case-in-chief, determined that the government had satisfied its threshold burden of demonstrating by a preponderance of the evidence that a conspiracy existed. See Bourjaily v. United States, 483 U.S. 171, 175-181, 107 S.Ct. 2775, 2778-82, 97 L.Ed.2d 144 (1987) (discussing admission of coconspirators' statements under Rule 801(d)(2)(E)); see also United States v. James, 590 F.2d 575, 582-83 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 442 U.S. 917, 99 S.Ct. 2836, 61 L.Ed.2d 283 (1979) (district court may conditionally admit coconspirators' statements). We find no error in the admission of the statements.
55 The United States presented the testimony of its expert witness, Dr. Joseph Prall (Dr. Prall). During direct examination, Dr. Prall expressed his opinion that the chemicals, glassware and various paraphernalia seized at Beaumont's home were being used in a large scale methamphetamine manufacturing operation. Appellants failed to object to this testimony. On cross-examination, appellants inquired as to whether a person who merely sold precursor chemicals and owned glassware was a manufacturer of methamphetamine. Without objection, Dr. Prall responded that such a person was either directly manufacturing methamphetamine or engaged in a conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine. On redirect-examination, the government asked Dr. Prall what activity persons were engaged in when such persons sold precursor chemicals, kept formulas for methamphetamine, and sold precursor chemicals without keeping records of such sales. Appellants objected to this line of questioning but the district court permitted Dr. Prall to answer when the government explained that it was only trying to follow up on Dr. Prall's opinion given during cross-examination. Dr. Prall testified that the individuals described in the government's question would be involved in a methamphetamine conspiracy. 56 Because the term conspiracy was first used by Dr. Prall during cross-examination, and because appellants did not then object to its use, their complaint as to its subsequent use during redirect-examination will be upheld only if it constitutes plain error. See United States v. Nixon, 918 F.2d 895, 904-05 (11th Cir.1990) (failure to object to use of term conspiracy by expert witness when elicited on cross examination rendered complaint about later use of term reviewable under plain error standard). Moreover, we note Federal Rule of Evidence 704 provides that expert testimony in the form of an opinion or inference otherwise admissible is not objectionable because it embraces an ultimate issue to be decided by the trier of fact. Fed.R.Evid. 704. After reviewing the transcripts of Dr. Prall's testimony, we feel that in the context given, the testimony was a factual rather than a legal conclusion. See Nixon, 918 F.2d at 905 (officer's use of conspiracy factual, not legal determination). 20