Opinion ID: 784866
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Brady and Giglio Claims (Soto-Beníquez, Soto-Ramírez, Alicea-Torres)

Text: 140 Defendants contend that there were multiple Brady and Giglio violations. See Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 87, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963); Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150, 153-54, 92 S.Ct. 763, 31 L.Ed.2d 104 (1972). First, several defendants challenge the government's failure to reveal the apparent inconsistencies in Rodríguez-López's story when it first became aware of them in the summer of 1998. At that time, all the prosecution knew was that Rodríguez-López had lied to the FBI (not the grand jury) about being present at Rivera-González's murder. He had not testified to the grand jury about that murder. Although the prosecution must reveal material information that is favorable to the accused, the fact that Rodríguez-López may not have been present at the Rivera-González murder is not exculpatory evidence. Admittedly, the analysis might have been different if the government had ultimately called Rodríguez-López as a witness at trial: his earlier lies to the government would certainly have constituted a basis for impeaching him. See Giglio, 405 U.S. at 153-54, 92 S.Ct. 763; Moreno-Morales v. United States, 334 F.3d 140, 145 (1st Cir.2003). But the government did not call Rodríguez-López. Furthermore, as the trial court noted, the defendants knew a month before trial that Rodríguez-López had lied, so they had sufficient time to interview him and have him testify if they so desired. 141 Several defendants also argue that the government failed to fully disclose the extent of Negrón-Maldonado's plea and cooperation agreement with the government. After testifying on direct examination about ten murders, Negrón-Maldonado admitted during redirect examination that the government had promised him favorable treatment in his related state court proceedings in exchange for his testimony. Counsel for Soto-Beníquez and Soto-Ramírez immediately moved for a mistrial, telling the court that the prosecution had never disclosed its intervention in the Puerto Rico courts on behalf of the witness. (The prosecution had disclosed the existence of a plea arrangement between itself and Negrón-Maldonado). At side-bar, the government explained that while the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico had made certain oral assurances to the witness at the prosecution's behest, no agreement had been reduced to writing and thus there was no document that could have been produced to inform the defense of the agreement. 142 The government's obligation to disclose impeachment evidence is not, as suggested by the prosecution, dependent on whether that evidence has been reduced to written form. See Giglio, 405 U.S. at 154-55, 92 S.Ct. 763 (reversing conviction where an oral agreement between a prosecutor and key witness was not disclosed to the defense). Here, the government failed to disclose the full extent of its agreement with the witness until the defense uncovered the details of the arrangement during cross-examination. 143 Nonetheless, the defendants were not prejudiced by the government's delay in revealing this information and are not entitled to reversal on appeal. See United States v. Lemmerer, 277 F.3d 579, 588 (1st Cir.2002) (a defendant must show that learning the information altered the subsequent defense strategy, and that given timely disclosure, a more effective strategy would likely have resulted (quoting United States v. Devin, 918 F.2d 280, 290 (1st Cir.1990))); United States v. Ingraldi, 793 F.2d 408, 411-12 (1st Cir.1986) (same). Negrón-Maldonado admitted the full extent of his arrangement with the government during cross-examination. Moreover, the defendants' strategy in cross-examining Negrón-Maldonado was surely not impacted by the government's delayed disclosure. Even without knowing about the federal prosecution's intervention in state court, the defense's cross-examination of Negrón-Maldonado was intended to suggest that the witness was fabricating his testimony in order to receive favorable treatment. There has been no showing that having a larger quantum of evidence than originally supposed would have altered the way in which the defense cross-examined the witness, and the court granted additional time to defense counsel to prepare and investigate the new information before cross-examination of the witness resumed. Again, we do not approve of the prosecution's conduct; we hold only that it does not provide a basis for reversal. 144 Soto-Beníquez and Soto-Ramírez also allege that the prosecution failed to disclose that it had granted immunity to Janet Garcia-Diaz, the girlfriend of Torrens-Alicea, another cooperating witness. This argument is without merit. Garcia-Diaz was told that she would not be prosecuted after she specifically inquired of the government whether she needed a lawyer, on the same day that she was called as a defense witness by Vega-Colón to impeach Torrens-Alicea's testimony for the prosecution. There was a window of, at most, several hours between the government's statement to Garcia-Diaz and the defendants' discovery of this supposed grant of immunity. Even assuming that the defendants were entitled to this information under Giglio, they became aware of the so-called grant of immunity on the same day that it was extended. No prejudice has been shown. 145 Finally, Soto-Beníquez and Soto-Ramírez suggest that the prosecution did not disclose the fact that cooperating witnesses were allowed to make unmonitored phone calls, visit with their spouses, and take pictures of themselves half-naked in government offices. Defendants, though, were informed by discovery letter about several visits by family members to cooperating witnesses. In any case, these benefits pale in comparison with the deals negotiated in the plea bargains. Defendants were well aware of the agreements with cooperating witnesses (absent that of Negron-Maldonado, discussed above) and used them well in cross-examination. There was no prejudice to the defendants. 146