Opinion ID: 580870
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Angel Otero

Text: 46 During the government's direct examination of DEA Agent Wayne McDonnell, the following colloquy occurred: 47 Q: What, if anything, else the [sic] Mr. Otero tell you that night or did you ask him and did he say to you? 48 A: No. Immediately thereafter, he stated that he transported a gray bag to the arrest scene. He also stated that he did not know the contents of the bag. He stated that someone had given him the bag. I then asked him who gave him the bag and he did not respond to the question. 49 Q: What did he do when you asked him who gave him the bag? 50 A: He basically looked at the floor and looked at the ceiling. 51 Following the direct examination of Agent McDonnell, counsel for Otero moved for a mistrial based on this exchange. The district court denied this motion. Prior to his cross-examination of Agent McDonnell, counsel for Otero moved to strike certain parts of this direct testimony, or for an instruction to the jury to disregard them. This motion also was denied. 52 On direct examination, Otero testified that the first time he saw the bag was at the arrest scene when they opened the door [of the Samurai] and pushed the seat forward. In Otero's summation, his counsel re-emphasized that Otero was unaware of the bag until after his arrival at the arrest scene. During the government's rebuttal summation, the following exchange occurred: 53 [PROSECUTOR]: Now we come to the defendant Otero. If in point of fact Otero had an explanation on the evening as to what happened and why the bag was in the car, he could have given it to Agent McDonnell-- 54 [OTERO'S COUNSEL]: Objection. 55 THE COURT: Objection is overruled. 56 [PROSECUTOR]:--when he was questioned about it. You recall he said that he didn't know what was in the bag. And then Agent McDonnell testified significantly. He said Otero told him, Somebody gave me the bag, and he declined to answer any questions after when asked who was it that gave you the bag. 57 Is that what you are prepared to credit? His testimony this morning was not that somebody gave me the bag, I know not who; but rather somebody put it in my automobile, I didn't know it was there, and lo and behold it had $300,000 in cash. 58 On appeal, Otero argues that Agent McDonnell's testimony regarding the post-arrest interview and the government's remarks in rebuttal pertaining to this testimony were improper because his conduct in declining to respond to Agent McDonnell's question, regarding who gave him the bag, was an exercise of his fifth amendment right to remain silent. We find Otero's claim to be without merit. 59 It is undisputed that Otero was read his Miranda rights. See Doyle v. Ohio, 426 U.S. 610, 618, 96 S.Ct. 2240, 2245, 49 L.Ed.2d 91 (1976) (footnote omitted) ([W]hile it is true that the Miranda warnings contain no express assurance that silence will carry no penalty, such assurance is implicit to any person who receives the warnings. In such circumstances, it would be fundamentally unfair and a deprivation of due process to allow the arrested person's silence to be used to impeach an explanation subsequently offered at trial.). Herein, despite the Miranda warnings, Otero made statements to Agent McDonnell during the post-arrest interview, thus, waiving his right to remain silent under Miranda. See Moran v. Burbine, 475 U.S. 412, 420-23, 106 S.Ct. 1135, 1140, 1141-42, 89 L.Ed.2d 410 (1986). Therefore, unless Otero resurrected and asserted his right to remain silent, the government was entitled to introduce this evidence at trial and comment on it during summation. Persuaded by the view of the First Circuit in United States v. Goldman, 563 F.2d 501, 502-04 (1st Cir.1977), cert. denied, 434 U.S. 1067, 98 S.Ct. 1245, 55 L.Ed.2d 768 (1978), we believe that Otero waived his right to remain silent and did not thereafter assert this right. In Goldman, the defendant, upon being arrested and read his Miranda rights, was given a standard waiver of rights form. The defendant signed this form and answered questions asked of him by the investigating agent. However, the defendant either refused to respond or did not respond to two of the agent's questions. During trial, the government introduced testimony concerning the defendant's conduct with regard to the two questions and commented upon it in summation. Following his conviction, the defendant appealed, claiming the testimony concerning the two questions asked by the agent and the government's remarks relating to the questions violated his right to remain silent. In analyzing his claim, the First Circuit found no indication in the record that the defendant wished to assert his right to remain silent, and the court commented that, based on the record, it appeared the defendant wished to give an exculpatory story. Stating that the defendant's decision not to answer a question was simply a strategic choice, perhaps based on a fear that any answer might weaken [his] story, and that the failure to answer was not a reassertion of rights, id. at 504 n. 5, the First Circuit rejected the defendant's claim. Likewise, herein, since Otero clearly waived his right to remain silent and there is no indication in the record that he resurrected and asserted this right, we find his claim to be without merit.