Opinion ID: 433837
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Scoggin

Text: 3 Andrio Crow's testimony was crucial to proving that Scoggin was part of a conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute. Crow was arrested along with Scoggin, Ray and others on narcotics charges, but then turned government witness in a plea bargain. Scoggin argued at trial that he, Scoggin, purchased cocaine for personal use, not resale. Crow testified that Scoggin had purchased large amounts of cocaine, which would indicate an intent to resell the drug rather than consume it personally, and that he and Scoggin had travelled together to Florida to purchase cocaine for resale. 4 Without Crow's testimony, the government could show only that Scoggin made telephone calls to the other defendants, that his telephone number was listed in the personal telephone books of some defendants, and that Scoggin occasionally bought one-half and one-quarter ounce packets of cocaine. Because the district court instructed the jury that merely purchasing cocaine cannot constitute conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, Crow's testimony was essential to proof of the charge against Scoggin. 5 Scoggin claimed that Crow, after entering into his plea agreement but before trial, had continued to traffic in cocaine. Specifically, Scoggin alleged that Crow had travelled to Florida twice under a false name, presumably to purchase drugs, and that Crow had offered to sell Scoggin two ounces of cocaine. Relying on Fed.R.Evid. 608(b), the trial court refused to allow Scoggin to cross-examine Crow on this matter. 1 6 When the case against a defendant turns on the credibility of a witness, the defendant has broad cross-examination rights. See, e.g., United States v. Uramoto, 638 F.2d 84, 86 (9th Cir.1980), United States v. Alvarez-Lopez, 559 F.2d 1155 (9th Cir.1977). The district court abused its discretion in refusing to permit Scoggin to cross-examine Crow on his alleged post-plea drug activities, because a jury could believe that Scoggin's allegations of Crow's continuing drug dealing might have biased Crow's testimony against Scoggin. 7 Rule 608(b) does not bar introduction of evidence to show that the witness is biased. It regulates only the admissibility of evidence offered to prove the truthful or untruthful character of a witness. United States v. James, 609 F.2d 36, 46 (2d Cir.1979), cert. denied, 445 U.S. 905, 100 S.Ct. 1082, 63 L.Ed.2d 321 (1980); United States v. Rios Ruiz, 579 F.2d 670, 673 (1st Cir.1978); accord United States v. Brown, 547 F.2d 438, 445-446 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 430 U.S. 937, 97 S.Ct. 1566, 51 L.Ed.2d 784 (1977). The reach of Rule 608 is suggested by the Advisory Committee's notes to Rule 608(a), which state that evidence of bias or interest does not constitute an attack on a witness' character for truthfulness. 8 In this case, Crow's possible bias deserved jury scrutiny because his testimony was crucial to proving that Scoggin had bought drugs in quantities sufficient to support the inference that he intended to distribute them. It would have been extremely easy for a biased witness to shade his testimony and increase the amount of cocaine Scoggin bought from an amount suitable for personal consumption to one suitable for distribution. 9 The government argues that if we permit Scoggin to cross-examine Crow on his continued drug dealing to show bias, any defendant will be able to bootstrap otherwise inadmissible evidence into court by simply reporting witness misconduct to the authorities, and then seeking to cross-examine the witness on that subject at trial. This is a legitimate concern, but trial courts can require the defendant to offer a threshold level of evidence to show that the defendant's allegations of witness misconduct have some grounding in reality. If the facts are material, the defendant has a right to present them to the jury. Scoggin met this threshold requirement by producing a Lewiston to Boise airline ticket for Crow, arguing that the flight was the first leg of a trip to Florida and thus tended to corroborate his allegation that Crow had gone to Florida to buy cocaine. 10 Having concluded that the district court should have permitted the cross-examination of Crow, we now determine whether its failure to do so was reversible error. Rule 608(b) commits the extent of impeachment by cross-examination to the trial court's discretion. In exercising its discretion, the trial court balances the probative value of cross-examination against the dangers of confusion, prejudice, or waste of time. United States v. Lustig, 555 F.2d 737, 748-749 (9th Cir.1977), cert. denied, 434 U.S. 1045, 98 S.Ct. 889, 54 L.Ed.2d 795 (1978). The test of whether the trial court abused its discretion in refusing to allow cross-examination for impeaching a witness is whether the jury had sufficient information to appraise the bias and motives of the witness. Skinner v. Cardwell, 564 F.2d 1381, 1389 (9th Cir.1977), cert. denied, 435 U.S. 1009, 98 S.Ct. 1883, 56 L.Ed.2d 392 (1978). 11 The district court's refusal to permit cross-examination of Crow on his alleged post-plea drug activities deprived the jury of important information on Crow's possible bias. It thereby committed an abuse of discretion. We reverse Scoggin's conviction and remand for a new trial.