Opinion ID: 4350411
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Perdomo’s Consultation with his Attorney

Text: Finally, appellants argue that the district court erred by allowing Perdomo to consult with his attorney at the evidentiary hearing after the government’s direct examination but before their attorneys began cross-examination. The parties dispute the standard of review on this issue. Appellants argue that allowing Perdomo to “regroup” with his attorney before cross-examination limited their ability to expose fully Perdomo’s bias and thus violated their Sixth Amendment right to confrontation. Appellants contend this violation requires de novo review under the logic of United States v. Hernandez, 84 F.3d 931 (7th Cir. 1996). The government contends we should review for abuse of discretion because the Confrontation Clause does not apply at sentencing. We have held that the Confrontation Clause in the Sixth Amendment does not apply at sentencing. United States v. Ghiassi, 729 F.3d 690, 695–96 (7th Cir. 2013); United States v. Isom, 635 F.3d 904, 907 (7th Cir. 2011). The reliability of information used at sentencing, however, is key. Isom, 635 F.3d at 908; see also United States v. Tucker, 404 U.S. 443, 447 (1972) (due process requires that information used for sentencing be accurate); United States v. Guajardo-Martinez, 635 F.3d 1056, 1059 (7th Cir. 2011); United States ex rel. Welch v. Lane, 738 F.2d 863, 864 (7th Cir. 1984). Even if the Confrontation Clause had applied here, it would not have been violated by the judge’s organizing the sale, influenced more than a small degree the exercise of decision-making authority, and played key roles in the sale. While the record is not clear regarding their share of the expected profits, it is undisputed that they stood to make some money from a successful transaction. The district court did not err by denying the reduction under the logic of Diaz. Nos. 18-1236 & 18-1315 15 handling of the witness at the sentencing hearing. See United States v. Recendiz, 557 F.3d 511, 530 (7th Cir. 2009) (“The right to confrontation is not implicated where limitations on crossexamination did not deny the defendants the opportunity to establish that the witness may have had a motive to lie; rather, the limitations denied them the opportunity to add extra detail to that motive.”), quoting United States v. Nelson, 39 F.3d 705, 708 (7th Cir. 1994) (emphasis in Nelson). We review for abuse of discretion the judge’s decision in managing the witness’s testimony. The trial court has broad discretion to control the court during the cross-examination of a witness so that the court can implement the most eﬀective procedures for determining the truth, avoid wasting time, and protect a witness if necessary. See Fed. R. Evid. 611(a). This discretion certainly includes deciding whether to allow a non-party witness to speak with his attorney between direct and cross-examination. See Perry v. Leeke, 488 U.S. 272, 282 (1989) (“it is entirely appropriate for a trial judge to decide, after listening to the direct examination of any witness, whether the defendant or a nondefendant, that cross-examination is more likely to elicit truthful responses if it goes forward without allowing the witness an opportunity to consult with third parties, including his or her lawyer”); Geders v. United States, 425 U.S. 80, 87–88 (1976) (trial judge has “sound judicial discretion” to sequester non-party witnesses before each recess, forbidding them from even speaking with their attorneys, but the accused has broader Sixth Amendment rights to confer with his attorney). It was squarely within the district court’s discretion to allow Perdomo to confer brieﬂy with his attorney after direct 16 Nos. 18-1236 & 18-1315 examination. We ﬁnd no evidence in the record that the court abused that discretion. 4 4Appellants argue that the Supreme Court decision in Perry v. Leeke demands that we find the court abused its discretion. In Perry, the district court refused to allow a defendant-witness to consult with his attorney in circumstances much like these. The Supreme Court reasoned that prohibiting a witness from consulting with his attorney in a fifteen-minute break between direct and cross-examination was appropriate because the truth-seeking function of the trial can be impeded in ways other than unethical “coaching.” Cross-examination often depends for its effectiveness on the ability of counsel to punch holes in a witness' testimony at just the right time, in just the right way. Permitting a witness, including a criminal defendant, to consult with counsel after direct examination but before cross-examination grants the witness an opportunity to regroup and regain a poise and sense of strategy that the unaided witness would not possess. This is true even if we assume no deceit on the part of the witness; it is simply an empirical predicate of our system of adversary rather than inquisitorial justice that cross-examination of a witness who is uncounseled between direct examination and cross-examination is more likely to lead to the discovery of truth than is cross-examination of a witness who is given time to pause and consult with his attorney. 488 U.S. at 282. While this reasoning supported appellants’ request to forbid Perdomo from consulting his lawyer, Perry was explaining the reasons to allow a district court the discretion to forbid such consultation. The Court did not create a blanket rule prohibiting courts from allowing such consultation, nor would such a rule be practical, particularly in light of the issues a witness may face concerning privilege, duties of confidentiality to third parties, and so on. Nos. 18-1236 & 18-1315 17 The district court did not err in sentencing or abuse its discretion during the evidentiary hearing. The judgments of the district court are AFFIRMED.