Opinion ID: 2675921
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Pericles’s Motion for a New Trial

Text: Afterwards, Pericles, through counsel, filed a post-trial motion for a judgment of acquittal or for a new trial. In a supplement to that motion, Pericles’s attorney informed the district court that after trial, “[o]n August 14, 2009, a polygraph examination was conducted . . . of Michael Pericles regarding the pertinent issues of the case.” The polygraph report showed that the examiner asked Pericles the following questions: (1) “Did you hide a green bag with assault rifles under a tarp in the backyard of 345 N.W. 59th Terrace, on April 1, 2009?” (2) “Did you put a green bag with assault rifles under a tarp and drop a handgun on the ground at 345 N.W. 1 At trial, the government’s witness testified that the conviction “appears to be 2004.” Pericles was in fact arrested in 2004, however he was not convicted until 2005. 4 Case: 12-14505 Date Filed: 05/28/2014 Page: 5 of 15 59th Terrace, on April 1, 2009?” and (3) “Were you involved in any way in hiding a bag with assault rifles under a tarp and dropping a gun from your waistband on April 1, 2009?” Pericles answered “No” to each of these questions, and the polygraph examiner reported that there was a 91.3 percent chance Pericles answered these questions truthfully. The district court denied the motion, concluding that the polygraph test results were not “newly discovered evidence warranting a new trial,” because the results “almost certainly would have been inadmissible.” The district court pointed out that: (1) “there was no stipulation by the parties” as to the admissibility of polygraph evidence; (2) “Pericles did not testify, so the results could not have been used to corroborate his story” and (3) “the nature and phrasing of the polygraph questions would have raised serious questions about their admissibility.”