Opinion ID: 358173
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Admission of Subsequent Acts

Text: 8 The appellant also argues that the trial court erred by admitting testimony as to negotiations for a sale of heroin subsequent to the transaction for which the appellant was charged. This argument is underpinned by the evidentiary principle that the commission of a wholly separate and independent crime is inadmissible as part of the case against the defendant. See Michelson v. United States, 335 U.S. 469, 475-76, 69 S.Ct. 213, 93 L.Ed. 168 (1948). The reason for this rule is that the guilt or innocence of the accused should be established by evidence relevant to the alleged offense being tried, not because the jury may believe the defendant to be a person of bad character or because he committed a similar offense. The courts, however, have carved out a number of exceptions to this general rule and it is the applicability of two of these exceptions which is at issue here. 9 The first arguably applicable exception, involves knowledge and intent. According to the government, the testimony at trial was properly admitted on the grounds that evidence of the other offenses was admissible to show criminal intent. See Fed.R.Evid. 404(b). The law is, however, that before an exception to the general rule excluding evidence as to other crimes can be invoked, the trial court must be satisfied that several prerequisites have been met: (1) there is plain, clear and convincing evidence of a similar offense, (2) the offense is not too remote in time, (3) the element of the prior crime for which there is a recognized exception must be a material issue in the case, (4) there is a substantial need for the probative value of the evidence. See United States v. San Martin, 505 F.2d 918 (5th Cir. 1974). The danger of the prejudicial effect of similar offenses is such that all of these prerequisites must be met before the evidence is admitted. United States v. Goodwin, 492 F.2d 1141, 1150 (5th Cir. 1974). 10 Applying this test to the present case, the testimony concerning the appellant's subsequent acts clearly fails to meet the third prerequisite and therefore should not have been admitted. In determining that intent was never a material issue, we are guided by the proposition that the materiality of intent depends, not on the statutory definition of the offense, but on the circumstances of the case and on the nature of the defense. United States v. Adderly, 529 F.2d 1178, 1181 (5th Cir. 1976). In the present case the defendant's sole defense was that of mistaken identity. This court has acknowledged in Adderly, supra at 1181, that a defendant who denies participation in an act raises no discrete issue of intent and if the act be proven the intent will usually be inferred. 11 Raising a second exception, the government argues that the subsequent acts should have been admitted for purposes of showing identity. See Fed.R.Evid. 404(b). Once again, we cannot agree. The identity exception has a much more limited scope; it is used either in conjunction with some other basis for admissibility or synonymously with Modus operandi. See United States v. Jackson, 451 F.2d 259 (5th Cir. 1971). A prior or subsequent crime or other incident is not admissible for this purpose merely because it is similar, but only if it bears such a high degree of similarity as to mark it as the handiwork of the accused. Goodwin, supra at 1154. No such handiwork was here shown. 12 The judgment is REVERSED and this case REMANDED for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.