Opinion ID: 349452
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: other individual points

Text: 42 Three of the appellants raise points that do not fit under any of the headings above. Taylor claims he should have been granted a severance, a transfer, and a continuance. Green asserts error in the court's charge, and Salley raises a claim concerning his sentence.
43 1. Severance. Taylor argues that he should have been granted a severance to enable him to obtain exculpatory testimony from codefendant Robinson. The argument is that Robinson's statement, after his own severance, that he had exculpatory testimony to offer on behalf of Taylor and three others that could not be offered because his testimony would be self-incriminating in his subsequent trial was enough to require severance under United States v. Finkelstein, supra, 526 F.2d at 523-24. There, in upholding denial of a similar severance motion, we indicated that the relevant considerations were (1) the sufficiency of the showing that the co-defendant would testify at a severed trial and waive his Fifth Amendment privilege, . . . (2) the degree to which the exculpatory testimony would be cumulative, (3) the extent to which judicial economy would be served, and (4) the likelihood that the exculpatory testimony would be subject to substantial, damaging impeachment . . .. Id. We also noted that the decision to deny a severance may be reviewed only for abuse of discretion. Id. at 523, 525. 44 We cannot say that Judge Duffy here abused his discretion. First, Taylor's severance motion was somewhat untimely. He did not move for a severance until after the opening statements and at that time made only an informal, inadequate showing that Robinson's testimony would be forthcoming and exculpatory. It was only after the trial had run some six and one-half weeks that Taylor made a more formal showing regarding Robinson's testimony. Even this showing, however, failed to establish, as Finkelstein requires, that Robinson would waive his Fifth Amendment privilege; Robinson repeatedly asserted that he would not answer any questions until instructed by the court that he had no Fifth Amendment right to refuse to answer, and he declined an offer to permit him to testify at trial with limited use immunity. Moreover, Robinson's conviction in United States v. Tramunti and his then-anticipated conviction for the conspiracy charged in this indictment would have subjected his testimony to significant impeachment, especially since his testimony would have flatly contradicted substantial other evidence of Taylor's involvement in the conspiracy. Finally, with six and one-half weeks of a nine-week trial completed, considerations of judicial economy also weighed in favor of denial of the severance. 45 2. Transfer. Taylor also argues that the trial court should have granted his motion for a transfer to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia under Fed.R.Crim.P. 21(b), which provides that the trial court may transfer a case to another district (f)or the convenience of parties and witnesses, and in the interest of justice. 10 He claims that denial of this motion had several adverse effects: his right to call favorable witnesses under the Sixth Amendment was impaired; his Washington lawyer was unable to handle the case in New York; and the particular jury selected was totally unfamiliar with the city (Washington) in which all of the events relating to Taylor took place. As the use of the word may in the rule implies, however, this decision is discretionary with the trial court. See United States v. Projansky, 465 F.2d 123, 139 (2d Cir.), cert. denied,409 U.S. 1006, 93 S.Ct. 432, 34 L.Ed.2d 299 (1972); United States v. Phillips, 433 F.2d 1364, 1368 (8th Cir. 1970), cert. denied, 401 U.S. 917, 91 S.Ct. 900, 27 L.Ed.2d 819 (1971); Jones v. Gasch, 131 U.S.App.D.C. 254, 404 F.2d 1231, 1241-43 (1967), cert. denied, 390 U.S. 1029, 88 S.Ct. 1414, 20 L.Ed.2d 286 (1968); 1 C. Wright, Federal Practice and Procedure § 344, at 636-37 (1969). Here Taylor's motion to transfer was not made until the trial was two weeks old and the trial court reasonably denied the motion as untimely. A greater showing of inconvenience is obviously required when a transfer is sought late in the proceedings. See United States v. Polizzi, 500 F.2d 856, 899-901 (9th Cir. 1974), cert. denied, 419 U.S. 1120, 95 S.Ct. 802, 42 L.Ed.2d 820 (1975). Moreover, with regard to calling witnesses, Taylor had access to nationwide process. There is not even a claim that his New York counsel was incompetent. And to the extent that the geography of Washington was relevant, counsel could have offered a map or other evidence on the issue. We find no abuse of discretion. 46 3. Continuance. This claim relates to the fact that Taylor first met his trial counsel on Saturday, January 24, 1976, with his trial scheduled to begin the following Monday, January 26. Counsel requested a one-week continuance, but the court granted only a two-day continuance. Appellant claims prejudice from the denial of the additional five days on the basis that the credibility of Government witness March who claimed he witnessed a heroin delivery to Taylor at the latter's top floor apartment, while Taylor actually lived in a basement apartment could have been shaken if counsel had had time to investigate in Washington. The granting or denial of a continuance lies within the sound discretion of the trial court. United States v. Rosenthal, 470 F.2d 837, 844 (2d Cir. 1972), cert. denied, 412 U.S. 909, 93 S.Ct. 2298, 36 L.Ed.2d 975 (1973). See also United States ex rel. Martinez v. Mancusi, 455 F.2d 705 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 409 U.S. 959, 93 S.Ct. 273, 34 L.Ed.2d 228 (1972). The record discloses that counsel was assigned on Tuesday, January 20. Prosecutorial material required to be disclosed to defendant under 18 U.S.C. § 3500 was made available to counsel on Friday, January 23. Jury selection began on January 29 and continued through February 4, on which date opening statements were heard and direct examination of the Government's first witness began. Thus Taylor's counsel had nine days to prepare for trial prior to the commencement of jury selection and almost another week before any testimony was taken. Moreover, part of the blame for any lack of preparation on the part of his counsel must rest with Taylor. He was arraigned nearly six months prior to the commencement of trial, at which time a lawyer was appointed for him whom he later dropped. In view of this fact, the time his second counsel did have to prepare, and the comparatively minor nature of the prejudice asserted, we cannot say that the denial of a five-day continuance was an abuse of discretion.
47 Only appellant Green complains about the court's charge (except the charge on multiple conspiracies, which we have discussed supra ). He argues that the court granted his motion as to requested jury instructions, 11 the court saying it would give the charge in my language, but that the court then failed to give the instructions. We read Judge Duffy's charge, however, as including all of the elements requested by Green in substance: concededly he charged as to the dangers of accomplice testimony; he also charged that the Government to prevail had to prove the essential elements of each count beyond a reasonable doubt and that the jury had to consider each count separately and render a separate verdict as to each count and each defendant, reminding the jury that it was for them to determine the facts and weigh the evidence according to their recollection of the evidence. The law is clear that, if the substance of a defendant's request is given by the court in its own language, the defendant has no cause to complain. See, e. g., Sugarman v. United States, 249 U.S. 182, 185, 39 S.Ct. 191, 63 L.Ed. 550 (1919) (Brandeis, J.); United States v. Kelly, 349 F.2d 720, 760-61 (2d Cir. 1965), cert. denied, 384 U.S. 947, 86 S.Ct. 1467, 16 L.Ed.2d 544 (1966). The only part of Green's requested charge that the court did not in substance deliver was that referring specifically to Pannirello and Provitera as the witnesses who had inculpated Green. If Green's argument here is that the court's failure to marshal the evidence was error, which is the same complaint that appellant Wesley makes for the first time on appeal, it must be rejected. The trial court has substantial discretion to decide whether to comment upon or summarize the evidence. See United States v. Natale, 526 F.2d 1160, 1167 (2d Cir. 1975), cert. denied, 425 U.S. 950, 96 S.Ct. 1724, 48 L.Ed.2d 193 (1976); United States v. Tourine, 428 F.2d 865, 869-70 (2d Cir. 1970), cert. denied, 400 U.S. 1020, 91 S.Ct. 581, 27 L.Ed.2d 631 (1971).
48 Appellant Salley's claim regarding his sentence stems from the fact that his previous conviction in the Tramunti case was reversed on appeal, with this court granting his request for a new trial. See 513 F.2d at 1116-17. That new trial led to the conspiracy conviction being reviewed on this appeal. In Tramunti, Salley was given a five-year prison sentence plus three years' special parole; Judge Duffy imposed the same sentence (with credit for time previously served) following Salley's conviction in the instant case, see note 1 supra. Salley now argues that his sentence here was in effect a more severe sentence than the one previously imposed, in violation of the rule of North Carolina v. Pearce, 395 U.S. 711, 89 S.Ct. 2072, 23 L.Ed.2d 656 (1969), because (i)t is possible that the defendant may not receive the same consideration for parole he would have received had he remained in confinement under the (Tramunti ) conviction, rather than appealing and obtaining a reversal. This claim is obviously wholly speculative, and even as a prediction its force is vitiated by Judge Duffy's on-the-record concern that Salley be considered for parole at the earliest time. If it later turns out that there is some different standard for parole prevailing by virtue of Salley's appeal and new sentence, Salley will be able to seek relief at that time under 28 U.S.C. § 2255.