Opinion ID: 461592
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Claims Initially Raised by Pecic

Text: Denial of Pecic's Severance Motion 85 Pecic contends that because the taped conversations did not involve or mention him, and because he was tried with other, more notorious defendants, the court abused its discretion in refusing to grant his severance motion. 86 Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 14 provides in pertinent part: 87 If it appears that a defendant or the government is prejudiced by a joinder of offenses or of defendants in an indictment or information or by such joinder for trial together, the court may order an election of separate trials of counts, grant a severance of defendants or provide whatever relief justice requires. 88 Rule 14 places the burden of showing prejudice from the joinder on the defendant. United States v. Lipowitz, 407 F.2d 597, 601 n. 15, cert. denied, 395 U.S. 946, 89 S.Ct. 2026, 23 L.Ed.2d 466 (1969). We will reverse the district court's decision to deny a Rule 14 severance motion only on a showing of abuse of discretion. United States v. Boyd, 595 F.2d 120, 125 (3d Cir.1978); United States v. Somers, 496 F.2d 723 (3d Cir.), cert. denied, 419 U.S. 832, 95 S.Ct. 56, 42 L.Ed.2d 58 (1974). Pecic thus faces the heavy burden of showing the trial judge exceeded the bounds of his discretionary authority. Boyd, 595 F.2d at 125. 89 We cannot say that Pecic meets this burden. A defendant is not entitled to severance merely because the evidence against a co-defendant is more damaging than against him. United States v. Dansker, 537 F.2d 40, 62 (3d Cir.1976), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 1038, 97 S.Ct. 732, 50 L.Ed.2d 748 (1977). Our review of the record and our discussion below of Katz's spillover claim lead us to conclude that the evidence was cogently presented and that the jury was able to compartmentalize the evidence against Pecic. See Dansker, 537 F.2d at 62. Refusal to Produce Requested Evidence 90 Pecic asserts that the government's non-production of information in its possession concerning poker machine vendors who did not admit to being extorted violates Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963). Brady requires that the government provide a defendant with exculpatory, material evidence in its possession prior to the commencement of trial. See generally United States v. Higgs, 713 F.2d 39, 41-42 (3d Cir.1983), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 1048, 104 S.Ct. 725, 79 L.Ed.2d 185 (1984). The requested information is neither exculpatory nor material to Pecic's defense, however. Even if we conceded that this evidence were somehow exculpatory, it is not material, as we do not believe that the suppressed evidence might have affected the outcome of the trial. United States v. Agurs, 427 U.S. 97, 104, 96 S.Ct. 2392, 2397, 49 L.Ed.2d 342 (1976). Evidence that not all vendors were extorted is irrelevant to the charge that defendants conspired to extort and did extort protection payments from certain vendors. Cf. United States v. Harrison, 679 F.2d 942, 948-49 (D.C.Cir.1982) (evidence that certain witnesses had not purchased drugs from defendant did not undercut government's case).