Opinion ID: 2537242
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Potential Impeachment Regarding Threats and Favorable Treatment

Text: In his next subclaim, Rodriguez asserts that the State violated Brady or Giglio because the State failed to disclose potential impeachment evidence that police threatened to arrest Luis's family, that Luis was given special favors while in jail, including being allowed family visits outside the jail without supervision, that Luis was permitted to have sex with his wife while in custody, and that Luis was promised help in obtaining parole. The circuit court made credibility determinations based on testimony of the prosecutor and the detectives. As addressed below, there is competent, substantial evidence that supports the trial court's factual findings. Further, Rodriguez has failed to show that he is entitled to relief on his claims. First, Rodriguez alleges that the State suppressed information that police threatened to arrest Luis's family or knowingly presented false testimony that this did not occur. During the evidentiary hearing, Luis testified that when he was first questioned, the police informed him that they had picked up members of his family (his mother, his brother Isidoro, his sister Maria Malakoff, and his former girlfriend Cathy Sundin) and showed him some documents that he thought were either indictments or confessions. According to Luis, the police further informed him that Rodriguez was blaming everything on Luis. Officers Smith and Crawford testified that they did not threaten to arrest Luis's family. The circuit court denied this claim, finding that even if this allegation was true, Rodriguez failed to show prejudice because Luis was vigorously cross-examined at trial as to his motives for testifying against Rodriguez. We conclude that Rodriguez has failed to show that the police threatened to arrest Luis's family if he did not cooperate. Moreover, even if this Court accepted his allegations as true, Rodriguez has failed to show prejudicei.e., that the favorable evidence could reasonably be taken to put the whole case in such a different light as to undermine confidence in the verdict. Strickler, 527 U.S. at 290, 119 S.Ct. 1936 (quoting Kyles v. Whitley, 514 U.S. 419, 435, 115 S.Ct. 1555, 131 L.Ed.2d 490 (1995)). The jury was presented with significant impeachment evidence against Luis, including his plea agreement and that he was given some preferential treatment. Second, Rodriguez alleges that the State violated Giglio and Brady by suppressing information that in order to obtain Luis's cooperation in testifying against Rodriguez, Luis was provided with special accommodations, including unsupervised visits with his family and being permitted to have sexual relations with his wife while in jail. At trial, the jury heard testimony from Luis himself that he was permitted to have visits with various members of his family, he had informed his attorneys about these visits, and his attorney asked him to take pictures of the visits because the attorney could not believe that the visits were being permitted. Luis further testified at the trial that he had a meeting with his wife alone for about five or ten minutes and that during this time, he had sexual relations with her. However, he testified that he did not know if the police were aware of this. Trial defense counsel cross-examined Luis about these incidents at trial. At the evidentiary hearing, Luis testified that while he was unsure whether the police knew that he had sexual relations with his wife, the officers did suggest that, if he needed privacy with his wife, he should place a sticker over the peephole in the window of the door. The two officers testified at the evidentiary hearing that they were not aware Luis had sex with his wife and denied that they granted him permission to have sexual relations by using stickers to cover the peephole. The prosecutor testified that he did not knowingly present false testimony when the detectives testified at trial that they did not permit Luis to have sexual relations with his wife. The circuit court denied this aspect of the claim, finding that Luis's statements lacked credibility and that the police officers provided credible testimony. This Court is bound by the trial court's credibility determinations and factual findings to the extent they are supported by competent, substantial evidence. Jones, 998 So.2d at 580. Upon review, we find that competent, substantial evidence supports the trial court's factual findings. Luis's recent testimony was contrary to his prior sworn statements at trial, and at times his testimony at the evidentiary hearing conflicted with other statements that he made during the hearing. Because Luis's testimony was the primary support for this claim and his testimony was found to be not credible, Rodriguez is unable to establish the first prong of either a Brady violation or a Giglio violation. Further, even assuming the change of testimony that the police may have known about the sexual relations, the jury was already aware that Luis was being provided with special treatment and that the police knowingly permitted him to have some private time with his wife. Therefore, Rodriguez cannot establish either materiality or prejudice. Finally, Rodriguez claims that the prosecutor presented false testimony and failed to disclose that Luis was promised assistance in obtaining parole if he testified against Rodriguez. Although Luis was initially charged with first-degree murder and was facing the death penalty, he avoided this potential penalty by accepting a plea deal with the State in which he pled guilty to second-degree murder. At trial, the jury was informed as to Luis's plea agreement, and Luis was vigorously cross-examined as to his motives for testifying against Rodriguez. The circuit court denied this portion of the claim. Other than vague, conclusory statements, Rodriguez failed to present any evidence to support his claim. During the evidentiary hearing, Luis testified that he thought he would be receiving assistance in obtaining parole based on some conversations he had behind closed doors. No specifics of these conversations were provided. Luis's lawyer also was unable to provide any details as to specific assistance that Luis was to be given if he testified against Rodriguez. Luis agreed at the evidentiary hearing that the plea agreement expressly states that no promises were being made about his sentence. Because Rodriguez has failed to sufficiently support his allegation as to an undisclosed agreement, he is not entitled to relief. For the reasons addressed above, we deny this subclaim. [11]
We next address the claims regarding Isidoro, Luis's brother, in which Rodriguez alleges violations of Strickland, Brady, and Giglio. Isidoro also gave inculpatory testimony against Rodriguez. Rodriguez's defense at trial was that both Isidoro and Luis actively participated in the crime and Rodriguez was merely a lookout. Isidoro, however, established at trial that he was in Orlando at the time of the murder. Nevertheless, because Isidoro admitted some involvement in events after the crime (that he had disposed of jewelry discovered by his mother underneath her trailer) and because Luis was Isidoro's brother, any impeachment of Isidoro also could have been helpful to the defense's case. Rodriguez alleges ineffective assistance in his defense lawyer's failure to impeach Isidoro, violations of Brady by the State's failing to disclose potential impeachment evidence pertaining to Isidoro, and violations of Giglio by the State's knowing presentation of false testimony. Rodriguez raises four distinct claims pertaining to Isidoro: (a) alleged secret dockets in Dade County involving Isidoro; (b) alleged involvement in drug activity and police investigations into such allegations; (c) alleged threats made by police to Isidoro; and (d) an alleged relationship between Isidoro and a member of the police department. We discuss each claim in turn and conclude that Rodriguez has not established a basis for relief under any of the claims asserted.