Opinion ID: 71077
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Redacted Indictment

Text: In this case, the district court provided a redacted indictment to the jury containing only the counts the grand jury charged against Massey. The RICO conspiracy count of the indictment, however, included racketeering acts of both Massey and the codefendants. Massey contends that the district court erred in submitting this redacted indictment, arguing that the inclusion of codefendants' acts of case-fixing unfairly prejudiced his case. We review the district court's submission of the indictment for abuse of discretion. See United States v. Polowichak, 783 F.2d 410, 413 (4th Cir.1986) (finding no error where district court submitted indictment to a jury and gave cautionary instruction). Our review of the record persuades us that the inclusion of codefendants' racketeering acts in the indictment merely aided the jury in explaining the context, motive and set-up of the RICO conspiracy. United States v. Williford, 764 F.2d 1493, 1499 (11th Cir.1985). Count 1 of the indictment charged Massey and the codefendants with conspiring to corruptly utilize the circuit court for profit. Each of the racketeering acts in the indictment clearly identified which defendants committed the alleged acts. The district court, prior to providing the indictment, instructed the jury that the indictment did not constitute evidence. Massey, moreover, has not shown that the jury used the codefendants' racketeering acts for an impermissible purpose. Even assuming prejudice, sufficient evidence existed to support Massey's conviction independent of any impermissible inferences the jury might have obtained from the codefendants' racketeering acts. Because the district court provided the indictment to aid the jury in following the court's instructions, and properly instructed the jury that the indictment did not constitute evidence, we conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in providing the redacted indictment.