Opinion ID: 2775033
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: mid-trial motion for recess

Text: The trial in this case began on Tuesday, October 23, 2012. Trial was not conducted on Fridays, October 30, or November 6. At the end of the day on Monday, November 5, the government stated it might rest late Wednesday, November 7, and that the defense should be prepared for that. At the end of the day on Wednesday, November 7, the government informed the district court that it would likely rest prior to lunch on Thursday. The district court instructed the defendants’ attorneys to make sure that arrangements were in place with any defense witnesses in order to proceed on Thursday. The government rested just after 2 p.m. on Thursday, November 8. Later that same day, the last defendant before Lewis rested when “at least forty minutes of scheduled court time remained in the day.” 10 Lewis’s lawyer said that he needed to speak to Lewis about testifying, and the district court allowed him a moment to speak with Lewis. Then, defendant Lewis herself addressed the district court and stated that she needed additional time, specifically until Monday, to prepare to testify. Lewis conceded that her attorney previously had discussed 10 The district court found that significantly more time in the day would have been left if not for “Defendant Lewis’s counsel’s behavior earlier in the day, which appeared to this Court to be stalling” through unnecessarily long examinations of two witnesses. 28 Case: 13-10453 Date Filed: 01/30/2015 Page: 29 of 67 testifying with her, but claimed that he had not “talk[ed] about doing it today.” Lewis also said, “I have my subpoenas for my witnesses, and I just got them today.” The district court stated: The case has been set for several weeks. . . . I’ve been saying you better be ready to put on a case. You’re telling me that you didn’t even put out the subpoenas. . . . If you want to testify you have the time now, and today is when you need to do it. I leave that to you. You can discuss it for another minute or two. You’ve had a lot of time to talk to your attorney. We’ve been making this jury wait for a long time. Lewis and her lawyer conferred again, and Lewis’s lawyer announced that they were resting. After excusing the jury and conducting a charge conference, the district court asked Lewis’s attorney to make a proffer of what Lewis’s witnesses would have said. Lewis’s lawyer stated that a witness from Can’t Stop Trucking would testify that text messages by Lewis could have referred to “fuel figures”; another witness would testify that Lewis worked long hours at Can’t Stop Trucking; and a third witness would testify that he was involved in music with Lewis and Jackson. On the next day of trial, prior to closing arguments, the defendant-appellants renewed motions for judgments of acquittal, but Lewis did not request to testify or present evidence. 29 Case: 13-10453 Date Filed: 01/30/2015 Page: 30 of 67