Opinion ID: 663117
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Counsel failed to subpoena Michael Torres as a witness;

Text: 90 5. Counsel did not bring to the district court's attention numerous inconsistencies in Avery's prior testimony; and 91 6. Counsel's closing argument was disorganized and ineffective. 92 The standards necessary to show ineffective assistance of counsel are outlined in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984), and discussed above. Morgan fails to meet those standards. 93 Morgan's first four purported errors clearly resulted in no prejudice to his trial. See id. at 694, 104 S.Ct. at 2068. Although Morgan's counsel failed to subpoena telephone records, such a subpoena was hardly necessary in light of the fact that the government voluntarily released those records to the defense counsel. Second, Morgan's first post-trial motion was indeed short; however, the court permitted appellate counsel to file a supplemental post-trial motion that was of satisfactory breadth and coverage and superseded the allegedly deficient prior motion. Third, the relevant testimony that Morgan's drug addiction counselor could have provided was inadmissible hearsay because it consisted of statements he made to her that, as the district court found and we agree, were not necessary for treatment. See Fed.R.Evid. 803(4). 13 94 Additionally, the testimony Michael Torres was to provide, regarding his contact with David Avery had already been provided by Avery. To the extent that Torres would have testified that Morgan did not sell cocaine we conclude such testimony would not have changed the result of the trial. Not only is there no possibility that Torres could have personal knowledge of what Morgan did or did not do with the cocaine, but the testimony would not have eradicated the clear statements in the phone conversation between Avery and Morgan. In those conversations Morgan admitted that the two needed to do some major big time dealin'  to satisfy his guys before they left for San Diego. The trial judge placed great weight on those conversations as evidence that Morgan was a distributor and we find that Torres' testimony would not have weakened this evidence and would not have resulted in a different verdict. 95 The remaining two errors require only slightly more scrutiny. Morgan claimed that on cross-examination of Avery his counsel failed to identify various inconsistencies in Avery's prior testimony. Counsel's cross-examination, in fact identified many inconsistencies, and was roughly as extensive as the direct testimony. We hold that any failure to identify remaining prior inconsistent statements resulted from decisions of trial strategy. Consequently we afford them enormous deference and conclude that they did not result in constitutionally deficient performance. See United States v. Hirschberg, 988 F.2d 1509, 1513 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 114 S.Ct. 311, 126 L.Ed.2d 258 (1993). 96 Finally, Morgan claims that his counsel's closing argument was disorganized and ineffective. We disagree. Morgan first claims he was prejudiced when his attorney told the court that the government witnesses could be telling the truth. He takes this quote so drastically out of context that it takes on a totally different meaning. The actual quote was it is humanly possible that [the witnesses] could be telling the truth. This statement was used as hyperbole and to set a dramatic backdrop for the argument to follow in which counsel detailed how unlikely it truly is that they were telling the truth. This is not constitutionally deficient performance. 97 Morgan next points to a place in the closing argument at which counsel says, as he begins to explain his argument regarding the phone conversations, that if this were a jury trial my charts [of the language in the conversations] would be right here. This statement was merely an introduction to his very detailed discussion regarding those conversations and in no way indicated that he was ill-prepared for argument as the fifteen pages of transcript that follow clearly show. We conclude that these two statements do not render the closing argument deficient in any way. Counsel for Morgan identified weaknesses in the government's case, focussed heavily on Morgan's strongest arguments for acquittal, and provided lucid and complete explanations and arguments regarding Morgan's defense of being an addictive user of cocaine rather than a distributor. For these reasons we reject Morgan's argument that he was denied effective assistance of counsel. 98 4. New trial based on New Evidence and alleged Brady violations 99 While this appeal was pending Morgan filed a motion for a new trial based upon some new evidence that he had discovered while incarcerated. Morgan identified a witness, James Doorn, who testified in a sworn statement that on two occasions he witnessed Avery deliver cocaine to Morgan. He did not know the amount of the cocaine but said that he saw the package as Avery threw it through the passenger window and it looked small, like an eighth of an ounce. On the second delivery, again Doorn did not know the amount but said it looked smaller than the first amount. Finally Doorn stated in his declaration that on one occasion, Avery told him that Morgan was a new guy who wasn't buying much. Doorn also stated that he gave this information to prosecutors before Morgan's trial. Morgan filed a motion for a new trial pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 33 claiming: (1) he was entitled to a new trial because of the newly discovered evidence; and (2) he was entitled to a new trial or acquittal because the prosecution wrongly suppressed exculpatory evidence in violation of Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963). The district court denied Morgan's motion. Morgan raises the same arguments on this appeal. 100 To establish a right to a new trial based on new evidence, the defendant must show that the evidence: 101 (1) came to [his] knowledge only after trial; (2) could not have been discovered sooner had due diligence been exercised; (3) is material and not merely impeaching or cumulative; and (4) would probably lead to an acquittal in the event of a new trial. 102 United States v. Kamel, 965 F.2d 484, 490 (7th Cir.1992). The decision whether to grant a new trial lies with the discretion of the trial court and we only reverse if there was an abuse of discretion. 103 In this case the district court considered the new evidence and determined that it was merely impeaching and cumulative and that it would not have led to an acquittal. We find no abuse of discretion in that decision. Judge Plunkett, who ruled on Morgan's motion for new trial, was also the trier of fact originally. He heard all of the testimony and other evidence. He made specific findings that Morgan's defense was incredible in every respect. He specifically chose to believe the testimony of Avery, and Musillami, and he gave great weight to the telephone conversations in which Morgan admitted to doing some major big time dealin'. Judge Plunkett found that the testimony of Doorn merely related to two additional cocaine sales and did nothing to undermine the evidence of other cocaine sales, described in Avery and Musillami's testimony and the phone conversations. We hold that because Judge Plunkett had observed the demeanor of the witnesses, heard the testimony and telephone conversations, and found substantial evidence of various cocaine transactions and based the guilty verdict on it, and because Doorn's testimony merely offered evidence of two additional cocaine sales without any certainty concerning the amount sold (it did not and could not diminish the evidence of any other transactions), that the district court did not abuse its discretion in ruling that Doorn's evidence did not raise a reasonable likelihood of a different verdict at a new trial. 104 Morgan next claims that the government suppressed Doorn's evidence, that the evidence was exculpatory and thus acquittal or a new trial is proper under Brady. The district court assumed without deciding that the evidence was exculpatory and suppressed by the prosecution. We will follow suit. Nevertheless in order to mount a challenge under Brady, Morgan must show that the suppressed evidence was material. United States v. White, 970 F.2d 328, 337 (7th Cir.1992). Evidence is material if there is a reasonable probability that it would have changed the outcome at trial. United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667, 682, 105 S.Ct. 3375, 3383, 87 L.Ed.2d 481 (1985). A reasonable probability is a probability sufficient to undermine the confidence in the outcome. Id. We will only reverse the district court's ruling that the evidence was not material if it committed an abuse of discretion. United States v. McAnderson, 914 F.2d 934, 947 (7th Cir.1990). 105 The district court in this case gave great consideration to each of Morgan's arguments and determined that Doorn's evidence would not have changed the result of the trial. Morgan now claims that this ruling was an abuse of discretion. He argues that he would have put Doorn's testimony to use in two ways: (1) it would have corroborated his defense; and (2) it would have impeached Avery. 106 The district court found Morgan's defense to be incredible in every respect. Morgan claimed that he lied about having customers and lied about those customers moving to San Diego merely because he did not want Avery to know he was using all of the cocaine himself and freebasing it. Nothing in Doorn's testimony supports Morgan's wholly incredible defense. Doorn will say that Avery told him at one point in 1989 that Morgan was a new guy and not buying much cocaine. We have no doubt that when Morgan first began buying cocaine he would be classified as a new guy. This testimony does not weaken the other evidence that after that point Morgan dealt with Avery (in Morgan's own words) major big time. This testimony thus is useless to his defense. Next Doorn would testify on two occasions Morgan purchased small amounts of cocaine. This evidence simply adds two more transactions to the transactions already in evidence and supported by Avery's testimony, Musillami's testimony, and Morgan's own words in his telephone conversations with Avery. Adding more transactions, of whatever size, we believe is very unlikely to bolster Morgan's defense. For these reasons we hold that the district court did not abuse its discretion in concluding that the allegedly suppressed evidence was not material and could not form the basis for a Brady violation. 107 Morgan next claims that the evidence would have been useful to impeach Avery. Suppression of impeachment evidence can also give rise to a Brady violation. See Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150, 92 S.Ct. 763, 31 L.Ed.2d 104 (1972). The evidence, however, must be more than cumulative impeachment. United States v. Dweck, 913 F.2d 365, 371 (7th Cir.1990). Here Morgan claims that Doorn's testimony would impeach Avery's claim that Morgan purchased in two to three ounce quantities. Assuming that Doorn could have given any relevant or reliable evidence regarding the quantity of drugs that flew past him and out the car window, and assuming that these transactions were the same transactions to which Avery testified (two very questionable assumptions indeed), the evidence would nonetheless be cumulative impeachment. Avery was, in the words of the district court, already thoroughly impeached. The district court in fact only accepted Avery's testimony when it was corroborated, as it was in this case by Musillami's testimony as well as Morgan's extremely inculpatory statements in his telephone conversations. Evidence that impeaches an already thoroughly impeached witness is the definition of cumulative impeachment evidence and its suppression cannot give rise to a Brady violation. Therefore the district court did not abuse its discretion and Morgan is not entitled to a new trial or acquittal.