Opinion ID: 1226361
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Statement Regarding Kuehne's Instructions to His Mother

Text: Kuehne also contends that the AUSA engaged in misconduct by arguing that Kuehne attempted to withhold, or keep, evidence from the jury. This argument is also without merit. During closing arguments, the AUSA asserted that Kuehne traveled to New York City immediately following a robbery specified in the indictment. In making this assertion, the AUSA attacked the testimony of Chris Bell, Kuehne's mother, who testified that Kuehne was at her home during the time the alleged robbery and trip to New York City took place. Specifically, the AUSA stated: Also please consider that you heard a tape of a conversation between the Defendant and his mother Chris Bell in which Mr. Kuehne recruited his mother to retrieve a piece of material evidence that doesn't belong to him, that belongs to Lisa Hicks. And that is real important, that is very important. In other words, the woman that Mr. Kuehne is recruiting to suppress material evidence is the woman called as a witness to give him an alibi. She is not only the defendant's mother. But the Defendant felt she was capable of assisting him in concealing evidence from you. (J.A. at 1578) The AUSA's statements to the jury were not improper, but rather served as proper evidence of guilt for three reasons. First, as the government notes, the AUSA's statement was an accurate summary of the evidence offered at trial. At trial the government produced a photograph of Kuehne and Lisa Hicks in New York City during the time period that Kuehne was alleged to have made trips to New York to exchange guns for drugs with Nunez. The government also produced testimony of a detective who stated that after Kuehne's arrest, law enforcement monitored a conversation between Kuehne and his mother requesting her to go and get these two digital disks, and he stated to her that it was very, very important. (J.A. at 1244) Second, this evidence and statement of the AUSA was proper inasmuch as it was intended to call into question the credibility of Kuehne's mother and his alibi. Certainly [a] prosecutor may not express a personal opinion concerning . . . the credibility of a trial witness because to do so exceeds the legitimate advocate's role by improperly inviting the jury to convict on a basis other than a neutral independent assessment of the record proof. United States v. Owens, 426 F.3d 800, 806 (6th Cir.2005) (internal citations and quotations omitted). However, this Court has held that [c]ounsel may argue for a reasonable inference that a witness is not credible . . . assuming there exists evidence from which to so infer. Id. (citing United States v. Collins, 78 F.3d 1021, 1040 (6th Cir. 1996)). The AUSA's statements fall into the latter category inasmuch as there was an evidentiary basis for his argument that Kuehne's mother was not a credible witness. Third, the AUSA's reference was not improper inasmuch as one could infer that Kuehne's attempt to tamper with evidence is probative of guilt. See United States v. Munnerlyn, 202 Fed.Appx. 91, 95 (6th Cir. 2006) (unpublished). For example, in Munnerlyn, this Court held that a tape recording of a phone conversation in which a defendant arrested for a robbery made a call from jail to instruct another person to destroy it was probative evidence suggesting [the defendant's] consciousness of guilt. Id. (citing United States v. Mendez-Ortiz, 810 F.2d 76, 79 (6th Cir.1986)). In the instant case, like Munnerlyn, Kuehne's attempt to destroy the photographs was probative evidence that the jury could consider. Thus, nothing in the AUSA's statement was improper, nor was the statement exceptionally flagrant such that reversal is warranted. See United States v. Gardiner, 463 F.3d 445, 459-60 (6th Cir.2006) (finding that prosecutor's misstatement of evidence, even if improper, was not flagrant and does not warrant reversal on appeal under plain error review).