Opinion ID: 539884
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Evidence of Bell's kidnapping.

Text: 44 Carricaburu and Duque argue that the district court erred in admitting Walter Bell's testimony that they kidnapped him. Bell testified that on March 19, 1986, he flew to Chicago from Florida to pick up money for Gorny from a man named Billy. Billy told Bell he did not have the money. Bell returned to his hotel. Carricaburu, who had been told by Gorny that Bell was supposed to have the money, later came to Bell's room and asked, Did you get the money? Bell explained that he did not have the money, and suggested that Carricaburu call Gorny to straighten things out. Carricaburu could not reach Gorny, so he told Bell that they would go back to Florida the next day. 45 Duque was waiting when Carricaburu and Bell arrived at the airport in Florida. After Bell unsuccessfully tried to call Gorny from an airport telephone, he told Duque and Carricaburu he would drive them to Gorny's shop. While the three were driving, Carricaburu told Bell to turn off on a certain road. When Bell asked why, Duque, who was sitting in the rear seat, stuck a gun in Bell's ear and said, Do you know what us ... Colombians are like? Bell proceeded, at Duque's direction, to drive to Duque's house. Duque and Carricaburu held Bell at the house. After several days, they released him. 46 About a week after the kidnapping, Gorny and Bell met with Duque and Carricaburu. Gorny was upset about what Duque and Carricaburu had done and explained to them that Bell had been unable to contact him because his sailboat had been stuck on a sandbar in the Florida Keys. Gorny also told them, Don't you think that it's ... time that you had trusted me? This should have never happened. I've got a good mind to quit it right here and now. Eventually, though, Gorny and Duque and Carricaburu smoothed out their differences and, in Bell's words, agreed to continue doing their business. 47 Duque and Carricaburu argue that the district court abused its discretion by admitting evidence that they kidnapped Bell. According to Duque and Carricaburu, that evidence was evidence of other crimes and did not meet Fed.R.Evid. 404(b)'s requirements for admitting other crimes evidence. As was the case with the testimony about Laskowski's marijuana dealings, however, Rule 404(b) does not apply because Bell's testimony was intricately related to the facts of this case. United States v. Hawkins, 823 F.2d at 1023. The kidnapping occurred during the course of the conspiracy, and as part of Duque's and Carricaburu's participation in the conspiracy. It was not an other act within Rule 404(b). 48 Since Rule 404(b) does not apply, we need only analyze the evidence under Rule 403. The probative value was strong. Aside from the attempted cocaine sale on April 8, the kidnapping was the strongest evidence of Duque's participation in the conspiracy. It was also strong evidence of Carricaburu's participation. The evidence of the kidnapping was certainly prejudicial, but all probative evidence is prejudicial to the party against whom it is introduced. The prejudice was not unfair. The government has a right to introduce direct evidence of a defendant's participation in a crime, even if the details of that participation are shocking or repulsive (characterizations that apply only marginally, if at all, to the evidence of Bell's kidnapping in this case). The district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting evidence of Bell's kidnapping. 49