Opinion ID: 563776
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Perrone

Text: 43 Perrone challenges his conviction on the grounds that expert testimony was improperly admitted against him, that statements he made during plea bargaining discussions with the United States Attorney's office were improperly admitted, and that the United States Attorney made fatally prejudicial remarks on summation.
44 DEA Agent Kevin Mancini testified extensively as a fact witness about his observations in connection with Perrone's arrest and as an expert on the consistency of Perrone's behavior and other evidence with the characteristics of drug traffickers. 45 Fed.R.Evid. 702 permits expert testimony where it will assist the trier of fact, a determination as to which the district court enjoys broad discretion and is to be sustained unless manifestly erroneous. United States v. Simmons, 923 F.2d 934, 946 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 111 S.Ct. 2018, 114 L.Ed.2d 104 (1991). The testimony of agents as to the clandestine manner in which drugs are bought and sold has been recognized as appropriate on the grounds that such information is likely to be beyond the knowledge of the average juror. See United States v. Scop, 846 F.2d 135, 141 (2d Cir.1988). 46 Agent Mancini testified that beepers, which were found at the arrest site, were commonly used by drug dealers. Judge Stanton instructed the jury that beepers are also put to legitimate uses and were not necessarily an indication of illegal activity. Agent Mancini also testified that other items found in the apartment into which Perrone and others unloaded the chemicals they had acquired were tools of the narcotics trade. These included baggies, duct tape, a stun gun, a two-way radio, aluminum foil, a balance scale and knives. The agent discussed at length the use of such objects in the narcotics trade, but on cross examination acknowledged that there was no evidence in this case that the items he discussed had actually been used in connection with drug possession or distribution or other illegal activity. 47 Perrone argues that the agent's testimony was erroneously admitted because it did not assist the jury to determine any fact and because its probative value was clearly outweighed by its prejudicial impact. See Fed.R.Evid. 403. The government answers that the testimony was admissible to assist jurors who may not have known the typical methods of the narcotics trade. While we are concerned that expert testimony was permitted as to several questions (such as that guns are commonly used in the drug trade or that people wishing to avoid surveillance drive in a stop-and-start manner) seemingly within the grasp of any citizen, and may have achieved undue prominence in the minds of jurors because it was uttered by a so-called expert, there is no indication that the testimony actually harmed Perrone, particularly in light of the fact that further questioning clearly indicated the limited relationship between Mancini's expert observations and the specific facts of the case. 48 Moreover, Judge Stanton did instruct the jury that testimony as to typical behavior and methods of narcotics traffickers did not preclude a finding that similar behavior by a defendant might nevertheless be consistent with innocent pursuits.
49 Perrone engaged in cooperation discussions with the United States Attorney's office with the understanding that statements he made could be used solely on cross-examination, should he testify, or to rebut evidence offered by or for him. At trial testimony as to the statements was admitted to attack Perrone's credibility. Judge Stanton instructed the jury at the close of trial that the statements could be considered by the jury solely as to credibility and could not be regarded as substantive evidence of his guilt: 50 You should first examine with great care whether each prior statement was made and whether, in fact, it was voluntarily and understandingly made. 51 If you find that those statements were made ... you must nevertheless use those statements in a very limited manner only. 52 [The statements cannot be used against Gomez.] [S]uch statements are not to be considered by you as affirmative evidence of Mr. Perrone's guilt. Evidence of the prior inconsistent statements was placed before you for the more limited purpose of helping you decide whether to believe Mr. Perrone's trial testimony.... 53 That is the only use you may make of his statements to the DEA, if you find that they were made, and made voluntarily and understandingly. 54 Perrone argues that the admission of the statements was so prejudicial that Judge Stanton's instruction was ineffective to cure the damage created by the statements' improper use. 55 At trial, Perrone testified in his own behalf that Apartment 51 was not used for drugs and that he only suspected but did not know about the plan to manufacture cocaine. 56 On cross-examination, the prosecution referred to prior statements Perrone allegedly made during the proffer sessions, including statements that he knew that cocaine was to be manufactured from the chemicals, that drugs were expected to be received that night, and that it was intended to move the chemicals later to process the drugs elsewhere. The prosecution repeatedly asked Perrone if he had made such statements, and Perrone repeatedly denied that he had; Judge Stanton during the course of this questioning instructed the jury that the content of the prosecutor's questions was not evidence. Subsequently an agent testified as to his recollection of Perrone's statements during the proffer sessions. 57 As noted above, this court has held that the presumption of the effectiveness of curative instructions does not apply if there is an overwhelming probability that the jury will be unable to follow the court's instructions and the evidence is devastating to the defense. United States v. Colombo, 909 F.2d 711, 715 (2d Cir.1990). Perrone argues that such is the case here. Colombo, however, involved the admission of evidence that a sexual assault had occurred in connection with a robbery whose victim the defendant was convicted of facilitating, but in which he played no active role. Id. at 712. That evidence was deemed so inflammatory as to be inherently prejudicial and fatal to the conviction. Id. at 715. 58 While in Colombo the inflammatory evidence bore at most a tangential relation to the case against the defendant, in Perrone's case the evidence subject to the curative instruction was highly probative as to a central question in the case, namely Perrone's credibility as a witness. Given Perrone's inconsistent testimony and his earlier agreement that statements from plea discussions could be used to rebut such testimony, there is no merit to Perrone's argument that allowing such rebuttal use of his earlier statements was improper. 59 Perrone contends further that the use on cross examination of his offer during plea discussions to introduce an undercover agent to a distributor who could provide DEA agents with three to four kilograms of cocaine was impermissible. After his counsel's objection to the question was denied, Perrone acknowledged making such an offer. Perrone argues that the question was objectionable because: 1) his statement was not inconsistent with his earlier testimony; 2) the prosecutor's question went beyond the scope of direct examination; 3) the answer was prejudicial; 4) the question was improper as an effort to prove action by reference to other wrongful acts. 60 The Government points out that Perrone failed to raise these objections at trial (though his counsel did make a general objection), and argues that he has waived them for appeal. See United States v. Torres, 901 F.2d 205, 227-28 (2d Cir.1990) (inexplicit objection insufficient to preserve objection for appeal absent plain error), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 111 S.Ct. 273, 112 L.Ed.2d 229 (1990). The Government further argues that a defendant's failure to request a limiting instruction waives his right to object to the absence of such an instruction on appeal. United States v. Novod, 923 F.2d 970, 977 (2d Cir.1991), modified on other grounds following rehearing, 927 F.2d 726 (2d Cir.1991), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 111 S.Ct. 2018, 114 L.Ed.2d 104 (1991). 61 Even if these procedural arguments are put aside, although they are meritorious, the government is correct that Perrone's offer to set up another cocaine deal in fact pertained to his testimony that he never had traded in or used drugs. While Perrone's offer did not flatly contradict his testimony on direct, it nevertheless was relevant to his credibility. Moreover, Perrone was free to argue, and indeed did, that his offer to set up a deal was solely an effort to win leniency by turning in some dealers whom he knew, but did not imply his own past drug dealing. 3 62
63 Perrone argues that the District Court erroneously denied his motion to suppress evidence seized during the search of Apartment 51. As noted above, a protective search was conducted after agents had sought a warrant for the search, but before the warrant was obtained. A warrant was issued after the search based on the chemicals seen within the apartment during the warrantless protective search, on the registration of the van to a resident of Apartment 51, and on the utility company's listing of Perrone's bodega's telephone number as the customer contact number for Apartment 51. 64 The District Court held a suppression hearing, following which evidence obtained from the search nevertheless was admitted under the independent source doctrine. See Nix v. Williams, 467 U.S. 431, 443, 104 S.Ct. 2501, 2508, 81 L.Ed.2d 377 (1984); Murray v. United States, 487 U.S. 533, 537, 108 S.Ct. 2529, 2533, 101 L.Ed.2d 472 (1988) (evidence initially discovered during, or as a consequence of, an unlawful search, but later obtained independently from activities untainted by the initial illegality is admissible). 65 While the agents were unacceptably casual in conducting the initial search before they obtained a warrant, 4 we agree with the District Court's conclusion that the warrant would have been issued, and the contested evidence obtained, independent of the improper initial search of Apartment 51. As Judge Stanton observed, agents observed defendants acquire chemicals with no known commercial or laboratory use other than cocaine refining; they observed that the van used by defendants to transport the chemicals had no commercial markings and quickly learned it was registered at Apartment 51; they observed the chemicals being unloaded into the apartment's building; and they knew that cocaine often was refined using these chemicals in residential buildings. This information alone provides an adequate basis for the issuance of a warrant for Apartment 51. Accordingly evidence obtained from that apartment was properly admitted. 66