Opinion ID: 200745
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Discovery Abuse

Text: 49 White claims that the lower court erred when it refused to grant a mistrial based on the government's alleged discovery abuse. In order to prevail on a discovery abuse claim, a defendant must show 1) that the government wrongfully withheld evidence and 2) that the defendant suffered prejudice as a result. United States v. Nickens, 955 F.2d 112, 126 (1st Cir.1992). White's claim fails both of these requirements. 50 Prior to trial, White sent the government a letter pursuant to local rule 116.3(A) 6 requesting the following: 51 Disclosure of all prior subsequent [sic] crimes, wrongs or acts allegedly committed by each and any one of the Defendants upon which the Government intends to rely or of which the Government intends to offer evidence to prove motive, scheme, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity or absence of mistake or accident.... 52 The government sent White copies of his prior convictions in response to that letter, but it did not include any investigative reports or memoranda. 7 White claims that the government wrongfully withheld a surveillance record that DEA Agent Shuler prepared as part of a prior investigation of other drug dealers. Even though White was not a target of that investigation, he claims that the surveillance took place at his address, thus making the report a form of prior bad acts evidence. Furthermore, he claims that the government's failure to produce that report prejudiced his ability to prepare a defense. 53 We conclude that this report was not covered by White's pretrial discovery request; therefore, the government was not required to produce it. White was not a target of the earlier DEA investigation. He is only mentioned in the report because the government conducted its surveillance of the suspects in the vicinity of his home. While the jury may have drawn negative inferences from White's association with drug suspects, it is a stretch to deem this association a bad act within the meaning of Rule 404(b). See United States v. Reed, 647 F.2d 678, 686 (6th Cir.1981) (holding that testimony concerning the defendants' past association with known thieves and their presence at a hangout for thieves did not constitute 404(b) evidence). Furthermore, there is no evidence that the government intended to use that report against White. The jury only learned about the prior investigation because White's attorney asked DEA Agent Shuler whether he had heard the name Gary White before Shuler started his investigation with Detective Fisher. 8 In doing so, he forced Shuler to discuss the earlier investigation. The government's attorney did not reference the report on direct examination, and there is no hint in the record that the material in this report would have been introduced if White's attorney had not pressed Agent Shuler on the matter. 9