Opinion ID: 747578
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Garcia's Airplane Ticket

Text: 171 Garcia claims he is entitled to a new trial pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 33 based upon newly discovered evidence. He contends that the government intentionally failed to turn over an airline ticket that showed that Garcia returned from the Bahamas to Florida on May 28, 1988, via airplane and not as captain of the What's Up for its first smuggling voyage. As a result, he argues, he is entitled to a new trial. In response, the government states that Garcia never presented his claim to the district court in the form of a motion for a new trial as required by Rule 33 and, in any event, such a motion would have been unsuccessful on the merits. In his reply brief, appellant admits that he did not move for a new trial on this ground when he states the following: 172 In the Government's Brief they state that Mr. Garcia never presented his claim regarding the airline ticket to the district court in the form of a motion for new trial pursuant to the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure 33. The reason Mr. Garcia did not do this is because he was unable to locate this airline ticket. Appellant Garcia's Reply Brief at 10. 10 173 The proper procedure for obtaining a new trial on the basis of newly discovered evidence is by a motion to the trial court. United States v. Boberg, 565 F.2d 1059, 1060 (8th Cir.1977); see also United States v. Atkinson, 512 F.2d 1235, 1239-40 (4th Cir.1975) (We feel also that a motion for a new trial on the ground of after discovered evidence should more properly be made in the district court.). We have before us only appellant's unsubstantiated allegations and accusations of government misconduct. One of the principal rationales for the above quoted general rule is that the district court should have an opportunity to flesh such claims out before an appellant court is forced to render a decision without the benefit of the district court's factual determinations. Because appellant's claim is not properly before us, we decline to reach this issue. We do, however, note some conceptual difficulty in classifying this airline ticket as newly discovered evidence. Surely appellant has known all along that he was a passenger on the flight and the existence of records somewhere documenting that fact, if indeed it is true. Any difficulty in obtaining those records from either the government or some third-party could have been easily rectified by bringing the matter to the attention of the district court. In other words, appellant, at first glance, would appear to have difficulty in establishing his due diligence as required to obtain a new trial on the basis of newly discovered evidence. See United States v. Garcia, 13 F.3d 1464, 1472 (11th Cir.), cert. denied sub nom., Chaves v. United States, 512 U.S. 1226, 114 S.Ct. 2723, 129 L.Ed.2d 847 (1994).