Opinion ID: 597808
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Frias's Stipulation as to Prior Convictions

Text: 108 Count 41 of the indictment, which charged Frias with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, alleged that he had previously been convicted of attempted criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a controlled substance. At trial, Frias sought to forestall the government's introduction of evidence concerning his prior convictions by stipulating that he had in fact been convicted of a felony prior to his arrest on the current charges. Frias contends that, in light of this stipulation, he was unfairly prejudiced by the trial court's disclosure to the jury of the indictment's allegations. For several reasons, his contention is meritless. 109 First, the stipulation itself did not require that the reference to the prior felonies be redacted from the indictment. Moreover, Frias did not object when the court, during its instructions, read the unredacted indictment to the jury. Though he objected to the court's allowing the jury to have the unredacted indictment during its deliberations, the court instructed the jury that the indictment's allegations were not evidence of the prior convictions. We see no indication that Frias was unduly prejudiced.