Opinion ID: 3032182
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Right to Present a Defense, and Brady Error

Text: Holler argues that he was denied his right to present a defense under Davis v. Alaska, 415 U.S. 308 (1974), because the district court failed to enforce its order to produce the CI’s IRS tax records. Without these records, he argues, the defense was deprived of the opportunity to impeach the CI’s credibility. Holler also argues that the failure to produce the CI’s tax records was a Brady error, requiring reversal. We review de novo whether a limitation on cross examination violated the defendant’s right of confrontation. United States v. Bensimon, 172 F.3d 1121, 1128 (9th Cir. 1999). “The district court, however, has considerable discretion in restricting cross-examination, and this court will find error only when that discretion has been abused.” Id. Alleged Brady violations are reviewed de novo. United States v. Danielson, 325 F.3d 1054, 1074 (9th Cir. 2003). [9] A limitation on cross examination “does not violate the Confrontation Clause unless it limits relevant testimony and prejudices the defendant, and denies the jury sufficient information to appraise the biases and motivations of the witness.” Bensimon, 172 F.3d at 1128 (quotations and citations omitted). A Brady violation has three components: (1) the evidence at issue must be favorable to the accused, either because it is exculpatory, or because it is impeaching; (2) the UNITED STATES v. HOLLER 6939 evidence must have been suppressed by the State, either willfully or inadvertently; and (3) prejudice must have ensued. Strickler v. Greene, 527 U.S. 263, 281-82 (1999). “[S]trictly speaking, there is never a real ‘Brady violation’ unless the nondisclosure was so serious that there is a reasonable probability that the suppressed evidence would have produced a different verdict.” Id. at 281. [10] Holler’s claims fail because the jury was presented with sufficient evidence to appraise the motivations of the CI, and any error in the lack of the CI’s IRS records was not prejudicial. Given the other impeaching evidence introduced regarding the CI and the substantial evidence against Holler, including photographs of him testing the cocaine, recordings of purchase negotiations and the payment of over $350,000 towards the purchase of cocaine, any error with respect to the lack of the IRS records was harmless. See United States v. Miguel, 111 F.3d 666, 671 (9th Cir. 1997) (holding that the court must “determine whether the error was harmless in light of the importance of the witness’s testimony in the entire case, the extent of cross-examination otherwise permitted, and the overall strength of the prosecution’s case”).