Opinion ID: 1442968
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Government's Pretrial Investigation of Chi and Lian's Veracity

Text: First, Zheng contends the government failed to adequately investigate Chi and Lian after learning they voluntarily engaged in prostitution after leaving the Tea House. Chi and Lian originally told FBI Agent Barry they were no longer working as prostitutes. The government later learned Chi and Lian had engaged in prostitution after leaving the Tea House, and the government informed defense counsel of this fact. Lian and Chi testified at trial that they had engaged in prostitution outside the Tea House, and the defense used their initial lie to undermine their credibility at trial. On appeal, Zheng contends the government's discovery of Chi and Lian's lie should have triggered additional investigation. Zheng contends that the prosecution's act of proceeding to trial without further investigation violated her due process rights. The district court found the prosecution had exhaustively investigated its case and concluded Zheng was not denied due process. We agree with the district court. The government did not engage in prosecutorial misconduct by proceeding to trial without additional investigation, and Zheng's due process rights were not violated. The government did disclose the fact that Chi and Lian engaged in prostitution after leaving the Tea House, and Zheng was able to use this information to impeach Chi and Lian at trial.