Opinion ID: 362223
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: other challenged evidence

Text: 27 Bearing in mind the general rule that the trial court is afforded broad discretion in passing on questions of admissibility of evidence, United States v. Pearson, 508 F.2d 595 (5th Cir. 1975); United States v. Pentado, 463 F.2d 355 (5th Cir. 1972), we consider two additional contentions that the trial court improperly admitted evidence prejudicial to the appellants. 28
29 During the cross examination of Melnick, the alleged victim of the loanshark operation, defense counsel undertook to show that he had made inconsistent statements and also that at the time of the giving of his testimony he had a motive for fabricating his statement. The government, in rebuttal, put in evidence a prior consistent statement in the form of Melnick's testimony before a grand jury. In response to an objection to the evidence as hearsay, the government relies on Fed.R.Evid. 801(d), which states: A statement is not hearsay if (1) . . . (b) consistent with his testimony and is offered to rebut an express or implied charge against him of recent fabrication or improper influence or motive . . . . 30 Appellants argue that the record discloses that Melnick's testimony before the grand jury, while consistent with his trial testimony, was given when he was under pressure to cooperate with the government, and not at a time predating any reason to fabricate. This court has not previously limited the application of Rule 801(d)(1)(B) to those cases in which it was shown that the prior consistent statement antedated any occurrence or fact giving rise to the possibility of a fabrication or the existence of improper influence or motive. This theory has been expressly rejected by the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in United States v. Scholle, 553 F.2d 1109 (8th Cir. 1977), in which the court said: This court has rejected the proposition that to be admissible prior consistent statements must have been made prior to the impeaching statements, noting that 'this seems an unnecessary refinement,' Hanger v. United States (398 F.2d 91, 8th Cir. 1968). . . . 553 F.2d at 1122. 31 We need not decide this precise question, because as previously indicated in discussing other evidence, the evidence from which the jury could find the guilt of these appellants was so overwhelming that we conclude that if error was committed by the trial court, such error was harmless beyond reasonable doubt. 32
33 Cifarelli alone contends that the trial court erred in admitting into evidence two handguns which were seized during a search of the premises of his Dade Office Supply Company pursuant to an admittedly valid search warrant. He contends that since there was no evidence adduced during the trial that he used or carried the weapons, they were irrelevant and thus inadmissible against him. 34 A review of the evidence showing Cifarelli's own statement that he would kill Melnick if he did not pay the debt, his repeated statements that the persons supplying the money which he loaned to Melnick were violent persons, and the telephone conversations between Cifarelli and Ebeling clearly threatening violence toward Melnick demonstrate the correctness of the trial court's ruling on the admissibility of this evidence. United States v. Pearson, supra. 35 The judgments are AFFIRMED.