Opinion ID: 516169
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the marijuana evidence

Text: 7 Appellant contends that the district court committed reversible error by allowing the prosecutor to question the defendant about his use of drugs. He further argues that the error was compounded by allowing the answer to the question to be used as the basis for introducing otherwise inadmissible testimony about his possession of a small amount of marijuana at the time of arrest, and the admission of the marijuana itself as an exhibit. 8 No mention was made during the prosecution's case-in-chief of the marijuana found in the defendant's suitcase. But, when the defendant was being cross-examined, the prosecutor asked: 9 And of course, you don't use drugs? 10 This question elicited the following response: 11 DEFENSE COUNSEL: Objection, Your Honor. 12 THE WITNESS: No. sir. 13 THE COURT: Overruled. 14 The prosecutor resumed cross-examination with the following sequence resulting: 15 MR. PLAZA: Okay. You remember, sir, that also you brought, as part of your baggage, another suitcase? 16 DEFENSE COUNSEL: I will object, Your Honor. Could we approach the bench? (Counsel approached the bench.) 17 DEFENSE COUNSEL: Your Honor, Brother Counsel Plaza is trying to bring into evidence the marijuana that was not charged in the indictment, for personal use or whatever reason he has in the luggage. However, whatever use he had it there, that could be charged, it was not charged in the indictment. We are not here--we're not putting and we never put into the direct examination the character. The only way Brother Counsel Plaza can bring that will be under 404(b), which also states that you have to refer to 403; 403 clearly establishes, Your Honor, that circumstantial evidence about character is extremely prejudicial to any person whatsoever. 18 This is not facts. It doesn't have anything to do with the facts whatsoever. Whatsoever was charged in the indictment. And the character is not one of the elements or a defense in the case. 19 THE COURT: Unfortunately, you're right. You're a hundred percent right except he asked him you don't use drugs, and he said no. So, now all of a sudden it becomes an issue of his credibility. 20 In addition to the testimony of marijuana possession, the court allowed the prosecutor to put in evidence the packet of marijuana taken from defendant's suitcase. No limiting instruction was requested or given at the time. Defense counsel did not request any final jury instructions on this point, and he did not object to the failure of the court to include a limiting instruction in the jury charge. 21 We first determine whether the prosecutor's initial question regarding the defendant's use of drugs should have been excluded. Appellant argues that the question could not be allowed to show character under Fed.R.Evid. 404(a) 1 because character had not been made an issue by the accused. He further argues that the question could not have been asked to prove motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident under Fed.R.Evid. 404(b) 2 because it was more prejudicial than probative and could not pass the required balancing test under Fed.R.Evid. 403. 3 22 Rule 404(a) states that evidence of a person's character or a trait of his character is not admissible for purposes of proving that he acted in conformity therewith on a particular occasion, except that evidence of a pertinent trait of his character may be offered by an accused or by the prosecution to rebut the same. Evidence of a character trait was not offered by the defendant. Therefore, the question in regard to the defendant's prior drug use could not have found legitimate foundation in Rule 404(a). 23 Although the trial record does not disclose the basis of the defense attorney's objection 4 or the reasoning of the trial judge in overruling the objection, the question as to whether the defendant used drugs may have been admissible under Rule 404(b). Rule 404(b) provides that although evidence of other crimes, wrongs and acts is not admissible to prove character of a person, it may be admissible for other purposes, such as proof of motive, knowledge or absence of mistake or accident. We have held that where a past bad act is relevant only because it shows bad character, Rule 404(b) automatically excludes the evidence. United States v. Rubio-Estrada, 857 F.2d 845, 846 (1st Cir.1988). But, past bad acts which are also relevant in any other way which does not involve character are not automatically excluded from evidence and will be admitted unless substantially outweighed by the risks of prejudice, confusion or waste of time. Id. at 847 (citing J. Weinstein & M. Berger, 2 Weinstein's Evidence Sec. 404; 1 Weinstein's Evidence Sec. 403-. 24 The question regarding the use of drugs was probative. Because the defendant was charged with possession and intent to distribute narcotics, a knowledge of whether he used drugs could aid the jury in assessing guilt. The defendant's personal use of drugs could be particularly probative of motive, knowledge or absence of mistake or accident. 25 Having determined that the question was probative, the issue then becomes whether its probative value was substantially outweighed by prejudice to the defendant. The trial court has considerable leeway in balancing the legitimate probative value that such evidence may have against its potential prejudicial effect. United States v. Simon, 842 F.2d 552, 555 (1st Cir.1988); United States v. Crocker, 788 F.2d 802, 804 (1st Cir.1986). The trial court, as a first step, determines whether the evidence has some special probative value as to any of the factors listed in Rule 404(b). United States v. Scelzo, 810 F.2d 2, 4 (1st Cir.1987); United States v. Kadouh, 768 F.2d 20, 21 (1st Cir.1985). As a second step, the judge balances the probative value against prejudice to the defendant. Id. The balancing is committed to the district court judge's judgment and will be reversed only for abuse of discretion. Id. 26 Although prejudice may have resulted from the defendant's answer, the court was entitled to conclude that the probative value of the evidence was not substantially outweighed by its possible prejudice. It was within the district court judge's discretion to make such a Rule 403 determination. Under the circumstances of this case, the district court judge did not abuse his discretion in allowing the prosecutor to question the defendant in regard to his personal use of drugs. 27 The more difficult issue arises as a result of the answer to this first question. Upon the defendant's denial of the use of drugs, the prosecutor sought to impeach the defendant by showing that marijuana had been discovered in his suitcase at the time of arrest and by introducing the packet of marijuana into evidence. 28 When the prosecutor inquired about the defendant's luggage, the defense attorney offered a timely objection expressly based upon Rules 404(b) and 403, alleging that the prosecutor was trying to bring into evidence the marijuana and that this was improper because it was extremely prejudicial. In response, the district court judge said: Unfortunately, you're right. You're a hundred percent right except that he asked him, you don't use drugs, and he said no. So, now all of a sudden it becomes an issue of his credibility. 29 Appellant would have us interpret the comments of the trial judge as a reconsideration of his ruling on the prior question of the defendant's drug use. But, our reading of the trial record, particularly the comments of the judge at the bench conference with counsel, leads us to conclude that the judge meant that it was the marijuana testimony, not the previous admission of drug use, that would be inadmissible under Rule 404(b). 30 The district court made the Rule 403 balancing test at that time and ruled that the marijuana testimony could not come into evidence under Rule 404(b). The district court then ruled that the marijuana testimony was admissible because it went to the issue of defendant's credibility. Although no evidentiary rule was specified, the use of extrinsic evidence to attack credibility is controlled by Rule 608(b) 5 and is limited to specific acts of conduct. 31 The district court's discretion under Rule 608(b), while not unlimited, is very substantial. United States v. Fortes, 619 F.2d 108, 118 (1st Cir.1980); United States v. Nogueira, 585 F.2d 23, 25 (1st Cir.1978). Rule 608(b) has been worded specifically to emphasize the discretionary power of the trial judge. Fortes, 619 F.2d at 118. 32 Because Rule 608(b) allows cross-examination on particular instances of conduct by the witness, the possibilities of abuse are substantial. Advisory Committee Notes to Fed.R.Evid. 608(b), Subdivision (b)(2). To protect against abuse, specific instances of conduct inquired into must be clearly probative of truthfulness or its opposite and must not be remote in time. Id. Since defendant denied any personal use of drugs, it was clearly probative to raise the issue of the marijuana which he had in his suitcase, and possessing marijuana at the time of arrest cannot be considered remote in time. 33 Like Rule 404(b), Rule 608(b) is subject to the over-arching protection of Rule 403 which requires that the probative value not be substantially outweighed by danger of unfair prejudice. But the fact that evidence may be excluded by a Rule 403 analysis applied to one rule does not necessarily mean that it must be excluded under all others. The ultimate goals of the rules of evidence are best served by not reading any rule in isolation. Smith Grading and Paving, Inc., 760 F.2d at 531. 6 34 The defendant puts his credibility at issue when he takes the stand. The Federal Rules of Evidence clearly allow a witness to be impeached with prior instances of conduct probative of truthfulness or untruthfulness. United States v. Covelli, 738 F.2d 847, 856 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 867, 105 S.Ct. 211, 83 L.Ed.2d 141 (1984). The defendant denied knowledge of the cocaine in his suitcase and his credibility was a central issue in the trial. Evidence of the defendant's truthfulness or untruthfulness was highly probative. 35 Although this is a close question, we do not find that the trial judge ignored his balancing duties under Rule 403 by permitting the introduction of the marijuana testimony. Even though its prejudicial effect may have weighed against admission under Rule 404(b), the judge was within the bounds of his discretion by ruling that the scale tipped in the other direction when the probative value included impeachment of the defendant's credibility under Rule 608(b). 36 The prosecutor introduced the packet of marijuana into evidence citing Rule 801 and Rule 404(b). Fed.R.Evid. 801, which provides hearsay definitions, is not a satisfactory foundation for admission. We have already held that the marijuana testimony could not have been introduced under Rule 404(b) but was admissible under Rule 608(b). Rule 608(b), which allows specific instances of conduct to be inquired into on cross-examination to attack credibility, does not provide for the admission of physical evidence. Moreover, defendant did not deny that he had a package of marijuana in his suitcase. Its admission, therefore, did not impeach the defendant. We find that the actual marijuana should not have been allowed into evidence. The next question is whether such admission was harmless error. 37 In determining whether or not error was harmless, a reviewing court must assess the record as a whole to determine the probable impact of the improper evidence upon the jury. United States v. Currier, 821 F.2d 52, 56 (1st Cir.1987). The prejudicial effect of the improper evidence must be weighed against the impact of the properly admitted evidence to determine whether or not the evidence complained of might have contributed to the conviction. Id. at 56-57. 38 The defendant acknowledged his possession of the marijuana. The packet of marijuana, marked as an exhibit, graphically emphasized the cross-examination admission of defendant, but did not open new evidentiary territory. Nor, unlike a gun or a blood-stained knife, was it likely to arouse the passion or prejudice of the jury to any greater extent than testimony about its presence in the suitcase did. Although the packet of marijuana was improperly admitted, looking at the record as a whole, we find that its admission was harmless error beyond a reasonable doubt. Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 24, 87 S.Ct. 824, 828, 17 L.Ed.2d 705 (1967). 39 The district court did not give any cautionary instructions limiting the jury's consideration of the marijuana to the issue of credibility. But none were requested, either at the time of the ruling or prior to the final charge. And when the trial judge specifically asked defendant's counsel if he had any objection to the jury instructions as given, the reply was none. 40 Appellant claims that the failure of the trial judge to give a cautionary instruction to the jury constituted prejudicial error. 7 Fed.R.Evid. 105 states: 41 When evidence which is admissible as to one party or for one purpose but not admissible as to another party or for another purpose is admitted, the court, upon request, shall restrict the evidence to its proper scope and instruct the jury accordingly. (Emphasis added.) 42 We have held that an appellant waives any objection to the lack of a limiting instruction by his failure to make a timely request for one. Staniewicz v. Beecham, Inc., 687 F.2d 526, 531 (1st Cir.1982); Dente v. Riddell, Inc., 664 F.2d 1, 6 n. 5 (1st Cir.1981). The failure of the district court to give sua sponte a limiting instruction was not prejudicial error.