Opinion ID: 173282
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Cardinas's Trial

Text: Shortly before Cardinas's trial, the government filed a notice pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b) announcing its intention to introduce testimony regarding Cardinas's May 2007 drug sale. The government asserted the testimony would establish Cardinas's motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity,... absence of mistake or accident and his consciousness of guilt. R. Vol. 1, Doc. 28 at 3. In response, Cardinas's counsel filed a motion in limine to exclude the testimony, arguing it would cause a distracting minitrial, would be burdensome and a confusion of the issues[,] ... and [would] result in unfair prejudice. R. Vol. 1, Doc. 29 at 5. The district court denied the motion in limine and the case proceeded to trial. At trial, the government offered testimony from various witnesses including the ATF agent, Gonzales, the special investigator who had surveilled Cardinas during the May drug sale, and a forensic scientist who testified that the drugs seized at Gonzales's apartment were indeed methamphetamine. Cardinas's counsel reasserted his Rule 404(b) objection to the special investigator's testimony, but the court overruled the objection and admitted the testimony with a limiting instruction. During the government's case-in-chief, Cardinas's counsel thoroughly cross-examined Gonzales. The cross-examination emphasized that Gonzales had initially lied to police regarding the origin of the methamphetamine. Gonzales also admitted he had sold some of the methamphetamine to pay his rent. Finally, Gonzales admitted he decided to testify against Cardinas only after learning he could be sentenced to a significant jail term for possessing methamphetamine, and only after executing a plea agreement with the government. During the defense's rebuttal, Cardinas took the stand to describe his relationship with Gonzales and rebut Gonzales's testimony. Cardinas testified that he and Gonzales are Mexican citizens and came to the United States illegally. They grew up in the same hometown in Mexico and became friends in Tulsa because of their shared history. Cardinas claimed he helped Gonzales move into the apartment where the methamphetamine was found, had sold Gonzales some furniture and a sound system, and visited Gonzales's apartment once or twice a week merely to trade movies. With respect to the May 2007 drug sale, Cardinas explained he did not actually sell the drugs to the confidential informant but was merely a one-time middleman. Cardinas explained that over the course of a month, the confidential informant (who was Cardinas's work colleague) had asked every day for help in obtaining drugs and kept insisting and insisting that Cardinas help him. R. Vol. 2 at 191-2. Cardinas testified he finally relented, obtained the drugs, and delivered the drugs to his friend while under surveillance by the Tulsa special investigator. Cardinas claimed he had never sold, or helped anyone obtain, drugs before that day. As for the June drug bust, Cardinas explained he was present at Gonzales's apartment that night merely to pick up money from Gonzales for the furniture Cardinas had sold him. Cardinas claimed he had entered Gonzales's apartment, picked up the money, and less than five minutes later had left the apartment when he encountered the Tulsa police sergeant and the ATF agent. Cardinas testified he had nothing to do with the drugs or scales seized at Gonzales's apartment and had never seen them prior to that night. Finally, Cardinas claimed that after he and Gonzales were arrested, while they shared a holding cell, Gonzales revealed to him the true source of the methamphetamine and digital scales the police found at Gonzales's apartment. According to Cardinas, Gonzales said the drugs belonged to a man named Esteban Contreras.