Opinion ID: 156725
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Chickelero tapes

Text: Appellant contends that his appellate counsel was ineffective in failing to appeal the district court’s decision concerning admissibility of tapes on which he is heard to discuss cocaine sales with informant Elbert Chickelero. “When a defendant alleges his appellate counsel rendered ineffective assistance by failing to raise an issue on appeal, we examine the merits of the omitted issue. If the omitted issue is without merit, counsel’s failure to raise it does not constitute constitutionally ineffective assistance of counsel.” United States v. Cook , 45 F.3d 388, 393 (10th Cir. 1995) (citations and quotation omitted). Having reviewed the record, we conclude that if the district court erred in conducting its Fed. R. Evid. 404(b) analysis, such errors were harmless. See United States v. Sarracino , 131 F.3d 943, 949 (10th Cir. 1997) (applying harmless error analysis to Rule 404(b) issue).