Opinion ID: 614326
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Giglio

Text: Friedman argues that the Government violated Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963) and Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150, 92 S.Ct. 763, 31 L.Ed.2d 104 (1972) because it concealed certain impeachment evidence related to Acosta and Callahan. Brady stands for the proposition that the suppression by the prosecution of evidence favorable to an accused upon request violates due process where the evidence is material either to guilt or to punishment, irrespective of the good faith or bad faith of the prosecution. 373 U.S. at 87, 83 S.Ct. 1194. Under Giglio, the government must disclose materials that go to the question of guilt or innocence as well as materials that might affect the jury's judgment of the credibility of a crucial prosecution witness. United States v. Milan, 304 F.3d 273, 287 (3d Cir.2002) (citing United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667, 676-77, 105 S.Ct. 3375, 87 L.Ed.2d 481 (1985)). A defendant must prove three elements for a Brady violation: (1) the evidence at issue must be favorable to the defendant; (2) it must be material; and (3) it must have been suppressed by the prosecution. United States v. Reyeros, 537 F.3d 270, 281 (3d Cir.2008) (citing Pelullo, 399 F.3d at 209; United States v. Perdomo, 929 F.2d 967, 970 (3d Cir.1991)). Evidence is material only if there is a reasonable probability that, had the evidence been disclosed to the defense, the result of the proceeding would have been different. United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667, 682, 105 S.Ct. 3375, 87 L.Ed.2d 481 (1985). Material evidence can include evidence that may be used to impeach a witness. Id. at 676-77, 105 S.Ct. 3375; Giglio, 405 U.S. at 154, 92 S.Ct. 763. However, impeachment evidence, if cumulative of similar impeachment evidence used at trial ... is superfluous and therefore has little, if any, probative value. Lambert v. Beard, 633 F.3d 126, 133 (3d Cir.2011) (citations omitted). On the other hand, it does not follow that whenever a witness is impeached in one manner, any other impeachment becomes immaterial. Id. Here, Friedman argues that he was disadvantaged because the Government failed to disclose Acosta's change in testimony. Originally, Acosta had identified properties for which Zanardelli, or Zanardelli's successor, had told him to disregard apparent violations. Later, on cross-examination, Acosta denied this assertion. The defense argued that this change was material and a violation of Giglio and Brady to suppress it. The District Court found that the Government did not suppress the change in Acosta's testimony or intentionally mislead Friedman because the Government was not aware of the change in Acosta's testimony until Acosta was cross-examined at trial. This finding was not clearly erroneous. Friedman chose not to cross-examine Acosta on the inconsistency of his prior statement and the District Court noted that Friedman's opening statement regarding Acosta's pre-trial statements were not central to his defense. Therefore, the District Court did not abuse its discretion by holding that Friedman was not prejudiced by the lack of prior knowledge of the change of testimony. Further, the result of the trial would not have been different if the change had been disclosed. Next, Friedman requests a new trial based on the Government's failure to disclose a change in testimony by a real estate broker, Callahan. The Government provided discovery to Friedman that Callahan had told the FBI that early in the process of preparing the building for listing to sell, Friedman told Callahan that the Town of WNY did not consider one of the apartments to be legal. Callahan later denied ever making that statement. Friedman asserts that he would have used Callahan's statement to argue that he did not have a corrupt intent in bribing Zanardelli because he was honest in his disclosure to Callahan about the illegal unit. According to Friedman, the Government's failure to disclose this change in testimony about whether Friedman disclosed to Callahan that the unit was illegal deprived Friedman of the opportunity to argue that he did not have a corrupt intent to bribe. The Government concedes that the change in testimony may reflect on Callahan's credibility and that it should have been disclosed to Friedman. The question that remains given the concession is whether the failure to disclose the change in testimony amounts to a constitutional deprivation requiring the ordering of a new trial. The District Court found that it did not. This finding is not clearly erroneous. Callahan's testimony regarding whether Friedman told him about the illegal apartment is not relevant regarding whether Friedman had a corrupt intent in bribing Zanardelli. The evidence implicating Friedman was that he bribed Zanardelli in exchange for a C.O. to legalize the sixteenth unit. Although the Government concealed evidence from Friedman that may have been favorable to Friedman, the evidence was not material. There is not a reasonable probability that the result of the proceeding would have been different if the Government had disclosed Callahan's change in testimony regarding what Friedman had told Callahan about the illegal unit. The District Court did not err in denying Friedman's motion for mistrial.