Opinion ID: 445280
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Erroneously Excluded Evidence

Text: 51 Lester also asserts prejudicial error in the trial court's exclusion of three pieces of evidence. First, Lester claims it was error for the trial court to exclude a government witness' misdemeanor conviction for filing a false police report. After defense counsel had cross-examined the government witness Norbert Bluitt regarding various narcotics offenses to show bias, the trial judge sustained an objection to the defense inquiry into Bluitt's misdemeanor conviction. The exclusion of this evidence was error. Fed.R.Evid. 609(a)(2) provides that evidence of convictions of a crime involving dishonesty or false statement shall be admitted during cross-examination to attack the credibility of a witness. No discretion to exclude exists. United States v. Glenn, 667 F.2d 1269, 1272 (9th Cir.1982). 52 The error, however, was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. While it is true that an erroneous restriction of a defendant's cross-examination of a government witness has constitutional implications, we are convinced that no Sixth Amendment rights of Lester were abridged. See Chipman v. Mercer, 628 F.2d 528 (9th Cir.1980). The jury had sufficient information to appraise the biases and motivations of the witness. Id. at 530. It heard evidence of Bluitt's prior criminal history and his expectation of government protection in exchange for his testimony against the appellants. Furthermore, Bluitt himself admitted on cross-examination that he would have lied for the mob. Against this backdrop, the trial court's erroneous exclusion of his conviction for filing a false police report did not deprive the jury of relevant evidence nor did it constitute a meaningful restriction on Lester's right to cross-examine Bluitt. The district court's error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. 53 Lester next claims that it was error for the trial court to exclude the grand jury testimony of McGill's wife, Bonnie Harmason, who had accompanied McGill and Brigham to San Diego. This testimony would have ascribed an innocent motive to the trip. Harmason did not take the stand during the trial. The prosecutor objected to the admission of the grand jury testimony under these circumstances because he would be deprived of the opportunity to cross-examine Harmason with respect to an inconsistent version of this trip she gave in a statement made to the F.B.I. 54 The grounds employed by the trial judge in excluding this evidence are not clear. Perhaps he thought it was inadmissible hearsay because of its failure to conform to the requirements of Fed.R.Evid. 804(b)(1). This appears to be erroneous, inasmuch as the government had ample opportunity to cross-examine Bonnie Harmason during the grand jury proceedings. Perhaps the trial court simply considered it unfair to present a version of an unavailable witness' testimony without an opportunity to cross-examine directly. In any event, this is a matter for the trial judge's discretion, to be exercised on the basis of his evaluation of the realities of cross-examination and the motive and interest with which the government carried out the prior examination. 4 J. Weinstein & M. Berger, Weinstein's Evidence p 804(b)(1) (1984). We believe the trial judge acted within his proper discretion in conducting this evaluation, especially given the likelihood of confusion occasioned by the admission of both Harmason's prior testimony and her statement to the FBI. 55 The final evidentiary error asserted concerns the invocation of the Fifth Amendment by a government witness. Defense counsel attempted to cross-examine Brigham in order to show bias and motive to cooperate with the government regarding a murder he allegedly committed. The district court upheld Brigham's claim of privilege against self-incrimination. 56 Evidence relevant to bias may be excluded because of the Fifth Amendment privilege. See Coil v. United States, 343 F.2d 573, 577-79 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 382 U.S. 821, 86 S.Ct. 48, 15 L.Ed.2d 67 (1965). The defense had already amply demonstrated the bias of this witness; furthermore, the other government witness, Bluitt, testified that Brigham had admitted committing the murder. Thus, the evidence sought by Lester was cumulative, and its exclusion was not prejudicial. We therefore find the trial court's ruling to be proper.