Opinion ID: 792110
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Newly Discovered Evidence Under the Mitrione Standard

Text: 23 In the alternative, Ogle argues that she is entitled to a new trial—or at least an evidentiary hearing—based on what she characterizes as newly discovered evidence suggesting that Ellebracht perjured himself at trial under the reasonable probability test announced in Mitrione. To support her contention she cites a number of letters and statements by Ellebracht which she claims establish that he testified falsely, as well as an affidavit from Suggs in which he states that Ogle is as innocent as a babe in the woods. Suggs Affidavit, February 4, 2004 at 1. 24 In contrast to her claim that the government knowingly used false testimony in securing a conviction, which is analyzed under the Agurs test described above, this portion of Ogle's claim is governed by the four-part test we recently adopted in Mitrione. See Mitrione, 357 F.3d at 718. The first element of that test, is that the existence of the perjurious testimony came to the criminal defendant's knowledge only after trial. Id. The problem is that all of the evidence Ogle points to, i.e., statements suggesting that Ellebracht was lying, was squarely at issue prior to and at her trial; for Ellebracht was the government's star witness and his testimony was subject to exhaustive cross-examination. See id.; Buie v. McAdory, 341 F.3d 623, 625 (7th Cir.2003) (stating that [t]he tools of the adversary process supply the means to expose [many] testimonial shortcomings such as a witness who may be lying). In addition, it is apparent that, due to Ellebracht's pre-trial statements and Ogle's knowledge of the charges against her, Ogle was well aware that Ellebracht was going to testify against her at trial as the government's star witness. See, e.g., Appellant's Brief at 7 (characterizing Ellebracht as the government's key witness based on his pre-trial statements); see also United States v. Canova, 412 F.3d 331, 349 (2d Cir.2005) (upholding the denial of a new hearing on a Rule 33 motion and using as support the fact that [t]he evidence in question all pertained to matters that Canova knew would be in issue at trial, even if he did not know the government's exact position on these matters). 25 Also, as the trial judge correctly noted, nothing in Ellebracht's statements conclusively establishes that he perjured himself. He repeatedly states that he does not remember stating certain things at trial and offers that the prosacuter [sic] told me I had to answer his questions a serten [sic] way or I would be held in contemp [sic]. In addition, as mentioned above, Ellebracht's statements prior to trial were obviously based, in some part, on his feelings for Ogle. This is evidenced by statements made by Ellebracht to Ogle prior to trial, such as: I'll do whatever it take's [sic] to help you. Letter from Ellebracht to Ogle, June 18, 2001. The courts generally view recantations very skeptically and with suspicion. See United States v. Griffin, 84 F.3d 912, 929 (7th Cir.1996); United States v. Badger, 983 F.2d 1443, 1456 (7th Cir.1993); United States v. Kamel, 965 F.2d 484, 494 n. 25 (7th Cir.1992). This is especially true, as in cases such as this, where the witness who is recanting has already received a benefit—in the form of immunity from prosecution or the government's recommendation of a reduced sentence to the trial court in return for testimony given at trial—and in addition has an ongoing personal relationship with the defendant. For all these reasons, we are convinced that the district court did not commit an error, much less abuse its discretion, in denying Ogle's motion for a new trial pursuant to FED. R. CRIM. P. 33. 26 Finally, after considering the record and concluding that the district court did not err in denying Ogle's motion for a new trial we are not convinced this is a situation in which an evidentiary hearing would have produced any details adding verisimilitude to the issue and conclude that the district court was likewise justified in foregoing the redundant procedure of ordering such a hearing. See Torres-Ramirez, 213 F.3d at 980.