Opinion ID: 574322
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: single versus multiple conspiracies and joinder of claims

Text: 34 Levine and David Sturman both contend that the evidence establishes the existence of multiple conspiracies rather than only one large conspiracy. Levine also asserts that the District Court abused its discretion when it denied his motion for severance. The motion, based on Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure 14, claimed prejudice by the joinder of defendants at trial. Defendants have failed to preserve either of these issues. 35 At the end of trial, both Levine and David Sturman requested jury instructions on multiple conspiracies. The district judge declined to give the multiple conspiracy instruction and several other instructions requested by the defense. After the jury was instructed, Reuben Sturman's attorney, J. Michael Murray, raised a general objection to the failure with respect to any of the jury instructions that have not been included. He then mentioned several specific instructions, by number, which he believed expressed a correct statement of law and were necessary to present a balanced statement of the case to the jury and potential defenses. Mr. Murray did not mention, even by number, the instruction addressing multiple conspiracies and gave no distinct reasons for objecting to the court's failure to include the multiple conspiracy instruction. 36 A general objection to district court jury instructions is insufficient to preserve a specific claim. Fed.R.Crim.P. 30 states: 37 No party may assign as error any portion of the charge or omission therefrom unless that party objects thereto before the jury retires to consider its verdict, stating distinctly the matter to which that party objects and the grounds of the objection. 38 This rule clearly indicates that a specific objection must be made with regard to charge requests. See United States v. Friedman, 854 F.2d 535, 555 (2d Cir.1988), cert. denied, 490 U.S. 1004, 109 S.Ct. 1637, 104 L.Ed.2d 153 (1989); United States v. Martinez, 776 F.2d 1481, 1484 (10th Cir.1985) (holding that the objection both instructions fit this case and should be given is inadequate to preserve issue). The defendants in this case have failed to preserve the issue of multiple conspiracies for appeal. 39 Levine's contention that the District Court abused its discretion by denying his motion for severance is also without merit. Levine made several motions based on Rule 14 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. Rule 14 allows the trial court to grant a severance if it appears that a defendant is prejudiced by a joinder of offenses or defendants. Levine argued that the evidence against the co-defendants unfairly accrued to him and that no cautionary instruction could eradicate that accrual. 40 Levine has failed to preserve this claim for appeal. This Court has held that a severance motion will be deemed waived if it is not renewed at the end of the evidence. United States v. Swift, 809 F.2d 320, 323 (6th Cir.1987). Although Levine argued that he was entitled to a judgment of acquittal under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 29 because of the prosecution's failure to prove one conspiracy, he did not renew his motion for severance. 41 Even if Levine had preserved this claim, it is without merit. The Supreme Court articulated a test for denial of severance motions in Kotteakos v. United States, 328 U.S. 750, 66 S.Ct. 1239, 90 L.Ed. 1557 (1946). Succinctly, the test is whether the error had substantial influence on the judgment. Id. at 765, 66 S.Ct. at 1248. A denial of a severance motion is reversed only if there is abuse of discretion by the trial court. United States v. Bibby, 752 F.2d 1116 (6th Cir.1985), cert. denied, 475 U.S. 1010, 106 S.Ct. 1183, 89 L.Ed.2d 300 (1986). No abuse of discretion is apparent in this case. The District Court made repeated instructions to the jury to consider the evidence against each defendant separately. A jury is presumed capable of sorting and considering evidence separately. Swift, 809 F.2d at 323. In addition, much of the evidence in the trial would have been admissible if Levine had a separate trial. This Court finds no basis for reversing the District Court's denial of severance.