Opinion ID: 381348
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Reference to the Witness Protection Program

Text: 17 At the beginning of Power's direct testimony, the prosecutor asked him if the government had made any promises to him in return for his testimony. He answered affirmatively, that I would have to plead guilty to one offense of receiving fraudulent merchandise and that I also would be given a new Social Security number and subsistence and put on the witness protection program. Counsel for Ciampaglia, Woods, Canessa, Gintner, and Bancroft objected to this answer, not because it was false or incomplete (as is usually the case regarding disclosure of government promises to witnesses, see e. g., United States v. Agurs, 427 U.S. 97, 96 S.Ct. 2392, 49 L.Ed.2d 342 (1976)), but rather because the reference to the witness protection program might have prejudiced the jurors by inducing them to think that Power was fearful of defendants. Counsel also contended that Power's statement was exacerbated by his entry into the courtroom in the company of two Deputy United States marshals, one of whom sat during Power's testimony by a door in the front of the courtroom through which the jury entered. The district court denied a motion for a mistrial, but offered to give a cautionary instruction to the jury. Counsel declined the offer, stating that they feared that such an instruction would draw too much attention to Power's statement. 18 While courts have stated that disclosure of a witness's participation in a witness protection program is a matter that must be handled delicately, United States v. Partin, 552 F.2d 621, 645 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 434 U.S. 903, 98 S.Ct. 298, 54 L.Ed.2d 189 (1977), appellants can point to no case in which such a disclosure was held to constitute cause for a mistrial. At least when not exploited by the prosecution, the possibility that such a disclosure might cause undue prejudice to defendants is, we think, generally minimal, as evidence by the often asserted and protected right of defendants to require disclosure of such deals, see, e. g., United States v. Agurs, supra. This is not to say, however, that within the context of a particular case such a disclosure might not constitute reversible error, especially if the prosecution were to exploit the prejudicial potential of the disclosure by encouraging the jury to draw certain inferences. The dispositive factor is whether within the context of the entire case there is a reasonable likelihood of substantial, unwarranted prejudice. 19 In the instant case, Power's reference to the witness protection program was brief and isolated. No explanation of the meaning of the term or the criteria for participation in it was given to the jurors, who of course were lay persons. We recognize that, nevertheless, the mere use of the word protection, together with the presence of the two marshals accompanying Power could conceivably have led at least some jurors to draw on their own the inference that Power was, with reason, fearful of defendants. This conceivable possibility is not however a reasonably likely one. Marshals were present in the courtroom at various times during the trial other than when Power testified. One of them sat in the bailiff's chair and at times ushered into the courtroom witnesses other than Power. It seems highly unlikely that the jurors both noticed that two marshals, rather than one, ushered in Power and inferred that this in conjunction with the isolated reference to the witness protection program meant that he was in need of protection from the defendants. It seems much more likely that the jurors interpreted the marshals' presence to be normal courtroom procedure, or instead perhaps inferred that Power, who testified with respect to his participation in a large number of crimes, was being guarded by the marshals in order that he not escape. 20