Opinion ID: 203288
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Trujillo's Fugitive Status

Text: When asked the question, who is Alex Trujillo, Agent Toro stated that Trujillo was a fugitive and that the Mass Murder office had filed an indictment against Trujillo, charging him with drug trafficking at a different public housing complex. Because Appellant did not object to these statements or move to strike them, our review is for plain error. The district court did not commit plain error in permitting Agent Toro to provide this brief testimony about Trujillo. Although Trujillo's status as a fugitive was not highly probative of any element of the crimes with which Appellant was charged, the fact that Trujillo was wanted by Commonwealth and federal authorities for narcotics activity did provide the jury with helpful context. See United States v. Daly, 842 F.2d 1380, 1388 (2d Cir.1988) (The trial court may admit evidence that does not directly establish an element of the offense charged, in order to provide background for the events alleged in the indictment.), quoted in Flemmi, 402 F.3d at 87. Specifically, Toro's remarks clarified for the jury why Toro and other agents searched Trujillo's apartment on July 1, 2003. The search, and its fruits, were important to the Government's case. The drugs seized from Trujillo's apartment were packaged and branded with several different markings, including markings that Medina testified were particular to the lines of cocaine and heroin that were sold by Appellant. That drugs belonging to different owners were found in a single apartment tended to show that the drug operation at Covadonga was a cooperative effort. In addition, the district court restricted the scope of Toro's testimony about Trujillo's fugitive status by precluding the Government from offering into evidence a document, issued by the United States Marshals Service, indicating that Trujillo was a fugitive. Appellant has not shown how the district court plainly erred in balancing the probative value of Toro's testimony regarding Trujillo against its prejudicial impact. Moreover, as with Toro's statements regarding the murder of Trumpi and the attempted shooting of Espada, any error was harmless, in light of the Government's conclusive proof of Feliciano's guilt.