Opinion ID: 618889
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Guilt By Association

Text: [T]he government frequently uses conspiracy to cast a wide net that captures many players. United States v. Evans, 970 F.2d 663, 668 (10th Cir.1992). We therefore have warned that courts must be careful to guard against guilt by association, to scrupulously safeguard each defendant individually, as far as possible, from loss of identity in the mass. Id. (quotations omitted). During the rebuttal closing argument, the prosecutor stated: It's ironic to read Cathy Scott's felonies when they've been friends for 30 years. ROA, at 575. Ms. Scott was a long-time friend of Mr. Fleming who testified against him during his trial. According to Mr. Fleming's brief, Ms. Scott is, or was, a drug addict with three prior drug-related felonies. Aplt. Opening Br., at 8. Mr. Fleming argues that the prosecutor's statement concerning Ms. Scott impermissibly encouraged the jury to render a guilty verdict based on [his] `guilt by association.' Id. at 26. He claims the statement suggested he must have been guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine because he associated with Ms. Scott, who had been convicted of three drug-related felonies. We need not decide whether the prosecutor's comment regarding Ms. Scott was improper, because even if it were, Mr. Fleming has not demonstrated that the statement violated his substantial rights. See United States v. Mendoza, 543 F.3d 1186, 1194 (10th Cir.2008) (Under the plain error standard, we reverse only when an error impacts a party's substantial rights, asking whether there is a reasonable probability that, but for the error claimed, the result of the proceeding would have been different.); see also United States v. Sierra-Ledesma, 645 F.3d 1213, 1227 (10th Cir.2011) (In this case we need not decide whether these allegations represent prosecutorial misconduct, because we are satisfied that any error is harmless. (quotations omitted)); Franklin-El, 555 F.3d at 1124-25 ([T]he line between proper and improper advocacy is inexact, and even improper conduct does not in all cases warrant reversal.). In evaluating the harm or prejudice of an [allegedly] improper statement, this court ... considers the extent of the misconduct; whether the district court took steps to mitigate the impact of the misconduct; and the role of the misconduct within the case as a whole. Irvin, 656 F.3d at 1171. Even if the prosecutor's comment regarding Ms. Scott could be construed as improper, the jury was properly instructed that [statements and] arguments [of counsel] are not evidence and that [Mr. Fleming] [c]ould only be convicted on the basis of evidence submitted at trial. Rogers, 556 F.3d at 1141. Specifically, the jury was instructed that Statements, arguments, and questions by lawyers are not evidence. ROA, at Vol. 1, Doc. 127, 2. We consistently have stated that we presume the jury follows its instructions. See, e.g., Rogers, 556 F.3d at 1141. Additionally, the statement[] complained of constituted only a small portion of the Prosecutor's closing argument. See Sierra-Ledesma, 645 F.3d at 1227; see also Rogers, 556 F.3d at 1141 (noting that the singular and isolated nature of improper commentary is a factor in determining whether prosecutorial statements affect the fairness of a trial). Furthermore, when [considered] in context of the entire trial and the lengthy closing arguments, the objectionable [remark] did not significantly detract from the proper focus of the argument. Rogers, 556 F.3d at 1141 (quotations and alterations omitted). Finally, although Mr. Fleming alleged that the prosecutor's statement enabl[ed] the Government to obtain a guilty verdict, Aplt. Opening Br., at 26, he has not explained how it did so. See Franklin-El, 555 F.3d at 1127 ([A]lthough defendant concedes the plain error standard is appropriate to review his claims of prosecutorial misconduct, he makes no attempt to establish prejudice.). For these reasons, we conclude that Mr. Fleming has failed to establish that the prosecutor's statement resulted in plain error.