Opinion ID: 751779
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The District Court's Instructions Regarding Perjury.

Text: 42 To convict Conk of perjury under 18 U.S.C. § 1623(a) as alleged in Count 24, the government had the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Conk: (1) knowingly made a(2) false (3) material declaration (4) under oath (5) in a proceeding before or ancillary to any court of the United States. See 18 U.S.C. § 1623(a); cf. United States v. Friedhaber, 856 F.2d 640, 642 (4th Cir.1988) (en banc ) (perjury before a grand jury). 3 The third and fifth elements deserve some elaboration in the context of this case. We have consistently held that in a § 1623 prosecution, the third or materiality element is met if the declaration at issue  'has a natural tendency to influence, or is capable of influencing, the decision-making body to which it was addressed.'  United States v. Dickerson, 114 F.3d 464, 466 (4th Cir.1997) (perjury before grand jury) (quoting United States v. Littleton, 76 F.3d 614, 618 (4th Cir.1996) (perjury before grand jury)). We have not had an occasion to apply this articulation of the materiality standard in the context of a prosecution for perjury during a civil deposition. Given that a deponent's testimony is not actually addressed to a decision-making body, this standard does not neatly apply when, as here, the defendant is charged with committing perjury during a civil deposition. We note that the Second Circuit has adopted a materiality standard for purposes of a § 1623 prosecution for perjury during a civil deposition. See United States v. Kross, 14 F.3d 751, 754 (2d Cir.1994). In the Second Circuit, a false statement during a civil deposition is material if a truthful answer might reasonably be calculated to lead to the discovery of evidence admissible at the trial of the underlying suit. Id. The Fifth Circuit has adopted a similar standard. See United States v. Holley, 942 F.2d 916, 924 (5th Cir.1991) (holding that in a § 1623 prosecution for perjury during a civil deposition, materiality is not limited to issues specifically raised at trial or evidence admissible at trial, but includes matters properly the subject of and material to a deposition under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(1)). The Sixth and Ninth Circuits have adopted a considerably higher standard of materiality in a § 1623 prosecution for perjury during a civil deposition. See United States v. Clark, 918 F.2d 843, 846 (9th Cir.1990), overruled on other grounds by United States v. Keys, 95 F.3d 874 (9th Cir.1996), cert. granted and judgment vacated, --- U.S. ----, 117 S.Ct. 1816, 137 L.Ed.2d 1025 (1997); United States v. Adams, 870 F.2d 1140, 1146-48 (6th Cir.1989). In the Sixth and Ninth Circuits, a false statement during a civil deposition is material if the topic of the statement is discoverable and the false statement itself had the tendency to affect the outcome of the underlying civil suit for which the deposition was taken. Clark, 918 F.2d at 847; Adams, 870 F.2d at 1147. As we will explain later, it is not necessary in this case that we decide which among these standards we would adopt for our circuit. 43 The fifth prong requires that the declaration at issue be made in a proceeding before or ancillary to a court of the United States. We note that this prong is satisfied upon sufficient evidence that the defendant made the false statement during a deposition in a federal civil case. See United States v. McAfee, 8 F.3d 1010, 1013-14 (5th Cir.1993) (holding that a deposition in a federal civil case is an ancillary proceeding within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 1623). 44 With the requirements of a § 1623(a) prosecution in mind, we now turn to survey the district court's instructions to the jury regarding perjury in the present case. The district court began its instructions to the jury regarding perjury by generally stating that § 1623 provides, in pertinent part, that [w]hoever under oath in any proceeding before any court or grand jury of the United States knowingly makes any false, material declaration is guilty of a crime. (J.A. 253). The district court next attempted to break the statute down into the individual elements that must be proven. In doing so, the district court blended the essential elements of a § 1623(a) prosecution with a § 1621(1) prosecution. Section 1621(1) provides in pertinent part: 45 Whoever-- 46 (1) having taken an oath before a competent tribunal, officer, or person, in any case in which a law of the United States authorizes an oath to be administered, that he will testify, declare, depose, or certify truly, or that any written testimony, declaration, deposition, or certificate by him subscribed, is true, willfully and contrary to such oath states or subscribes any material matter which he does not believe to be true; ... is guilty of perjury.... 47 18 U.S.C. § 1621(1). 48 Specifically, the district court instructed the jury that in order to convict Conk of perjury as alleged in Count 24, it must be convinced that the government has proven each of the following beyond a reasonable doubt: 49 First, that the defendant testified under oath in a proceeding for which a law of United States authorizes the administration of an oath. Second, the oath was administered by a qualified person. Third, the defendant knowingly made the false material statement detailed in the indictment. And fourth, that the defendant acted willfully and contrary to the oath that had been given. 50 (J.A. 253). The district court then instructed the jury as follows: 51 Now, [t]he Court is required by law to decide under the essential element one, whether or not the proceeding which the defendant testified was one during which an oath may be administered, and under the essential element two whether the oath was given by someone qualified to administer oath. In this case there is no issue as to those two elements. 52 With respect to the first element, the defendant took an oath to testify truthfully, the evidence shows, and there appears to be no dispute that the defendant appeared for purposes of a deposition in the civil case before this division of United States District Court in a case entitled Health Line, Inc[.] versus Medical Payment Services, Inc[.], MedPay. Thomas A. Wilkinson [and] Edward M. Conk ... took an oath to testify truthfully. The Court will determine the second element, that is, the materiality as a matter of law. 53 (J.A. 253-54). The district court then instructed the jury on the particulars of the elements of falsity and acting knowingly. Finally, the district court concluded its perjury instructions by instructing the following: 54 The false or fraudulent statement made must be related to a material fact. A material fact is one which would reasonably be expected to be of concern to a reasonable and prudent person in relying upon the representations or statement in making the decision. 55 This means that if you find a particular statement of fact to have been false, you must determine whether that statement was one that had a natural tendency to influence or was capable of influencing the examiner from pursuing his investigation, the resolution of an issue in dispute, any decisions of the court, or the outcome of the law suit. 56 (J.A. 256-57). 57