Opinion ID: 4022550
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: State Court Appeal and Habeas Proceedings

Text: Reis-Campos timely appealed in March 2008. Among other arguments, he contended that: (1) the prosecution suppressed material information favorable to the defense and the trial court erred in denying him a related evidentiary hearing, violating his rights to due process and a fair trial 8 REIS-CAMPOS V. BITER under Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963), and (2) the trial court erroneously curtailed his cross-examination of Officer Molina. The California Court of Appeal rejected his claims in a reasoned decision in December 2010, and the California Supreme Court denied review in March 2011. Through defense investigative efforts, Reis-Campos obtained new information about Fuentes’ violent past and Molina’s knowledge of it prior to trial. First, Reis-Campos discovered that Molina participated in a multi-agency investigation into MS-13 (“Operation Devil Horns”), which lasted from 2005 to 2008 and led to a multi-count and multidefendant indictment. While working on Operation Devil Horns and prior to his testimony, Molina learned from an informant that Fuentes orchestrated the murder of a Norteño in Daly City to avenge the March 2004 killing of an MS-13 member by a Norteño. This information about the Daly City murder conflicted with Molina’s trial testimony, where he claimed no knowledge of any MS-13 retaliation in response to the March 2004 killing. According to Reis-Campos, not only did the prosecution withhold this exculpatory evidence, but Molina perjured himself when he stated that he was unaware of any retaliation for the March 2004 murder, and the prosecutor failed to correct his false testimony. Second, Reis-Campos learned new information concerning a redacted FBI report about Fuentes that was disclosed prior to trial. The report stated that an informant revealed Fuentes had posed as a homeless person to kill unsuspecting rival gang members, and had taught fellow gang members this technique. The prosecution convinced the trial court to prohibit the defense from cross-examining Molina with the report, reasoning that the report was unreliable because the source was unknown. After learning about REIS-CAMPOS V. BITER 9 Operation Devil Horns, Reis-Campos argued that Molina knew who the source was—the same informant who revealed Fuentes’ role in avenging the March 2004 murder. ReisCampos argued that he could have cross-examined Molina with the report to establish Fuentes’ reputation for violence, and also called the informant to testify about Fuentes’ homeless murder ruse and the Daly City killing, again evincing Fuentes’ violent nature.3 With this new information, Reis-Campos filed a habeas petition in state court. He argued that the new information supported his claims that the prosecution had suppressed evidence, presented false testimony, and failed to correct false testimony in violation of his federal constitutional rights under Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963), Alcorta v. Texas, 355 U.S. 28 (1957), and Napue v. Illinois, 360 U.S. 264 (1959). Reis-Campos also filed a federal habeas petition which contained both exhausted claims (rejected on direct appeal) and unexhausted claims (founded on the new evidence that surfaced after the direct appeal became final). The district court stayed proceedings for him to exhaust his state court remedies. The California Court of Appeal summarily denied his state habeas petition, as did the California Supreme Court. 3 The parties disagree as to whether, under California law, Fuentes’ previous acts of violence were relevant and admissible and whether the identity of the informant would have been withheld as privileged. We need not reach these issues; even if we assume all of the contested evidence was relevant and admissible, it does not meet the materiality standard required for reversal. 10 REIS-CAMPOS V. BITER The district court then permitted Reis-Campos to reopen the case, and he filed an amended federal habeas petition in April 2013. The district court ultimately denied the petition on materiality grounds, holding that: (1) his Brady claim failed because the state court could have reasonably concluded that the evidence concerning Fuentes’ involvement in the Daly City killing and the FBI report was not material to Reis-Campos’ defense; and (2) his Napue claim failed because, assuming Officer Molina had committed perjury that the prosecutor knowingly left uncorrected, this too was not material to Reis-Campos’ defense. The district court issued a certificate of appealability for all of Reis-Campos’ claims, and he timely appealed. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 2253(a).