Opinion ID: 447056
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Admission of Testimony as to Atrocities Committed on the

Text: 11 Ship. 12 The nine Haitian passengers called by the government were permitted to testify, to a limited degree, that the appellants murdered, battered, starved, and otherwise mistreated the vessel's passengers. Appellants claim that this evidence was irrelevant to the charge of alien smuggling, unnecessary to the government's proof of its case, and prejudiced them beyond any cure of a limiting instruction, thus denying them a fair trial. They claim that this evidence should have been excluded under Rule 403 or Rule 404(b) of the Federal Rules of Evidence. 4 13 Rule 404(b) applies only to evidence of crimes and acts extrinsic to the charged offense. Evidence of criminal activity other than the charged offense is not considered extrinsic within the proscription of Rule 404(b) ... if it is an uncharged offense which arose out of the same transaction or series of transactions as the charged offense. United States v. Weeks, 716 F.2d 830, 832 (11th Cir.1983); United States v. Kloock, 652 F.2d 492, 494 (5th Cir. Unit B 1981). In the present case, the atrocities committed by the appellants occurred during and arose out of the attempted smuggling of the Haitians into the United States, which was the charged offense. Therefore, the evidence of these acts is not extrinsic to the charged offense, and Rule 404(b) is not applicable. 14 However, we must still balance the probative value of the evidence against the danger of unfair prejudice pursuant to Rule 403. On this point, the present case is largely governed by United States v. Reme, 738 F.2d 1156 (11th Cir.1984), a very similar Haitian smuggling case. In Reme, a similar wooden sailboat left Haiti for the United States with approximately 89 Haitian nationals on board. In describing the defendant captains' control over the boat, the government's Haitain witnesses were permitted to testify as to how the defendants made the passengers sing voodoo songs ... and submit to searches for valuables and black magic, ordered and controlled the distribution of food, and water, on the boat, and ... beat the passengers. Id. at 1159 (cites to record omitted). The witnesses also described a voodoo ceremony conducted by the defendants that led to the disappearance and apparent death of two of the passengers. 5 Id. at 1160. This court held that: 15 The trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting evidence of the voodoo ceremony and the disappearances of Vixamar and Alliance. See U.S. v. Russell, 703 F.2d 1243, 1249 (11th Cir.1983). To prove the offenses charged the prosecution had to show that Pierrot [the alleged captain] was more than simply a passenger who steered the boat from time to time. The government had to convince the jury that he was in control of the transporting scheme, a smuggler rather than a passenger. In addition, this evidence had to be sufficient to prove the elements of conspiracy, including the agreement to commit the substantive offense. 16 When the voodoo evidence was offered, the defense took the position that it was merely cumulative proof of control that was unnecessary to the government's case; at the same time, however, the defense was unwilling to stipulate that the government had proven control. The evidence concerning the searches for black magic and the treatment of the two missing men was strongly probative on the question of whether all of the defendants were in control of the vessel, or whether they were simply passengers. 17 .... 18 The passenger defense was rendered less credible by the evidence of the defendants' participation in disciplining passengers and searching them for black magic and valuables. 19 Against this probative value we weigh the prejudicial effect of the evidence. Throughout the trial the judge repeatedly cautioned the jury concerning the limited purpose for which the evidence was admitted. The jury charge contained three and a half pages of instructions reminding the jury of the limited basis of admissibility of the evidence, including an instruction that the case had nothing to do with voodoo or religion or the religious beliefs of the defendants or their passengers. Under these circumstances, we cannot say that it was an abuse of discretion to admit the evidence. 20 Id. at 1164-65. 21 As in the Reme case, to prove the offenses charged in the present case the government had to convince the jury that the appellants were in control of the transporting scheme; that they were smugglers rather than mere passengers. Since the appellants heatedly denied that they were the captains of the ship, evidence of the atrocities imposed on the passengers by appellants was highly probative on the issue of control. 6 22 This probative value must be weighed against the prejudicial effect of the evidence. 7 We note that each of the prosecution's nine Haitian witnesses testified to beatings and murders administered by the appellants to the passengers; heinous acts that would in themselves have a highly inflammatory effect on the jury. However, the witnesses generally described merely the fact that beatings and deaths occurred; they did not describe the details of specific incidents. 8 Furthermore, the judge cautioned the jury as to the limited purpose for which the evidence was admitted. 9 While it is sometimes difficult to draw lines as to the admissibility of evidence under Rule 403, we cannot say that it was an abuse of discretion, under the totality of circumstances presented here, to admit this evidence for the purpose of proving control over the vessel. See United States v. Reme, 738 at 1164-65; United States v. Benton, 637 F.2d 1052, 1057-58 (5th Cir. Unit B 1981) (prejudicial effect of evidence of other crimes or acts decreased by cautionary instructions to jury and elimination of unnecessary details).C. Sentencing. 23 At appellants' sentencing hearing, two of the Haitian trial witnesses testified to additional brutal beatings and murders that had allegedly occurred during the voyage. In addition, INS agent Anglade testified concerning statements made to her by several passengers as to numerous other murders committed by appellants during the voyage. Anglade also testified that, upon examining the vessel, she had found machetes, ropes, and dried blood around the mast. Appellants did not attempt to rebut any of the testimony presented. The district judge stated that he believed the testimony, and sentenced each of the appellants to thirty years imprisonment--the maximum sentence allowable for their crimes. Appellants allege that the court's reliance on the above testimony in sentencing deprived them of due process of law. We disagree. 24 A district judge has very broad discretion in the imposition of criminal sentences. The severity of a sentence imposed within statutory limits is insulated from appellate review, although the judicial process by which a sentence is determined is subject to review. United States v. Reme, 738 F.2d at 1167. A district judge may consider almost any type of out-of-court information in fixing a sentence, and a defendant is not denied due process of law as long as the information considered is reliable and the defendant is afforded an opportunity to refute it. Id. Hearsay testimony may be taken into account as long as it bears minimal indicia of reliability. Id. 25 The district judge was well within his bounds in considering the above evidence and imposing thirty year sentences on the appellants. There has been no allegation that the sentencing testimony he relied on was erroneous. The hearsay statements testified to by agent Anglade were reliable--the statements were made to her contemporaneously with the landing of the JESULA, and several passengers made essentially the same statements. The district judge did not abuse his discretion. 26 D. Dismissal of Counts for Prosecutorial Vindictiveness. 27 The superseding indictment filed by the government approximately one month before trial contained ten counts--four more than the original indictment had contained. The district judge dismissed the four additional counts, finding that there was no logical reason for adding these counts except to increase the penalty imposed on the defendants at sentencing. The judge apparently believed that the government was attempting to punish the appellants for their earlier attempts to dismiss the original indictment for Speedy Trial Act violations. 28 The government contends that this dismissal of the counts was improper, arguing that it had to obtain a new indictment because it could not locate certain witnesses necessary for a prosecution of the counts in the original indictment. However, the government conceded at oral argument that, even if it obtains its desired relief of a reinstatement of the jury verdict on the dismissed charges, it will not seek to impose additional consecutive sentences against the appellants. We decline to determine the issue thus presented. De minimus non curat lex. 29 For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the district court is 30 AFFIRMED.