Opinion ID: 162329
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Evidence of Previous Drug Activities

Text: Collins contends that the district court abused its discretion under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 404(b) by allowing co-conspirator Herman Owens to testify about the nature of his relationship with Collins in the years before the period covered by the indictment. Specifically, the Government questioned Owens about his past involvement with Collins in the distribution of drugs. After Collins objected, the Government argued that the line of questioning “provides a background and the basis for this witness to have the knowledge of the facts that he is going to be testifying about,” and that, through discovery, Collins had notice that these prior acts would be introduced. The court allowed the questioning, but warned the Government not to “dwell on it.” On appeal, the Government first contends that Collins waived this issue by not objecting at trial in specific enough terms. The basis of Collins’s argument on appeal is Rule 404(b), which allows evidence of other crimes, wrongs or acts where offered to establish proof of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident. Fed. R. Evid. 404(b). However, Collins objected to the line of questioning at trial on the grounds of relevance and that “[a]ny probative value is extremely outweighed by prejudice.” Because Collins did not invoke Rule 404(b) or otherwise refer to its substance, the district court’s ruling is subject to plain error review. See Smith v. Atlantic - 20 - Richfield Co., 814 F.2d 1481, 1486 (10th Cir. 1987) (“[A] specific overruled objection protects the record to the extent of the ground specified, but does not avail the party of other grounds that could have been raised but were not.”). In any event, whether the district court’s ruling is reviewed for abuse of discretion or plain error, Collins’s argument fails. Collins focuses on determining whether the testimony was admissible under Rule 404(b). That determination is governed by four factors: whether the evidence is offered for a proper purpose; whether the evidence is relevant; whether the probative value is substantially outweighed by the potential for unfair prejudice; and whether the district court offered a limiting instruction. Huddleston v. United States, 485 U.S. 681, 691-92 (1988). First, it is not clear whether Rule 404(b) even applies to the line of questioning at issue, for evidence “relevant to establish how the conspiracy came about, how it was structured, and how each appellant became a member,” is “not extrinsic to the conspiracy charged,” even if it predates the time period set forth in the indictment. United States v. Lokey, 945 F.2d 825, 834 (5th Cir. 1991). See also United States v. Record, 873 F.2d 1363, 1372 n.5 (10th Cir. 1989) (recognizing that Rule 404(b) is inapplicable where uncharged act is “is inextricably intertwined with the charged crime such that a witness’ testimony would have been confusing and incomplete without mention of the prior act” - 21 - (internal quotation marks omitted)). The testimony at issue concerned how Owens and Collins established their relationship and began to distribute drugs together, which led to their involvement in the conspiracy charged in the indictment. Even if Rule 404(b) applies, the Rule is satisfied because the evidence “was relevant for purposes other than to show criminal character; as permitted by Rule 404(b), it was relevant to show the formation of the conspiracy and its operating procedures,” as well as “appellants’ knowledge of the conspiracy and their intent to engage in the transactions listed in the time frame of the conspiracy.” Lokey, 945 F.2d at 835. Collins has offered no basis for concluding that the district court abused its discretion in finding that the testimony’s probative value outweighed its potential for unfair prejudice. IX. Exclusion of Tyler’s Investigator From Defense Table Tyler argues that he was unduly prejudiced by the district court’s refusal to allow Tyler’s investigator to sit at the defense table during trial. The court excluded the investigator because Tyler planned on calling him to testify. Federal Rule of Evidence 615 provides: At the request of a party the court shall order witnesses excluded so that they cannot hear the testimony of other witnesses, and it may make the order of its own motion. This rule does not authorize exclusion of (1) a party who is a natural person, or (2) an officer or employee of a party - 22 - which is not a natural person designated as its representative by its attorney, or (3) a person whose presence is shown by a party to be essential to the presentation of the party’s cause, or (4) a person authorized by statute to be present. Tyler contends that the investigator was “essential to the presentation of Tyler’s case” because he had worked with Tyler and the defense counsel in sorting through the Government’s telephone recordings and could have helped with impeachment efforts based on some of those recordings. There is no basis for concluding that the district court abused its discretion in determining that the danger of the investigator shaping his testimony based on the testimony of other witnesses outweighed Tyler’s need to have the investigator at the defense table. Presumably, the investigator would have helped identify the potentially impeaching recordings prior to trial. There is no reason to doubt the ability of Tyler’s counsel to utilize those recordings as needed during the trial.