Opinion ID: 215345
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Curley's Abuse of Linda

Text: The district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting evidence of Curley's abuse of Linda. First, Curley's abuse of Linda in August 2006 was part of or inextricably intertwined with the charged conduct. He grabbed Linda while she was holding their one-year-old son during the same period that he was tracking her with the G.P.S. device. This act was directly relevant to his intent and her fear. See United States v. Carboni, 204 F.3d 39, 44 (2d Cir.2000) (noting that uncharged acts are not other acts subject to Rule 404(b) if they arose out of the same transaction or series of transactions as the charged offense, if [they are] inextricably intertwined with the evidence regarding the charged offense, or if [they are] necessary to complete the story of the crime on trial); accord United States v. Quinones, 511 F.3d 289, 309 (2d Cir.2007) (quoting United States v. Concepcion, 983 F.2d 369, 392 (2d Cir.1992)). Second, the evidence of Curley's abuse of Linda in the earlier years, i.e., 1991, 2001 or 2002, and 2005, was also relevant and not unfairly prejudicial. Where the charged conduct involves domestic abuse, a spouse's history of domestic violence is relevant to show intent to harass or intimidate his partner. See United States v. Von Foelkel, 136 F.3d 339, 340-41 (2d Cir.1998) (per curiam) (ruling that the district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting evidence of prior domestic violence to prove intent to violate protection order). Specifically, the government had to prove that Curley possessed the intent to either kill, injure, harass or intimidate Linda and that she had a reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury. See 18 U.S.C. §§ 2261A, 2262(a)(1). The earlier acts demonstrated a pattern of activity that was probative of Curley's intent and Linda's reasonable fear. These were aggressive acts against Linda that were similar in nature and severity to the charged conduct: Curley's threats to kill Linda and his actions in stalking and tracking her. The temporal remoteness of these acts does not preclude their relevancy. The district court may exclude older acts if they have become too attenuated to be relevant or too remote to render the witness's memory reliable, see United States v. Larson, 112 F.3d 600, 605 (2d Cir.1997), but that was not the case here. Although the incidents pre-dated the charged conduct by as much as fifteen years, collectively they demonstrate a pattern of activity that continued up to the time of the charged conduct. See Howard Opera House Assocs. v. Urban Outfitters, Inc., 322 F.3d 125, 128-29 (2d Cir.2003) (affirming entry of prior violations to show pattern of behavior and intent). Furthermore, the district court did not abuse its discretion in concluding that the probative value of this evidence outweighed any unfair prejudice. Because Curley's prior acts paralleled the charged conduct, insofar as they involved violent treatment of his wife, they had greater probative value. See Gordon, 987 F.2d at 908. Moreover, the other acts were not unfairly prejudicial as they were no more sensational or disturbing than the crimes with which [Curley] was charged. United States v. Roldan-Zapata, 916 F.2d 795, 804 (2d Cir.1990). Finally, the district court's charge to the jury, which included an appropriate instruction on this evidence's limited purpose, mitigated any lingering risk of prejudice. Accordingly, we hold that the district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting evidence of Curley's prior bad acts.