Opinion ID: 490949
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Subpoena of the F.B.I. Fingerprint Expert

Text: 17 On the second day of trial, Ramirez requested that the court subpoena the F.B.I. fingerprint expert who examined the weapons found near the bank. Ramirez intended to call the expert to testify that Ramirez' fingerprints were not found on any of the weapons, but the expert was currently outside Puerto Rico and unavailable on such short notice. The district court's refusal to continue the trial to wait for the fingerprint expert was not error in the circumstances, particularly since the judge informed the jury that Ramirez' fingerprints had not been found on the gun. Ramirez had obtained the fingerprint analysis report 51 days prior to trial. He could have, and should have, requested to subpoena the expert in a timely fashion. See United States v. Wilks, 629 F.2d 669, 673 (10th Cir.1980) (no error to refuse to continue a trial when a defendant makes an untimely request to subpoena an unavailable witness). 18 The conviction is affirmed.