Opinion ID: 773736
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Skidmore's Challenges to His Conviction

Text: 3
4 Skidmore first challenges the validity of his conviction by contending that the district court abused its discretion and denied him a fair trial by admitting Theresa Wolfe's testimony that Skidmore's wife made incriminating statements regarding his status as a convicted felon. Wolfe was employed as a secretary at the Southside Gunshop (gun shop), a federally licensed firearms dealer in Muncie, Indiana. Wolfe met the Skidmores at the gun shop and became friends with them on a social level. At Skidmore's trial, Wolfe testified that the Skidmores came into the gun shop together and examined various firearms with the gun shop's owner, William Crowder. During these visits, Crowder would hand different firearms to Wolfe instructing her to fill out a Form 4473 1 for each firearm. Mrs. Skidmore would then complete the portion of each of these forms designated for purchaser information, indicating that she was purchasing the firearms. Wolfe indicated, however, that she never saw Mrs. Skidmore give Crowder any money. While filling out one of these forms, Wolfe asked Mrs. Skidmore why she was signing the form. Wolfe testified that Mrs. Skidmore told her that her husband could not sign for the firearms because he had been in prison. Skidmore's counsel objected to the admissibility of Wolfe's testimony regarding Mrs. Skidmore's statements as to why she was signing the forms. The district court overruled this objection, however, allowing these statements to be admitted as a declaration of a co- conspirator pursuant to Rule 801(d)(2)(E) of the Federal Rules of Evidence. 2 5 We review the district court's decision to admit Wolfe's testimony pursuant to Rule 801(d)(2)(E) for an abuse of discretion. See United States v. Maholias, 985 F.2d 869, 878 (7th Cir. 1993). For coconspirator statements to be admitted pursuant to Rule 801(d)(2)(E), the Government must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that a conspiracy existed, that both the declarant and the defendant were members of the conspiracy, and that the statements were made in the course and in furtherance of the conspiracy. United States v. Ladd, 218 F.3d 701, 704 (7th Cir. 2000). We review the district court's findings with regard to these elements for clear error. See United States v. Godinez, 110 F.3d 448, 454 (7th Cir. 1997). While the Supreme Court has not determined whether a hearsay statement on its own and without other independent evidence is enough to establish the existence of a conspiracy such that the statement may be properly admitted under 801(d)(2)(E), the Court's decision in Bourjaily v. United States, 483 U.S. 171, 107 S. Ct. 2775, 97 L. Ed. 2d 144 (1987), held that a court, in making a preliminary factual determination under 801(d) (2)(E), may examine the hearsay statements sought to be admitted. Id. at 181. To satisfy the existing conspiracy requirement, [t]he Government need not . . . charge a conspiracy in order for a coconspirator statement to be admitted. Godinez, 110 F.3d at 454. In examining what constitutes a statement in furtherance of a conspiracy, we have explained that a wide range of statements qualify, includ[ing] comments designed to assist in recruiting potential members, to inform other members about the progress of the conspiracy, to control damage to or detection of the conspiracy, to hide the criminal objectives of the conspiracy, or to instill confidence and prevent the desertion of other members. United States v. Johnson, 200 F.3d 529, 532 (7th Cir. 2000). 6 The government's theory in this case was that Mrs. Skidmore was a straw purchaser for her husband, designating herself as the purchaser and owner of firearms that Skidmore wanted to acquire but could not do so legally because he was a convicted felon. Thus, the government contends that Mrs. Skidmore's statement to Wolfe about her husband was made during the course of and in furtherance of a conspiracy to unlawfully obtain firearms for Skidmore. The government established that Skidmore and his wife visited the gun shop on numerous occasions viewing firearms with the store's owner, William Crowder. If a decision was made to purchase a firearm, Crowder would hand the firearm to Wolfe, with whom Mrs. Skidmore would then fill out the required Form 4473 for that particular firearm. Wolfe testified that she never saw Mrs. Skidmore ever give Crowder any money. These facts, taken with Mrs. Skidmore's explanation that she was filling out the forms required for the purchase of a firearm because her husband had been in prison, validate the government's theory. Wolfe, a friend of the Skidmores, was obviously curious about the peculiar process by which the Skidmores purchased firearms when she asked Mrs. Skidmore why she was filling out the mandatory forms. Mrs. Skidmore's decision to reveal to Wolfe the actual reason she repeatedly designated herself as the purchaser of these firearms can be characterized as an expression of trust as well as an attempt to secure the confidence of her friend, thereby preventing further detection of what she and her husband were doing. It was not clear error, therefore, for the district court to find that this statement was made in furtherance of the Skidmores' conspiracy to acquire firearms for Skidmore. Thus, we conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting Wolfe's testimony of Mrs. Skidmore's explanation as to why she was designating herself as the purchaser of multiple firearms pursuant to Rule 801(d) (2)(E).
7 Skidmore also asserts that his conviction is invalid because of the district court's use of the word failure in one of the instructions read to the jury to describe his decision not to present any witnesses or produce any evidence. Skidmore contends that the court's instruction was an error that prejudiced his entire trial. Because Skidmore did not object to this instruction until after the jury had begun to deliberate, we review this claim for plain error. See United States v. Ray, 238 F.3d 828, 831 (7th Cir. 2001) (stating that when a defendant does not object to the jury instruction in question at trial, we review the district court's instructions for plain error). Our plain error standard of review permits us 'to correct only particularly egregious errors for the purpose of preventing a miscarriage of justice[,] . . . which implies the conviction of one who but for the error would have been acquitted.' United States v. Krankel, 164 F.3d 1046, 1052 (7th Cir. 1998) (quoting United States v. Linwood, 142 F.3d 418, 422 (7th Cir. 1998)). Additionally, when analyzing a defendant's challenge to a specific jury instruction, we must view the instructions as a whole and consider the challenged instruction both in the context of the other instructions given and in light of the allegations of the complaint, the opening and closing arguments, and the evidence of the record. Resnover v. Pearson, 965 F.2d 1453, 1463 (7th Cir. 1992). 8 The section of the instruction Skidmore challenges stated that [t]he jury will always bear in mind that the law never imposes on a defendant in a criminal case the duty of calling any witnesses or producing any evidence, and no adverse inference may be drawn from his failure to do so. It should first be noted that this case does not implicate Skidmore's privilege against compulsory self- incrimination under the Fifth Amendment. See United States v. Sblendorio, 830 F.2d 1382, 1391 (7th Cir. 1987) (noting that a defendant's decisions about evidence other than his own testimony do not implicate the privilege). Instead, what is at issue here is the ever present notion in our criminal justice system that Skidmore was to be presumed innocent of the charges against him until proven guilty, and that he had no obligation whatsoever to call any witnesses or produce any evidence of his innocence at his trial. We agree with Skidmore that his decision not to present any witnesses or evidence should not have been referred to as a failure of any kind on his part. The court's use of this word in the instruction is problematic because, as Skidmore notes in his brief, it carries with it the possible implication from the court to the jury that Skidmore has neglected a responsibility to present testimony and other evidence. A conscious decision by a defendant not to testify, present other witnesses, or produce any other evidence should not be characterized in the instructions as constituting a failure on the part of a defendant. Ironically, the district court used the word failure in explaining to the jury that Skidmore had a right not to present witnesses or any other evidence and that it was not permitted to draw any negative conclusions from his decision to exercise this right. 9 While we take this opportunity to emphasize that this language should not be used in similar jury instructions in the future, 3 we find that the district court's inclusion of the word failure in this case does not constitute plain error. The portion of the instruction Skidmore challenges is a section of an individual instruction that was one of twenty-six instructions read to the jury. Immediately before the court read the challenged section to the jury, it explained within the same instruction that: 10 The defendant is presumed to be innocent of the charge against him. This presumption remains with the defendant throughout the trial and during your deliberations on the verdict, and is not overcome unless from all the evidence in the case you are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty. 11 The government has the burden of proving the guilt of the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt, and this burden remains on the Government throughout the case. The defendant is not required to prove his innocence or to produce any evidence. 12 Furthermore, immediately following the challenged section, also within the same instruction, the court properly instructed the jury regarding Skidmore's right not to testify: the defendant in a criminal case has an absolute right not to testify. The fact that the defendant did not testify should not be considered by you in any way in arriving at your verdict. Although the court's use of the word failure was indeed a poor choice, the context of the instruction in which the word was used was one in which the court was clearly indicating to the jury that the government had the burden of proving Skidmore's guilt, and that he had no obligation to prove his innocence. Therefore, we find that this individual instruction, read in its entirety, along with the twenty-five other instructions presented to the jury, was not so tainted by the district court's use of the word failure that we can now conclude that Skidmore might have been acquitted but for the court's inclusion of this word in the jury instructions.