Opinion ID: 2998251
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Admission of Evidence of Kidnapping

Text: Caldwell next argues that the district court committed reversible error by admitting evidence about the kidnapping of his mother. According to Caldwell, the kidnapping evidence was both irrelevant and unduly prejudicial. Specifically, Caldwell asserts that “[n]othing about Caldwell’s mother’s kidnapping, three weeks before the charged crime, points to a motive for the defendant to possess a gun.” App. Brief at 26. Caldwell also maintains that the evidence is inadmissible under Rule 404(b) because it was offered to show that Caldwell was a rich drug dealer. We disagree. The primary dispute at trial was whether Caldwell constructively possessed the guns that were seized at his home. Under Rule 401 of the Federal Rules of Evidence, any evidence that tended to make Caldwell’s possession of the guns more or less probable was relevant evidence. The fact that Caldwell’s mother had been kidnapped three weeks before Caldwell was charged with being a felon in possession gave him a strong motive to possess the firearms found in his home. Specifically, the circumstances of the kidnapping indicated that Caldwell had access to large sums of money and that the unidentified assailants knew about it. This surely gave Caldwell a reason to fear for his own safety, the safety of his family, and the security of his assets, making it more probable that he possessed the guns in question. As the government notes, this motive theory was confirmed by Young’s testimony at trial that Caldwell told him that he had a gun because “my mama just got 8 No. 04-1929 kidnapped and the stick-up men have been to my house.” Tr. 74-75. Caldwell’s arguments to the contrary are unpersuasive. For example, he argues that the gap between the kidnapping and firearms charges made the evidence too stale to be relevant. Yet the gap was only three weeks and the kidnappers were still at large, which means that Caldwell still had a motive to carry firearms. He also maintains that the evidence was inadmissible “other act” evidence under Rule 404(b) in that it portrayed him as a wealthy drug dealer. But even if the evidence could be viewed as Rule 404(b) evidence, other act evidence is admissible under 404(b) to establish proof of motive, which was exactly why the evidence was offered. At any rate, any such prejudice was minimized by the government’s agreement not to present evidence of Caldwell’s drug dealing at trial and the district court’s limiting instruction that there was nothing wrong or illegal about Caldwell paying a ransom for his mother’s release. For the above stated reasons, we conclude that the evidence regarding Caldwell’s mother’s kidnapping was relevant and not unfairly prejudicial. The district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the evidence.