Opinion ID: 197990
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Sufficiency of the Opening Statement

Text: 12 Graham contends that she should have been granted a judgment of acquittal after the government's opening statement because it failed to point to proof for every element of each count contained in the indictment. Graham concedes that the government did mention proof for the elements of the two counts upon which she was convicted. The decision to grant a motion for acquittal after a prosecutor's opening statement is discretionary and should be made only where the statement contains a clearly admitted fact that must defeat its case. See U.S. v. Ingraldi, 793 F.2d 408, 414 (1st Cir.1986); U.S. v. Capocci, 433 F.2d 155, 158 (1st Cir.1970). Furthermore, we have held that a district court's denial of a motion for acquittal on the basis of the government's opening statement is not reviewable and that any error in this respect can be raised in a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence. Ingraldi, 793 F.2d at 414. 13 Graham asserts that the district court erred by failing to recognize its discretion to grant the motion. Instead the district court correctly recognized that it did not have the discretion to grant a motion for acquittal at the close of the government's opening statement in this situation. The prosecutor admitted no fact that clearly defeated the government's case. Failure to outline all of the evidence in the opening statement did not create a right to an acquittal. See Ingraldi, 793 F.2d at 414. In fact the government does not have an obligation to make any opening statement. Id. 14 We have no power to review the denial of Graham's motion for acquittal after the government's opening statement, but even if we did, we would find that the district court did not err.