Opinion ID: 773857
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Admission of Video Tape

Text: 28 During the trial, the jury was shown a video tape of an alleged cocaine sale by Jones to Officer Cornman. During the trial, Officer Cornman was permitted to testify as to what she witnessed after the transaction was completed. She testified that Jones drove to a different area in the parking lot where another person was waiting. She then testified that the two appeared to exchange some item. After Officer Cornman testified to these events, the jury was shown the corresponding video tape. Jones argues that the district court improperly admitted the evidence of the video tape because the charged crime had been completed. Jones contends that admitting the remainder of the video tape, showing the additional transaction, was prejudicial and should have been excluded as inadmissible character evidence pursuant to Fed. R. Evid. 404(b). 29 Jones, however, misconstrues the nature of the evidence and the purpose for its admission. Jones was charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine base. The testimony of Officer Cornman, along with the second portion of the video tape, were offered as direct evidence of the conspiracy. The evidence was not offered as improper character evidence pursuant to Fed. R. Evid. 404(b), but as direct evidence. A 404(b) analysis is therefore not appropriate. United States v. Jones, 880 F.2d 55, 59 (8th Cir. 1989) (explaining that evidence of drug-related activity was evidence of the very conspiracy charged against the named defendants and was thus outside the purview of prior bad acts); United States v. Aranda, 963 F.2d 211, 213-14 (8th Cir. 1992) (evidence of acts committed by the defendant . . . during the time frame of the conspiracy and in furtherance of it . . . is not [evidence] of 'other crimes,' but rather is evidence of the very crime charged). Because the video was offered as direct evidence of the conspiracy, the district court's decision to admit the evidence was not an abuse of discretion. 30