Opinion ID: 1037022
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Vohra’s Motion for a New Trial

Text: Vohra also asserts that the District Court should have granted him a new trial based on the statement made by the prosecutor on rebuttal during closing arguments. Our review of a motion for a new trial is plenary. United States v. Liburd, 607 F.3d 339, 342 6 (3d Cir. 2010). However, not all prosecutorial misconduct will require a new trial. Id. at 344. We must determine whether the misconduct “so infected the trial with unfairness as to make the resulting conviction a denial of due process in light of the entire proceeding.” United States v. Morena, 547 F.3d 191, 194 (3d Cir. 2008) (internal quotations omitted). Therefore, even if the government’s conduct was improper, we must affirm the conviction if the error was harmless. United States v. Vosburgh, 602 F.3d 512, 540 (3d Cir. 2010). Looking to the three-prong harmless error analysis discussed above, even if we assume that the prosecutor’s statement was improper, any error was harmless. The prosecutor’s statement was a direct response to Kaur’s attorney’s appeal to the jury’s common sense and was limited in scope. Cf. Dispoz-O-Plastics, 172 F.3d at 288 (prosecutor’s appeal to jury’s common sense regarding credibility of witnesses was not improper). In light of the other evidence presented at trial that strongly suggested Vohra’s guilt, we find that any error attributable to the prosecutor’s statement was harmless.3