Opinion ID: 543631
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Admissibility of Stipulation

Text: 19 It is undisputed that Hope stipulated to a material element of the offense charged, namely the existence of a prior felony. In Hope's case, the stipulation that he signed identified the nature of the prior felony as deviate sexual assault. This stipulation was admitted into evidence without objection, and without a request for a limiting instruction. 20 On appeal, Hope suggests that the stipulation was unnecessarily specific and unduly prejudicial, and that at a minimum it should have been accompanied by a limiting instruction. He contends that it was reversible error for the court not to instruct the jury sua sponte that the prior conviction could not be considered as evidence of a propensity to commit the crime charged. 21 The government contends that Hope waived any challenge to the admission of the stipulation by failing to raise the issue at trial. We agree. 22 Even if we were to consider Hope's belated objections, our review would be limited by the strict standards of the plain error doctrine of Fed.R.Crim.P. 52(a). United States v. Wynn, 845 F.2d 1439, 1442 (7th Cir.1988); United States v. Silverstein, 732 F.2d 1338, 1349 (7th Cir.1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 1111, 105 S.Ct. 792, 83 L.Ed.2d 785 (1985). To establish plain error, Hope would have had to show that, but for the erroneously admitted evidence, he probably would have been acquitted. Wynn, 845 F.2d at 1443; United States v. Whaley, 830 F.2d 1469, 1476 (7th Cir.1987), cert. denied, 486 U.S. 1009, 108 S.Ct. 1738, 100 L.Ed.2d 202 (1988). He has failed to do so. 23 We have stressed in the past, and reiterate here, that evidence should not make the jury cognizant of any prior convictions beyond those necessary as an element of the offense. King, 897 F.2d at 913 (citing United States v. Pirovolos, 844 F.2d 415, 420 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 857, 109 S.Ct. 147, 102 L.Ed.2d 119 (1988)). To prove a violation of 18 U.S.C. Sec. 922(g), however, the government must show that Hope had a prior felony conviction. King, 897 F.2d at 913 n. 1. The government met its burden with respect to that element when it submitted proof in the form of a signed stipulation showing that Hope had previously been convicted of deviate sexual assault. The government did not attempt to introduce evidence of any other convictions beyond the one necessary as an element of the offense charged. Neither did it improperly suggest to the jury that Hope's prior conviction demonstrated a propensity to commit the offense charged. 24 While the nature of Hope's prior conviction may have been prejudicial, it did not involve the use of a weapon, and, in our opinion, added very little to the case against him. Pirovolos, 844 F.2d at 421. See also King, 897 F.2d at 914 (Evidence of prior felony convictions for crimes involving use of a weapon tends to be more prejudicial to a jury deciding the guilt or innocence of a person accused of a weapons offense than evidence of crimes not involving use of a weapon.). Even if we were to exclude any reference to the specific nature of Hope's prior felony conviction, we find that there was substantial evidence from which the jury could have reasonably concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that Hope was guilty of the offense charged, specifically, the testimony of the officers at the scene. 25 The error, if any, came in the district court's failure to offer a limiting instruction at trial. Under the circumstances, however, the absence of an instruction does not constitute plain error. We believe that a limiting instruction could have been given which emphasized the jury's duty to convict [Hope] only by the evidence of possession presented by the government, and without considering his prior conviction[ ] as evidence of his propensity to commit the crime with which he was charged. King, 897 F.2d at 915. The government, however, never argued, or otherwise suggested, that the jury should use the prior conviction as evidence of a propensity to commit the offense charged. Neither is there any indication that the government expounded upon the specifics of Hope's prior conviction. Given these factors, and the substantial nature of the other evidence against Hope, any error in failing to give a limiting instruction was harmless, King, 897 F.2d at 915, and falls far short of the plain error required under Fed.R.Crim.P. 52(a).