Opinion ID: 492349
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Prosecutor's Closing Argument and Rebuttal

Text: 88 Appellants contend that the prosecutor improperly vouched for the credibility of the government's witnesses and evidence in his closing argument and his rebuttal. Defense counsel made no objection during or after the prosecutor's two hour closing argument, or during the rebuttal. However, after the rebuttal had concluded, a motion for mistrial was made on this ground. The district court denied the motion, stating that the prosecutor's use of phrases such as I believe or I suggest was only in the context of what the evidence showed, and not as a personal assessment of the evidence. The court found that the prosecutor did not overstep the proper bounds of oral argument in any other respect either. The court instructed the jury at the beginning of all arguments, after the prosecutor's first closing and in its final instructions, that it was their recollection and evaluation of the evidence that controlled, and not the judge's, nor the attorneys' recollection. 89 There is an abundance of First Circuit case law holding it improper for the prosecutor to inject into his jury argument his personal beliefs about conclusions to be drawn from the evidence. See, e.g., United States v. Flaherty, 668 F.2d 566, 596 (1st Cir.1981); United States v. Gonzalez Vargas, 558 F.2d 631, 633 (1st Cir.1977); United States v. Farnkoff, 535 F.2d 661, 668 (1st Cir.1976); United States v. Capone, 683 F.2d 582, 586 (1st Cir.1982); United States v. Cain, 544 F.2d 1113, 1116 (1st Cir.1976). The principal concerns behind a prosecutor's expression of opinion is that, 1) it implies knowledge of information not before the jury and, 2) it places in issue the credibility of counsel, with the government holding a clear advantage. United States v. Rosa, 705 F.2d 1375, 1380 (1st Cir.1983). 90 Appellants object to three statements in the prosecutor's closing argument. The first statement is: I think it would be ridiculous to draw any type of inference like that. The prosecutor was discussing the household scales that were found in the trunk of a car rented by one of the defendants. The prosecutor was arguing that the scales were intended for use in weighing the marijuana at the off-load site, and certainly not to take as bathroom scales or for one to use as personal scales. The second statement is: Again corroborating by pictures, actual photographs, let alone observations, everything basically that Montaner [government informant] is saying and while there obviously is some things that people are not right there listening, I would say that you will find here that the majority of everything that Montaner says not only is credible, everything he says, but most of it is corroborated by actual observation and pictures, ... The third contested statement is: I suggest Mr. Trundy [government witness] is believable but it's up to you to determine whether or not he was believable or whether or not his evidence was corroborated by other people. 91 This type of personal vouching continued, without objection, in the prosecutor's rebuttal:I just don't believe there is really any inconsistency at all. I don't think there is any question from the evidence, but it's for you to decide.... if you feel that I have told Mr. Trundy or anyone else in this case what to say and that they are coming forth because we have a hammer over their head, I ask you to find these defendants not guilty on that point. Because it would be a miscarriage of justice, and it would be totally against my obligation I have as an attorney for the government .... you have to determine whether or not you're satisfied so that the government put those witnesses on there. Would they put them on there if they knew they were lying? ... 92 These statements of the prosecutor are troublesome. They do not imply a knowledge of information not before the jury, but they do place in issue the government's credibility. The prosecutor's first comment in closing argument, regarding drawing an inference, is an expression of personal belief, but goes to such a minor aspect of the evidence that it could not have had an impact on the other evidence showing appellants' guilt. United States v. Flaherty, supra, 688 F.2d at 597. The remainder of the prosecutor's remarks were, however, undoubtedly improper. But, our analysis does not stop there. The remarks of the prosecutor are subject to the harmless error rule, Fed.R.Crim.P. 52(a) and must be evaluated in light of the circumstances of the trial. United States v. Socony-Vacuum Oil Co., 310 U.S. 150, 238-42, 60 S.Ct. 811, 851-53, 84 L.Ed. 1129 (1940); Patriarca v. United States, 402 F.2d 314, 321-22 (1st Cir.1968), cert. denied, 393 U.S. 1022, 89 S.Ct. 633, 21 L.Ed.2d 567 (1969); Flaherty, supra, at 598. As this court stated in Patriarca, supra, at 322, 93 ... while the case depended wholly on the credibility of Baron's [here, Montaner's] testimony, all of the many factors which made it susceptible to impeachment were fully presented and fully argued. The occasional oblique expressions of opinion from both sides against the background of a long trial [here, 21 days of testimony], much evidence on the issue, and lengthy argument addressed to the evidence [here, a two hour closing argument with a half hour rebuttal] could not loom sufficiently large to have influence. 94 We must determine, looking at these improper remarks in the context of the trial as a whole, whether the misconduct was likely to have affected the trial's outcome. United States v. Capone, supra, 683 F.2d at 586-87. There are factors present here that neutralize the harm flowing from the prosecutor's remarks. Besides those factors stated above, including the length of the trial, the length of the closing arguments, and the full development at trial of the issue of credibility of the government witnesses, there is the key factor of the substantial evidence of appellants' guilt. Flaherty, supra, at 598; United States v. Ingraldi, 793 F.2d 408, 416 (1st Cir.1986); United States v. Cotter, 425 F.2d 450, 453 (1st Cir.1970). Another factor is the trial court's curative instructions, which were given before and after the closing arguments. Although they did not address these specific improper statements, they addressed the specific issue. See Therrien v. Vose, 782 F.2d 1, 4 (1st Cir.1986). And last, in regards to the improper statements in the rebuttal, the prosecutor is given somewhat greater leeway in rebuttal to rehabilitate his witnesses in response to defense counsel's inflammatory statements. Flaherty, supra; United States v. Rosa, supra, at 1379. Here, defense counsel described the government witness as a bounty hunter, a con artist, a witness for hire on four occasions, and twice as a liar for hire. This factor does not exonerate the prosecutor, and we remind the prosecutor that the court is not condoning his actions. 95 In sum, the record reveals that the jury's verdict could hardly have been the result of these brief remarks of the prosecutor, but rather was based upon lengthy testimony, extensive corroborating evidence, and a reasonable belief that the government witnesses were credible. See United States v. Capone, supra, at 587. We therefore hold that the prosecutor's improprieties did not substantially prejudice the appellants and did not deprive them of their constitutional right to due process of law.