Opinion ID: 530523
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: additional alleged trial errors

Text: 32 Finotti's contention that his conviction for conspiracy must be reversed because the prosecutor constructively amended the indictment is also unavailing. Finotti maintains that the prosecutor altered the complaint by arguing in summation that the conspiracy to defraud the United States charged in the indictment was a conspiracy to receive bribes. Actually, the prosecutor argued only that the conspiracy to defraud was carried out by means of bribery. See Transcript, Vol. VIII at 10, 18. This argument neither literally nor effectively altered the terms of the indictment. See Gaither v. United States, 413 F.2d 1061, 1071 (D.C.Cir.1969). In any case, Finotti's counsel conceded at oral argument that the judge's charge did not deviate from the indictment. The correct charge thus checked any summation error. See United States v. Iozzi, 420 F.2d 512, 515-16 (4th Cir.1970), cert. denied, 402 U.S. 943, 91 S.Ct. 1607, 29 L.Ed.2d 111 (1971). 33 Nor did the district court err by permitting cross-examination of a character witness with hypotheticals that assumed Finotti was guilty of the crimes for which he was on trial. The decision whether to permit such cross-examination lies in the discretion of the trial court, see United States v. Lewis, 482 F.2d 632 (D.C.Cir.1973), and the court did not abuse its discretion here. Cross-examination of witnesses who testify only to the defendant's community reputation with hypotheticals assuming guilt may be improper. See id.; United States v. Polsinelli, 649 F.2d 793, 795-97 (10th Cir.1981); United States v. Curtis, 644 F.2d 263, 269 (3d Cir.1981); United States v. Candelaria-Gonzalez, 547 F.2d 291, 294 (5th Cir.1977). However, similar cross-examination of witnesses who--as the witness did here, Transcript, Vol. V at 150-51--give their own opinion of the defendant's character is not error. See Polsinelli, 649 F.2d at 796 (10th Cir.); United States v. Palmere, 578 F.2d 105 (5th Cir.1978) (per curiam), cert denied, 439 U.S. 1118, 99 S.Ct. 1026, 59 L.Ed.2d 77 (1979); United States v. Morgan, 554 F.2d 31, 33 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 434 U.S. 965, 98 S.Ct. 504, 54 L.Ed.2d 450 (1977).