Opinion ID: 2819319
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: We played with the video quite a lot. We

Text: looked at could we adjust the colors, even invert the colors, do anything we can to bring out those numbers. And we contin- ued to do that and then got to the point where we were able to read all but that one digit. So we then started playing with those digits in the registration system database to look and see if we could find a match. Q. All right. And let me just have you explain something you just said. You said you were playing with the video. Did you make any changes or enhancements– A. No. Through Agent Peasley, the government also admitted various financial records. Records from Miller’s electric company confirmed that his bill had been delinquent prior to the robbery but was paid the day after the robbery. Bank account records revealed that Miller’s account was overdrawn by $159.82 on the morning of the robbery and that two cash deposits totaling $370 were made into his account later that same day. Agent Peasley testified, however, that Miller’s account was “delinquent by about 730 something dollars [on the morning of] the bank robbery.” The government referenced this $730 figure during its closing argument. Tavitas cross-examined Agent Peasley on several issues. He emphasized that Agent Peasley did not record the interNo. 14-2779 7 view in which Miller purportedly confessed, and pointed out other shortcomings in the investigation, including that no handwriting exemplar was obtained from Miller, no fingerprints or DNA were recovered from the scene, and no stash of money was found at Miller’s house. Tavitas did not question Agent Peasley about Tauber’s statements in relation to the photo array, nor did he attempt to correct Agent Peasley’s testimony regarding the amount by which Miller’s account was overdrawn. Ultimately, Miller was found guilty of bank robbery in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a), and sentenced to 225 months’ imprisonment. Represented by new counsel, Miller filed a motion for a new trial pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 33. He argued that Tavitas provided constitutionally ineffective assistance, first, because he did not introduce evidence that Agent Peasley’s affidavit “mischaracterized” Tauber as having identified Miller as the robber; second, because he did not object to Agent Peasley’s testimony regarding the enhancement of the license plate images; 1 and third, because Tavitas did not challenge Agent Peasley’s incorrect assertion that Miller’s bank account was more than $700 overdrawn on the day of the robbery. At an evidentiary hearing, Agent Peasley testified that he had sent the Amtech video to HIDTA staff who “took a look at the video to try to clear it up to see if we could see what 1 On appeal, Miller has abandoned the argument that Tavitas’s failure to cast doubt on Agent Peasley’s explanation of how he determined ownership of the vehicle in the Amtech video amounted to ineffective assistance. Instead, Miller claims that Agent Peasley’s allegedly false testimony regarding the license plate verification process impacted his right to a fair trial. 8 No. 14-2779 the [license plate] tag was.” He also attempted to clarify the image on his own but was unsuccessful. Agent Peasley admitted he could not recall exactly how the video was sent to HIDTA, who adjusted its sharpness, or what techniques were used to do so. He believed HIDTA “simply adjusted aspects of the image, so—like, they adjusted the color ration [sic]. They adjusted the zoom level. They adjusted sharpness of the photos.” However, he insisted that HIDTA “did not change the photograph.” Agent Peasley also admitted that he erred in testifying that Miller’s bank account was overdrawn by approximately $730 on the day of the robbery. He explained that he had mistakenly conflated the relevant prerobbery account balance (-$159.82) with Miller’s account balance a few weeks after the robbery (-$713). Tavitas also testified at the hearing regarding his representation of Miller. He explained that he did not question Agent Peasley about Tauber’s statements because he did not want to introduce evidence that might allow the jury to infer that Tauber thought Miller resembled the robber. Tavitas also stated that it was not part of his trial strategy to challenge the assertion that the car in the Amtech lot belonged to Miller, as Miller and Loggins had both admitted to Agent Peasley that the car in the Amtech lot was his. Rather, Tavitas’s trial strategy was to argue that the car was Miller’s, but that the man in the video was someone else. Tavitas therefore saw no need to cross-examine Agent Peasley regarding the process by which he verified the robber’s license plate number. Tavitas could not explain his failure to correct Agent Peasley’s misstatement with respect to Miller’s bank records. The district court denied Miller’s new trial motion. First, it found no ineffectiveness relating to Tavitas’s choice not to No. 14-2779 9 cross-examine Agent Peasley about Tauber’s pre-trial statements, concluding that Tavitas had made a “sound tactical decision.” The court also concluded that Tavitas acted permissibly in declining to question Agent Peasley about the license plate enhancement process as Tavitas had explained that he did not intend to argue at trial that the vehicle on the scene did not belong to Miller. Finally, the district court assumed that Tavitas’s failure to correct Agent Peasley’s testimony regarding Miller’s bank account balance was error but that, considering the strength of the government’s case, it did not prejudice Miller.