Opinion ID: 775370
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Questions Regarding Anderson's Attorney

Text: 45 Finally, Jennings and Elem maintain that the government intentionally bolstered Anderson's credibility at trial by asking several questions regarding whether a former federal prosecutor represented Anderson. According to Jennings and Elem, this bolstering rose to a level that war rants a new trial. 46 It is true that the government may not vouch for the credibility of government witnesses. United States v. Cornett, 232 F.3d 570, 575 (7th Cir. 2000). To assess the impact of a prosecutor's remarks on the trial, this circuit engages in a two- step process. First, we consider the statements in isolation. United States v. Renteria, 106 F.3d 765, 766 (7th Cir. 1997). If the remarks seem improper, we then evaluate them in the context of the entire record and ask whether they denied the defendant a fair trial. Cornett, 232 F.3d at 575; Renteria, 106 F.3d at 767. In Renteria, this court acknowledged that improper vouching generally falls into two categories. The first occurs when a prosecutor expresses her belief in the credibility of a particular witness; the second when a prosecutor implies facts not before the jury that lend a witness credibility. Id. at 766. 47 In this case, the first is absent because the prosecutor said nothing that directly bolstered Anderson's credibility. Nor did the government imply facts tending to lend Anderson credibility. While the question regarding Anderson's counsel was perhaps improper, it fails to rise to the level of reversible error. In each of the cases where this court has found improper vouching, a direct and cognizable link existed between prosecutorial comments and the witness's credibility. See, e.g., Cornett, 232 F.3d at 575-76 (vouching occurred where prosecutor commented on occupational integrity of police officers); United States v. Johnson-Dix, 54 F.3d 1295, 1304-05 (7th Cir. 1995) (improper to state that police officer had no reason to risk career by lying). See also United States v. Berry, 627 F.2d 193, 198 (9th Cir. 1980) (prosecutor's argument that government had kept its witnesses separated to ensure the truthfulness of their testimony was improper). In contrast, the questions in this case do not necessarily lead to the inference that Anderson is credible. 48 Furthermore, even if the prosecution intended the jury to draw an inference regarding Anderson's credibility, we find that the risk to Defendants' substantial rights was slight, and any error that occurred was harmless. Cornett, 232 F.3d at 576; United States v. Keskey, 863 F.2d 474, 480 (7th Cir. 1988). As noted above, both the prosecution and defense counsel did an adequate job of impeaching Anderson's credibility. The fact that a former federal prosecutor represented Anderson surely did not tip the scales in favor of credibility. As a result, the district court's decision to deny Defendants' motion for a new trial was not an abuse of discretion.