Opinion ID: 492352
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Parrilla

Text: 26 Parrilla makes several evidentiary challenges. One of these challenges is dispositive of his appeal. Over the objections of defense counsel, the government presented evidence that Parrilla met with gang members on September 1, 1980 and accepted money as a bribe with the object of impeding the investigation of the Caribbean International arson. In an earlier trial, Parrilla had been tried on a charge of conspiracy for his participation in the Caribbean arson and fraud scheme. Parrilla was acquitted in that trial. Although probably admissible under Rule 404(b), the evidence should have been excluded under the doctrine of collateral estoppel. 27 In Ashe v. Swenson, 29 the Supreme Court explained the role of collateral estoppel in criminal trials: 28 Collateral estoppel is an awkward phrase, but it stands for an extremely important principle in our adversary system of justice. It means simply that when an issue of ultimate fact has once been determined by a valid and final judgment, that issue cannot again be litigated between the same parties in any future lawsuit. Although first developed in civil litigation, collateral estoppel has been an established rule of federal criminal law since this Court's decision more than 50 years ago in United States v. Oppenheimer, 242 U.S. 85, 61 L.Ed. 161, 37 S.Ct. 68. 30 29 Under this doctine, evidence of a prior crime for which the defendant was acquitted is inadmissible in a later trial, unless the evidence goes merely to a collateral fact concerning that prior crime, a fact that was not necessarily decided by the jury in reaching its verdict. 31 The fact the government sought to prove in this trial--Parrilla's involvement in the Caribbean arson conspiracy--is the same ultimate fact resolved in Parrilla's favor when the jury acquitted him in the Caribbean trial. The government concedes this point and admits that the evidence was admitted in error. 30 The government argues that the erroneous admission of this evidence was harmless. Ashe held that the protection afforded by the doctrine of collateral estoppel is embodied in the fifth amendment guarantee against double jeopardy. 32 Because the admission of evidence in violation of the doctrine of collateral estoppel constitutes a constitutional error, it is also reversible error unless we are satisfied, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the evidence had no possible effect on the verdict. 33 Under this strict standard, courts usually do not find this type of error harmless. 34 31 Examining the record in this case, we must conclude that the error was harmful. First, the evidence was highly incriminating. Evidence of past crimes, committed with the same participants, is strongly probative of the defendant's guilt of conspiracy to commit a later and similar crime. Indeed, it is for that reason we have upheld the admission of the same type of evidence against Latorre and Gonzalez under Rule 404(b). Unlike the cases against Latorre and Gonzalez, however, the evidence against Parrilla was more attenuated. The only direct evidence of his participation in the R & S conspiracy was the testimony of a co-conspirator who was present at a meeting at which Parrilla allegedly accepted $600 during discussions of the R & S fire. There was no evidence of any other acts he undertook to further the conspiracy such as aiding in the arson or aiding in collecting from the insurance company. Although there is a probability that the jury would have convicted Parrilla without the evidence, we cannot say beyond a reasonable doubt that the evidence had no possible effect. Parrilla's conviction must be reversed. 35 In the light of our disposition of this issue, we need not rule on his other evidentiary challenges.