Opinion ID: 666891
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Alleged Violation of Brady v. Maryland

Text: 30 Young also sought a new trial on the ground that the prosecution violated Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 87, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 1196-97, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963), by failing to disclose Traylor's Mississippi criminal history. The district court denied his motion, holding that the prosecution did not suppress evidence of Traylor's criminal history and that the evidence was immaterial. 31 Under Brady, the suppression of exculpatory evidence by the prosecution violates a defendant's right to due process. Id. In Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150, 153, 92 S.Ct. 763, 765-66, 31 L.Ed.2d 104 (1972), the Supreme Court extended the prosecution's disclosure obligation to encompass evidence that is useful to the defense in impeaching government witnesses even if the evidence is not inherently exculpatory. In order to win a new trial under Brady, a defendant must establish that (1) the prosecution suppressed evidence; (2) such evidence was favorable to the defense; and (3) the suppressed evidence was material. United States v. White, 970 F.2d 328, 337 (7th Cir.1992); United States v. Jackson, 780 F.2d 1305, 1308 (7th Cir.1986). 32 We agree with the district court that Young has not satisfied the requirements for relief under Brady because the prosecution did not suppress the evidence relating to Traylor's criminal history. In United States v. Lockhart, 956 F.2d 1418, 1425 (7th Cir.1992), the defendant contended that the government failed to reveal that one of its witnesses had a felony conviction for grand larceny and requested a new trial. In addressing the defendant's claim, this Court noted that Brady requires the defendant to establish that the prosecution knowingly suppressed information material to the defense. This Court explained that if the government does not know of a witness' conviction, there is no Brady violation. Id. 33 In this case, the district court found no evidence to suggest that the government knew of Traylor's Mississippi arrests and convictions. Young does not contest this finding. Instead, Young urges this Court to impute prosecutorial knowledge of Traylor's criminal record because, he maintains, the government could have easily obtained the Mississippi records but failed to do so. We reject Young's request for an exception to Lockhart because on the facts of this case, we believe the prosecution more than adequately fulfilled its investigatory and disclosure responsibilities. 34 As a general rule, the prosecution's obligation in a criminal proceeding to disclose information is limited to information known to the prosecution. Mendoza v. Miller, 779 F.2d 1287, 1297 (7th Cir.1985), cert. denied, 476 U.S. 1142, 106 S.Ct. 2251, 90 L.Ed.2d 697 (1986). See also United States v. Romo, 914 F.2d 889, 898 (7th Cir.1990), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 1122, 111 S.Ct. 1078, 112 L.Ed.2d 1183 (1991) (reiterating that prosecutors are not usually required to seek out information not in their possession). However, a prosecutor's office cannot get around Brady by keeping itself in ignorance, or compartmentalizing information about different aspects of the case. Carey v. Duckworth, 738 F.2d 875, 878 (7th Cir.1984). This was the concern addressed in United States v. Perdomo, 929 F.2d 967 (3rd Cir.1991) and United States v. Auten, 632 F.2d 478 (5th Cir.1980), cases upon which Young relies heavily. In Perdomo, the government failed to check the local criminal records for information concerning its key witness. 929 F.2d at 970. In Auten, the prosecutor chose not to run a NCIC search on one of its key witnesses because of the brief time before trial. 632 F.2d at 481. In both cases, the appellate court held that the first element of a Brady violation was established because the government intentionally failed to seek out information readily available to it. 35 This case is simply not analogous to Perdomo and Auten. Here, the government did not keep itself in ignorance about Traylor's criminal history. Rather, the government diligently searched the pertinent criminal records for information on Traylor, asked Traylor directly about his criminal history, and disclosed all of its information to Young. Moreover, the government had every incentive to investigate Traylor fully because it was prosecuting Traylor as Young's co-defendant until just two weeks before trial. Under such circumstances, we refuse to impute prosecutorial knowledge of the Mississippi criminal records for purposes of satisfying the first element of a Brady violation. 36 B. Exclusion of Evidence of Anita Russell's Release 37 Young also contends that he was prejudiced by the district court's ruling excluding evidence that Anita Russell was released and not charged after her arrest. Prior to Young's trial, the government moved to preclude Young from introducing evidence that Anita Russell, who was arrested along with Young and Traylor, was released and not criminally charged by the government. The district court granted the in limine motion and instructed Young that he could only introduce evidence of Russell's arrest. In his initial post-trial motion, Young argued that the district court's decision to grant the government's in limine motion regarding Anita Russell was erroneous and thus he should be given a new trial or judgment of acquittal. In denying Young's post-trial motion, the district court reiterated that the result of Russell's arrest was irrelevant to the issues presented in Young's trial. 38 Young asks this Court to reverse the district court's ruling and grant him a new trial. We will not reverse the district court's evidentiary rulings unless there has been a clear abuse of discretion. United States v. Burrell, 963 F.2d 976, 997 (7th Cir.), cert. denied sub nom., --- U.S. ----, 113 S.Ct. 357, 121 L.Ed.2d 270 (1992). Here the district court's order was properly within its discretion. 39 Young's defense at trial was that he did not knowingly participate in the attempted cocaine purchase. Accordingly, the primary issue for the jury was whether the government met its burden of proof as to Young's knowledge. Whether or not Russell was criminally charged does not make the facts relating to Young's knowledge and participation in the attempted purchase more or less probable. See Fed.R.Evid. 401 (Evidence is relevant if it has any tendency to make the existence of a fact that is of consequence to the determination of the action more probable or less probable than it would be without the evidence). Young was free to call Russell as a witness to bolster his defense that he played an unwitting role in the cocaine purchase but he chose not to do so. Given this, Young can hardly complain that the in limine order prejudiced his defense. For these reasons, we affirm the district court's evidentiary ruling.