Opinion ID: 4561257
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The White Castle Video

Text: Prior to trial, Todd requested that the prosecution disclose any surveillance video footage from the White Castle where the May 20, 2016 sale occurred. However, the prosecution failed to disclose the video evidence in its initial discovery and upon later requests. A few weeks prior to trial, Todd’s counsel filed a motion in limine seeking to prevent the prosecution from entering any evidence that it had failed to disclose. By the time of the parties’ final pretrial conference on May 15, 2019, the prosecution still had not disclosed the White Castle video. The prosecution finally disclosed the White Castle video to defense counsel on the evening of Friday, May 24, 2019, just a few days before Todd’s trial began on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Trial testimony established that the prosecution had possessed the video for at least two years prior to trial. Defense counsel stated that he “spen[t] a considerable amount of time reviewing [the video] over the weekend” 2 No. 19-6074, United States v. Todd immediately prior to trial and that it cut into his “normal trial preparation.” (Trial Tr., R. 100, Pg. ID 804.) Unbeknownst to defense counsel prior to its disclosure, the video does not show Todd present at the May 20 sale. In fact, Todd is not seen at any point in the approximately seven hours of video footage. Instead, the video appears to show another person, who Todd says is government witness Antonio Jackson, carrying out the sale. In the video, Jackson parks a car in the White Castle parking lot and then walks into the White Castle. He can be seen talking on the phone with someone as he enters the White Castle. Still on the phone, Jackson sits at a table and looks out of the window in the direction of the car he parked. In another portion of the video, the government’s confidential informant, R.L., is seen talking on the phone in the parking lot and walking towards the car that Jackson parked. Jackson then pops the trunk of the car and R.L. places the money in the trunk of the car and retrieves the methamphetamine. Another government witness and member of the DTO, Velise McAtee, is then seen interacting with Jackson following the drug sale.