Opinion ID: 3046757
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Dennis Freeman’s Alleged Immunity Deal

Text: During the first postconviction evidentiary hearing, Ponticelli presented evidence to support his argument that the state had violated his right to due process by suppressing evidence, see Brady, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S. Ct. 1194, and by presenting false testimony, see Giglio, 405 U.S. 150, 92 S. Ct. 763, about an alleged deal that the prosecution had made with Freeman in exchange for his testimony against Ponticelli. Ponticelli’s counsel asked Williams about a note that she had written to herself during the trial, which stated, “Spoke with Fred Landt [Freeman’s defense counsel] regarding Dennis Freeman. Told him I would make no firm offer prior to [Ponticelli’s] trial but assured him his cooperation would be remembered with favor before mitigating judge/Sturgis. Will make no formal deal on the record prior to trial.” Williams testified that Freeman “had been promised 19 Case: 11-11966 Date Filed: 08/16/2012 Page: 20 of 90 nothing for his testimony,” and that she did not know whether Freeman had later received any favorable treatment. The Supreme Court of Florida rejected Ponticelli’s arguments about the alleged deal with Freeman. With respect to Ponticelli’s Brady claim, the court stated that, “even if one accepts defense counsel’s testimony as sufficient to establish” that the evidence was favorable to Ponticelli and that the evidence was suppressed by the state, either willfully or inadvertently, “Ponticelli’s claim still fails because Ponticelli has not established that the State’s failure to disclose this evidence resulted in prejudice.” Ponticelli v. State (Ponticelli III), 941 So. 2d 1073, 1085 (Fla. 2006). The court rejected Ponticelli’s argument that the note would have provided a basis for impeaching Freeman. The court reasoned that Freeman’s testimony “was merely cumulative to that presented at trial”; Freeman’s long criminal record and history of cooperation in exchange for benefits had “significantly impeached . . . his motive for testifying and his capacity for truthfulness”; and the map that Ponticelli had given Freeman in addition to the testimonies of other witnesses corroborated Freeman’s testimony. Id. at 1085–86. With respect to Ponticelli’s Giglio claim, the court held that, “even if we accept Ponticelli’s allegation that the prosecutor’s note indicates that Freeman was not honest when he testified that he did not expect to receive a benefit from 20 Case: 11-11966 Date Filed: 08/16/2012 Page: 21 of 90 cooperating in Ponticelli’s case, we find no prejudice.” Id. at 1089. Again, the court reasoned that Freeman “was significantly impeached on his capacity for truthfulness and his incentive for testifying against Ponticelli.” Id. The court opined that “informing the jury that Freeman might be testifying falsely because of his hope for an unguaranteed, unspecified award would not have rendered him sufficiently less credible in the jury’s eyes to establish a reasonable possibility that this contributed to the verdict.” Id. (internal quotation marks omitted).