Opinion ID: 551541
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Regina Smith

Text: 25 Defendant-appellant Regina Smith argues that the district court erred in denying her motion for severance because of the prejudice accruing to her from the evidence presented against the other conspirators, and because the joint trial precluded her from obtaining exculpatory statements from her husband-codefendant Oscar Smith and codefendant Gary King. 6 When it appears that a defendant is prejudiced by joinder of offenses or defendants in an indictment or by a joint trial, a district court may grant a severance. Fed.R.Crim.P. 14; see United States v. Alvarez, 755 F.2d 830, 857 (11th Cir.), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 905, 106 S.Ct. 274, 88 L.Ed.2d 235 (1985), 482 U.S. 908, 107 S.Ct. 2489, 96 L.Ed.2d 380 (1987). Nevertheless, because of the well-settled principle that it is preferred that persons who are charged together should also be tried together, particularly in conspiracy cases, the denial of a motion for severance will be reversed only for abuse of discretion. United States v. Morales, 868 F.2d 1562, 1571 (11th Cir.1989); United States v. Gonzalez, 804 F.2d 691, 694 (11th Cir.1986) (per curiam); see United States v. Van Horn, 789 F.2d 1492, 1505 (11th Cir.) (A motion for severance is a matter within the sound discretion of the district court.), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 854, 107 S.Ct. 190, 93 L.Ed.2d 123, 479 U.S. 855, 107 S.Ct. 192, 93 L.Ed.2d 124, 479 U.S. 886, 107 S.Ct. 279, 93 L.Ed.2d 255 (1986). Rule 14 requires the district court to balance the right of defendants to a fair trial, absent the prejudice inherent in a joint trial, against the interests of judicial economy and efficiency. Gonzalez, 804 F.2d at 694; see United States v. Harris, 908 F.2d 728, 736 (11th Cir.1990); United States v. Butler, 792 F.2d 1528, 1534 (11th Cir.), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 933, 107 S.Ct. 407, 93 L.Ed.2d 359 (1986); Alvarez, 755 F.2d at 857. 26 To establish that the district court abused its discretion in denying a motion for severance, an appellant must demonstrate that he suffered compelling prejudice against which the trial court could offer no protection. Morales, 868 F.2d at 1571 (quoting United States v. Magdaniel-Mora, 746 F.2d 715, 718 (11th Cir.1984)); United States v. Bryan, 843 F.2d 1339, 1341 (11th Cir.1988). The test for assessing compelling prejudice is whether it is within the capacity of jurors to follow a court's limiting instructions and appraise the independent evidence against each defendant solely upon that defendant's own acts, statements and conduct, and, if possible, severance should not be granted. United States v. Silien, 825 F.2d 320, 323 (11th Cir.1987) (per curiam); see United States v. Marszalkowski, 669 F.2d 655, 660 (11th Cir.), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 906, 103 S.Ct. 208, 74 L.Ed.2d 167 (1982); see also United States v. Barnette, 800 F.2d 1558, 1570 (11th Cir.1986) (per curiam) ( 'The remedy of severance is justified only if the prejudice flowing from a joint trial is clearly beyond the curative powers of a cautionary instruction.'  (quoting United States v. Morrow, 537 F.2d 120, 136 (5th Cir.1976), cert. denied, 430 U.S. 956, 97 S.Ct. 1602, 51 L.Ed.2d 806 (1977))), cert. denied, 480 U.S. 935, 107 S.Ct. 1578, 94 L.Ed.2d 769 (1987). 27 In our evaluation of compelling prejudice, we consider all the circumstances of a particular case to determine whether the court's instructions sufficiently enabled the jurors to keep separate the evidence as relevant to each defendant. Harris, 908 F.2d at 736-37; see United States v. Roper, 874 F.2d 782, 789 (11th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 110 S.Ct. 189, 107 L.Ed.2d 144, --- U.S. ----, 110 S.Ct. 369, 107 L.Ed.2d 355 (1989). Although particular coconspirators may not have been present at each stage of the conspiracy, a district court's cautionary instructions, which admonish the jury to consider separately each defendant's guilt, obviate the probability of a spillover effect. United States v. Johnson, 713 F.2d 633, 640 (11th Cir.1983), cert. denied, 465 U.S. 1081, 104 S.Ct. 1447, 79 L.Ed.2d 766 (1984); see United States v. LaChance, 817 F.2d 1491, 1497 (11th Cir.), cert. denied, 484 U.S. 928, 108 S.Ct. 295, 98 L.Ed.2d 255 (1987) (A defendant complaining that he was disadvantaged by a joint trial specifically must show compelling prejudice caused by the alleged evidentiary spillover, which effectively precluded the jury's ability to make the necessary individualized determination.). 28 Compelling prejudice is established by demonstrating that the jury could not follow the district court's instructions and apportion the evidence relevant to the respective defendants. United States v. Leavitt, 878 F.2d 1329, 1340 (11th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 110 S.Ct. 415, 107 L.Ed.2d 380 (1989); United States v. Dorsey, 819 F.2d 1055, 1058 (11th Cir.1987), cert. denied, 486 U.S. 1025, 108 S.Ct. 2002, 100 L.Ed.2d 233 (1988). If a defendant participated in one aspect of a conspiracy and is tried with coconspirators, then severance necessarily is not warranted because it is presumed that the court's cautionary instructions regarding each defendant adequately will guard against prejudice. Leavitt, 878 F.2d at 1340; see United States v. Pepe, 747 F.2d 632, 650 (11th Cir.1984); United States v. Kopituk, 690 F.2d 1289, 1320 (11th Cir.1982), cert. denied, 461 U.S. 928, 103 S.Ct. 2089, 77 L.Ed.2d 300, 461 U.S. 928, 103 S.Ct. 2090, 77 L.Ed.2d 300, 463 U.S. 1209, 103 S.Ct. 3542, 77 L.Ed.2d 1391 (1983). A defendant-appellant does not incur compelling prejudice because of the likelihood of his acquittal if he had been tried separately or because much of the trial evidence is applicable to his codefendants. Alvarez, 755 F.2d at 857; see United States v. Kabbaby, 672 F.2d 857, 861-62 (11th Cir.1982) (per curiam). Conclusory assertions regarding lack of participation in the subject conspiracy, without specific exonerative facts, are insufficient to support a motion for severance. See Johnson, 713 F.2d at 641; United States v. DeSimone, 660 F.2d 532, 540 (5th Cir. Unit B Nov. 1981), cert. denied, 455 U.S. 1027, 102 S.Ct. 1732, 72 L.Ed.2d 149, 456 U.S. 928, 102 S.Ct. 1976, 72 L.Ed.2d 444 (1982). Moreover, convictions invariably are sustained when it may be inferred from the verdict that the jury 'meticulously sifted the evidence,'  by acquitting on particular counts indicating an individual assessment of the guilt of each defendant. United States v. Hewes, 729 F.2d 1302, 1319 (11th Cir.1984) (quoting Kabbaby, 672 F.2d at 861), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 1110, 105 S.Ct. 790, 83 L.Ed.2d 783 (1985). 29 In this circuit, a defendant's severance motion based on the need for a codefendant's testimony must demonstrate: (1) a bona fide need for the codefendant's testimony; (2) the substance of the testimony; (3) the exculpatory nature and effect of the testimony; and (4) that the codefendant will actually testify. Leavitt, 878 F.2d at 1340 (citing Byrd v. Wainwright, 428 F.2d 1017 (5th Cir.1970)); Hewes, 729 F.2d at 1319. If this showing is made, then the district court must determine the significance of the testimony, the prejudice caused by the absence of the testimony, the timeliness of the motion and the effect on judicial administration and economy of resources. Leavitt, 878 F.2d at 1340. The district court's denial of a severance motion based on the need for a codefendant's testimony is reviewed only for abuse of discretion. Id. 30 In reviewing the motion for severance by Regina Smith and Julia Thom, we note that these defendants simply allege prejudice if tried with the other defendants. Attached to the severance motion is their attorney's affidavit stating that Regina Smith was indicted on fourteen counts of a twenty-seven count indictment; that the acts of the other defendants greatly exceed her actions; that Regina Smith's defense may be presented in a shorter time than the defenses of the other defendants; that the jury may not be able to segregate the evidence relating to separate offenses in the case; that prejudice may occur through codefendants' statements or confessions which could not be remedied by limiting instructions; and that Regina Smith would be exonerated by the testimony of other codefendants who may refuse to testify in a joint trial. In denying the severance motion by defendants Regina Smith and Julia Thom, the district court, recognizing the preference for joint trials, stated that the defendants had failed to show that joinder with other defendants would prejudice them unduly or that any prejudice could not be cured by a cautionary instruction. We find the undocumented, conclusory allegations of the severance motion to be insufficient to overcome our strong circuit precedent favoring joint trials. In particular, the motion and accompanying affidavit fail to specify which codefendants' testimony would exonerate Regina Smith, the substance of such testimony, the exculpatory nature and effect of the testimony, or whether the unnamed codefendants would testify if a severance were granted. 31 Furthermore, the district court, after instructing the jury on the relevant law, delivered the following cautionary instruction: 32 Now, I want to make it clear to you that just because you find some one defendant guilty doesn't mean you've got to find some other defendant guilty. Each defendant is entitled to a separate consideration of his or her case. Also, just because you find some defendant guilty on some one or more counts doesn't mean you've got to find that defendant guilty on other counts. And just because you may find him not guilty on some one or more counts doesn't mean you've got to find him not guilty on other counts. We want a verdict on each count. And it can be--all of them can be guilty, all of them can be not guilty or some of them can be guilty and some of them can be not guilty. We want a verdict on each count. 33 R11-1598-99. This instruction properly admonished the jury to consider the participation of each defendant in the cocaine importation conspiracy and precluded the possibility of spillover effect. Because Regina Smith was married to Oscar Smith, and had an intimate relationship with Bigelow, both of whom were critical links in the conspiracy chain, and because she wore the identifying gold necklace when she arrived in Georgia, the jury could well have been convinced by the testimony in this case that Regina Smith was knowledgeable of the cocaine importation operation, although her participation was less than that of other conspirators. The jury convicted Regina Smith on three counts, indicating their ability to isolate and assess her involvement in the overall cocaine importation scheme. In our review of all the circumstances of this case, we conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying the severance motion as to Regina Smith and presented the jury with an appropriate cautionary instruction regarding their evaluation of the involvement of each defendant.