Opinion ID: 701292
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Admission of Real Property Deeds

Text: 32 Over Kearns' objection, the district court admitted several deeds that related to three pieces of real property. The deeds showed the transfer of each property between various conspirators (i.e., Catherine Kearns, Jim Kearns, and Ron Lynch). The court only admitted deeds to properties that were also transferred among Hobart or Margaret Willis. The parties stipulated that Teran had identified Hobart Willis as the individual Jim Kearns introduced as the operation's financier. 33 Kearns contends that the deeds are evidence of other crimes that are subject to Fed.R.Evid. 404(b). The district court's decision to admit the deeds into evidence is reviewed for an abuse of discretion. See United States v. Santa-Cruz, 48 F.3d 1118, 1119 n. 1 (9th Cir.1995) (Rules 404(b) and 403); United States v. Rubio-Topete, 999 F.2d 1334, 1338 (9th Cir.1993) (relevancy). Whether the deeds constitute other crimes evidence is a question of law reviewed de novo. United States v. Warren, 25 F.3d 890, 895 (9th Cir.1994). 34 We reject Kearns' contention. The deeds do not constitute other acts evidence because they do not show wrongs or acts showing character.... Even if the [deeds] somehow showed bad acts, they were not offered to 'prove the character of a person in order to show action in conformity therewith.'  See United States v. Sanchez-Robles, 927 F.2d 1070, 1078 (9th Cir.1991) (quoting Fed.R.Evid. 404(b)). 35 Here, as in Sanchez-Robles, the evidence is not within the scope of Rule 404(b). Instead, the deeds are  'relevant ... to rebut [the defendant's] defense.'  927 F.2d at 1078 (quoting United States v. Gering, 716 F.2d 615, 621 (9th Cir.1983)). The deeds were relevant to show Kearns' previous and extensive involvement with the other conspirators and to rebut her defense that she was not an active participant in the activities of Jim and Ron to distribute marijuana. Accordingly, we hold that the district court did not abuse its discretion by admitting the deeds. 36