Opinion ID: 453009
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Improper Remarks by the Prosecutor

Text: 92 The appellants Wilhelmina and Philip Weinstein and appellant Robert Falvo argue that remarks made by the prosecutor and government witnesses were improper and prejudicial and should have resulted in a dismissal of the indictment or, alternatively, a mistrial. 93 The appellant Falvo contends that the prosecutor deliberately and repeatedly attempted to interject evidence of extortion into the trial proceedings. The district court, although it warned the prosecutor against this conduct, denied a motion for mistrial on this ground. Four instances of alleged prosecutorial misconduct are urged. In opening, the prosecutor referred to one of the characters in the alleged conspiracy as a strong man. The trial judge cautioned the prosecutor against such characterizations. The court also offered to give an instruction to the jury but none was sought. The government argues, that at the time these statements were made, the district court had not yet determined to exclude all evidence of extortion. As such, the government argues it should not be charged with knowing that the phrase strong man was an improper characterization. 94 As a second ground of alleged error, the prosecutor included in his closing argument reference to appellant Falvo as being the person pulling the strings. This comment was the subject of the trial judge's reprimand before the jury to the prosecutor for making an argument from material stricken from the jury's consideration. The judge instructed the jury to disregard any evidence or any comment on testimony about Mr. Falvo pulling strings. 95 A third ground of error is urged as testimony from one of the government's witnesses that Frank Dante looked like a person out of the Untouchables, like [a] Frank Nitty-type character. Here, also, the district court instructed the jury to disregard the last answer. Stereotypes are not evidence, and you are to disregard them entirely. 96 Finally, another government witness testified that, in a meeting about their business relationships, Robert Falvo used foul language and made strong statements about the witness's wife. There was no curative instruction on this testimony. A motion for mistrial, apparently on the basis of this testimony was denied. 97 The appellants Philip and Wilhelmina Weinstein revisit these same instances of alleged improper remarks by the prosecutor. In essence they urge the district court's determination that the inferences of Mafia activities and extortion which arose from the impermissible testimony were so damaging that the trial court abused discretion in refusing to grant a mistrial. 98 Reversal on the basis of prosecutorial misconduct requires that the misconduct be so pronounced and persistent that it permeates the entire atmosphere of the trial. United States v. Alanis, 611 F.2d 123, 126 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 445 U.S. 955, 100 S.Ct. 1607, 63 L.Ed.2d 791 (1980), (quoting United States v. Blevins, 555 F.2d 1236 (5th Cir.1977), cert. denied, 434 U.S. 1016, 98 S.Ct. 733, 54 L.Ed.2d 761 (1978)). See also United States v. Newbern, 731 F.2d 744, 754 (11th Cir.1984). Moreover, a prejudicial remark may be rendered harmless by curative instructions to the jury. United States v. Nickerson, 669 F.2d 1016, 1020 (5th Cir. Unit B 1982); United States v. Lichenstein, 610 F.2d 1272, 1282 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 447 U.S. 907, 100 S.Ct. 2991, 64 L.Ed.2d 856 (1980). Finally, considerable weight must be given to the trial court's assessment of the prejudicial effect of the remarks in question. Nickerson, 669 F.2d at 1020; Blevins, 555 F.2d at 1240. 99 While we emphatically disapprove the remarks made by the prosecutor in this case, we believe that the trial court provided an opportunity to cure any potential prejudice in three of the four instances to which appellants allude. The fourth instance was, in our view, harmless. We are also mindful that we evaluate these allegedly improper remarks in the context of a four week trial; we believe the trial judge, whose vantage was superior to ours, to have correctly concluded the allegedly improper remarks were not so pronounced and persistent as to permeate the entire atmosphere of the trial. We therefore hold the trial judge correctly denied motions for mistrial on the basis of improper prosecutorial remarks.