Opinion ID: 182634
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Phone Record Summary Charts

Text: On appeal, Spires argues that the district court erroneously admitted Detective Proehl's summary charts into evidence because the charts incorporated Proehl's speculative opinion as to who made and received certain calls. Spires focuses on Detective Proehl's testimony that Proehl had no way of knowing who actually made and received specific calls on the phones. This is especially true, Spires avers, because there was testimony that Spires and his associates often traded phones. We review the district court's decision to admit the summary charts into evidence for abuse of discretion, and we will not reverse if the error is harmless. United States v. Hyles, 479 F.3d 958, 968 (8th Cir.2007). Under Federal Rule of Evidence 1006, [t]he contents of voluminous writings ... which cannot conveniently be examined in court may be presented in the form of a chart, summary, or calculation. Summary evidence is properly admitted when (1) the charts fairly summarize voluminous trial evidence; (2) they assist the jury in understanding the testimony already introduced; and (3) the witness who prepared the charts is subject to cross-examination with all documents used to prepare the summary. United States v. Boesen, 541 F.3d 838, 848 (8th Cir.2008) (quotation omitted). Also, summaries may include assumptions and conclusions so long as they are based upon evidence in the record. United States v. Lewis, 759 F.2d 1316, 1329 n. 6 (8th Cir.1985). The government argues that Detective Proehl's summary charts meet the above criteria and were properly admitted into evidence. We need not decide whether the district court erred when it admitted the summary charts into evidence if we conclude that any error in [their] admission was harmless. United States v. Samuels, 611 F.3d 914, 919 (8th Cir.2010). An erroneous evidentiary ruling is harmless if it did not have a substantial influence on the jury's verdict. Id. (quotation omitted). As discussed above, the government produced evidence at trial that Spires was found alone in his apartment along with a large quantity of crack cocaine, cash, drug trafficking paraphernalia, and multiple cellular phones, including the phone Williams called to set up a controlled crack purchase. Buttressing this evidence was the detailed and substantially consistent testimony of Spires's ex-associates regarding the intricacies of Spires's crack distribution operation. Simply put, the government's evidence of Spires's guilt on the drug trafficking charges was overwhelming and any error related to the admission of Detective Proehl's summary charts was harmless. See id. (holding that any error in the admission of contested evidence was harmless where evidence of defendant's guilt was overwhelming).