Opinion ID: 770541
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Jury Instruction on Simmons's Cooperation

Text: 20 Finally, Reed argues that the instruction given to inform the jury that Simmons received a sentence reduction in exchange for his testimony against Reed was inadequate. The instruction the district judge gave to the jury closely tracks one of the Seventh Circuit Federal Criminal Jury Instructions which generally informs the jury that the witness has received benefits from the government in connection with this case, namely ______ [fill in blank to specify benefits received]. 1 Federal Criminal Jury Instructions of the Seventh Circuit sec.3.13 (West 1999). The actual instruction presented to the jurors in this case read 21 You have heard testimony from Frank Simmons, who: (a) received immunity; that is, a promise from the government that any testimony or other information he provided would not be used against him in a criminal case; (b) received benefits from the government in connection with this case, namely the promise that the government would consider his cooperation and testimony in determining whether or not to file a motion on Mr. Simmons's behalf to reduce sentence (motion of downward departure); (c) stated that he was involved in the commission of the offense as charged against the defendant. . . . You may give their testimony such weight as you feel it deserves, keeping in mind that it must be considered with great caution and great care. 22 According to Reed, this instruction did not tell jurors enough about the extent of the sentence reduction Simmons received after he testified in Reed's first trial. Ordinarily, we review a district court's decision concerning jury instructions under the abuse of discretion standard, see Stuart Park Assoc. Ltd. Partnership v. Ameritech Pension Trust, 51 F.3d 1319, 1323 (7th Cir. 1995), but since Reed failed to object to this instruction at trial, once again, we review for plain error. See United States v. Bardsley, 884 F.2d 1024, 1028 (7th Cir. 1989). 23 Before a district judge allows a jury instruction, he or she must ensure that the instruction (1) is a correct statement of the law and (2) is supported by the evidence. See United States v. Perez, 43 F.3d 1131, 1137 (7th Cir. 1994). The instruction at issue here is neither incorrect under the law nor unsupported by the evidence. The instruction is a statement of fact designed to inform the jury of a witness' potential bias and it was sufficiently detailed to serve that purpose. To tell the jurors the extent of the sentence reduction Simmons actually received after testifying against Reed would offer nothing more in the way of permitting the jurors to consider Simmons's motives at the time he testified. 24 We find that the instruction was adequate. We give deference to the district court's discretion in determining the specific wording of the instructions . . . . Reversal is necessary only if the jury's comprehension of the issues is so misguided that it prejudiced the party raising error, and the complaining party bears the burden of showing prejudice. United States v. Smith, 131 F.3d 685, 688 (7th Cir. 1997) (citations omitted). Reed had ample opportunity to attack Simmons's credibility and to establish his bias on cross-examination, and the district judge gave an instruction to highlight Simmons's potential motive to lie or to exaggerate his testimony. Nothing more was needed.