Opinion ID: 612140
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Restriction on Cross-Examination of Government Agent

Text: 87 Finally, Whited asserts that the district court improperly limited defendants' cross-examination of a government witness, Special Agent Clyde Merryman of the FBI. Defense counsel sought to question Merryman about an internal disciplinary investigation that had been resolved in his favor. After a sealed hearing outside the presence of the jury, at which the court placed Merryman under oath and interrogated him about the alleged misconduct, it determined that defendants would be restricted from inquiring into the investigation on cross-examination. Having reviewed the transcript of the hearing and the sealed materials contained in the record, we conclude that the district court did not commit an abuse of its discretion in this regard. 88 Rule 608(b) of the Federal Rules of Evidence (Evidence of Character and Conduct of Witness--Specific instances of conduct) provides in part that 89 Specific instances of the conduct of a witness, for the purpose of attacking or supporting the witness' credibility ... may ... in the discretion of the court, if probative of truthfulness or untruthfulness, be inquired into on cross-examination of the witness (1) concerning the witness' character for truthfulness or untruthfulness[.] 90 The first step in a 608(b) analysis is whether the specific conduct is probative of the witness' character for truthfulness or untruthfulness. United States v. Hill, 550 F.Supp. 983, 990 (E.D.Pa.1982), aff'd, 716 F.2d 893 (3rd Cir.1983), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 1039, 104 S.Ct. 699, 79 L.Ed.2d 165 (1984). Here, Merryman was not disciplined following the investigation into his conduct, so it had little worth as a challenge to his credibility. Whatever probative value might have attached to the FBI's proceedings was substantially outweighed by prejudice to the government. See Fed.R.Evid. 403.