Opinion ID: 614400
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Defense Counsel's Proffer of Documentary Evidence

Text: The morning after this ruling, defense counsel advised the court that he intended to offer into evidence two documents recently provided by the government: (1) American Airlines flight lists showing that Beckford had traveled from Jamaica to Miami and from Miami to JFK on November 5, 2005, arriving in New York at 9:38 p.m.; and (2) American Airlines records showing that Beckford first swiped into work that night at 12:03 a.m., i.e., very early on November 6, and well after the Barbados flight was unloaded. Trial Tr. at 464. Reviewing the documents, the district court immediately recognized that they implied the fact it had originally understood the defense to be insinuating in the prior day's cross-examination of Beckford, i.e., that Mr. Beckford was nowhere near JFK on November 5th, an assertion contradicted by Roberts's proffer statements. Id. at 466. Defense counsel maintained that he would use the documents only to undermine Beckford's testimony regarding his activities at JFK before 9:38 p.m. on November 5, but his own argument revealed that a broader inference would effectively be implied without need for counsel to say so expressly: I'm not going further to say [Beckford] was not at JFK Airport. However, they're assuming he was there. There's nothing to prove that he was there other than his own statements which have now been contradicted.... His testimony regarding being at JFK has been contradicted for three quarters of the day, obviously [he] wasn't there until 9:38 p.m. if he was there at all. ... The import, the facts are he wasn't there for certain periods of time when he said he was there. After 9:38 p.m., they want to argue he was there? I don't have to necessarily say anything. The thing is, up to this point, I haven't said that he was not there at all. Id. at 470-71 (emphasis added). Considering the proffered documents in light of defense counsel's opening and cross-examination, the district court concluded that it was disingenuous for counsel to suggest that he was offering documents to disprove Beckford's presence at the airport in the afternoon to challenge Beckford's credibility but not to imply that Beckford also was not there at the relevant time of the flight unloading. Id. at 476. Nevertheless, continuing to exercise caution, the district court advised counsel that it would not admit Roberts's proffer statements in rebuttal if the record stood as it was and the documents were not placed into evidence. See United States v. Barrow, 400 F.3d at 119 (recognizing district court discretion to exclude proffer statements when factual assertion was only inadvertently and briefly interjected into proceedings and counsel agrees not to pursue the matter further). On the other hand, if counsel introduced the documents, the government would be allowed to offer the proffer statements to rebut the implied fact that Beckford was not at the airport at the time the Barbados flight was unloaded. Only when counsel insisted that he want[ed] these documents to come in, did the court grant the government's motion to admit. Trial Tr. at 481. The court then offered the parties a number of options with respect to introduction of the documentary evidence: (1) the defense could have the record custodian, then in court, return on a later date so that the documents could be put into evidence on the defense case; (2) the defense could call the witness out of order that day; (3) the government could call the witness and introduce the documents; or (4) the parties could stipulate to the documents' admissibility. When the government expressed a preference for the third option if the defense is intent on having these exhibits come in, Roberts's counsel voiced no objection to that procedure, simply reiterating, I do want the documents in evidence. Id. at 482. [3] Accordingly, the government moved the documents into evidence, and then rebutted their implication that Beckford was not at the airport on the night of November 5 by having Agent O'Malley testify to court-approved excerpts from Roberts's proffer statements. See supra at 154-55.