Opinion ID: 480772
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Admission of Co-conspirator's Statement

Text: 24 During the search of the Hoffman parental home, several items were seized including a letter found in Phil Hoffman's suitcase. The letter was addressed to Judd and was found in an envelope addressed to Phil Hoffman and had a return address of Pantera Specialist. The admissibility of this letter was the subject of two evidentiary hearings. The government chose not to offer the letter during its case-in-chief and in fact, the letter was never offered nor received into evidence. Rather, a portion of the letter 6 was read to the jury as part of a question addressed to Eisenberg during cross-examination. It is to this use of the letter that Eisenberg objects. He claims that the letter was inadmissible hearsay and did not fall within the co-conspirator's statement exemption from the hearsay rule. Fed.R.Evid. 801(d)(2)(E). 7 25 Before the court could address the admissibility of this letter, the letter had to be authenticated or identified by sufficient evidence to support a finding that the matter in question was what the government claimed it to be: a letter written by Phil Hoffman. Fed.R.Evid. 901(a). 8 The genuineness of a document can be established by circumstantial evidence. United States v. Lewis, 759 F.2d 1316, 1338 (8th Cir.), cert. denied sub nom., Milburn v. United States, --- U.S. ----, 106 S.Ct. 406, 407, 88 L.Ed.2d 357 (1985). The contents of a document, its substance, appearance or other distinctive characteristics taken in conjunction with the circumstances of each case can also help authenticate a document. Fed.R.Evid. 901(b)(4). 9 The trial court is vested with considerable discretion in determining the admissibility of evidence and its decision is entitled to great deference on appeal. United States v. Lewis, 759 F.2d at 1336; United States v. Swarek, 656 F.2d 331, 337 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 454 U.S. 1034, 102 S.Ct. 573, 70 L.Ed.2d 478 (1981). 26 Here the district court pointed to the following circumstantial evidence in support of its finding of authentication of the letter. The letter was found among Hoffman's possessions and in his suitcase; the letter was in an envelope addressed to Hoffman with a return address of Pantera Specialist and the evidence demonstrated that Hoffman owned a Pantera sportscar; the letter mentioned a brother facing a jail sentence and the evidence showed that Hoffman's brother Michael had recently been sentenced; there was reference to a trip and a package and the evidence showed that Hoffman, Eisenberg and Steve had recently traveled from San Francisco with Steve carrying several packages of cocaine. We find that the district court did not abuse its discretion in upholding the authenticity of this letter. 27 Even though the circumstantial evidence supported the authenticity of this document, it should not have been allowed to be read into evidence if it constituted hearsay. United States v. Helmel, 769 F.2d 1306, 1312 (8th Cir.1985). The district court ruled that the portion of the letter read was not offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted therein and therefore it was not hearsay as defined by Fed.R.Evid. 801(c) 10 , and a cautionary instruction was given to the jury. 11 The court did note that one sentence could pose a potential hearsay problem, but ruled that this one sentence was admissible as a co-conspirator's statement made during the course and in furtherance of the conspiracy. 12 28 We agree with the district court's assessment that the majority of the used portion of the letter was not offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted therein. We also agree that the questionable sentence falls within the co-conspirator's statement exemption from the hearsay rule. 29 To fulfill the requirements of the co-conspirator's statement exemption, the government must demonstrate that (1) a conspiracy existed; (2) that the defendant and declarant were part of the conspiracy; and (3) that the declaration was made during the course and in furtherance of the conspiracy. United States v. Lewis, 759 F.2d at 1338-39; United States v. Bell, 573 F.2d 1040, 1043 (8th Cir.1978). The evidence supporting these requirements must be independent of the challenged statements, although the evidence may be circumstantial. United States v. DeLuna, 763 F.2d 897, 908-09 (8th Cir.), cert. denied sub nom., Thomas v. United States, --- U.S. ----, 106 S.Ct. 382, 383, 88 L.Ed.2d 336 (1985). The government must prove each of the requirements by a preponderance of the evidence: The court must be satisfied that it is more likely than not that the statement was made during the course and in furtherance of an illegal association to which the declarant and defendant were parties. United States v. Bell, 573 F.2d at 1044; United States v. Bentley, 706 F.2d 1498, 1506 (8th Cir.1983), cert. denied, 467 U.S. 1209, 104 S.Ct. 2397, 81 L.Ed.2d 354 (1984). The district court's determination will not be reversed unless it is clearly erroneous. United States v. McDaniel, 773 F.2d 242, 244 (8th Cir.1985) (quoting United States v. DeLuna, 763 F.2d at 908-09). 30 There is little question that the government met the first two requirements. There is sufficient independent evidence of a conspiracy in this case. Apart from the letter, there is evidence that the parties (Eisenberg and Hoffman and Steve) traveled from California under false names and with Steve carrying several baggies of cocaine the day prior to their arrest. Upon arriving in Minneapolis and despite having left their luggage at the home of Hoffman's parents, the parties registered at a nearby motel, again under a fictitious name. The parties traveled together to the home of Aronson and delivered cocaine. Eisenberg's fingerprints were found on a baggie containing tracings of cocaine found at Aronson's. Eisenberg, upon his arrest, had the key to the trunk in which additional cocaine was confiscated. Eisenberg's fingerprints were found on five of the nine baggies of cocaine taken from the trunk. This evidence is sufficient to meet the requirements that a conspiracy existed and to demonstrate that Eisenberg and Hoffman were members of the conspiracy. See, United States v. Lewis, 759 F.2d 1316 (quoting United States v. Stolle, 553 F.2d 1109, 1117 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 434 U.S. 940, 98 S.Ct. 432, 54 L.Ed.2d 300 (1977) (in demonstrating the existence of a conspiracy, the government must only demonstrate a likelihood of an illicit association between the declarant and the defendant). 31 Although the government could not prove that Hoffman was the author of the letter through the use of handwriting experts, such absolute proof is not essential to the invocation of the co-conspirator rule. United States v. Helmel, 769 F.2d at 1313; See also, United States v. DeGudino, 722 F.2d 1351, 1356 (7th Cir.1983). What is essential is that the government show that the unknown declarant was more likely than not the conspirator. Helmel at 1313. Some of the same factors used to authenticate the document also support a finding that Hoffman was the declarant. See, United States v. Lewis, 759 F.2d at 1339. The writing was found among Hoffman's possessions and in an envelope addressed to Hoffman. The portions of the letter which were not read by the government further support a finding that Hoffman was the declarant. The district court was not clearly erroneous in finding that Hoffman was the author of the letter. See, United States v. Helmel, 769 F.2d at 1315. 32 The requirement that the statement be made during the course and in furtherance of the conspiracy presents a closer question. After careful review of the entire record, we are not left with a definite and firm conviction that the district court erred in finding this requirement was met. This final requirement is to be afforded a broad construction. United States v. Lewis, 759 F.2d at 1340; United States v. Schepp, 746 F.2d 406, 411 (8th Cir.1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 1215, 105 S.Ct. 1190, 84 L.Ed.2d 336 (1985). In addition, this court has upheld the admission of statements made by a co-conspirator which were designed to allay apprehension and insure good relationships for future business. United States v. Krevsky, 741 F.2d 1090, 1095 (8th Cir.1984); United States v. Overshon, 494 F.2d 894, 899 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 419 U.S. 853, 95 S.Ct. 96, 42 L.Ed.2d 85 (1974); United States v. Ammar, 714 F.2d 238, 252 (3rd Cir.), cert. denied sub nom., Stillman v. United States, 464 U.S. 936, 104 S.Ct. 344, 78 L.Ed.2d 311 (1983) (statements between coconspirators which provide reassurance, serve to maintain trust and cohesiveness among them, or inform each other of the current status of the conspiracy further the ends of the conspiracy and are admissible). 33 The requirement that the statement be made during the course of the conspiracy is the most difficult. But even assuming, however, that this letter was not written during the course of the conspiracy, we conclude that any error in its admission was harmless. See, United States v. McDaniel, 773 F.2d at 246-47; United States v. Schepp, 746 F.2d at 411; United States v. Bentley, 706 F.2d at 1506. This letter was read to the jury as part of one question during cross-examination of Eisenberg. It was never received into evidence. In addition, the jury was instructed that the letter was not offered to prove the truth of the statements but only to show that the statements were made. It is the duty of a reviewing court to consider the trial record as a whole and to ignore errors that are harmless. United States v. Hastings, 461 U.S. 499, 509, 103 S.Ct. 1974, 1980, 76 L.Ed.2d 96 (1983). We find that, if the use of the letter was error, such use was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. 13 See, United States v. McDaniel, 773 F.2d at 246. 34 Eisenberg now contends that if the letter was erroneously allowed into the trial, the letter constituted hearsay and he was denied his constitutional right of confrontation. [S]tatements admitted into evidence in violation of the confrontation clause do not constitute grounds for reversal unless a timely and specific objection is made at trial. McDaniel at 245. Eisenberg raised no such objection at trial and thus he is not entitled to raise it for the first time on appeal.