Court Opinion

ID: 9464587
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 23:37:59.344732+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:38:43.503682
License: Public Domain

MANSFIELD, Circuit Judge
(concurring):
I concur in the result reached by Judge Feinberg in his carefully-considered opinion, but on slightly different grounds.
The proof introduced at trial against Benedetto with respect to the bribes paid to him by the four different meat processors alleged in the four-count indictment was overwhelming. Officers of all of thése concerns testified in detail to their having made payments to numerous federal inspectors, including weekly payments to Benedetto during the periods when he was assigned to inspect their respective establishments. At trial these witnesses were fully cross-examined by Benedetto, who testified in his own behalf. Undoubtedly, he received a full and fair trial.
No evidence with respect to Benedetto’s dealings with other meat processing establishments was introduced by the Government until after his counsel, during the Government’s direct case, advised the court that he proposed as part of the defense to introduce testimony of others in the meat business who dealt with Benedetto to the effect that they neither gave him nor were asked by him for money. Subsequently he introduced testimony to this effect by four witnesses who worked in meat processing plants.
Had not the defendant first announced and then introduced this proof, I might view the admission of the Government’s “prior similar act” proof as error, since no issues existed as to which it might properly have been admitted under F.R.Evid. 404(b) (for instance, motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake). Nor can I agree with the majority that the introduction of this evidence may be disregarded on the ground that it might have been introduced to impeach Benedetto’s credibility, since it was not presented, received, or explained to- the jury in those terms, and there was therefore no requirement that Benedetto ask for the limiting instruction to which he would have been entitled if such a ground had been advanced.
Nevertheless, once the court (albeit improperly) permitted the defendant to introduce proof that he had not received or solicited bribes from others on other occasions, I believe that it was only fair and reasonable to permit the Government to rebut this evidence by showing that there were other occasions when he did receive bribes from other meat processors. Our decision in United States v. Beno, 324 F.2d 582, 588-89 (2d Cir. 1963), which appears on the surface to point the other way, is distinguishable. There, after the court had erroneously admitted evidence of specific acts (instead of community reputation) introduced by the defendant, an Internal Revenue Agent charged with solicitation of a gratuity, to show his good character, the Government introduced by way of rebuttal detailed evidence of prior specific acts by the defendant which had no possible relevance to the conduct at issue, such as arrests for reckless driving and forgery of signatures on a tax return. We properly *1252held that the defendant’s opening of the door or waiver did not entitle the Government “to explore without restraint and at great length any specific occurrence which might tend to create an abhorrent image of the defendant,” 324 F.2d at 588. Here, in contrast, the prior conduct offered by the Government was virtually identical to that charged in the indictment.
Under the circumstances, although evidence of the prior conduct proffered by the defendant should in my view have been excluded, I cannot say that it was error, once the door had been opened by the defendant, to admit the Government’s rebuttal proof. But even if this be regarded as error, it was harmless, in view of the overwhelming competent proof against the defendant.