United States v. Gallo

33 F. App'x 542
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedFebruary 15, 2002
DocketDocket No. 01-1052
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 33 F. App'x 542 (United States v. Gallo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Gallo, 33 F. App'x 542 (2d Cir. 2002).

Opinion

SUMMARY ORDER

ON CONSIDERATION WHEREOF, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the order of said District Court be and it hereby is AFFIRMED.

Defendant-appellant Salvatore Gallo appeals from the January 12, 2001 judgment of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut (Avin W. Thompson, Judge), convicting him after a jury trial of one count of deprivation of civil rights under color of law, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 242. The district court sentenced Gallo principally to 120 months imprisonment.

A federal grand jury returned a one count indictment against Gallo on June 3, 1999, and later returned a superseding three count indictment on May 4, 2000. A jury found Gallo guilty of count three, deprivation of civil rights under color of [544]*544law. (Counts one and two, obstruction of justice and making false material declarations, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1503(a) and 18 U.S.C. § 1623(a), respectively, were severed and remain pending.)

The evidence at trial showed that Gallo, a Hartford, Connecticut police officer, while in uniform and on duty, twice coerced the complainant, Latoya Grasser, into engaging in sexual acts under threat of arrest. In support of its case, the government offered, inter alia, the testimony of Grasser, who described the two incidents, the testimony of another woman who stated that Gallo had made a similar attempt to coerce her, and the testimony of three investigating officers, who described their investigation and recounted several incriminating statements Gallo made during an interview prior to his indictment. (Prior to trial, Gallo moved to suppress the statements he made in the interview. In support of his motion, Gallo submitted an affidavit and testified. The court denied his motion, finding his testimony not credible. His affidavit and testimony were the impetus for the government indicting Gallo on the additional counts of obstruction of justice and making false material declarations.) In support of his defense, Gallo testified, denying the allegations, contesting the investigators’ description of his interview, and denying that he made any of the incriminating statements. He also cross examined all of the government witnesses and questioned both their recollections and their credibility. Gallo raises six claims on appeal, five stemming from evidentiary rulings and one challenging his sentence as illegal.

First, Gallo argues that the court erred in granting the government’s in limine motion to prohibit the defense from entering, pursuant to Fed.R.Evid. 608(b), evidence of two specific instances of conduct for the purpose of attacking Grasser’s credibility. The defense intended to introduce evidence that (1) Grasser had previously threatened another officer that she would accuse him of “criminal harassment” and “sexual rape,” and (2) she convinced her husband to marry her by telling him he was the father of her child, which was not true. The trial court excluded the evidence as unfairly prejudicial under R. 403. Gallo argues that Grasser’s credibility was the main issue at trial and that the court erred in excluding this credibility evidence because the evidence was highly probative and because the court did not explain why it found the evidence unfairly prejudicial.

We review all of Gallo’s claims that the court erred in making evidentiary rulings for abuse of discretion. See United States v. Dwyer, 539 F.2d 924, 927 (2d Cir.1976). While it is obviously more helpful when the district court provides a clear analysis of the 403 factors, see id. at 927-28, it is not required to do so explicitly where, as here, it is evident from the record that the court conducted the necessary balance. See United States v. Pitre, 960 F.2d 1112, 1120 (2d Cir.1992) (“[W]here the issues of both the probative value and possible prejudicial effect of admitting prior act evidence are presented to the district court when it makes its decision to admit such evidence, a mechanical recitation of the Rule 403 analysis is not required.”). Here, the record reflects that the court considered both the defense’s arguments for admitting the evidence as proper credibility evidence under R. 608 and as highly probative under R. 403 and the government’s arguments against admitting the evidence as unreliable and prejudicial. The court made a ruling after considering the oral arguments of the parties and reviewing the submitted legal briefs. The court clearly considered the admissibility of the evidence, under 608(b) and 403, and made a [545]*545determination that, unless used to rebut certain evidence submitted by the government, the evidence was unfairly prejudicial. We find the court did not abuse its discretion in so ruling.

Second, Gallo argues that the court erred in granting the government’s in limine motion that, “If a material component of the defendant’s cross-examination of [Grasser] is a specific attack on her credibility, such as a suggestion that she has fabricated her testimony against the defendant or that she is biased because she is receiving a benefit for her cooperation or testimony,” then the government could rehabilitate Grasser’s credibility by eliciting her testimony that other police officer defendants pleaded guilty after Grasser accused them. The court restricted this rehabilitation to “the extent the evidence is a direct response to a specific attack on the witness’s credibility,” and further ruled that it would also give a limiting instruction on the testimony. Gallo argues this ruling was erroneous not only under Rule 608(b), but also under the Fifth and Sixth Amendments, and that, because of the erroneous ruling, it did not vigorously attack Grasser’s credibility. We find that the court’s ruling is consistent with both evidentiary rules and constitutional requirements. Had Gallo initiated a specific attack on Grasser’s credibility, suggesting she fabricated her allegation, the government was entitled rehabilitate her credibility by eliciting testimony from her that her similar accusations against two other officers resulted in their guilty pleas. See United States v. Martinez, 775 F.2d 81, 34, 36-38 (2d Cir.1985) (affirming admissibility of witness’s testimony that two other guards pleaded guilty in response to his accusations to rebut defense’s attack on his credibility, suggesting he made false accusations); see also United States v. Lindemann, 85 F.3d 1232, 1242-44 (7th Cir.1996) (affirming testimony that others pleaded guilty in response to witness’s accusations to rebut defense’s attack on witness as biased). But see United States v. Taylor, 900 F.2d 779, 781 (4th Cir.1990). The court did not abuse its discretion in finding this evidence sufficiently probative and ruling it admissible.

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Related

United States v. Nelson
365 F. Supp. 2d 381 (S.D. New York, 2005)
Gallo v. United States
537 U.S. 818 (Supreme Court, 2002)

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Bluebook (online)
33 F. App'x 542, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-gallo-ca2-2002.