United States v. Meislin

108 F. Supp. 3d 38, 2015 WL 3645724
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. New York
DecidedJune 11, 2015
DocketNo. 5:14-CR-18
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 108 F. Supp. 3d 38 (United States v. Meislin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Meislin, 108 F. Supp. 3d 38, 2015 WL 3645724 (N.D.N.Y. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM-DECISION and ORDER

DAVID N. HURD, District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

On February 25, 2015, a jury found defendant Bonnie Meislin (“Meislin” or “defendant”) guilty of twenty-three counts of health care fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1347 and one count of conspiracy to make false statements in connection with health care billing in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 371,1035.

Meislin has moved pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure (“Rule”) 33 for a new trial, contending that the admission of certain evidence was improper and that the jury should not have been instructed as to an aiding and abetting theory. Alternatively, defendant seeks a judgment of acquittal on all counts pursuant to Rule 29, arguing the evidence adduced by the United States of America (the “Government”) was insufficient to support findings of guilt. The motions were fully briefed and oral argument was heard in Utica, New York, on May 1, 2015. Decision was reserved.

II. DISCUSSION1

A. Motion for a New Trial

A trial court may “vacate any judgment and grant a new trial if the interest of justice so requires.” United States v. Botti, 722 F.Supp.2d 207, 209 (D.Conn.2010) (quoting FED. R. CRIM. P. 33(a)). “Generally, the trial court has broader discretion to grant a new trial under Rule 33 than to grant a motion for acquittal under Rule 29, but it nonetheless must exercise the Rule 33 authority sparingly and in the most extraordinary circumstances.” Id. (quoting United States v. Ferguson, 246 F.3d 129, 134 (2d Cir.2001)).

When exercising the discretion contemplated by Rule 33, “[t]he trial court must be satisfied that competent, satisfactory and sufficient evidence in the record supports the jury verdict.” Ferguson, 246 F.3d at 134. To that end, “the court is [43]*43entitled to weigh the evidence and in so doing evaluate for itself the credibility of the witnesses.” Botti 722 F.Supp.2d at 209 (quoting United States v. Sanchez, 969 F.2d 1409, 1413 (2d Cir.1992)).

However, “it is only where exceptional circumstances can be demonstrated that the trial judge may intrude upon the jury function of credibility assessment, and the test is whether it would be a manifest injustice to let the guilty verdict stand.” Botti, 722 F.Supp.2d at 209 (quoting Sanchez, 969 F.2d at 1414). Accordingly, in determining whether to grant a new trial, the court “must examine the entire case, take into account all facts and circumstances, and make an objective evaluation.” United States v. Shellef, 732 F.Supp.2d 42, 49-50 (E.D.N.Y.2010) (quoting Ferguson, 246 F.3d at 133-34).

1. 404(b) Evidence

Meislin, renewing an argument made and rejected in limine, argues the Government should not have been permitted to introduce the testimony of Erica Stell, who testified that defendant made certain statements to her during a ten-day period in July and August 2006 while the two were co-workers at Fadi Bejjani’s medical practice, a different pain management clinic for which defendant had performed billing services prior to her employment with Upstate Pain Management.

In particular, Ms. Stell testified that Meislin told her that she would frequently submit bills to medical insurance companies which indicated Dr. Bejjani had been present for certain procedures when, in fact, he had not. See generally Consolidated Trial Transcript, ECF No. 94, 616-18 (“Trial Transcript”).2 Ms. Stell’s testimony tended to establish that: (1) defendant would “routinely double bill[ ] medical insurance companies”; (2) “there were times that [defendant] would bill for procedures that Doctor Bejjani was not present for”; (3) defendant often complied with Dr. Bejjani’s instructions to “co-bill for procedures that he wasn’t present for, [or] that another doctor had led with”; and (4) defendant “would bill for those procedures even though he was not present.” Id. Ms. Stell further testified that:

A. I said this is wrong. You shouldn’t be doing these things. She said, I know it is wrong, but I can’t make this kind of money anywhere else. She also .... told me that she was the only one who was allowed to receive the mail and open the mail. She held it very close and would tell me that if a certain amount of money came in from these procedures, she would get bonuses from Doctor Bejjani.
A. We had several conversations about the double billing, why she was doing it, and how she could get out of it. I said to her on one occasion, get another job. You don’t have to be doing these things. She said the money is too good. You don’t un- . derstand.

Trial Transcript at 617-18 (paragraph breaks omitted).

After a limiting instruction was given to the jury, the Government was permitted to introduce this testimonial evidence pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b), which governs the admissibility of evidence of a defendant’s prior or subsequent “crime[s], wrong[s], or other act[s]” not charged in an indictment. Fed.R.Evid. 404(b).

Although this type of evidence “is not admissible to prove a person’s character in order to show that on a particular occasion [44]*44the person acted in accordance with the character,” Fed.R.Evid. 404(b)(1), evidence of relevant “other acts” may nevertheless be admissible to prove “motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identify,. absence of mistake, or lack of accident.” Fed.R.Evid. 404(b)(2).

In determining whether such “other act” evidence may be properly admitted, a trial court must consider whether the evidence is: (1) being offered for a proper purpose; (2) relevant to a material issue in dispute; and (3) substantially more probative than prejudicial.3 United States v. Scott, 677 F.3d 72, 79 (2d Cir.2012); see also Huddleston v. United States, 485 U.S. 681, 691-92, 108 S.Ct. 1496, 99 L.Ed.2d 771 (1988).

i. Purpose

Meislin argues the Government cannot identify any so-called proper purpose for the admission of Ms. Stell’s testimony, which she claims does little more than demonstrate her alleged propensity to commit the unlawful acts charged in the indictment.

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Bluebook (online)
108 F. Supp. 3d 38, 2015 WL 3645724, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-meislin-nynd-2015.