United States v. Murtaugh

382 F. App'x 83
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedJune 28, 2010
Docket09-2816-cr, 09-3103-cr, 09-3152-cr
StatusUnpublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 382 F. App'x 83 (United States v. Murtaugh) 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. Murtaugh, 382 F. App'x 83 (2d Cir. 2010).

Opinion

SUMMARY ORDER

Defendants Richard R. Murtaugh and Jewel Kidder Gilbert appeal from a judgment of the District Court convicting defendants of various charges. 1 Specifically, Murtaugh appeals from a June 29, 2009 judgment convicting him after a jury trial of two counts of tax evasion in violation of 26 U.S.C § 7201 and four counts of subscription to a false tax return in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7206(1) and sentencing him principally to a term of twenty one months’ imprisonment. Gilbert appeals from a July 9, 2009 judgment convicting her of one count of perjury before a federal grand jury in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1623(a) and sentencing her principally to a term of four months’ imprisonment.

On appeal, Murtaugh argues that the District Court erred by (1) applying an adjustment under the United States Sentencing Guidelines (“the Guidelines”) for obstruction of justice; (2) admitting into evidence certain records seized; (3) concluding that there was sufficient evidence to support his conviction; (4) allowing the prosecution to discuss Murtaugh’s silence during a search of his office; (5) failing to instruct the jury on the law regarding *85 when a Form 1099 is issued for rental income; and (6) failing to require that the jury begin deliberations anew after a substitute juror joined the deliberations. On appeal, Gilbert argues that the District Court erred by (1) concluding that there was sufficient evidence to support her conviction and (2) instructing the jury that it “should not hesitate” to acquit if the jurors had a reasonable doubt as to Gilbert’s guilt. We assume the parties’ familiarity with the underlying facts and procedural history of this case.

First, both Murtaugh and Gilbert argue that the evidence presented at trial was not sufficient to convict them. Because “the task of choosing among competing, permissible inferences is for the [jury and] not for the reviewing court,” United States v. McDermott, 245 F.3d 133, 137 (2d Cir.2001), we are required to review the evidence “in the light most favorable to the government,” United States v. Gaskin, 364 F.3d 438, 459 (2d Cir.2004), and “resolve all issues of credibility in favor of the jury’s verdict,” United States v. Desena, 287 F.3d 170, 177 (2d Cir.2002). See generally Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 318-19, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979). At trial, the Government introduced ample evidence that could support the jury’s verdict. Applying the deferential standard set forth above, we conclude that there was sufficient evidence to support the jury’s guilty verdict challenged here.

Next, Murtaugh challenges the constitutionality of the search of his office and the subsequent admission of evidence found during that search. Specifically, Murtaugh argues that the search warrant issued was not supported by probable cause and that it was unreasonable for the police officers to rely on this search warrant. Warrant-based searches are presumptively reasonable. See Golino v. New Haven, 950 F.2d 864, 870 (2d Cir.1991). Even if Murtaugh successfully rebutted this presumption that the search was reasonable, he fails to show any prejudice arising from that search. To the extent— if any—that the search was in error, that error was harmless because the Government presented sufficient evidence that was not obtained during the search to support Murtaugh’s conviction. See United States v. Reifler, 446 F.3d 65, 90 (2d Cir.2006).

Third, Murtaugh argues that the District Court erred in allowing the Government to discuss Murtaugh’s silence during the search of his office. Murtaugh testified to his silence during the search in the course of his direct examination during his defense. The Government did not cross-examine him on this point. Because Murtaugh himself introduced evidence of his refusal to speak to the Internal Revenue Service agents, he cannot now claim that the District Court erred in allowing him to admit that testimony. See Ohler v. United States, 529 U.S. 753, 755-59, 120 S.Ct. 1851, 146 L.Ed.2d 826 (2000) (applying the general rule that “a party introducing evidence cannot complain on appeal that the evidence was erroneously admitted”).

Fourth, Murtaugh argues that the District Court erred in refusing to instruct the jury on the law governing when a Form 1099 is required. We review a district court’s jury instructions de novo. United States v. Rivera, 546 F.3d 245, 250 (2d Cir.2008). The defendant bears the burden of showing that the charge given prejudiced defendant. See United States v. Abelis, 146 F.3d 73, 82 (2d Cir.1998). Even if it were error for the District Court to decline to instruct the jury on the question of when a Form 1099 is required, Murtaugh has failed to show how that error prejudiced him. We therefore con- *86 elude that any error in declining to give the instruction was harmless.

Fifth, Murtaugh argues that the District Court erred by failing to instruct the jury to begin deliberating anew after an alternate juror joined the deliberations. The District Court did, in fact, instruct the jury to begin deliberating anew when the alternate juror first joined the jury. Mur-taugh argues here that the District Court should have instructed the jury to begin deliberations anew again when a note from the jury suggested, Murtaugh argues, that the jury had not heeded the District Court’s instruction to begin deliberating anew. Murtaugh, however, fails to show that the jury did not begin deliberations anew. He relies only on the fact that the jury asked a question immediately upon beginning deliberations with the new juror. He neglects to note that the jury issued its verdict only after an additional seven hours of deliberation. Because the jury deliberated for seven hours with the alternate juror, we cannot conclude that the jury failed to re-deliberate. It was therefore not error for the District Court to accept the jury’s verdict.

Sixth, Murtaugh argues that the District Court erred in imposing an enhancement for obstruction of justice. The District Court may impose a two-level enhancement on a defendant if it finds that the defendant willfully attempted to obstruct or impede the administration of justice in connection with the offense of conviction. See U.S.S.G. § 3C1.1 (2008). We review de novo

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382 F. App'x 83, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-murtaugh-ca2-2010.