United States v. Ricky Walter Denton

697 F. App'x 963
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
DecidedJune 19, 2017
Docket15-11152; 15-13674 Non-Argument Calendar
StatusUnpublished

This text of 697 F. App'x 963 (United States v. Ricky Walter Denton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eleventh 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. Ricky Walter Denton, 697 F. App'x 963 (11th Cir. 2017).

Opinion

PER CURIAM:

Ricky Denton, proceeding pro se, appeals the district court’s denial of his Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 33 motion for a new trial based on newly discovered evidence. He also challenges the district court’s decision not to hold an evidentiary hearing. He contends that affidavits from two trial witnesses—Jonathon Todd, Den-ton’s son, and Hollie Todd, Denton’s daughter-in-law—entitle him to a new trial. 1

I.

In March 2011 Denton was charged with armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. He chose to represent himself and proceeded to a jury trial. Before the trial began, Denton wrote letters to Jonathon suggesting that he testify falsely and perjure himself at trial. Denton also threatened the life of Jonathon’s wife, Hollie. 2 After Jonathon received the letters and after Hollie learned that Denton had threatened her life, Jonathon and Hollie stopped visiting and communicating with him, despite his letters to them asking to “interview them” about their upcoming trial testimony.

At trial, the government called as witnesses Hollie, Jonathon, and Denton’s other son, Jamie. It also called Forrest Sims, an eyewitness who saw the robber fleeing the bank. Jonathon testified that the bank robber shown in the bank’s security footage walked like Denton and that he had not been promised anything in exchange for testifying against Denton. Hollie also testified against Denton, after which Den-ton asked the court to permit him to interview her. The district court would allow Denton to conduct that interview if Hollie agreed to speak to him, but she refused. Sims testified that the driver of the car that fled the bank after the robbery was a “black man with a gold grill.” Denton is a white male.

The jury found Denton guilty of both charges, and the district court sentenced him to 244 months imprisonment. Denton appealed that conviction and we affirmed it. See United States v. Denton, 535 Fed.Appx. 832 (11th Cir. 2013) (unpublished). A little more than two months after judgment was entered, Denton filed a timely Rule 33(b)(1) motion for a new trial based on newly discovered evidence allegedly showing government obstruction and fraud. The district court denied that motion on the merits without holding an evi-dentiary hearing. This is Denton’s appeal.

II.

We review for an abuse of discretion both the district court’s denial of a motion for a new trial and its denial of an evidentiary hearing. United States v. Sweat, 555 F.3d 1364, 1367-68 (11th Cir. 2009). Under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 33, “[ujpon the defendant’s motion, the court may vacate any judgment and grant a new *966 trial if the interest of justice so requires.” Fed. R. Crim. P. 33. To prevail on a Rule 33 motion based on newly discovered evidence, Denton must establish that:

(1) the evidence was discovered after trial, (2) .the failure of the defendant to discover the evidence [earlier] was not due to a lack of due diligence, (3) the evidence is not merely cumulative or impeaching, (4) the evidence is material to issues before the court, and (5) the evidence is such that a new trial would probably produce a different result.

United States v. Jernigan, 341 F.3d 1273, 1287 (11th Cir. 2003). The newly discovered evidence, however, “need not relate directly to the issue of guilt or innocence to-justify a new trial, but may be probative of another issue of law.” United States v. Campa, 459 F.3d 1121, 1151 (11th Cir. 2006) (en banc) (quotation marks omitted). At the same time, “we have held that motions for a new trial are highly disfavored, and that district courts should use great caution in granting a new trial motion based on newly discovered evidence.” Jernigan, 341 F.3d at 1287 (quotation marks omitted).

“In determining whether a motion for a new trial based on newly discovered evidence was properly denied, ... ‘the acumen gained by a trial judge over the course of the proceedings [makes hei’] well qualified to rule on the basis of affidavits without a hearing/” United States v. Schlei, 122 F.3d 944, 994 (11th Cir. 1997) (quoting United States v. Hamilton, 559 F.2d 1370, 1373-74 (5th Cir. 1977)) (alteration in original); see United States v. Reed, 887 F.2d 1398, 1404 n.12 (11th Cir. 1989) (“In ruling on a motion for new trial based upon newly discovered evidence, it is within the province of the trial court to consider the credibility of those individuals who give statements in support of the motion.”).

A.

Denton first contends that newly discovered evidence shows that the government improperly interfered with his right to establish a defense by instructing his sons, Jamie and Jonathon, and his daughter-in-law, Hollie, not to have any contact with him before his trial. Cf. Schlei, 122 F.3d at 991 (“This court has held that substantial government interference with a defense witness’ free and unhampered choice to testify violates due process rights of the defendant,”) (quotation marks omitted).

As evidence of the government’s interference with his defense, Denton first points to a request that Jamie made after he testified at trial, asking to speak to Denton. Even if Jamie’s request were evidence of government interference, which we seriously doubt, it is not newly discovered evidence because Denton heard what Jamie said at trial when he said it. “Any motion for á new trial grounded on any reason other than newly discovered evidence must be filed within 14 days after the verdict or finding of guilty.” Fed. R. Crim. P. 33(b)(2). Because the motion for new trial was not filed until more than nine months after the trial had ended, it is untimely under Rule 33,

The evidence Denton says shows that the government interfered with his right to establish a defense by preventing Jonathon and Hollie from testifying on his behalf came from Jonathon and Hollie’s post-trial affidavit; those affidavits included statements that law enforcement had instructed them not to have contact with Denton before the trial.

The district court did not abuse its discretion in finding that those statements in Jonathon and Hollie’s affidavits were not credible. The court noted that it was ap *967 parent at trial that neither Jonathon nor Hollie wanted to speak to Denton.

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Related

United States v. Schlei
122 F.3d 944 (Eleventh Circuit, 1997)
United States v. George A. Vallejo
297 F.3d 1154 (Eleventh Circuit, 2002)
United States v. Jernigan
341 F.3d 1273 (Eleventh Circuit, 2003)
United States v. Sweat
555 F.3d 1364 (Eleventh Circuit, 2009)
Brady v. Maryland
373 U.S. 83 (Supreme Court, 1963)
Giglio v. United States
405 U.S. 150 (Supreme Court, 1972)
United States v. Lloyd Nelson Jones
475 F.2d 723 (Fifth Circuit, 1973)
United States v. Thomas Reed
887 F.2d 1398 (Eleventh Circuit, 1989)
United States v. Ricky Walter Denton
535 F. App'x 832 (Eleventh Circuit, 2013)
United States v. Campa
459 F.3d 1121 (Eleventh Circuit, 2006)

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Bluebook (online)
697 F. App'x 963, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-ricky-walter-denton-ca11-2017.