The Ninth Circuit ruled last week that La Carl Mertez Dow deserves a new trial in reversing a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Phyllis Hamilton (left) in Oakland, California that it was harmless for a prosecutor to give false information to a jury that Dow was trying to hide a scar in a lineup. The fact that this case had to go to the federal court of appeals to be overturned is a chilling reminder of how our criminal justice system has been warped by the harmless error standard. Courts routinely find constitutional violations in federal cases only to dismiss them as harmless by saying that the defendant would likely have been convicted anyway. The case is Dow v. Virga, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 18468.
Dow was being tried for second-degree robbery in a case that turns on eye witness testimony by Felix Sablad, an employee at the store. Sablad picked out Dow in a photo display and later in a lineup as the man who robbed the Olympian Gas Station in Daly City, California. However, there was little additional evidence and the first case ended in a hung jury.
The prosecutor seemed unwilling to take a risk of a hung jury on the second trial. At trial, Detective Oglesby testified falsely that Dow (rather than his attorney) made the request that each of the participants in a lineup wear a bandage under his right eye where he had a scar. It would have immediately identified Dow since Sablad said the man had a scar. However, the obvious request was made by Dow’s attorney. The state appellate court established that the prosecutor knew the testimony was false:
We find that misconduct occurred. Although Detective Oglesby testified that defendant made the request to have “the band-aid placed beneath all the participants’ right eyes,” the prosecutor was aware that representation of the evidence was erroneous. More importantly, by asserting that defendant was attempting to “hide” his scar, the prosecutor was mischaracterizing the evidence.
That meant that the prosecutor not only elicited false testimony but knowingly used false testimony. Yet, there is no evidence that the prosecutor was sanctioned or disciplined for the misconduct. There were objections made to the false testimony elicited by the prosecutor at the time of her closing argument. Both the prosecutor and the trial judge seem entirely disinterested in the gross unfairness of the argument:
Second, the prosecutor exploited her knowing presentation of false evidence by arguing that Dow had requested the placement of the band-aids in order to hide his scar, thus indicating consciousness of guilt. Defense counsel objected to this line of argument, but was overruled. The exchange during the prosecutor’s closing remarks in rebuttal was as follows:
[PROSECUTOR]: . . . . But who knows the defendant’s face better than anyone else in this courtroom? The defendant. If there is no noticeable scar on his face, why did he demand that —[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Excuse me, I’m sorry. Objection. There’s no evidence as to whose initiative it was that band-aids were placed on the faces.
THE COURT: Overruled. There was such evidence.
[THE PROSECUTOR]: If he does not have a scar on his face, why did, as Detective Oglesby testified, why did he ask that a band-aid be placed [*12] under his right eye about the exact same location where you can see, in the pictures that Detective Cisneros took, what looks to be a scar. What was he trying to hide if there’s nothing.
. . .
[THE PROSECUTOR]: . . . The defendant’s actions speak for themselves. He knows what’s on his face, and he knows what he was trying to hide when he had that band-aid placed under his right eye.
[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Objection. I need to phrase an objection. This is outside the scope of evidence. The implication that is being made —
THE COURT: It simply is not outside the scope of the evidence. Of that I am sure. But once again, the jury, if there’s any question in the jury’s mind about what the testimony was on that point, you can have it re-read.
[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: I also object to the implication that this somehow represents a consciousness of guilt when, in fact, the very instructions that are given with respect to how to conduct these things say you should try to obstruct a scar.
THE COURT: The objection is overruled. Go ahead. This is just argument based on the evidence.
[THE PROSECUTOR]: Thank you, Your Honor. . . . The pictures at the live lineup, sure, they show the mouths of these people closed.
And you don’t know for sure what happened before or what happened after. But I suggest this to you. A person who is careful enough to have concealed a distinguishing mark on his face, do you think that that person would be showing a victim, a potential witness in this case, a prominent gap between his two front teeth.
The Ninth Circuit noted that this argument was made in rebuttal when the defense could not respond and further noted that the case was already a weak one (magnifying the effect of the violation). It is otherworldly that Hamilton and the state judges did not see this argument as hugely prejudicial to the defendant. It is equally alarming to see the lack of any real consequences for the prosecutor or, for that matter, the trial judge in allowing such an abuse to be occur.
Hamilton’s decision largely reproduces the habeas denial of the state court of appeals and concludes conclusorily that she viewed it as “unlikely that the false evidence and the prosecutor’s improper closing argument carried any weight with the jury. The court concludes that there was no reasonable likelihood that the false evidence affected the jury’s judgment.” So, having a prosecutor state that the defendant knew that the felon had a scar and tried to hide it from the victim would not “carry any weight with the jury”? The result is that Hamilton agreed to allow prosecutor to elicit damaging false testimony and then use it to convict a man. That was something that a three judge appellate panel was unwilling to do.
The Ninth Circuit ruled:
Here, it is reasonably likely that the false [*24] testimony and the prosecutor’s arguments based on that testimony had a material effect on the outcome of the jury’s deliberations. The case was a weak one that hinged almost entirely on Sablad’s inconsistent eyewitness testimony. The prosecutor argued on the basis of the evidence admitted in violation of Napue that Dow had acted in a manner consistent with a consciousness of guilt. This argument bolstered the prosecution’s case that Dow was guilty by interjecting a new reason for the jury to convict him. The jury may well have concluded that the questionable identification was validated by Dow’s supposed self-incriminating act.
What is astonishing is that Hamilton was a Clinton appointee who previously worked as a public defender (a relatively rare former PD on the federal bench which is populated by a disproportionate number of former prosecutors). She is a law graduate of Santa Clara University School of Law, J.D., 1976.
There is no reference to the name of the prosecutor who first elicited false testimony and then fought to use it in closing argument. I could find no bar referral record of such a case even though defense counsel would likely be pulled before a bar for soliciting such testimony. Presumably she was with the San Mateo District Attorney’s office but there is no direct reference in the lower court decisions. This gives the prosecutor and the office anonymity in a major violation that led to the need for a reversal and new trial.
Here is the opinion: 11-17678
Setting goals for one to reach is an important tool to
assist one in maintaining fitness levels. Also, keep a keen eye out for tree roots, pot holes, mole hills, dog droppings, etc.
However, it is not only your musculature which loses its condition as
the result of injury.
I would like to thank you for the efforts you’ve put in
writing this blog. I am hoping to check out the same high-grade content by you later on as well.
In truth, your creative writing abilities has motivated
me to get my very own website now 😉
And hopefully Laserhass, they have made you money in the process……
Meanwhile, Obama nominated a former Bain executive Jeff Zients as his Economics guy. I’ve got enough against Mr. Zients, as his stint at Bain was as short one between 1988 & 1990. Unless evidence should arise to the contrary, I’ve no reason to believe he has had anything to do with the current state of affairs.
However, I’m enthralled with the empirical evidence arising that the main stream media is upon a blood hunt of “Bain” issues.
Sooner or later one Editor is going to realize that the P Prize winning story is sitting here – wide out in the open – begging for someone to tell the tales.
John Gellene’s Eat What You Kill – Fall of a Wall Street Lawyer has had thousands of articles written about it.
The cases we have make John Gellene’s case look like child’s play!
Thanks you Bain – for being so vain – about being Bane!
Well, Anonymously Yours; I’m not going to go into everything that has transpired in our cases here. I’ve gone off topic too much already. Why it is germane to this thread is “Selective Adjudication Upon Merits” (“SAUM” or “SAM”); which is a violation of Civil Rights under 18 U.S.C. 242 and the FBI is supposed to make sure that fracture of Law doesn’t occur.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/civilrights/color_of_law
The Color of Law statute is considered such a sine qua non right to be protected that severe penalties also includes a possible sentence of “Death”. As is remarked upon by Cornell Law;
What the vast majority of citizens in this country are guilty of, is apathy & laxity about federal corruption. Judges and all other federal agents swear an oath to protect U.S. from enemies foreign & Domestic.
This includes tax paid public servants who break our laws for their own material adverse interests. Such as the prosecutor doing crimes and the Judge compounding that with arbitrary & capricious haughtier (Color of Law violation) – circling a wagon of corrupt protection in a duplicitous manner.
It is much worse than shocking of the conscience;
IT IS INTOLERABLE!
Laserhaas,
When the judge is favorable to them…. When has the truth ever mattered….
Should have said “Hopeless”?
The whole point is – like this instant case – we actually have become so inane and mind numb to common sense; that people are arguing about the semantics of – whether or not – lying under oath/assaulting the integrity of the judicial process
is okay or not!
Hopeless!
Anonymously Yours;
Talked to different journalists today – and legal scholars about our case. One of them alerted me to an ABA (American Bar Assoc) paper written by a major law firm partner on attorneys prosecuted for bankruptcy frauds.
I’m going to put it up on the orange realm – the cases, in order to quash the trolls trying to destroy the truth – and have a place of reference for journalists to see corroborative evidence that lying under oath to a chief federal justice – is a crime (really sad that people are that dense).
Judge Rakoff sat on the 9th Circuit.
Too bad we don’t have more like him. His papers and Jenner Blocks on Civil RICO are very instructional.
Wonder if the 9th Cir would be coerced to let the bandits get away with the stunts they’ve been pulling for a decade.
A framer of Bankruptcy Law and I – just had an email exchange – Pissy!
DS,
I think that the trooper enforcing the laws equally didn’t care about her name as most good troopers do….I agree that the suspension occurred after the arrest…..generally a person is arrested and charged filed…they are arraigned and then set for pre trial…. In this case it’s never filed…. Interesting….
What’s worth more to me is the trooper…. Has he been on leave with or without pay….
The next clickers is she may have her international travel abridged….if she had charges filed…a person cannot even enter Canada if they have a simple DUI conviction….which is treated as a felony there…. But then again you can get into some countries even with certain enumerated felonies…. But alcohol is a different matter altogether….
Thanks for reading and responding….
You too laserhaas ….. Pointing out the errors of my ways…….
AY
Yeah the fact of who she is seems to make me really wonder what went on. I don’t have all the information here. It would be nice if it was out in the public arena.
I suspect the dui incident happened before the suspension of the trooper. I think at least the prosecutor held out for an excuse to make the case go away. Prosecutors sometimes pull tricks like the statute of limitations to suit their ends. I have personally seen them do this. They just let the case file sit gathering dust until the limitation of actions law takes it out of their hands. I have also personally heard prosecutors tell me that sometimes they will get information on a particular person and hold the file to gather dust and use the possibility of a later prosecution to leverage the person later.
People in high places seem to get special treatment sometimes. The more important or connected they are, some people with the power to prosecute them throw legal chaff and roadblocks up with the process, including lengthy and unnecessary investigations to drag it out as long as possible until it flies under the radar and goes away. Its frustrating and appalling but it does happen occasionally.
Better now…”S”
I’m quite sure it was because he arrested her….. Can’t do that..bushes rich….
We have a special rule in Austin that states that if you are arrested…. That they must release you after 4 hours…. It’s called the hobby rule… Name after the LT Governor that was arrested….