United States First Circuit

Defendants' drug convictions are affirmed, where the government improperly used a law enforcement officer as the first witness in a multi-defendant drug prosecution to provide an "overview" of the prosecution's case, but it was highly probable that the testimony did not influence the verdict.

Appellate Information

• Decided 06/18/2009
• Published 06/18/2009

Judges

• LIPEZ, Circuit Judge., Before TORRUELLA and LIPEZ, Circuit Judges, and DiCLERICO, District Judge.

Court

• United States First Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Edward J. O'Brien, for appellant Flores-de-Jesús., Luis R. Rivera González, for appellant Feliciano-Rodríguez., Irma R. Valldejuli, for appellant Sabino-Morales.


• For Appellees:
  
• Vernon B. Miles, Assistant United States Attorney, with whom Rosa E. Rodriguez-Velez, United States Attorney, Nelson Pérez-Sosa, Assistant United States Attorney, Chief, Appellate Division, and German A. Rieckehoff, Assistant United States Attorney, were on brief, for appellee.