United States v. Kenneth M. Johnson, A/K/A President, 846 F.2d 75, 4th Cir. (1988)

846 F.
2d 75
Unpublished Disposition
NOTICE: Fourth Circuit I.O.P. 36.6 states that citation of

unpublished dispositions is disfavored except for establishing
res judicata, estoppel, or the law of the case and requires
service of copies of cited unpublished dispositions of the Fourth
Circuit.
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Kenneth M. JOHNSON, a/k/a President, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 87-5090.
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.

Argued Feb. 5, 1988.
Decided April 15, 1988.
Jodie M. Boylen (Steven Morris Askin, Askin, Pill, Scales & Burke, on
brief) for appellant.
Thomas Oliver Mucklow, Assistant United States Attorney (William A.
Kolibash, United States Attorney, on brief), for appellee.
Before WIDENER and WILKINS, Circuit Judges, and BUTZNER,
Senior Circuit Judge.
PER CURIAM:
Kenneth Johnson appeals his conviction on two counts of distribution of

cocaine, claiming several instances of reversible error pertaining to evidentiary
and other rulings of the district court. Count One of the indictment charged
Johnson with distribution of approximately 2.34 grams of cocaine within one
thousand feet of a public secondary school, in violation of 21 U.S.C. Secs.
841(a)(1) and 845a(a); Count Two charged distribution of approximately one
gram of cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. Sec. 841(a)(1). We find no merit in
Johnson's contentions, and we affirm.
In the course of a covert joint federal and state investigation of narcotics

trafficking in the Martinsburg area, West Virginia state trooper Deborah
DiFalco, operating undercover, purchased cocaine from Johnson in July and
September, 1986. Trooper DiFalco had been introduced to Johnson by Shirley
Michael Brown, a paid police informant and confidant of Johnson. Johnson was
arrested in October 1986 and tried in March 1987.
During voir dire, the defense expressed concern over the possible prejudicial
effect of October 1986 media accounts of the numerous arrests that capped the
investigation. Defense counsel, concerned about pretrial publicity sought
individual interrogation of individual potential jurors out of the presence of the
other potential jurors to assist in the exercise of peremptory strikes. This request
was denied, although the court did address defendant's concerns by questioning
the jurors regarding their exposure to publicity. The voir dire conducted by the
court on the publicity issue resulted in the exclusion of one juror, out of an
abundance of caution, and the jury was then impaneled without further
objection.
Prior to the presentation of the government's case-in-chief, the trial court

excluded all witnesses but allowed the government, over objection, to designate
trooper DiFalco as its representative, permitting her to remain at counsel's table
although she was not the first witness called by the prosecution. The
government's first witness, Shirley Michael Brown, testified on direct
examination as to the circumstances surrounding the July transaction, and
admitted that he had accepted a quantity of cocaine from Johnson as a
commission for arranging the sale. Johnson objected to this testimony as
improper other crimes evidence. The court overruled the objection but did give
a contemporaneous limiting instruction. Johnson unsuccessfully moved for a
directed verdict at the close of the government's case and was similarly denied
judgment of acquittal at the close of all the evidence. Thereafter, the jury
returned a verdict of guilty on both counts. Johnson appeals.
The first asignment of error pertains to the trial court's conduct of the voir dire.
Specifically, appellant charges that it was error to deny defense counsel the
opportunity to personally question each potential juror out of the presence of
the others regarding media accounts which had appeared about five months
prior to trial. We note that despite his concern over the effect of such publicity,
the record nowhere reflects any motion for change of venue.
The trial court conducted the voir dire, initially questioning the jurors about the
publicity, and later, at defendant's request, more closely examined each juror.
Only one juror, a certain Davis, recalled reading or hearing anything about the
defendant, and he was excused. Since the only juror who even connected the
defendant to the case was excused, there obviously was no error attendant to
pre-trial publicity. Moreover, the trial court did not abuse its discretion by
refusing to allow counsel to conduct the voir dire. United States v. Duncan, 598
F.2d 839, 865, n. 25 (4th Cir.1979). Certainly the publicity was not so
pervasive as to poison the atmosphere and prevent a fair trial in all events.
7
Defendant further complains that the trial court refused to exclude trooper
DiFalco notwithstanding the fact that she was scheduled to be a government
witness. See Fed.R.Evid. 615.1 He assigns error to the court's decision to allow
trooper DiFalco to remain at counsel's table during the testimony of the first
prosecution witness, Shirley Michael Brown. The trial court may except the
government's chief investigating officer from a Rule 615 sequestration order.
United States v. Parodi, 703 F.2d 768 (4th Cir.1983). While we have
recognized that it might be preferable to have the agent testify as the
government's first witness, this suggested course may be varied by the trial
court in the exercise of discretion. Parodi at 774. Shirley Michael Brown
testified as to how trooper DiFalco came to know of the defendant as well as to
the facts surrounding the first transaction. Trooper DiFalco was the second
witness, and she testified as to the circumstances surrounding the purchases
from the defendant. This order of proof furthered continuity and coherence in
the presentation of the government's case, therefore it was within the court's
discretion to allow trooper DiFalco to remain throughout Brown's testimony.
Johnson raises several issues pertaining to the evidence adduced at trial, first
asserting that the probative value of Brown's testimony regarding the cocaine
given him as a commission by Johnson, as payment for arranging the deal, is
outweighed by the prejudicial effect of such evidence. See Fed.R.Evid. 404(b).
The trial court ruled that this evidence was admissible under Rule 404(b).
Johnson also complains of prejudice attendant to the admission of evidence
concerning his illegal entry into the United States. Testimony on this latter
point was elicited from him on cross examination, and the record indicates that
there was no objection to this line of questioning. Since there was no objection
raised at trial, we need not reach the issue of admissibility, for we do not think
it was plain error. At trial, Johnson advanced the principal defense of mistaken
identity, denying having ever previously met trooper DiFalco. Rule 404(b)
provides for the admission of evidence of other crimes to prove lack of mistake
and identity. The trial court had discretion to admit this evidence as relevant to
the principal defense asserted. Moreover, when this evidence was admitted the
trial court gave a cautionary instruction which served to minimize any
reasonably possible prejudice. We think there was no error in admitting either
item of evidence.
9
Johnson also contends that the trial court erred in limiting his cross
examination of Shirley Michael Brown. Johnson claims that he was prevented
from inquiring about the criminal acts of the witness' sister as well as the
allegedly lenient sentence given Brown's brother-in-law. The contention is that
he was prevented from offering evidence going to the bias of the witness. The
record, however, reveals that appellant was not limited in his cross examination
of this witness as to what he knew of his sister's difficulties and if any lenience
to her affected his testimony. Rather, he was allowed wide latitude and in fact
did make the inquiry that he now claims was denied him. We therefore fail to
see the merit in this contention in this context. The district court did limit the
extent of inquiry into some previous drug activity of Brown's sister, a
reasonable limitation of inquiry into collateral matters of doubtful relevance to
the question at hand. United States v. Cole, 622 F.2d 98 (4th Cir.1980).
10
We turn to Johnson's argument that it was error to deny his motion for
judgment of acquittal. The testimony of both the informant who introduced the
defendant to the police as well as that of the investigating police officer
identified Johnson as the person who sold the cocaine. Johnson was the only
witness whose testimony contradicted that of the prosecution witnesses. We
conclude that the verdict was amply supported by the evidence. The question
was simply one of credibility.
11
Johnson challenges 21 U.S.C. 845a(a) as violative of due process because the

statute does not require proof of specific intent to sell a controlled substance
within one thousand feet of a school.2 This argument has been rejected before,
and we agree that this schoolyard provision is a rational means of achieving the
desired end of lessening the risk that drugs would be readily available to school
children. United States v. Holland, 810 F.2d 1215 (D.C.Cir.1987), cert. denied,
107 S.Ct. 2199 (1987); see United States v. Agilar, 779 F.2d 123 (2nd
Cir.1985), cert. denied, 475 U.S. 1068 (1986).
Accordingly, the judgment of conviction is
12
AFFIRMED.
Federal Rule of Evidence 615 (exclusion of witnesses) provides:

At the request of a party the court shall order witnesses excluded so that they
cannot hear the testimony of other witnesses, and it may make the order of its
own motion. The rule does not authorize exclusion of (1) a party who is a
natural person, or (2) an officer or employee of party [sic] which is not a natural
person designated as its representative by its attorney, or (3) a person whose
presence is shown by a party to be essential to the presentation of the party's
cause.
2
Section 845a (Distribution or manufacturing in or near schools and colleges)

provides, in subdivision (a), as follows:
Any person who violates section 841(a)(1) or section 856 of this title by
distribution or manufacturing a controlled substance in or on, or within one
thousand feet of, the real property comprising a public or private elementary,
vocational, or secondary school or a public or private college, junior college, or
university is ... punishable (1) by a term of imprisonment, or fine, or both up to
twice that authorized by section 841(b) of this title; and (2) at least twice any
special parole term authorized by section 841(b) of this title for a first offense.
Except to the extent a greater minimum sentence is otherwise provided by
section 841(b) of this title, a term of imprisonment under this subsection shall
not be less than one year. The mandatory minimum sentencing provisions of
this paragraph shall not apply to offenses involving 5 grams or less of
marijuana.

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846 F.

NOTICE: Fourth Circuit I.O.P. 36.6 states that citation of

United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.

Kenneth Johnson appeals his conviction on two counts of distribution of

In the course of a covert joint federal and state investigation of narcotics

Prior to the presentation of the government's case-in-chief, the trial court

Johnson challenges 21 U.S.C. 845a(a) as violative of due process because the

Federal Rule of Evidence 615 (exclusion of witnesses) provides:

Section 845a (Distribution or manufacturing in or near schools and colleges)

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