United States v. John Doe

Appellant John Doe was convicted of conspiracy to import heroin and related substantive offenses. The government relied in part on the testimony of Richard Roe, a courier for the heroin importation scheme. On direct examination Roe testified that a quantity of heroin was delivered to him in Bangkok, Thailand by appellant’s wife and that he carried it from Bangkok to Seoul, Korea as a passenger on a commercial airline. He testified that he saw and spoke with Mrs. Doe on the flight from Bangkok to Seoul. The prosecutor then asked Roe whether he had made any arrangement to be contacted by Mrs. Doe while in the United States. Roe answered that he had given Mrs. Doe two phone numbers at which he could be reached.

On cross-examination, defense counsel asked if Roe had had a conversation with Mrs. Doe during the flight. After eliciting an affirmative answer, counsel inquired about details of the conversation. He then asked if there had been any discussion about appellant. The government objected. Defense counsel informed the court that Roe would testify that Mrs. Doe had said that her husband knew nothing about her drug importation activities. The trial court excluded the proffered…