United States v. Doe

SPOTTSWOOD W. ROBINSON, III, Senior Circuit Judge:

Appellants seek reversal of their convictions on drug and firearms charges.1 Several claims of prejudicial error are staked out, but we deem it appropriate to address only two: improper admission of testimony by an expert witness, and improper argument to the jury by the prosecutor. We find merit in these contentions and accordingly reverse.

I. THE BACKGROUND

Suspecting drug activity in an apartment,' police officers engaged an informant to make a purchase therein. The informant reported that a person who spoke with a Jamaican accent sold him…