United States v. Lindemann

George Lindemann (defendant) was charged with wire fraud for conspiring to have his horse killed to collect insurance proceeds. Cooperating witness Tommy Burns testified against him, and Lindemann's cross-examination suggested Burns was only testifying to secure a favorable plea deal. On redirect, the prosecution had Burns testify that he had killed horses for many other clients and had cooperated with the government in roughly 30 other prosecutions; Lindemann was convicted and appealed, arguing this redirect testimony improperly bolstered Burns's credibility.