Citing rule 404(a) of the Federal Rules of Evidence and related case law, the United States avers that “the introduction of evidence of a person's character to prove that the person acted in conformity therein on a particular occasion” is generally prohibited. Omnibus Motion at 3 (citing Fed.R.Evid. 404(a); Old Chief v. United States, 519 U.S. 172, 181 (1997); United States v. Shepherd, 739 F.2d 510, 513 (10th Cir. 1984); United States v. Smalls, 752 F.3d 1227, 1237 (10th Cir. 2014)). The United States does not state -- with any great specificity -- what “prior bad acts” it wishes to keep out of this case, stating that “[a]ny discussion of Jane Doe's alcohol or potential drug use is prohibited,” because such evidence “would prejudice the jury against Doe.” Omnibus Motion

"An order or instruction is, by its nature, neither true nor false and thus cannot be offered for its truth." United States v. Shepherd , 739 F.2d 510, 514 (10th Cir. 1984). As such, Roxie's statements are part of the res gestae of the act of signing and are not treated as hearsay.

This directive does not constitute hearsay because it does not involve an assertion. See United States v. Shepherd, 739 F.2d 510, 514 (10th Cir.1984) (“An order or instruction is, by its nature, neither true nor false and thus cannot be offered for its truth. The orders or instructions were offered to show that they occurred rather than to prove the truth of something asserted.

Since there is no need to cross-examine the declarant of an imperative statement other than to determine whether the statement was in fact made, these utterances ordinarily fall outside the purview of the hearsay rule.Id. (citing E. Imwinkelried, Evidentiary Foundations pt. 1B, § 1(a) (2d ed. 1989); D. Binder, Hearsay Handbook § 2.01–2.04 (2d ed. 1983); Crawford v. Garnier, 719 F.2d 1317 (7th Cir.1983); United States v. Shepherd, 739 F.2d 510, 514 (10th Cir.1984); Roberts v. State, 268 Ind. 348, 375 N.E.2d 215, 219 (1978)). ¶ 105

We accept Defendants' proffer and shall consider the evidence before us. See, e.g.,United States v. Shepherd, 739 F.2d 510, 514 (10th Cir. 1984) ("An out-of-court statement is hearsay only if it is offered for its truth. An order or instruction is, by its nature, neither true nor false and thus cannot be offered for its truth.

Statement (4) was an order. See United States v. Shepherd, 739 F.2d 510, 514 (10th Cir. 1984) (orders are not hearsay because they are not offered for their truth). Statement (5) was irrelevant, and at most could have been offered to prove Embrey's state of mind.

Rather the document is introduced for the inferences that may be drawn circumstantially from its existence or from where it is found, regardless of whether the assertions contained therein are true or not.United States v. Peveto, 881 F.2d 844, 853-54 (10th Cir.) (traffic ticket found in defendant's apartment, introduced to tie him to van containing contraband, was not introduced for the truth of the matter asserted on ticket that he had committed a traffic violation), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 943, 110 S.Ct. 348, 107 L.Ed.2d 336 (1989); United States v. Markopoulos, 848 F.2d 1036, 1039 (10th Cir. 1988) (spiral notebook entries offered as circumstantial evidence of conspiracy and not for truth of the matter asserted); United States v. Shepherd, 739 F.2d 510, 514 (10th Cir. 1984) (order to scare individual offered to show that it occurred, and not for its truth or falsity); United States v. Hensel, 699 F.2d 18, 35 (1st Cir. 1983) (list of names nonhearsay to show participation in conspiracy through inference that member of conspiracy possessed list but not from accuracy of the list itself); United States v. Mejias, 552 F.2d 435, 446 (2d Cir.) (hotel and luggage receipts and business card not offered for truth of matter asserted but as circumstantial evidence to link defendant with hotel, luggage found therein, and individual whose name appeared on card), cert. denied 434 U.S. 847, 98 S.Ct. 154, 54 L.Ed.2d 115 (1977); United States v. Ellis, 461 F.2d 962, 970 (2d Cir.) (address book entries and driver's license nonhearsay because offered as circumstantial proof of association with others and ownership), cert. denied, 409 U.S. 866, 93 S.Ct. 162, 34 L.Ed.2d 115 (1972); United States v. Mishkin, 317 F.2d 634, 637 (2d Cir.) (documents identifying names, phone numbe

Additionally, the State argues that the tape recordings are not offered to prove the truth of the conversations recorded on the tape, but instead are offered to show that the events occurred. The State relies upon U.S. v. Shepherd, 739 F.2d 510 (10th Cir. 1984), for this proposition. In Shepherd, the court held that a government witness' testimony that an individual gave him instructions to frighten another person was not hearsay. The court noted that an order or instruction is, by its nature, neither true nor false and thus cannot be offered for its truth.

Prior to the advent of guideline sentencing virtually no limitations were placed on what a court could consider at sentencing, and it was clear that reliance on uncorroborated hearsay was permissible. United States v. Shepherd, 739 F.2d 510 (10th Cir. 1984); United States v. Tracey, 675 F.2d 433 (1st Cir. 1982). There is nothing in the United States Sentencing Guidelines to indicate a change in this rule.

Huddleston v. United States, 485 U.S. 681, 685, 108 S.Ct. 1496, 1499, 99 L.Ed.2d 771 (1988); see also United States v. Doran, 882 F.2d 1511, 1523 (10th Cir. 1989). Because "[e]vidence of prior criminal acts is almost always prejudicial to the defendant," United States v. Shepherd, 739 F.2d 510, 513 (10th Cir. 1984), the use of such evidence must be carefully circumscribed to protect the defendant from unfair prejudice. In Huddleston the Court stated: