Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-91-07100/USCOURTS-ca10-91-07100-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Manuel Diaz Sanchez
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS F I L .c.i D 

Unite<l Stat':$ Co~rt ~ Ap1n ab 

FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT Tenth C1rw1 • 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 

Plaintiff-Appellee, 

v. 

MANUEL DIAZ SANCHEZ, 

Defendant-Appellant. 

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APR OS 1992 

ROBERT L. HOECKEE 

Clerk 

No. 91-7100 

(D. C. No. CR-91-012-07-S) 

( E. D. Okla. ) 

ORDER AND JUDGMENT* 

Before MOORE, TACHA, and BRORBY, Circuit Judges. 

After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel 

has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially 

assist the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 

34(a); 10th Cir. R. 34.1.9. 

submitted without oral argument. 

The cause is therefore ordered 

The sole issue presented in this appeal is whether sufficient 

evidence exists to support the sentencing court's factual findings 

concerning the quantity of drugs involved. 

* This order and judgment has no precedential value and shall not 

be cited, or used by any court within the Tenth Circuit, except 

for purposes of establishing the doctrines of the law of the case, 

res judicata, or collateral estoppel. 10th Cir. R. 36.3. 

Appellate Case: 91-7100 Document: 010110240377 Date Filed: 04/06/1992 Page: 1
Mr. Sanchez entered a guilty plea to the charge of possession 

of 1,200 pounds of marijuana with intent to distribute. However, 

his presentence report included five kilograms of cocaine, in 

addition to the 1,200 pounds of marijuana, in determining the 

offense level based on the quantity of drugs involved. Mr. 

Sanchez admitted the quantity of marijuana but denied any cocaine 

transactions. Therefore, the court conducted a sentencing 

hearing. 

At the sentencing hearing, the Government sought to establish 

the cocaine transactions had occurred during the commission of the 

offense of conviction. See Sentencing Guideline§ lBl.3. The 

Government called an agent with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics 

who testified that she had conversations with Mr. Palmeri, a 

cooperating witness who was involved with Mr. Sanchez during the 

marijuana transactions. The agent testified Mr. Palmeri told her 

that in February 1989, in addition to 350 pounds of marijuana he 

picked up five kilograms of cocaine. The agent then stated that 

Mr. Palmeri told her Mr. Sanchez had introduced him to the people 

from whom he received the cocaine in Arizona. Mr. Palmeri related 

to the agent that he delivered two of the five kilograms to a 

Mexican restaurant in Tucson for $32,000. Mr. Palmeri further 

related to the agent that he fronted the remaining three kilograms 

to Mr. Sanchez who took the drugs to Texas. The agent testified 

that Mr. Palmeri said Mr. Sanchez paid him $54,000 for that 

transaction. 

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Appellate Case: 91-7100 Document: 010110240377 Date Filed: 04/06/1992 Page: 2
Mr. Sanchez testified on his own behalf and related that he 

only served as an interpreter for Mr. Palmeri for the marijuana 

transactions. He also testified that he borrowed money from Mr. 

Palmeri. Mr. Sanchez then testified he knew nothing of the 

cocaine although he admitted introducing Mr. Palmeri to the 

Arizona drug dealers whom he knew were dealing in drugs other than 

marijuana. 

The district court accepted the testimony of the Government 

agent and found by a preponderance of the evidence that Mr. 

Sanchez had arranged through Mr. Palmeri for the delivery of the 

two kilograms in Arizona and that Mr. Sanchez received from Mr. 

Palmeri the remaining three kilograms of cocaine for distribution. 

Consequently, the court made the appropriate adjustments to the 

offense level. 

Mr. Sanchez raises but one issue: whether the district 

court's findings are clearly erroneous. Mr. Sanchez makes what 

can best be described as a jury argument to this court. He argues 

that none of the cocaine was ever recovered and that no 

substantial amounts of money were ever found on Mr. Sanchez. 

Furthermore, Mr. Sanchez asserts the Government's case was based 

largely on hearsay and its primary witness, Mr. Palmeri, had a 

prior felony record. Therefore, he asks us to discard the 

Government's 

reliability. 

evidence asserting 

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it lacks any indicia of 

Appellate Case: 91-7100 Document: 010110240377 Date Filed: 04/06/1992 Page: 3
To impose a sentence based upon the quantity 

district court's factual findings must be 

of drugs, the 

determined by a 

preponderance of the evidence. A sentencing court may consider 

relevant information without regard to its admissibility under the 

rules of evidence applicable at trial, provided the information 

has sufficient indicia of reliability to support its probable 

accuracy. Thus, "[r]eliable hearsay evidence may be considered." 

United States v. Beaulieau, 893 F . 2d 1177, 1180 (10th Cir. 1990). 

When we review a drug quantity determination by the district 

court, we will not disturb its finding "unless it has no support 

in the record or unless after reviewing all the evidence we are 

firmly convinced that an error has been made." United States v. 

Cook, 949 F.2d 289, 296 (10th Cir. 1991). 

In this case we have no doubt the record supports the 

sentencing court's factual findings. We recognize that some 

minimal indicia of reliability, other than mere allegation, must 

accompany a hearsay statement before it may be relied upon in 

sentencing. United States v. Reid, 911 F.2d 1456, 1464 (10th Cir. 

1990), cert. denied, 111 s. Ct. 990 (1991). In the case before 

us, the record justified the sentencing court's finding of a 

minimal indicia of reliability of the hearsay statement 

introduced. All of the evidence, except Mr. Sanchez's statement, 

corroborated the hearsay statement of Mr. Palmeri. The agent 

testified she had verified Mr. Palmeri's trips to Ari zona with 

travel agency records, other cooperating witnesses, and telephone 

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Appellate Case: 91-7100 Document: 010110240377 Date Filed: 04/06/1992 Page: 4
tolls. She further testified that she had verified the contacts 

between Mr. Palmeri and Mr. Sanchez with various phone records. 

Based on this evidence, we hold the district court's findings were 

not clearly erroneous. 

The district court's judgment and sentence is AFFIRMED. 

Entered for the Court: 

WADE BRORBY 

Circuit Judge 

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