N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNITED STATES C OUR T OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH C IR C UIT
UNITED STATES OF AM ER IC A, Plaintiff - Appe lle e , v. R IC KY ALLEN DENNIS, De fe nda

nt - Appe lla

nt. No. 13-30097

D.C . No. 1:11-c r-00141-R FC -1
M EM O R ANDUM *

Appe a l from

the Unite d

Stat e s Distric t C ourt for the Distric t of M o nta

na R ic ha rd F. C e bull, Se nior Distric t Judge , Pre siding Subm itte d April 11, 2014 ** Se attle , W a s hington B e fore : HAW KINS, R

AW LINSON, a

nd B EA, C irc uit Judge s. R ic ky Alle n De nnis a

ppe a ls his c onvic tion in a be nc h tria l on stipula

te d fa c ts for c o nspira c y

to c om m it a robbe ry a ffe c ting inte rstate c om

m e rc e unde r the Hobbs Ac t, 18 U.S.C . § 1951(a). W e re vie wde novo, a nd vie wing the e vide nc e in the



# FIL E D
APR 15 2014 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U. S. CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not a ppropria te for public at ion a

nd is not pre c e de nt e xc e pt a s provide d

by 9th C ir. R . 36-3. ** The pa

ne l una nim ously c onc lude s this c a se is suita ble for de c ision without ora l a

rgum e nt. Se e Fe d. R . App. P. 34(a)(2).light m ost fa v ora b le to the prose c ution, find there is suffic ie nt e vide nc e to support the c onvic tion be c a

use “ any rationa l trie r of fa c t c ould ha ve found the e sse ntia l
e le m e nts of thec rim e be y ond a re a sona ble doubt.” Unite d State

s v . Si , 343 F.3d 1116, 1123 (9th C ir. 2003). The stipula

te d fa c t s we re suffic ie nt to show tha t De nnis (1) a gre e d with two
or m ore pe ople (2) to c om m it a robbe ry tha t “ obstruc ts, de la

y s, or a ffe c ts
c om m e rc e or the m ove m e nt of a ny artic le or c om

m odity in c om m e rc e ,” 18 U.S.C
. § 1951(a ); (3) tha

t De nnis “ h a d knowle dge of the c onspira toria l goa l” ; an d (4) he

“ volunta rily pa rtic ipat e d in try i ng to a c c om p lish thec onspira

toria l goa l.” Si , 343 F.3d at 1123–24. Dennis a g re e d with a t le a st thre e c o-c onspira

tors to ste a l se ve ra l doz e n kilogra

m s of c oc a i n e from

a sta sh house of a

nota ble drug ga

ng a nd to kill the g ua rds if ne c e s sa

ry . This c onspira c y

a ffe c te d inte rsta

te c om m e rc e . Unite d State s v . W illiams , 547 F.3d 1187, 1197 (9th C ir. 2008) (“ squa re ly re je c t[ing] ”
argum e nt in a

Hobbs Ac t prose c ution tha t “ a c onspira c y to rob a

non-e xiste nt sta sh house c annot inte rfe re with inte rstate c om m e rc e ” ). De nnis’ s a c tions we re knowing
and volunta

ry : he sought a

nd re c e ive d a

n unde rc ove r a ge nt’ s c e ll phoneto a ssist him , sta te d he ha d “ c ontinge nc i e s” to dispose of the gua

rds’ bodie s, m e t with
a ge nts a bout the robbe ry , a ske d spe c ific pla nning que stions, a

nd e ve n proc ure d a bla c k m a sk for the “ spe c ia l da y .” 2That De nn is wa s not surewhe n or whe re pre c ise ly the robbe ry

would ta ke pla c e is irre le va

nt, pa rtic ula rly be c a use the “ p la

n” wa s a l way s tha

t the unde rc ove r
a ge nt posing a s the ga

ng’ s drug c ourie r would “ know” only at the la st m inute whe n the s hipm e n t a

rrive d a nd whe re it wa s loc ate d , a nd would inform

De nnis’ s “ c re w”
at tha t tim e . Also irre le va

nt a re any diffe re nc e s be twe e n De nnis’ s pla ns a nd the (sta ge d) robbe ry

one of his a ssoc iate s atte m pte d to c om m it a fte r De nnis ha d

be e n inc a rc e ra te d on a

se pa ra te warrant; De nnis’ s a c tions prior to his a rre st we re suffic i e nt to support his c o nvic tion. AFFIRM E D.

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