T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E N IN T H C IR C U IT UN I T E D S T AT E S OF AME R I C A, P l ai nt i ff

- A pp el l ee , v. J I M M Y Q U A N , a . k. a . T oha Q ua n, D e f

e n d a n t - A p p e lla n t. N o. 07- 10597 D . C . N o. C R -04-00 32 3-W B S -1 ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e N o r th e rn D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia W i l l i a m B . S hubb, D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d N ove m be r2, 2009 S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: R Y M E R , M cK E O W N an d N . R . S M IT H , C i rcu i tJu d g es.

P e t i t i one rJ i m m y Q ua n ( “ Q ua n” ) appe a l s hi s f i na l j udgm e nta nd s e nt e nc e on on e c ou ntof conspi ra cyt o com m i tbank rupt cyfr aud (18 U . S . C . § 3 71 ), three c ount s of c onc e a l i ng pr ope r ty ( 18 U . S . C . § 152( 7) ) , one c ountof ba nkrupt c y f

r a ud 

# FI LED DE C 01 2009 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

( 1 8 U .S .C . § 1 5 7 ( 2 ) ) , a n d f iv e c o u n ts o f

m o n e y la u n d e r in g ( 1 8 U .S .C . § 19 56 (a )( 1)(B )( i )) . T he t en coun t s c ent erar ou nd three bank rupt cysc hem es that to o k p la c e b e tw e e n M a r c h 1 9 9 7 a n d A u g u s t 2 0 0 5 . W e a f f irm o n a ll c o u n ts . I. Q uan m ov ed for a cqui tt al on the grou nd s of i nsuffi ci entevi dence t o sup po rt a s i ngl e , ove r a r c hi ng c ons pi r a c y t o c om m i tba nkrupt c y f r a ud. W e r e vi e w the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s de ni a l of the m ot i on de novo. U ni t e d S t a t e s v. M a r gue t - P i l l a do, 560 F . 3d 1078, 1081 ( 9th C i r . 2009) . W e a r e r e qui r e d t o vi e w the e vi de nc e i n the l i ghtm os tf

a vor abl e t o the pr os e c ut i on, a nd de t e rm i ne w he the ra ny r a t i ona l j ur or c o u ld h a v e f

o u n d th e e s s e n tia l e le m e n ts o f th e c r im e b e y o n d a r e a s o n ab le d o u b t. I d . U n d e ra “f

a c to r s a n a ly s is ,” th e r e is s u f f ic ie n t e v id e n c e f

o ra r e a s o n ab le ju r o rto have det erm i ned thata s i ng l e c on spi ra cyl i nk ed the three bank rupt cysc hem es . S ee U n ite d S ta te s v . Z e m e k , 6 3 4 F .2 d 1 1 5 9 , 1 1 6 8 ( 9 th C ir . 1 9 8 0 ) ( h o ld in g th a t a

“ si ng l e c on spi ra cyca n b e i dent i fi ed . . . ei ther by i sol at i ng vari ou s e l em ent s und er th e ‘f a c to r s ’ a n a ly s is o rb y a g g r e g a tin g e v id e n c e u n d e rth e ‘s in g le a g r e e m e n t’ t es t ”) . B ec ause a r at i on al j uror coul d al so have foun d thatQ uan i nt ended t o d ef ea t the pr ovi s i ons of

T i t l e 11 by di ve r t i ng f

unds a nd c onc e a l i ng va r i ous pa y m e nt s a nd3

pr ope r ty i nt e r e s t s , w e a f f i rm the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s de ni a l of Q ua n’ s m ot i ons r e ga r di ng th o s e c o u n ts a s w e ll. II . Q ua n f or f e i t e d hi s obj e c t i ons t o the j ury i ns truc t i ons ; w e the r e f or e r e vi e w f

or pl a i n e rr or . S e e J ohns on v. U ni t e d S t a t e s , 520 U . S . 461, 466- 67 ( 1997) . W e ha ve di sc re t i on no tt o t ake not i ce of any f orfe i t ed errors thatfa i l t o “ se ri ou sl y a ff ec t [] the fa i rnes s, i nt egri ty, or pu bl i c r eput at i on of j ud i ci al proceedi ng s. ” I d. (i nt ernal q u o ta tio n s o m itte d ) . T he j ury w a s e xpl i c i t l y t ol d tha ti n or de rt o c onvi c ti tm us tf i nd tha tone of the m e m be r s of

the c ons pi r a c y c om m i tt e d a tl e a s tone ove r ta c tf orthe purpos e s of ca rryi ng ou tthe conspi ra cy . T here i s no rea son t o thi nk thatthe j ury bel i eved a c q u itte d c o - c o n s p ir a to r s c o u ld s a tis f y th is r e q u ir e m e n t, a n d th e r e w a s n o e rr o rin the di stri ctcourt ’ s f

ai l ure t o i nstructthatthe j ury w as no tperm i tt ed t o con vi ct Q u a n o n th is b a s is . W hi l e i tw a s e rr orf

orthe di s tr i c tc ourtnott o i ns truc tthe j ury tha tthe r e qui s i t e ove r ta c tm us tha ve be e n pe r f orm e d w i thi n the s t a tut e of l i m i t a t i ons pe r i od, the e rr ordi d nots e r i ous l y a f f e c tthe f a i rne s s , i nt e gr i ty , orpubl i c r e put a t i on of the j udi c i a l pr oc e e di ngs . T he j ury f ound a c ons pi r a t or( e i the rQ ua n orA nna4

W o n g ) g u ilty o f

th r e e c o u n ts in v o lv in g o v e r t a c ts th a t o c c u rr e d w ith in th e s ta tu te of l i m i t at i on s per i od . E ac h o f these ac t s w as capabl e of groun di ng the conspi ra cy ch ar g e; th er e is littl e r ea so n to th in k th e e rr o r h ad a d etrim en tal aff ec t o n Q u an ’s v e r d ic t. Q uan’ s c on t ent i on thatthe j ury s ho ul d al so have been i nstruct ed thatprep e titio n a c ts r e q u ir e d h im to h a v e a c te d “in c o n te m p la tio n ” o f b a n k ru p tc y is un avai l i ng . A conv i ct i on un der 18 U . S . C . § 1 52 (7) c an be sust ai ned b y aj ury f i ndi ng tha tQ ua n a c t e d w i th the i nt e ntt o de f e a tthe pr ovi s i ons of

T i t l e 11 a

f ter he f i l e d a ba nkrupt c y pe t i t i on. G i ve n the gove rnm e nt ’ s the ory a nd the e vi de nc e i tput forw ar d attri al , i tw as no tnece ss ary f or the j ury t o b e i nstruct ed on the m ens r ea r e q u ir e d f

o rp r e - p e titio n a c ts . II I. Q u a n a r g u e s th a tn o r a t i o n a l j u r o rc o u l d h a v e c o n v i c t e d h i m u n d e r1 8 U . S. C. § 157( 2) be c a us e the gove rnm e ntdi d notpr e s e ntthe j ury w i th af r a ud “ out s i de the bank rupt cy ” a s r equi re d b y U ni t ed S t at es v. M i l w i tt , 47 5 F . 3d 11 50 (9th C i r. 2007) . U nde rthe f

a c t s a l l e ge d, Q ua n a tt e m pt e d t o de f r a ud hi s c r e di t or s a nd f

i l e d a b a n k ru p t c y p e t i t i o n i n f u r th e r a n c e o f

th a ta tt e m p t . E v e n i f

Qu a n i s c o rr e c tth a twe5

ar e bou nd by the di st i nct i on he i dent i fi es i n M i l w i tt , hi s s chem e qual i fi es as

“ ou t si de” the bank rupt cyfor purpo se s of the st atut e. IV Q ua n’ s m one y l a unde r i ng c ha r ge s r e qui r e a pr e di c a t e of f e ns e s e pa r a t e a nd di st i nctfr om the ac tconst i tut i ng the m on eyl aund er i ng . U ni t ed S t at es v. S avage, 67 F . 3d 14 35 , 14 42 (9th C i r. 19 95 ), part i al l y abrog at ed on other groun ds by U ni t ed S t a t e s v. V a n A l s ty ne , 584 F . 3d 803, 813 ( 9th C i r . 2009) . A l though C ount T w e nty - T hr e e c ha r ge s Q ua n w i th a n of f e ns e l a s t i ng w e l l be y ond the l a unde r i ng its e lf , th e m o n e yla u n d e r in g c o n v ic tio n s a r e s u f f ic ie n tly s u p p o r te d b y a s e p a r a te and d i st i nctph as e of thatoffe nse— nam el y, Q uan’ s f ai l ure t o d i sc l ose the tra nsfe r o f th e p r o p e r ty o n L e C o n te A v e n u e . F i na l l y , i n l i ghtof

ourr e c e ntde c i s i on i n V a n A l s ty ne , Q ua n’ s a r gum e nt base d o n S ant os v. U ni t ed S t at es , 12 8 S . C t . 20 20 (200 8) i s f orec l osed. In V an A l styne w e hel d “ that‘ proceeds’ m ea ns ‘ profi t s’ w here vi ew i ng ‘ proceeds’ as ‘r e c e ip ts ’ w o u ld p r e s e n t a‘m e r g e r ’ p r o b le m o f th e k in d th a t tr o u b le d th e p lu r a lity a nd c onc urr e nc e i n S a nt os . ” V a n A l s ty ne , 584 F . 3d a t814. B e c a us e the r e w a s no s u c h m e r g e rp r o b le m p r e s e n te d h e r e , th e r e c e ip ts f r o m th e s a le o f

th e L e C o n te6

A venu e property qual i fyas proceeds suff i ci entfor aconv i ct i on un der the m on ey l aund er i ng st atut e. AF F I RME D.