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 and 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.

T he pa ne l una ni m ous l y c onc l ude s thi s c a s e i s s ui t abl e f orde c i s i on ** w ith o u t o r a l a r g u m e n t. See F ed. R . A pp . P . 34 (a )( 2).

T he H onor abl e D a vi d G . C a m pbe l l , U ni t e d S t a t e s D i s tr i c tJ udge f or ** * the D i s tr i c tof

A r i z ona , s i tt i ng by de s i gna t i on.

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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 E a s te rn D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia L a w r e nc e J . O ’ N e i l l , , P r e s i di ng S ubm i tt e d F e brua ry 8, 2010 ** S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia Be f o r e : HA LL a n d M c KEOW N, Ci r c u i tJ u d g e s , a n d CAM PB EL L, D i stri ct *** Judg e. 

# FI LED FEB 23 2 010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

P r a s ue tC ha ntha s e n ( “ C ha ntha s e n” ) t i m e l y appe a l s f r om aj udgm e ntof c onvi c t i on of

one c ountof

c ons pi r a c y t o m a nuf

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j ua nai n vi ol a t i on of 2 1 U .S .C . § § 8 4 1 ( a ) ( 1 ) a n d ( b ) ( 1 ) ( A ) ( v ii) , a n d 8 4 6 . C h a n th a s e n w a s s e n te n c e d to 120 m onths i n pr i s on, t o be f ol l ow e d by 60 m onths of s upe rvi s e d r e l e a s e , a nd a $1 00 spec i al as se ss m ent . In thi s app ea l , C hanthase n con t ends that : (1) there w as i nsuffi ci entevi dence thathe became a m em ber of the conspi ra cyt o m anufacture m a r i j ua na , kne w of

a tl e a s tone of

i t s obj e c t s , a nd i nt e nde d t o he l p a c hi e ve i t ; a nd (2) adi gi t al ph ot og raph t aken by a s heri ff’ s deputy duri ng a tra ff i c s t op thatw as a rr a n g e d a s p a rt o f

as u rv e illa n c e o p e r a tio n o n A p r il 1 9 , 2 0 0 6 , w a s p o te n tia lly ex cu lp ato ry an d h ig h ly p ro b ativ e e v id en ce o f id en ti ty, an d th e g o v er n m en t’ s f a i l ur e t o pr e s e rve tha tphot ogr aph vi ol a t e d hi s due pr oc e s s r i ght s i n l i ghtof the factth ath e g av e earl y an d co n si st en tn o t i ce th ati d en t i ty w o u l d b e a k ey d efen se i s s u e . W e h a v e j u r i s d i c t i o n p u r s u a n tt o 2 8 U . S. C. § 1 2 9 1 , a n d w e a f f i rm. I. T he l a r ge body of

t e s t i m oni a l a nd doc um e nt a ry e vi de nc e pr e s e nt e d dur i ng a f our - da y j ury tr i a l a nd e xt e ns i ve pos t - tr i a l pr oc e e di ngs , the pr oc e dur a l e ve nt s of th e c a s e , a n d th e ap p lic ab le la w a r e w e ll k n o w n to th e p a r tie s . T h u s , w e w ill r e c ite such i nform at i on on l y a s nec es saryt o o ur di sposi t i on of the cl ai m s of e rr or ra i se d in th is ap p e a l.3 II. We r e v i e w de nov o C ha ntha s e n’ s c ha l l e nge t o the s uf f i c i e nc y of

the e v id e n c e . U

ni te d State s v . A ntonake as , 25 5 F . 3d 71 4, 72 3 (9th C i r. 20 01 ). T here i s s uf f i c i e nte vi de nc e t o s uppor tac onvi c t i on i f , vi e w i ng the e vi de nc e i n the l i ght m os tf a vor abl e t o the pr os e c ut i on, a ny r a t i ona l tr i e rof f a c tc oul d ha ve f

ound the 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 ar e a s o n ab le d o u b t. J a c k s o n v . V ir g in ia , 4 4 3 U .S . 3 0 7 , 3 1 9 ( 1 9 7 9 ) . A p p ly in g th e s e s ta n d a r d s , w e r e je c t C h a n th a s e n ’s c la im tha tthe e vi de nc e pr e s e nt e d a ttr i a l w a s i ns uf f i c i e ntt o pr ove he w a s aknow i ng, ac t i ve m em ber of the conspi ra cyt o m anufacture m ar i j uana charged i n thi s c as e. T he gove rnm e nti ntr oduc e d de t a i l e d t e s t i m ony f r om at e a m of

F r e s no C ou nty S heri ff’ s D epartm ent(“ F C S D ”) det ec t i ves w ho part i ci pat ed i n survei l l ance o f th e t arg et ed m ari

j u an a g ro w i n g si t e i n S t ev i n so n , C al i fo rn i a, i n M erced C o u n ty, on tw o o cc as i on s on A pri l 19 and M ay4, 20 06 . O n the form erdat e, the offi ce rs fol l ow ed a gree n m i ni van from the S t evi nson si t e, w here fi ve peop l e w er e s ee n w orki ng i n af

i e l d i n w hi c h a n e s t i m a t e d 10, 000 m a r i j ua napl a nt s w e r e unde ra c t i ve c u ltiv a tio n , a ll th e w a y b a c kto C h a n th a s e n ’s ap a r tm e n t o n N o r th 8 th S tr e e t, in Fr e s n o , Ca l i f

o rn i a . D u r i n g th e A p r i l 1 9 s u rv e i l l a n c e o p e r a t i o n , tw o o f th e FCSD i nve s t i ga t or s , D e t e c t i ve J ohn W a ge s a nd S e r ge a ntB r a d C hr i s t i a n, w e r e i n a pos i t i on t o a nd di d i de nt i f y the dr i ve rof

the gr e e n m i ni va n a s de f e nda nt4

C ha ntha s e n, a nd the m i ni va n’ s pa s s e nge ra s a l l e ge d c o- c ons pi r a t orV a nh T ho L a w p h a c h a n ( “L a w p h a c h a n ” ) . I n a d d itio n , F C S D D e p u ty D a v id B a r ile te s tif ie d th a t h e w a s d is p a tc h e d to a s s i s tthe de t e c t i ve s on the a f t e rnoon of

A pr i l 19, 2006, upon the i rr e turn t o F r e s no C ou nty, and thathe st op ped the green m i ni van for a tra ff i c i nfra ct i on short l y a ft er i tw as se en drop pi ng off L aw ph ac han athi s hom e on C ar ol i na A venu e i n C l ov i s a t appr oxi m a t e l y 3: 30 p. m . D e puty B a r i l e i de nt i f i e d C ha ntha s e n a ttr i a l a s the pe r s on w h o w as d riv in g th e v an at th at ti m e, an d id en ti fied th e v alidC alifo rn ia d riv er ’s l i c e ns e C ha ntha s e n ha d pr e s e nt e d t o hi m upon r e que s tdur i ng the tr a f f i c s t op. C o o p erat i n g co -co n sp i rat o r O n esy C h an th av o n g (“ C h an th av o n g ”) al so te s tif ie d th a t C h a n th a s e n w a s am e m b e ro f th e g r o u p c u ltiv a tin g m a r iju a n aw ith hi m a nd L a w pha c ha n, a nd tha the ha d pe r s ona l l y s e e n C ha ntha s e n w orki ng a tthe S t e vi ns on s i t e a nd ha d s pe ntthe ni ghtw i th the de f e nda nti n atr a i l e ron the pr ope r ty on s e ve r a l oc c a s i ons . C ha ntha vong i de nt i f i e d L a w pha c ha n a s the

“ l ead er” o f th e co n sp i racy. F i nal l y, C hanthase n h i m se l f a dm i tt ed attri al thathe w as dri vi ng the green m i ni va n w he n D e puty B a r i l e s t oppe d hi m s om e t i m e a f t e r3: 00 p. m . on A pr i l 19, 20 06 . C hanthase n al so t es t i fi ed abou thi s e xp er i ence cul t i vat i ng l egi t i m at e A si an veget abl e c rops— i ncl ud i ng the “ l on g b ean” pl ant s thatsurr ou nd ed and shi el ded5

f r om publ i c vi e w the 11, 539 m a r i j ua napl a nt s tha tw e r e gr ow i ng i n the S t e vi ns on f i e l d— a nd c oul d f

a i r l y be c ha r ge d w i th know l e dge of the i l l e ga l na tur e a nd obj ec t i ves of the cul t i vat i on proj ec tatthe S t evi nson si t e. C hanthase n’ s c l ai m s that he w a s noti n S t e vi ns on tha tda y , a nd tha the ha d m e r e l y “ borr ow e d” the va n f or abouta n hourf

r om hi s f r i e nd B ounm aV om m a r a th, the r e gi s t e r e d ow ne rof the vehi cl e, t o m ov e s om e s ee dl i ng s f rom hi s hom e i n C l ov i s t o h i s ow n fi ve-a cr e f arm i n the F r e s no a r e a , w e r e ne c e s s a r i l y r e j e c t e d by the j ury . T a ke n t oge the r , the e vi de nc e pr e s e nt e d a ttr i a l a m pl y s uppor t s C ha ntha s e n’ s c onvi c t i on. III . We a l s o r e v i e w de nov o C h a n th a s e n ’s c la im th a t th e g o v e rn m e n t’s f a ilu r e to pr e s e rve adi gi t a l phot ogr aph t a ke n by D e puty B a r i l e dur i ng the A pr i l 19, 2006 tr a f f i c s t op vi ol a t e d hi s due pr oc e s s r i ght s , butthe di s tr i c tc our t ’ s f a c tua l f i ndi ngs o n th is is s u e a r e r e v ie w e d o n ly f o rc le a re rr o r . U

ni ted Stat es v. H

erna ndez , 109 F . 3d 1450, 1454 ( 9th C i r . 1997) . W he n e vi de nc e i s l os torde s tr oy e d w hi l e i n the go vernm ent ’ s posse ss i on , the go vernm entbear s the bu rden of j ust i fy i ng i t s c on du ct a n d th e d e f

e n d a n t b e a r s th e b u r d e n o f d e m o n s tr a tin g p r e

ju d ic e . U

ni ted Stat es v. T ercero , 640 F . 2d 190, 192 ( 9th C i r . 1980) . U pon de nov o re vi ew , w e r ej ec t C ha ntha s e n’ s due pr oc e s s c l a i m be c aus e the r e w a s no e vi de nc e of ba d f a i th on the pa r tof the gove rnm e nt , a nd C ha ntha s e n ha s nots how n he w a s pr e j udi c e d by the6

l os s of the phot ogr aph. T he di s tr i c tc ourtc onduc t e d a n e xt e ns i ve pos t - tr i a l i nqui ry i nt o the de s truc t i on of

the phot ogr aph, a nd s pe c i f i c a l l y f ound tha ti tw a s noti nt e nt i ona l a nd tha tthe r e w a s no e vi de nc e of ba d f a i th on the pa r tof

D e t e c t i ve J a c ob J e ns e n, the F C S D o f f ic e rw h o r e c e iv e d th e d ig ita l p h o to g r ap h b y e - m a il f r o m D e p u ty B a r ile a n d s u b s e q u e n tly d e le te d it f r o m h is c o m p u te r . T h e s e f in d in g s a r e n o t c le a r ly e rr o n e o u s . See H

erna ndez , 109 F . 3d a t1454- 55; U ni te d State s v . H

e f f i ngton , 952 F . 2d 275, 280- 81 ( 9th C i r . 1991) T h e ex cu lp at o ry n atu re an d p ro b at i v e v al u e o f th e p h o t o g rap h are al so debat abl e, atbest . A s w e have not ed, C hanthase n adm i tt ed attri al thathe w as s t oppe d w hi l e dr i vi ng the gr e e n m i ni va n, pr e c i s e l y a s D e puty B a r i l e r e por t e d, on A p ri l , 1 9 , 2 0 0 6 . D ep u ty B ari l e al so i d en t i fi ed th e v al i d C al i fo rn i a d ri v er’ s l i cen se C ha ntha s e n pr oduc e d t o hi m dur i ng the tr a f f i c s t op on A pr i l 19, 2006, a nd i de nt i f i e d C ha ntha s e n a s the pe r s on he s t oppe d tha tda y a tthe di r e c t i on of the F C S D survei l l ance t ea m . D eputy B ar i l e f urther t es t i fi ed, ho w ever , thatthere w as no ga r de ni ng m a t e r i a l i n the va n, a nd tha tC ha ntha s e n l ooke d “ norm a l ” dur i ng the sto p , th u s p ro v id in g an altern ativ e s o u rc e o f e v id en ti ar y s u p p o rt fo r C h an th as en ’s c l a i m tha tthe phot ogr aph w oul d ha ve s how n he di d notl ook l i ke s om e one w ho had b ee n “ sc ruff

i ng ar ou nd i n a fi el d” thatday. M oreover, even i f the di gi t al7

ph ot og raph had a “ t i m e and dat e s t am p, ” a s C hanthase n cl ai m s w i tho utre cord s u p p o r t, it w o u ld h a v e a d d e d n o th in g th a t w a s n o t a lr e a d y c o n f irm e d b y D e p u ty B a r i l e ’ s t e s t i m ony a nd C ha ntha s e n’ s ow n a dm i s s i ons . T he r e i s , i n s hor t , no r e a s on to b e lie v e th a t th e p r e s e rv a tio n a n d u s e o f th e d ig ita l p h o to g r ap h a t tr ia l w o u ld h a v e y ie ld e d ad if

f e r e n t v e r d ic t. I V. F ora l l the f

or e goi ng r e a s ons , the j udgm e ntof c onvi c t i on, i nc l udi ng the sen t en ce i m p o sed , i s AF F I RME D.