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. JAEL SAR

AI OR OZC O AHUM ADA, AKA Ja e l Sa

ra i Oroz c o, AKA Ta

m m y M arie R odrigue z Sie rra , De fe nda

nt - Appe lla

nt. No. 14-50130

D.C . No. 2:13-c r-00221-DOC -1 M EM O R ANDUM *

Appe a l from

the Unite d

Stat e s Distric t C ourt for the C e ntra l Distric t of C a lifornia Dav id O. C arte r, Distric t Judge , Pre siding Subm itte d August 7, 2015 ** Pa sa de n a , C a l ifornia B e fore : SILVER

M AN, SAC K *** , a

nd WARDLAW , C i rc uit Judge s. 

# FIL ED AUG 11 2015 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 oral a

rgum e nt. Se e Fe d. R . App. P. 34(a)(2). *** The Honora

ble R obe rt D. Sa c k , Se nior C i rc u it Judgefor the U.S. C ourt of Appe a ls for the Se c ond C irc uit, sitting by de signa tion.Ja e l Sa ra i Oroz c o Ahum a da

a ppe a ls he r jury

c onvic tions for knowingly and willfully m aking a fa lse sta t e m e nt to obtain a

Unite d State s pa ssport, a nd using a pa ssport obtaine d by fa lse sta te m e nt, in viola

tion of thefirst a

nd se c ond pa

ra gra phs of 18 U.S.C . § 1542. Ahuma da c ha lle nge s the distric t c ourt’ s de n ia l of he r propose d dim inishe d c a

pa c ity jury instruc t ion. W e have jurisdic t ion unde r 28 U.S.C . § 1291, a

nd we a ffirm
. The distric t c ourt did not a buse its disc re tion, Unite d State s v . C hristian , 749 F.3d 806, 810 (9th C ir. 2014), whe n it re je c te d the dim inishe d c a

p a c i ty instruc tion. Dim inishe d c a

pa c ity is a de fe n se to spe c ific inte nt c rim e s; it a llows a de fe n da nt to argue she wa s m e nta l ly

inc a pa ble of form ing the c ulpa

b le sta te of m ind of the c ha rge d c rim e . U

n ite d State

s v . Tw ine , 853 F.2d 676, 678-79 (9th C ir. 1988). He re , the distric t c ourt he ld tha t 18 U.S.C . § 1542 wa s a

c rim e re q

u iring spe c ific inte nt. W e have re c e ntly

c la rifie d tha t viola tions of thefirst a

nd se c o nd pa

ra gra phs of 18 U.S.C . § 1542 re q

u ire only ge ne ra l inte nt. Unite d

State s v . Ye , No. 12- 10576, 2015 W

L 4153634 (9th C ir. July 10, 2015). Ahuma da the re fore wa s not e ntitle d to a sse rt dim inishe d c a pa c ity a s a de fe nse . Howe ve r, the jury c onvic te d Ahum a da e ve n though the

gove rnm e nt wa s he ld to a highe r sta

nda rd tha n wa s prope r, a s we have now c l arifie d, a nd thus the

e rror, if any , wa s ha

rm le ss.

2Eve n if she we re e ntitle d to thede fe nse , it la c k e d e vide ntia ry support. Se e Unite d State s v . Esc obar de

Bright , 742 F.2d 1196, 1198 (9th C ir. 1984). Ahum a da te stifie d tha

t she knowingly

use d fa lse sta te m e nts to obtain a

Unite d Stat e s pa s sport, a

nd tha t— by he r own c hoic e
— she use d tha t pa ssport to tra

ve l be twe e n M e xic o a

nd the Unite d

State s. Ahum a da ’ s own fore nsic psy c hologist te stifie d tha

t she wa s a

b le to think logic a lly

and c ohe re ntly

a bout he r c hoic e s, de spite he r de pe n d e nt pe rsona lity and ge ne ra liz e d a

nxie ty disorde rs. Ahum a da ’ s e xpe rt re se arc h c onsulta

nt te stifie d tha

t while he r c hurc h, La

Luz De l M undo, ha d
m any rule s a nd pla c e d gre at e m

pha sis on a

tte nding there ligious fe s tiva l, La Santa C e na , in Gua da la

ja ra , it did not forc e its m e m be rs to a tte nd. Ahum a da ’ s fathe r-inla w a lso te stifie d tha

t the c hurc h wa s not a

“ dic tatorship.”Ahum a da fa ils to point to a ny re c ord e v ide n c e tha

t she wa s una

b le to form

the c u lpa ble sta te of m ind of the c ha rge d c rim e s. Fina l ly , the jury instruc tions given by

the distric t c ourt a de quate ly

e nc om pa sse d Ahum a da ’ s de fe nse the o ry . AFFIRM E D.

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