Source: http://openjurist.org/323/f3d/666/united-states-v-hatcher
Timestamp: 2013-12-10 05:40:08
Document Index: 678118499

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 371', '§ 1951', '§ 924', '§ 371', '§ 1951', '§ 924', '§ 1956', '§ 982', '§ 853']

323 F3d 666 United States v. Hatcher | OpenJurist
323 F. 3d 666 - United States v. Hatcher	Home323 f3d 666 united states v. hatcher
323 F3d 666 United States v. Hatcher 323 F.3d 666
UNITED STATES of America, Appellee,v.Michael HATCHER, Appellant.United States of America, Appellee,v.Joseph Anthony Porrello, Appellant.United States of America, Appellee,v.Angelo Porrello, Appellant.
No. 02-1308.
No. 02-1701.
No. 02-1704.
No. 02-1709.
No. 02-1710.
No. 02-1722.
No. 02-1723.
No. 02-2068.
Victor B. Peters, argued, Kansas City, MO, for appellant Hatcher.
David B.B. Helfrey, argued, St. Louis, MO, for appellant Joseph Porrello.
James R. Wyrsch, argued, Kansas City, MO (J. Justin Johnston and David A. Kelly, on the brief), for appellant Angelo Porrello.
This case involves the convictions of Michael Hatcher, Angelo Porrello, and Joseph Anthony Porrello on charges stemming from the armed robberies of jewelry stores in the Kansas City area. Appellants were convicted of charges including conspiracy, interference with interstate commerce by armed robbery, the use of a firearm during a crime of violence, attempted money laundering, and criminal forfeiture. On appeal, appellants raise numerous claims. Chief among these claims are that the link between their crimes and interstate commerce was insufficient to justify their convictions, the Porrellos' argument that they were entitled to a lesser-included-offense instruction, and Angelo Porrello's challenge to the forfeiture order against him. We reject all but one of appellants' claims as without merit. As to that one claim — having to do with taped recordings of certain conversations in prison — further proceedings in the District Court will be necessary.
A career criminal by the name of Clarence Burnett organized a group of robbers who successfully robbed numerous jewelry stores. The identities of his fellow robbers changed from robbery to robbery, with Michael Hatcher participating in two of the robberies. In each robbery, a group of men entered the jewelry store with at least one gun drawn and proceeded to ransack the jewelry cases. The robbers then would proceed back to Mr. Burnett's home, where they would inspect their haul. In each case, Mr. Burnett took the jewels to J's Pawnshop, operated by Angelo and Joseph Porrello, to fence the jewels to the Porrellos. According to the evidence at trial — which came primarily through the testimony of Clarence Burnett himself — the Porrellos were involved not only in the fencing of the jewelry but also in the planning of the robberies themselves, by, for instance, providing guns, bulletproof vests, and jewelry-store floor plans for the robberies. The Porrellos allegedly were motivated by the need to stock a new jewelry store owned by Joseph Porrello and a man named Ed Sandridge.
Mr. Burnett eventually confessed these crimes to the authorities in an attempt to get a lighter sentence in an unrelated case. The government then sought and received an indictment against all of the alleged robbers. Later, the government sought and received a fifteen-count superseding indictment which included the Porrellos. Mr. Hatcher was charged with conspiracy, 18 U.S.C. § 371, two counts of interfering with interstate commerce by armed robbery, 18 U.S.C. § 1951, and two counts of the use of a firearm during a crime of violence, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c). The Porrellos were each charged with one count of conspiracy, 18 U.S.C. § 371, three counts of interfering with interstate commerce by armed robbery, 18 U.S.C. § 1951, three counts of the use of a firearm during a crime of violence, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), three counts of attempted money laundering, 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1)(B)(i), and a count of criminal forfeiture arising out of the money-laundering count, 18 U.S.C. § 982, 21 U.S.C. § 853(p).
At trial, the majority of the evidence came from cooperating co-conspirators in exchange for reduced sentences. The evidence against Mr. Hatcher consisted primarily of Mr. Burnett's testimony against him, although that testimony was corroborated by independent sources, including phone records of conversations that took place after the robbery. There was substantial evidence indicating that the Porrellos acted as the fences for the jewelry. The only evidence directly linking the Porrellos to the planning of the crime, on the other hand, came either from Mr. Burnett on the witness stand or through other witnesses relating what Mr. Burnett had told them at the time of the robberies.
The jury convicted Mr. Hatcher on all five counts. The District Court sentenced him to a total term of 510 months' imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release. Three hundred months of his sentence were the result of two mandatory consecutive sentences for the two counts of the use of a firearm during a crime of violence. The judge imposed a consecutive 60-month sentence for the first count and a consecutive 240-month sentence for the second count. The Court also entered a restitution order against Mr. Hatcher in the amount of $1,341,217.06. The Porrellos were each convicted of the charges stemming from two of the robberies but acquitted of one count of interfering with interstate commerce by armed robbery and one count of the use of a firearm during a crime of violence. Joseph Porrello was sentenced to 421 months' imprisonment and 3 years' supervised release. As with Mr. Hatcher, three hundred of these months were due to mandatory consecutive sentences on the firearms charges. The Court also entered a restitution order against him in the amount of $2,417,903.11. Angelo Porrello was sentenced to 468 months' imprisonment and 3 years' supervised release. Again, three hundred months were due to the firearms charges. The Court likewise ordered restitution in the amount of $2,417,903.11. The Court also entered a criminal forfeiture order against Angelo Porrello. Because the stolen jewelry was no longer available, the Court ordered the forfeiture of substitute assets.
Appellants raise numerous issues on appeal. With one exception, we conclude that each of these issues is without merit.1
Appellants argue that the convictions on certain counts were erroneous either because the government did not prove a sufficient link to inters