Source: http://legaliq.com/Case/United_States_V_Jack_Ivey_And_William_Rusty_Wallace
Timestamp: 2018-01-19 23:18:06
Document Index: 50184421

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1538', '§ 23', '§ 545', '§ 1538', '§ 23', '§ 1538', '§ 1538', '§ 1538', '§ 23', '§ 23', '§ 1538', '§ 1540']

United States v. Jack Ivey and William "Rusty" Wallace, III (949 F.2d 759)
United States v. Jack Ivey and William "Rusty" Wallace, III
Case Name: United States v. Jack Ivey and William "Rusty" Wallace, III
Citations: 949 F.2d 759
Docket #: 90-8724
949 F.2d 759
14 ITRD 1203
Jack IVEY and William "Rusty" Wallace, III, Defendants-Appellants.
Appellants Jack Ivey and William "Rusty" Wallace, III were indicted and convicted of one count of conspiracy to buy bobcat hides brought into the United States from Mexico contrary to law and several counts of smuggling contrary to 16 U.S.C. § 1538(c)(1) and 50 C.F.R. § 23.11(b)(1). Both appellants assert that the jury verdict should be reversed due to defects in the indictment and the jury charge as well as insufficiency of the evidence. Appellant Ivey also appeals based on a claim of entrapment and outrageous government conduct. We find the appellants' arguments unpersuasive and affirm the district court's ruling.
Counts 4, 5, 7--Smuggling--violation of 18 U.S.C. § 545, receiving, concealing, buying, selling, and facilitating the transportation, concealment, and sale after importation of certain merchandise imported into the United States contrary to 16 U.S.C. § 1538(c)(1) and 50 C.F.R. § 23.11(b)(1).1
Ivey and Wallace allege the indictment is defective for several reasons. First, they argue counts 4, 5, and 7 should have been dismissed for failing to state a criminal offense. In counts 4, 5, and 7, appellants were charged with violating 16 U.S.C. § 1538(c)(1) of the Endangered Species Act which states:
The Convention standing alone is not the law of the United States because it is not self-executing. It is the implementing legislation, and not the treaty itself, which is the law of the land. See Man Hing Ivory & Imports, Inc. v. Deukmejian, 702 F.2d 760, 762 (9th Cir.1983). Ivey and Wallace maintain that the statute is clear, and, therefore, buying the bobcats in question was not illegal because the bobcats were not part of the Convention signed on March 3, 1973.
This argument is unconvincing. Appellant's argument would undermine the purpose of the Endangered Species Act which was to protect endangered species "whatever the cost." See Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill, 437 U.S. 153, 184, 98 S.Ct. 2279, 2297, 57 L.Ed.2d 117 (1978). It would be contrary to the purpose of the act to view the Convention as a static document without the ability to add species as they become endangered or remove animals that are no longer endangered. Amendment of the appendices is necessary to guarantee that species may be added or deleted as required to ensure their protection.
To our knowledge no court has addressed the issue of subsequent amendments with respect to the Endangered Species Act, but courts have addressed this issue in other contexts. The Ninth Circuit has held that when a federal statute adopts state law for an Indian reservation, the applicable law is the state law at the time an offense is committed, not the state law at the time the statute was enacted. United States v. Francisco, 536 F.2d 1293, 1295-96 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 942, 97 S.Ct. 360, 50 L.Ed.2d 312 (1976). See also, United States v. Howard, 352 U.S. 212, 77 S.Ct. 303, 1 L.Ed.2d 261 (1957). The same theory applies in the present context. "Convention" as referred to in 16 U.S.C. § 1538(c)(1) refers to the Convention as of the date an offense is committed, not the Convention as of March 3, 1973.
Likewise, Ivey and Wallace argue that counts 4, 5, and 7 should be dismissed for failure to state a criminal offense because at all relevant times, the Republic of Mexico was not a party to the Convention. Ivey and Wallace failed to obtain an export permit, but because Mexico is not a party to the Convention it was not required to provide export permits. Appellants claim that because of the Republic of Mexico's status as a non-participant to the Convention, it is legally impossible for any export from Mexico of species listed in Appendix II and III to be contrary to the terms of the Convention. Therefore, appellants maintain, such exports cannot be in violation of 16 U.S.C. § 1538(c)(1).
Ivey and Wallace clearly misapply the Convention. Regardless of whether the Convention encompasses non-signatories, the Convention applies to trade within a signatory's jurisdiction. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ("CITES"), March 3, 1977, 27 U.S.T. 1087, T.I.A.S. No. 8249, arts. IV and X; 50 C.F.R. § 23.14(b) (1990). Pursuant to the terms of the Convention, United States law requires persons subject to its jurisdiction to obtain proper export permits from the country of origin establishing that the species was lawfully taken. 50 C.F.R. § 23.14(b) (1990). The statute, therefore, does not subject Mexico to the terms of the Convention. Instead, it requires citizens within its jurisdiction to obtain the requisite permits from Mexico if they want to bring bobcat hides into the United States. It is up to the citizen to acquire them. The Convention specifically states, and caselaw has held, that the countries who are parties to the Convention may adopt domestic laws stricter than the measures required by the Convention. CITES, art. XIV; Cayman Turtle Farm, Ltd. v. Andrus, 478 F.Supp. 125, 130 (D.D.C.1979).
The complaint that an indictment for conspiracy is flawed because it fails to allege the elements of the substantive crime "ignores literally decades of black-letter law to the contrary.... It is well settled that an indictment for conspiring to commit an offense--in which the conspiracy is the gist of the crime--it is not necessary to allege with technical precision all the elements essential to the commission of the offense which is the object of the conspiracy." United States v. Graves, 669 F.2d 964, 968 (5th Cir.1982), citing, Wong Tai v. United States, 273 U.S. 77, 81, 47 S.Ct. 300, 301-02, 71 L.Ed. 545 (1927).
The fundamental purpose of an indictment is to inform the defendant of the charges against him so that he may prepare an adequate defense. To be sufficient, an indictment for conspiracy must set out the essential elements of the charge and list the overt acts committed in furtherance of the conspiracy. United States v. Gordon, 780 F.2d 1165, 1170 (5th Cir.1986). The essential element in a charge of conspiracy is the agreement between the parties. In Count 1 of the indictment in question, the government uses over two pages to describe the agreement and another two pages to describe in detail the overt acts in furtherance of the agreement. The Count went far beyond mere adequacy to apprise Ivey and Wallace of the charges against them and give them an opportunity to prepare a defense.
When reviewing the propriety of a jury instruction, this Court determines whether the charge, as a whole, is a correct statement of the law and whether it clearly instructed the jurors regarding the principles of law applicable to the factual issues before them. United States v. Stacey, 896 F.2d 75, 77 (5th Cir.1990). It is well-settled that as long as the jury charge accurately reflects the law and the facts of the case, a district judge is vested with broad discretion in formulating the charge, and this Court will not lightly disturb his judgment. United States v. Casto, 889 F.2d 562, 566 (5th Cir.1989), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 1092, 110 S.Ct. 1164, 107 L.Ed.2d 1067 (1990). The determination of the adequacy of the charge must be made in the full context of the trial. United States v. Rubio, 834 F.2d 442, 447 (5th Cir.1987).
No court has addressed the issue of whether 16 U.S.C. § 1538(c) is a specific intent statute, but the intent requirement of the related statute, 16 U.S.C. § 1540(b)(1), has been analyzed. Those cases held that the government must only show a defendant acted with general intent to commit the act because Congress did not intend to make knowledge of the law an element of criminal violations. See United States v. Billie, 667 F.Supp. 1485, 1492 (S.D.Fla.1987); United States v. St. Onge, 676 F.Supp. 1044, 1045 (D.Mont.1988).
Adopting the appellants' argument that Section 1538(c) requires specific intent would thwart the purpose of Congress in enacting the Endangered Species Act. "The plain intent of Congress in enacting this statute was to halt and reverse the trend toward species extinction, whatever the cost. This is reflected not only in the stated policies of the Act, but in literally every section of the statute." Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill, 437 U.S. 153, 184, 98 S.Ct. 2279, 2297, 57 L.Ed.2d 117 (1978). See also United States v. Nguyen, 916 F.2d 1016, 1018-19 (5th Cir.1990).
The requested instruction on specific intent would render the Act ineffective because it would be nearly impossible to show that an accused intended to violate the Act. The Act in question is a regulatory statute to preserve endangered species, and criminal penalties attached to regulatory statutes should be construed to effectuate their regulatory purpose. See United States v. Johnson & Towers, Inc., 741 F.2d 662, 666 (3d Cir.1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 1208, 105 S.Ct. 1171, 84 L.Ed.2d 321 (1985).
In reviewing a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence, this Court must determine whether a rational trier of fact could have found that the evidence established guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and we view all evidence and any inferences that may be drawn from it in the light most favorable to the government. United States v. Hatch, 926 F.2d 387, 392 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 111 S.Ct. 2239, 114 L.Ed.2d 481 (1991). "Circumstances altogether inconclusive, if separately considered, may, by their number and joint operation, especially when corroborated by moral coincidences, be sufficient to constitute conclusive proof." United States v. Ayala, 887 F.2d 62, 67 (5th Cir.1989) (quoting Coggeshall v. United States, 69 U.S. (2 Wall.) 383, 17 L.Ed. 911, 914-15 (1865)). The standard of review is the same whether the evidence is direct or circumstantial. United States v. Bryant, 770 F.2d 1283, 1288 (5th Cir.1985), cert. denied, 475 U.S. 1030, 106 S.Ct. 1235, 89 L.Ed.2d 343 (1986).
During cross-examination, Ivey and Wallace's attorneys questioned the witnesses as to their biases. The jury concluded that the witnesses were credible. It is the sole province of the jury, and not within the power of this Court, to weigh conflicting evidence and evaluate the credibility of witnesses. Boeing Co. v. Shipman, 411 F.2d 365, 375 (5th Cir.1969) (en banc); United States v. Martin, 790 F.2d 1215, 1219 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 868, 107 S.Ct. 231, 93 L.Ed.2d 157 (1986); United States v. Cantu, 876 F.2d 1134, 1137 (5th Cir.1989).
Ivey, individually, alleges his conviction under count 5 should be reversed because of entrapment or, in the alternative, outrageous government conduct. Ivey requested a jury instruction on the defense of entrapment, but the trial judge did not grant this request. The trial court acted on the ground that the defense of entrapment was unavailable to a defendant as long as the defendant denied committing the acts which constituted the crime. In so holding, the trial court followed the law of the circuit as it existed until 1988. United States v. Henry, 749 F.2d 203, 205 (5th Cir.1984) (en banc). But the law had been changed at the time the defendants were tried in 1990. The Supreme Court held in Mathews v. United States, 485 U.S. 58, 108 S.Ct. 883, 99 L.Ed.2d 54 (1988) that the entrapment defense was available to a defendant even though he or she denied committing the acts upon which the criminal charge is based. We implemented the holding in United States v. Jones, 839 F.2d 1041, 1053 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 486 U.S. 1024, 108 S.Ct. 1999, 100 L.Ed.2d 230 (1988). There we said:
We conclude that the reason the trial judge used in refusing to give an instruction on entrapment was incorrect. But there remains the question whether there was error in failing to give the instruction. In all entrapment cases, the threshold question is the defendant's predisposition to commit the crime. Before the defense of entrapment can be raised, there must be a showing of government inducement and a lack of predisposition to engage in criminal conduct on the part of the defendant. United States v. Cantu, 876 F.2d 1134, 1137 (5th Cir.1989); United States v. Nissen, 928 F.2d 690, 693 (5th Cir.1991); United States v. Kang, 934 F.2d 621, 624 (5th Cir.1991). The standard is the same in reverse sting operations. United States v. Knight, 917 F.2d 1, 2 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 111 S.Ct. 533, 112 L.Ed.2d 543 (1990).
Thus, although the trial judge gave an incorrect reason for not instructing the jury on entrapment, no instruction was necessary. Based on the volume of evidence indicating Ivey's knowledge, and Ivey's predisposition as revealed by his prior dealings in Mexican bobcats, there was not enough evidence of entrapment to justify submitting the issue of entrapment to the jury. See United States v. Stanley, 765 F.2d 1224, 1235 (5th Cir.1985) (holding that "the entrapment issue need not be presented to the jury if the evidence does not sufficiently raise the issue").
Ivey asserts that even if he was not entrapped the government's conduct was outrageous. Although a defendant may be predisposed to commit a crime, the government's conduct may be so outrageous as to violate the defendant's constitutional due process rights. This defense, however, is only available in the rarest and most outrageous circumstances. United States v. Nissen, 928 F.2d at 693; United States v. Allibhai, 939 F.2d 244, 248 (5th Cir.1991); United States v. Evans, 941 F.2d 267, 271 (5th Cir.1991).
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