Source: http://openjurist.org/451/f3d/320/united-states-v-rojas-alvarez
Timestamp: 2015-07-29 09:59:36
Document Index: 287587780

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 841', '§ 2', '§ 860', '§ 860', '§ 860', '§ 860', '§ 841', '§ 860', '§ 841', '§ 860', '§ 860', '§ 860', '§ 860', '§ 860', '§ 860', '§ 2106', '§ 2106']

451 F3d 320 United States v. Rojas Alvarez | OpenJurist
451 F. 3d 320 - United States v. Rojas Alvarez Home
451 F3d 320 United States v. Rojas Alvarez 451 F.3d 320
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee,v.Lidia ROJAS ALVAREZ; Humberto Pinon, Defendants-Appellants.
No. 04-51006.
Joseph H. Gay, Jr., Asst. U.S. Atty., Mara A. Blatt, San Antonio, TX, for U.S.
Alexander Lee Calhoun, Law Office of Alex Calhoun, Austin, TX, for Alvarez.
In this action, two co-defendants appeal their convictions. We vacate all counts of conviction as to one defendant. As to the other defendant, we vacate three counts of conviction and remand with instructions to enter convictions on the lesser-included offenses and to resentence. In all other respects, we affirm.
Lidia Alvarez ("Alvarez") and several members of her extended family sold heroin and cocaine in Midland, Texas. Adam Alvarez ("Adam"), Alvarez's grandson, was a street-level dealer, who obtained his supply from Alvarez. In November 2002, the Midland Police Department ("MPD") executed a controlled buy of heroin from Adam. Following the buy, MPD performed a consensual search of Adam's home, at 1306 Carrizo, and discovered quantities of heroin and cocaine. Adam was not arrested at that time. He agreed to cooperate with MPD and the Drug Enforcement Agency ("DEA"), but did not provide useful information. Adam's girlfriend, Maria Lira ("Lira"), lived with Adam and, occasionally, facilitated drug transactions.
In August 2003, MPD engaged in a series of controlled buys. A confidential source, Jeffery Coffee, was used to purchase heroin from members of the Alvarez family. MPD Detective Ed Marker assisted with the controlled buys. In addition to buying from Adam, Coffee made buys from Domingo Alvarez ("Domingo"), Alvarez's son and a street-level dealer. Coffee also bought heroin from Mario Alvarez ("Mario"), another of Alvarez's grandsons. For all of the controlled buys, MPD recorded the serial numbers of the money used.
Before one controlled buy, Coffee, using a recorded telephone, asked Adam for four grams of heroin. Adam informed Coffee that he only had two grams and that, if Coffee wanted all four grams, Adam would have to get more. Adam told Coffee that his grandmother, i.e., Alvarez, was not at home and that Coffee would have to wait until she returned to get the full amount. Following the call, MPD observed Adam leave his home and proceed to Alvarez's home, at 4615 Cherokee. MPD was unsure whether Alvarez was home, but observed her car at the scene. MPD saw Adam leave the residence with Mario. Both Adam and Mario proceeded directly to the pre-arranged location, and Coffee purchased four grams of heroin from Adam. Telephone records revealed that Adam called Alvarez one minute after Coffee's call to Adam; one minute later, according to those records, Adam called Coffee. The time of the calls corresponds with the time Adam left his house for Alvarez's residence. The entire operation took forty-five minutes.
On August 27, 2003, MPD, including Detective Marker, executed a search warrant at the new residence of Adam and Lira, 3804 Anetta, and Alvarez's residence, 4615 Cherokee. MPD found both heroin and cocaine at 3804 Anetta. The 4615 Cherokee search also produced drug paraphernalia and documents indicative of drug distribution. Alvarez and Domingo were present at 4615 Cherokee during the search. MPD found heroin on Domingo's person. In addition, over $6000, including some bills from at least two of the controlled buys, was found in Alvarez's purse.
On January 21, 2004, a grand jury indicted Alvarez, Adam, Domingo, and Mario on a multitude of drug and conspiracy charges. On January 30, 2004, MPD and DEA executed additional search warrants at 4615 Cherokee and 3804 Anetta. Lira assisted MPD and DEA in the searches of both locations; she identified places throughout the residences where contraband was hidden. At both residences, the officers found heroin and cocaine. During the searches, Lira told the investigators that more drugs were hidden in the residence of Humberto Pinon ("Pinon"), Alvarez's husband.
MPD and DEA proceeded to Pinon's residence, a trailer at 2005 South Ft. Worth. After MPD and DEA located Pinon at his place of work, he returned with the officers and consented to the officers' warrantless search of his trailer. During the search, the officers looked behind a large piece of wood that was placed against the trailer's bathroom wall. Behind the piece of wood, the officers discovered a space in the bathroom wall. Inside the space was a pair of boots, and inside the boots were heroin, cocaine, an envelope with over $14,000, and a check for $5,000 made out to Alvarez. On a bed in the trailer among unopened mail, the officers also found an empty plain white envelope, of the same type as that containing the $14,000; on the envelope was written "$2,000."
On February 18, 2004, the grand jury returned a superseding indictment. Pinon was added to the list of indicted persons and was charged with conspiracy and two counts of aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of a school. Ultimately, only Alvarez and Pinon were tried on the indictment.1 The jury acquitted Alvarez on Count One (conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute heroin within 1000 feet of a playground and a school) and convicted her on Count Eight (aiding and abetting distribution of heroin within 1000 feet of a playground), Count Twelve (possession with the intent to distribute heroin within 1000 feet of a playground), Count Thirteen (possession with the intent to distribute cocaine within 1000 feet of a playground), Count Fifteen (aiding and abetting possession with the intent to distribute heroin within 1000 feet of a school), and Count Sixteen (aiding and abetting possession with the intent to distribute cocaine within 1000 feet of a school). The jury acquitted Pinon on Count One and convicted him on Count Fifteen and Count Sixteen. At sentencing, the district court, imposed a sentence of ninety-seven months imprisonment (and 144 months supervised release) on Alvarez and a sentence of fifty-seven months imprisonment (and seventy-two months supervised release) on Pinon.
Before trial, Alvarez filed motions to suppress evidence obtained pursuant to the two search warrants; both motions were denied. Alvarez and Pinon also both timely filed motions for judgment of acquittal; those motions were also denied. Both timely appealed.
A. Sufficiency of the evidence to support Alvarez's convictions for committing drug offenses "within 1000 feet of a playground"
Counts Eight, Twelve, and Thirteen of the superseding indictment each involve drug activity within 1000 feet of a playground in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B) & (C), 860 and 18 U.S.C. § 2. Under § 860, an offender is subject to "twice the maximum punishment" in the event the substantive violation is in, on, or within 1000 feet of a playground. 21 U.S.C. § 860(a). The same provision supplies a statutory definition for the term playground: "The term `playground' means any outdoor facility (including any parking lot appurtenant thereto) intended for recreation, open to the public, and with any portion thereof containing three or more separate apparatus intended for the recreation of children including, but not limited to, sliding boards, swingsets, and teeterboards." 21 U.S.C. § 860(e)(1). The Government elicited testimony to the effect that drug activity took place within 1000 feet of Beal Park and Kelly Park in Midland, but did not introduce evidence about the existence of any child-play apparatus contained in either park. The jury found that the Government proved, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the drug activity took place within 1000 feet of the parks, as the indictment alleged, but made no specific findings on the existence of child-play apparatus.2 At oral argument, the Government could not identify any evidence submitted to the jury indicating the existence or number of child-play apparatus contained in either park.
This court reviews a district court's denial of a post-trial motion for a judgment of acquittal de novo. United States v. Bellew, 369 F.3d 450, 452 (5th Cir.2005) (citing United States v. Greer, 137 F.3d 247, 249 (5th Cir.1998)). In a sufficiency of the evidence claim, "the relevant question is whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt." Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979). See also United States v. Lopez-Urbina, 434 F.3d 750, 757 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 126 S.Ct. 672, 163 L.Ed.2d 541 (2005). In conducting this review, this court does not question the veracity of the Government's evidence: "[B]ecause the evidence must be viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict, the evidence offered by the prosecution should be assumed to be true." Lopez-Urbina, 434 F.3d at 757 (citing United States v. Robertson, 110 F.3d 1113, 1117 (5th Cir.1997)). "While the jury is free to choose among reasonable constructions of the evidence, [i]f the evidence ... gives equal or nearly equal circumstantial support to a theory of guilt and a theory of innocence, we must reverse the conviction, as under these circumstances a reasonable jury must necessarily entertain a reasonable doubt." United States v. Ramos-Garcia, 184 F.3d 463, 465 (5th Cir.1999) (internal citations and quotations omitted) (alterations in original). Nevertheless, the court does "`not consider whether the jury correctly determined guilt or innocence, [only] whether the jury made a rational decision.'" Lopez-Urbina, 434 F.3d at 757 (quoting United States v. Rivera, 295 F.3d 461, 466 (5th Cir.2002)) (alteration in original).
(1) "Playground" element
Alvarez contends that "playground" is an essential element of the crime and, under Jackson, the Government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the statutory definition of "playground" is met. Because the Government failed to prove this element, according to Alvarez, the district court's failure to direct a judgment of acquittal is reversible error.
The Government directs the court to DEA Agent Dean Cook's testimony, in which Agent Cook testified that the 4615 Cherokee residence was within 1000 feet of the property comprising Beal Park, in Midland. Agent Cook's testimony is supported by MPD Sergeant Russell's testimony to the same effect. The officers' testimony clearly supports the jury verdict that the drugs were located within 1000 feet of Beal Park, but gives no indication that the park qualifies as a "playground" as Congress defined the term. The Government acknowledges that other circuits have ruled in the manner urged by Alvarez, but states that, under this court's precedent, the Government proved enough. We disagree.
This court has expressly held that "21 U.S.C. § 860 is a substantive offense rather than merely a sentence enhancer of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)." United States v. Chandler, 125 F.3d 892, 896 (5th Cir.1997). In reaching its conclusion, the Chandler court pointed out that its position was "in accord with the position of virtually every other court of appeals, which `have uniformly held [that] § 860 is a separate offense that requires proof of an element that is not listed in § 841.'" Id. (quoting United States v. McQuilkin, 78 F.3d 105, 109 (3d Cir.1996) (collecting cases)). The Fourth, Sixth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuits each require that the Government satisfy, beyond a reasonable doubt, the statutory definition of "playground" as provided in § 860(e)(1). See, e.g., United States v. Migi, 329 F.3d 1085, 1087 (9th Cir.2003) ("The Government must prove four elements to meet the definition of a `playground': (1) that the area is an outdoor facility, (2) that the area is intended for recreation, (3) that the area is open to the public, and (4) that the area includes three or more separate apparatus intended for the recreation of children."); United States v. Horsley, 56 F.3d 50, 51-52 (11th Cir.1995) (affirming a conviction where the evidence was sufficient to establish that the elements of the definition of "playground" as established by Congress were met); United States. v. Clanton, 32 F.3d 569 (6th Cir.1994) (table) ("From these facts, a rational trier of fact could conclude, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the playgrounds in issue were open to the public, within the contemplation of the statute."); United States v. Parker, 30 F.3d 542, 552 (4th Cir.1994) ("Congress chose to define the term in a specific manner and, consequently, proof must be adduced in order to sustain a jury's conclusion that a playground was involved."); United States v. Smith, 13 F.3d 380, 382-83 (10th Cir.1993) (reversing a conviction because, in the absence of evidence relating to the park's child-play apparatus, "[a]n element of th[e] offense was not proven").
In the face of the statute's plain language and this uniform application of § 860, the Government suggests that this circuit does not require the same quantum of proof. In an unpublished opinion, United States v. Taylor, 254 F.3d 71 (5th Cir. 2001) (table) (per curiam), this court held that a Government witness's testimony that he "bought cocaine from [the defendant] on two different occasions and that one of the transactions took place within 1,000 feet of a playground" was sufficient evidence to support a conviction under 21 U.S.C. § 860. Aside from the fact that Taylor is not binding on this court, it is not as sweeping as the Government contends. Taylor's holding indicates that the panel was satisfied that the evidence produced met the constitutional minimum required, but there is no indication of the specifics of the challenge or whether the statutory definition of "playground" was even at issue.
Even viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict, no rational trier of fact could have found beyond a reasonable doubt that Alvarez's drug activity took place within 1000 feet of (1) an "outdoor facility," which is (2) "intended for recreation," (3) "open to the public," and also (4) contains "three or more separate apparatus intended for the recreation of children." 21 U.S.C. § 860(e)(1). We join the many other circuits to consider the issue and hold that the congressional definition of playground must be proven as an element of a § 860(a) offense. Accordingly, we vacate Alvarez's convictions as to Counts Eight, Twelve, and Thirteen to the extent they involve violations of § 860.
(2) Lesser included offense
"In certain limited circumstances, we may exercise our power under 28 U.S.C. § 2106 and reduce a conviction to a lesser included offense." United States v. Hunt, 129 F.3d 739, 744 (5th Cir.1997). See also Rutledge v. United States, 517 U.S. 292, 306, 116 S.Ct. 1241, 134 L.Ed.2d 419 (1996) (noting "with approval" that "federal appellate courts appear to have uniformly concluded that they may direct the entry of judgment for a lesser included offense [under 28 U.S.C. § 2106] when a conviction for a greater offense is reversed on grounds that affect only the greater offense"); United States v. Skipper,