Source: https://casetext.com/case/us-v-cartwright-9
Timestamp: 2018-12-15 09:17:26
Document Index: 768855005

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 841', '§ 841', '§ 2', '§ 2', '§ 3', '§ 3']

U.S. v. Cartwright, 6 F.3d 294 | Casetext
6 F.3d 294 (5th Cir. 1993)
United States Court of Appeals, Fifth CircuitOct 25, 1993
…We review challenges to jury instructions to determine "whether the court&apos;s charge, as a whole, is a correct…
U.S. v. Wisenbaker
…Wisenbaker timely objected to the instruction. Therefore, we review his challenge using the standard of…
holding that there was no plain error where father&apos;s statement referring to his co-defendant son was admitted
Summary of this case from United States v. Cantu-Ramirez
holding that a district court&apos;s deliberate ignorance instruction was harmless error given substantial evidence of actual knowledge
Summary of this case from United States v. Melancon
holding that no plain Bruton error occurred when other evidence of guilt was overwhelming
A jury found both defendants guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than fifty grams of a mixture or substance containing cocaine base in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A) and 846 (count 1) and aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute more than fifty grams of a mixture of substance containing cocaine base in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A) and 18 U.S.C. § 2 (count 2). Neither defendant presented evidence or testimony at trial. The district court ordered Cartwright to serve 293 months in prison, followed by a five-year term of supervised release and a $100 special assessment; the court ordered Patrick to serve 262 months in prison with a five-year term of supervised release and a $100 special assessment.
To convict of possession with intent to distribute, the government must prove (1) possession of the illegal substance, (2) knowledge, and (3) the requisite intent to distribute. United States v. Garza, 990 F.2d 171, 174 (5th Cir. 1993), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 114 S.Ct. 332, 126 L.Ed.2d 278 (1993) (No. 93-5857). To prove conspiracy to distribute, the government must prove (1) an agreement with intent to distribute existed, (2) the defendant had knowledge of the agreement, and (3) the defendant voluntarily participated in the conspiracy. United States v. Lewis, 902 F.2d 1176 (5th Cir. 1990).
The evidence supports the conviction for the underlying offense of possession with intent to distribute. Cartwright admitted that the drugs were his, satisfying the possession and knowledge prongs of the test. His intent to distribute may be inferred from his actions at the scene as well as from the large quantity of drugs involved. United States v. Pineda-Ortuno, 952 F.2d 98, 102 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 112 S.Ct. 1990, 118 L.Ed.2d 587 (1992). Patrick arranged the cocaine sale and actually attempted to sell it to Redman, thus satisfying all three prongs of the test.
The evidence also supports convictions for conspiracy to commit the underlying substantive offense. Cartwright confessed that he cooked the drugs to help his son make some money; Patrick set up the sale with Redman. Combined, Cartwright's statements and Patrick's actions establish sufficient proof that an agreement existed. The fact that both defendants arrived at the restaurant with $35,000 worth of cocaine demonstrates that they were working together. See United States v. Pruneda-Gonzalez, 953 F.2d 190, 196-97 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 112 S.Ct. 2952, 119 L.Ed.2d 575 (1992) (conspirators would not have brought along an innocent party to perform vital parts of the crime). Showing up with the cocaine also was an action in furtherance of the conspiracy.
Cartwright also challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his conviction for aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute. To convict on this charge, the government must show that Cartwright (1) associated with a criminal venture, (2) participated in the venture, and (3) sought by action to make the venture succeed. United States v. Murray, 988 F.2d 518, 522 (5th Cir. 1993). Cartwright held the drugs on his lap while Patrick was in the restaurant and then told Redman to get into the jeep to complete the sale, mentioning to him that everything was "okay." Moreover, Cartwright admitted that the drugs were his, that he had cooked them, and that he was trying to help his son make some money. The record, therefore, sufficiently supports the jury's verdict of guilty on this count.
Patrick argues that admitting Cartwright's confession in their joint trial violated his rights under the Confrontation Clause. U.S. CONST. AMEND. VI. Patrick did not move for severance or file a pretrial motion for suppression of the confession. Patrick did not object when the confession was admitted, nor did he move for severance or mistrial at that time. We therefore review the admission of this evidence only for plain error. United States v. Beaumont, 972 F.2d 91, 95 (5th Cir. 1992). "[T]he plain-error exception to the contemporaneous-objection rule is to be `used sparingly, solely in those circumstances in which a miscarriage of justice would otherwise result.'" United States v. Young, 470 U.S. 1, 15, 105 S.Ct. 1038, 1046, 84 L.Ed.2d 1 (1985) (quoting United States v. Frady, 456 U.S. 152, 163 n. 14, 102 S.Ct. 1584, 1592 n. 14, 71 L.Ed.2d 816 (1982)).
The admission of Cartwright's confession did not violate Bruton, for a number of reasons. First, "[t]his Court has held consistently that the Bruton rule is not violated unless a co-defendant's statement directly alludes to the complaining defendant. . . . This is true, even if the evidence makes it apparent that the defendant was implicated by some indirect reference." United States v. Espinoza-Seanez, 862 F.2d 526, 534 (5th Cir. 1988). Cartwright's statement implicates Patrick only be "indirect reference" to other testimony, not by name.
Second, the statement asserts that Patrick was not involved, thus attempting to exculpate, not implicate him. Where this is the case, no plan error results. See United States v. Miller, 666 F.2d 991, 998 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 456 U.S. 964, 102 S.Ct. 2043, 2044, 72 L.Ed.2d 489 (1982) (no plain error where jury could have construed testimony favorably to defendant).
Cartwright claims that the district court erred by charging the jury on deliberate ignorance and criminal agency. The standard of review of a defendant's claim that a jury instruction was inappropriate is "whether the court's charge, as a whole, is a correct statement of the law and whether it clearly instructs jurors as to the principles of law applicable to the factual issues confronting them." United States v. Lara-Velasquez, 919 F.2d 946, 950 (5th Cir. 1990) (citations omitted). The charge must be both legally accurate and factually supportable; the court "may not instruct the jury on a charge that is not supported by evidence." United States v. Ortega, 859 F.2d 327, 330 (5th Cir. 1988), cert. denied, 489 U.S. 1027, 109 S.Ct. 1157, 103 L.Ed.2d 216 (1989). In deciding whether the evidence sufficiently supports the charge, the court should examine the evidence and all reasonable inferences therefrom in the light most favorable to the government. Glasser v. United States, 315 U.S. 60, 80, 62 S.Ct. 457, 469, 86 L.Ed. 680 (1912).
The court gave the jury a "deliberated ignorance" instruction regarding Cartwright. To return a guilty verdict, the jury was required to find that Cartwright acted "knowingly and willfully." The court properly instructed the jury on the definitions of "knowingly" and "willingly" but added that "[a] defendant still can be found to have acted knowingly and willfully if he closed his eyes on purpose to avoid learning all the facts or law." Cartwright timely objected to this instruction.
"A deliberate ignorance instruction allows the jury to convict without finding that the defendant was aware of the existence of illegal conduct." United States v. Ojebode, 957 F.2d 1218, 1229 (5th Cir. 1992), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 113 S.Ct. 1291, 122 L.Ed.2d 683 (1993). Where the mens rea required for conviction is that the defendant act "knowingly" or "willfully," a deliberate ignorance instruction creates a risk that the jury might convict for negligence or stupidity, Lara-Velasquez, 919 F.2d at 951, i.e., that the defendant should have been aware of the illegal conduct, Ojebode, 957 F.2d at 1229.
Because the deliberate ignorance instruction may confuse the jury, "the instruction should rarely be given." Id. Indeed, the instruction is "properly given only when [the] defendant claims a lack of guilty knowledge and the proof at trial supports an inference of deliberate indifference." Lara-Velasquez, 919 F.2d at 951 (quoting United States v. Pacific Hide Fur Depot, 768 F.2d 1096, 1098 (9th Cir. 1985)).
Cartwright never claimed a lack of guilty knowledge; he did not even testify. The government agrees that there was no evidence of deliberate ignorance. Therefore, it was error for the district court to instruct the jury on deliberate ignorance.
The government admits that despite the lack of evidence for a deliberate ignorance instruction, the government proposed that it be given. The government's proffered explanation that the instruction was printed in brackets, as it appears in the Fifth Circuit's Model Jury Instructions, does not excuse it for suggesting the charge when there was no basis for doing so.
Nevertheless, the error was harmless. Where there is no evidence of conscious ignorance, the jury will not attribute negligence to the defendant. The instruction is "surplusage" and thus does "not create the risk of prejudice." United States v. Samuel, No. 92-2179, slip op. at 10-11 [980 F.2d 1443 (Table)] (5th Cir. 1992). (unpublished); accord United States v. Rivera, 944 F.2d 1563, 1572 (11th Cir. 1991). As with the jury in Samuel, Cartwright's jury could not have attributed negligence to him, as there was no evidence from which the jury could conclude that Cartwright was negligent in failing to examine the contents of the plastic bag or that he closed his eyes on purpose.
Error in giving the deliberate ignorance instruction is also harmless where there is substantial evidence of actual knowledge. United States v. Breque, 964 F.2d 381, 388 (5th Cir. 1992), cert, denied, ___ U.S. ___, 113 S.Ct. 1253, 122 L.Ed.2d 652 (1993). The evidence of Cartwright's guilt is overwhelming; indeed, he confessed. Thus, the court's error in giving the deliberate ignorance instruction was harmless.
Cartwright also argues that the district court erred by instructing the jury on criminal agency. He claims that there was no evidence to show that he had use Patrick as his agent.
This claim is meritless. Cartwright admitted that he cooked the cocaine to help his son make some money. He also held the drugs in the car. Patrick made all the arrangements for the sale, and both parties came to participate in the transaction. This mass of evidence was sufficient to support the instruction that Patrick and Cartwright were acting as agents of one another. The district court did not abuse its discretion by including a criminal agency instruction.
Cartwright claims that the district court erred by refusing to give his requested jury instructions with regard to the presumption of innocence and the terms "knowingly" and "willfully." We review the district court's failure to give requested instructions for abuse of discretion. United States v. Rochester, 898 F.2d 971, 978 (5th Cir. 1990). We will reverse only if the requested instruction (1) was substantially correct, (2) was not substantially covered in the charge actually delivered to the jury, and (3) concerned an important point in the trial so that failure to give it seriously impaired the defendant's ability to present a given defense effectively. United States v. Chambers, 922 F.2d 228, 241 (5th Cir. 1991).
Cartwright claims that the district court erred by failing to give his requested instruction for the scienter requirement that her acted "willfully." He requested that the jury be given the following instruction:
The court's charge was substantially correct and adequately instructed the jury on the law. Thus, it could not have confused the jury. The government contends that no willfulness instruction was even required because it was not an element of the crime. United States v. Arditti, 955 F.2d 331, 340-41 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 113 S.Ct. 597, 121 L.Ed.2d 534 (1992). We need not reach this issue, however, as the charge was substantially correct, and Cartwright does not suggest how the given charge misled the jury.
The district court adequately instructed the jury that it could not convict based upon mistake or accident. The court directed that "[k]nowingly means that an act was done voluntarily and not because of mistake or accident or other innocent reasons." Thus, Cartwright's concern is invalid.
Cartwright appeals the district court's determination that his offense involved 1.5 kilograms or more of a mixture containing cocaine base. He claims that because the drugs were not 100% pure, the weight should be reduced to take account of the purity. We review the district court's calculation as to the amount of drugs for clear error. United States v. Mitchell, 964 F.2d 454, 457 (5th Cir. 1992).
This argument has no merit. The drug quantity table states that "[u]nless otherwise specified, the weight of a controlled substance set forth in the table refers to the entire weight of any mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of the controlled substance." U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(c). The plain language indicates that the "entire weight of [the] mixture" containing the drugs, not the weight of the drugs alone, is the relevant consideration for sentencing.
In Chapman v. United States, ___ U.S. ___,___-___, 111 S.Ct. 1919, 1924-25, 114 L.Ed.2d 524 (1991), the Court noted that in the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, Congress adopted a "market-oriented" approach to punishing drug trafficking in drugs such as LSD, heroin, and cocaine. Under that approach, "the total quantity of what is distributed, rather than the amount of pure drug involved, is used to determine the length of the sentence." Id. at ___, 111 S.Ct. at 1925. Congress "intended the penalties for drug trafficking to be graduated according to the weight of the drugs in whatever form they were found — cut or uncut, pure or impure, ready for wholesale or ready for distribution at the retail level." Id. By punishing retail traffickers who sell "cut" drugs, even though they deal in smaller quantities of the pure drug, Congress hoped to deter those who keep the street markets going. Id.
We previously have held that methamphetamine sentencing shall be based upon the total weight of a mixture without regard to its purity. See United States v. Sherrod, 964 F.2d 1501, 1509-10 (5th Cir. 1992), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 113 S.Ct. 1422, 122 L.Ed.2d 791 (1993). Cartwright offers no reason to deviate from this rule for cocaine mixtures and provides no authority indicating that the sentencing guidelines specify a different rule for cocaine. The district court's determination that the offense involved 1.5 kilograms or more of a substance containing cocaine base is affirmed.
Under U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1(a), a convicted defendant may receive a two-point reduction in his offense level where he "clearly demonstrates a recognition and affirmative acceptance of personal responsibility for his criminal conduct. . . ." Section 3E1.1(b) requires that the acceptance of responsibility be given consideration without regard to whether the conviction is based upon a plea of guilty or a finding of guilt by the court or jury.
This was the effective language at the time of Cartwright's sentencing. Section 3E1.1(a) was amended effective November 1, 1992, and now reads, "If the defendant clearly demonstrates acceptance of responsibility for his offense, decrease the offense level by 2 levels." U.S.S.G. Amend. No. 459.
We have not ultimately defined what standard applies in reviewing a district court's refusal to credit acceptance of responsibility. We have applied varying standards: (1) clearly erroneous, United States v. Hardeman, 933 F.2d 278, 283 (5th Cir. 1991); (2) without foundation, United States v. Garcia, 917 F.2d 1370, 1377 (5th Cir. 1990); and (3) great deference, United States v. Watson, 988 F.2d 544, 551 (5th Cir. 1993), petition for cert. filed (July 29, 1993). There appears to be no practical difference between the three standards. See United States v. Brigman, 953 F.2d 906, 909 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 113 S.Ct. 49 (1992). Regardless of which formula is invoked, Cartwright fails to show that the district court erred in refusing to award credit for acceptance of responsibility.
Application note 2 to U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1 specifies that the credit does not "apply to a defendant who puts the government to its burden of proof at trial by denying the essential factual elements of guilt, is convicted, and only then admits guilt and expresses remorse." Garcia, 917 F.2d at 1378. Having required the government to prove its case despite his confession, Cartwright cannot now demand that he be awarded credit for confessing his-responsibility for committing the crime.
Under application note 2, a defendant who goes to trial to preserve issues that do not relate to factual guilt, such as to challenge the constitutionality of a statute or the applicability of a statute to his facts, remains eligible for acceptance of responsibility credit.
The government did not force Cartwright to confess or make a deal to obtain his confession. Under these circumstances, a confession is like any other evidence the court can consider at sentencing. If confessing mandated an award of acceptance of responsibility credit, a defendant could confess in order to mitigate his sentence, even where the prosecution had not need for it. That would thwart the will of Congress in establishing sentencing ranges based upon behavior.