Source: https://openjurist.org/966/f2d/1270
Timestamp: 2019-03-18 13:34:52
Document Index: 19555814

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 87', '§ 3372', '§ 3373', '§ 2', '§ 2', '§ 87', '§ 101']

966 F2d 1270 United States v. Atkinson | OpenJurist
966 F. 2d 1270 - United States v. Atkinson
966 F2d 1270 United States v. Atkinson
966 F.2d 1270
22 Envtl. L. Rep. 21,309
No. 91-30084.
Stephen C. Moses, Moses Law Firm, Billings, Mont., for defendant-appellant.
During November 1989, Atkinson arranged for three separate hunting expeditions. He took three hunters on the first trip. Atkinson charged each of them the standard $1,500 outfitting fee, plus $200 for a Montana state hunting license. He also charged an additional $500 for a special "outfitters tag," which he claimed would allow each of them to kill a second deer.1 Atkinson never obtained licenses for the hunters, nor did he provide them with any special hunting tags. Despite his knowledge that the hunters were violating Montana law by hunting without licenses, see Montana Code § 87-2-103, he proceeded to guide them on a series of illegal hunts.
Atkinson accompanied John Campbell and Charles Brown on the third hunt. Each paid an outfitting fee,2 plus an additional $200 for a hunting license. Although Atkinson never provided these licenses, he assured both hunters that because there were so few game wardens in the area, he was sure they would "get away with it."
The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks eventually became aware of Atkinson's activities. As a result, the Department arranged for South Carolina State Conservation Officers Larry McClain and Tommy Norris to book a hunting trip with Atkinson's agency. Although both officers paid the standard $1,500 outfitting fee, neither was charged for, or received, a Montana state hunting license. Atkinson told Norris to buy a bird-hunting license, in case he was stopped by a game warden.3
The Lacey Act makes it unlawful to sell or transport in interstate commerce wildlife taken in violation of state law. 16 U.S.C. § 3372(a)(2)(A). Under this section, a person "sells" wildlife in violation of the Act whenever, for money or other consideration, he offers or provides "guiding, outfitting, or other services" or "a hunting or fishing license or permit" for the illegal taking of wildlife. 16 U.S.C. 3372(c)(1).4 A violation of section 3372 is punishable by five years imprisonment, a fine of $20,000, or both, provided the market value of the animals sold exceeded $350. 16 U.S.C. § 3373(d)(1)(B).
"A defendant is entitled to an instruction concerning his theory of the case if it is supported by law and has some foundation in the evidence." United States v. Echeverry, 759 F.2d 1451, 1455 (9th Cir.1985). Here, neither instruction was relevant to the issues presented at trial. Consequently, the trial court did not err in rejecting them.5
At the end of each hunt, Atkinson either arranged to ship the deer carcasses to hunters' homes outside the State of Montana, or assisted the hunters in these shipments. This satisfies the Act's interstate commerce requirement. See United States v. Gay-Lord, 799 F.2d 124, 126 (4th Cir.1986) (Lacey Act satisfied when defendant "knew that [wildlife] would be transported in interstate commerce and took the steps that began their travel to interstate markets").6
Atkinson's argument that section 2Q2.1 does not apply to "ordinary" wildlife taken in violation of the Lacey Act is contrary to the history of the section. Prior to November 1, 1989, the Guidelines contained two separate provisions dealing with the unlawful sale of wildlife. Section 2Q2.1 expressly applied only to "specially protected" animals, while section 2Q2.2 applied to all violations of the Lacey Act. On November 1, 1989, section 2Q2.2 was deleted and consolidated with section 2Q2.1. See U.S.S.G., app. C, amend. 209 (1990). Although the consolidated version of section 2Q2.1 initially retained the reference to "specially protected" wildlife, see U.S.S.G. § 2Q2.1 (1989), this language was deleted two years later, see U.S.S.G. § 2Q2.1 (1991). Atkinson contends that because he was sentenced before the reference to "specially protected" wildlife was deleted in 1991,7 section 2Q2.1 cannot be used to enhance his sentence. We disagree.
Finally, each of the four hunts involved Atkinson,8 Wayne Bacon and Brian Nelson (the two guides/ranch owners), as well as at least two hunters. Thus, even if the four hunts are viewed as separate criminal activities, each involved five or more participants.
Under Montana Code § 87-3-103, a hunting license allows its holder to take one game animal per year unless special authorization is obtained from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Brown testified that he actually paid Atkinson between $1,800 and $2,000 for arranging the trip. Campbell apparently traded Atkinson auto body work worth between $2,500 and $2,800 for his spot in the hunt
When McClain originally booked his trip, he told Atkinson that he already possessed a fake Montana state hunting license. During the trip, he and Atkinson joked about the fact that McClain was hunting under a bogus license. At trial, Bacon testified that Atkinson had also arranged for Norris to use a license issued in the name of Mike Key
In United States v. Stenberg, 803 F.2d 422 (9th Cir.1986), we held that the sale of wildlife under the Lacey Act did not encompass the sale of guide services. The Act was amended in 1988 to include section 3372(c). Pub.L. 100-653, § 101(3), 102 Stat. 3825 (1988). The express purpose of this amendment was to overturn our holding in Stenberg. See S.Rep. No. 100-653, 100th Congress, 2d Sess. 9-10 ("This amendment would overturn the decision in United States v. Stenberg [citation omitted], which held that ... the term 'sale of wildlife' does not include the provision of guiding services."), reprinted in 1988 U.S.C.C.A.N. 5366, 5374
Although the standard for reviewing the denial of a proposed jury instruction is unsettled in this circuit, United States v. Sotelo-Murillo, 887 F.2d 176, 179-80 (9th Cir.1989), our conclusion in this case is the same under either a de novo or abuse of discretion standard
The indictment did not charge, nor does the government contend, that Atkinson violated the Lacey Act by arranging for the hunters to cross state lines to hunt deer. Accordingly, we do not consider whether this would satisfy the Act's interstate commerce requirement
Because Atkinson was sentenced on February 15, 1991, the 1990 version of the Guidelines was still in effect
The defendant may be considered in calculating the total number of participants for purposes of section 3B1.1. United States v. Preakos, 907 F.2d 7, 10 (1st Cir.1990)