Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/94/643/602377/
Timestamp: 2019-08-17 10:35:35
Document Index: 759735080

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 841', '§ 853', '§ 1', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3']

Notice: Fourth Circuit Local Rule 36(c) States That Citation of Unpublished Dispositions is Disfavored Except for Establishing Res Judicata, Estoppel, or the Law of the Case and Requires Service of Copies of Cited Unpublished Dispositions of the Fourth Circuit.united States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. David Lynn Rogers, Defendant-appellant, 94 F.3d 643 (4th Cir. 1996) :: Justia
Notice: Fourth Circuit Local Rule 36(c) States That Citation of Unpublished Dispositions is Disfavored Except for Establishing Res Judicata, Estoppel, or the Law of the Case and Requires Service of Copies of Cited Unpublished Dispositions of the Fourth Circuit.united States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. David Lynn Rogers, Defendant-appellant, 94 F.3d 643 (4th Cir. 1996)
Submitted July 30, 1996. Decided Aug. 23, 1996
Following a jury trial, David Lynn Rogers was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a) (1) (1988), and one count of criminal forfeiture pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 853(a) (1), (2) (1988). Rogers appeals his conviction on several grounds. We find no merit to his claims; consequently, we affirm.
Pursuant to Fed. R. Crim. P. 29, Rogers filed a motion for a judgment of acquittal, which the trial court denied. The court then instructed the jury regarding both single conspiracies and multiple conspiracies. On appeal, Rogers claims that the district erred in denying his motion for judgment of acquittal because the evidence at trial established multiple conspiracies rather than the single conspiracy charged in the indictment.
The Government bears the burden of proving a single conspiracy charged in an indictment. United States v. Hines, 717 F.2d 1481, 1489 (4th Cir. 1983), cert. denied, 467 U.S. 1214 (1984), and cert. denied, 467 U.S. 1219 (1984). Whether the evidence shows a single conspiracy or multiple conspiracies, however, is a question of fact and is properly the province of the jury. United States v. Banks, 10 F.3d 1044, 1051 (4th Cir. 1993), cert. denied, --- U.S. ---, 62 U.S.L.W. 3755 (U.S. May 16, 1994) (No. 93-8404), and cert. denied, --- U.S. ---, 62 U.S.L.W. 3825 (U.S. June 13, 1994) (No. 93-8056); United States v. Urbanik, 801 F.2d 692, 695 (4th Cir. 1986). "A single con spiracy exists where there is 'one overall agreement,' ... or 'one general business venture.' Whether there is a single conspiracy or multiple conspiracies depends upon the overlap of key actors, methods, and goals." United States v. Leavis, 853 F.2d 215, 218 (4th Cir. 1988) (citations omitted). Where a jury is properly instructed regarding a single versus multiple conspiracies, a finding of a single conspiracy must stand unless the evidence, taken in the light most favorable to the Government, would not allow a reasonable jury to reach such a conclusion. United States v. Camps, 32 F.3d 102, 104 (4th Cir. 1994), cert. denied, --- U.S. ---, 63 U.S.L.W. 3626 (U.S. Feb. 21, 1995) (No. 94-6853). Here, the record discloses sufficient evidence for a reasonable jury to find Rogers guilty of participating in a single conspiracy.
Rogers' taped statements were admissible as statements against interest under Fed.R.Evid. 801(d) (2) (A). Musselwhite's statements were admissible to establish the context of Rogers' statements and, as such, were not hearsay. Therefore, the district court did not exceed its discretion by admitting the tapes into evidence. United States v. McDowell, 918 F.2d 1004, 1007 (1st Cir. 1990); cf. United States v. Whittington, 26 F.3d 456, 465 (4th Cir. 1994) (absent extraordinary circumstances or clear abuse of discretion, appeals court will not interfere with trial court's evidentiary rulings).
In drug cases, a "defendant is accountable for all quantities of contraband with which he was directly involved and, in the case of a jointly undertaken criminal activity, all reasonably foreseeable quantities of contraband that were within the scope of the criminal activity that he jointly undertook." United States Sentencing Commission, Guidelines Manual, § 1B1.3, comment. (n. 2) (Nov.1994). A defendant is liable for the acts of his co-conspirators if those acts "fall within the scope of" the criminal agreement, even if the defendant and his co-conspirators have not expressly agreed to undertake any particular act. United States v. Irvin, 2 F.3d 72, 75 (4th Cir. 1993), cert. denied, --- U.S. ---, 62 U.S.L.W. 3552 (U.S. Feb. 22, 1994) (No. 93-7103). The Government must establish by a preponderance of the evidence that a particular amount of drugs may be attributed to a particular defendant for sentencing purposes. United States v. McDonald, 61 F.3d 248, 255 (4th Cir. 1995). The government may meet its burden by pointing to evidence adduced at trial, and the sentencing court may consider other reliable evidence without regard to whether it was or could have been admitted at trial. Cf. id. On appeal, the sentencing court's determination of the quantity of drugs attributable to a defendant must be upheld unless clearly erroneous. United States v. Fletcher, 74 F.3d 49, 55 (4th Cir. 1996), petition for cert. filed, --- U.S.L.W. --- (U.S. June 24, 1996) (No. 95-9447).
A minor participant, for purposes of U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2(b), is "any participant who is less culpable than most other participants." U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2, comment. (n. 3). This Court will not disturb a district court's denial of a decrease in offense level under U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2(b) unless that decision was clearly erroneous. United States v. Terry, 86 F.3d 353, 358 (4th Cir. 1996).