Source: http://openjurist.org/157/f3d/1205/united-states-v-delatorre-j-m-and-m
Timestamp: 2015-08-30 12:17:44
Document Index: 129260519

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1962', '§ 1962', '§ 1961', '§ 841', '§ 846', '§ 5031', '§ 3731', '§ 3731', '§ 3731']

157 F3d 1205 United States v. Delatorre J M & M | OpenJurist
157 F. 3d 1205 - United States v. Delatorre J M & M Home
157 F3d 1205 United States v. Delatorre J M & M 157 F.3d 1205
98 CJ C.A.R. 4527
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellant,v.Jason DELATORRE, aka J. Bone, Defendant-Appellee,andCesar Gonzales, aka Cougar; Hector Gabriel Lopez, akaShaggy; Uriel Martinez, aka Duke; Cesar Juarez, aka Pelon;Gustavo Azcuenaga, aka Mono; Luis Delcid, aka Stranger;Ernest Guevara, aka Yogi; Russell Barboa, aka Chino; JohnAcosta, aka Lefty; Byron Zamora, aka Trigger; Oscar Villa,aka Wino; Richard Acosta, aka Shorty; Roger Perciado, akaCartoon; Jaime Villa, aka Psycho; Charles Taylor, akaYogie; Uriel Bustamonte, aka Caps; Michael Mora, aka M &M; David Gallardo, aka Cyclone; Neal Polus, aka TroyThompson, aka Evil; Frank Lara, aka Spooky; MarcosMazzini, aka Lucky; Vincent Najar, aka Stalker, Defendants.Albuquerque Journal, Intervenor.
No. 97-2357.
Thomas L. English, Assistant United States Attorney (John J. Kelly, United States Attorney and James R.W. Braun, Assistant United States Attorney, with him on the brief), Albuquerque, New Mexico, for Plaintiff-Appellant.
Jeffrey J. Buckels, Albuquerque, New Mexico, for Defendant-Appellee.
According to the third superceding indictment, Defendant-Appellee Jason Delatorre is a member of an Albuquerque street gang engaged in crack cocaine trafficking. The indictment charges Delatorre in nineteen of its forty-eight counts with various gang-related crimes, including murder, attempted murder, improper use of firearms, drug trafficking, racketeering, and conspiracy. At issue in this interlocutory appeal is evidence which the Government wishes to introduce for the purpose of proving Delatorre's guilt on the racketeering and conspiracy charges, but which the district court has disallowed for that specific purpose. The evidence in question relates to the murder of Patrick Garcia, an alleged member of a rival gang shot to death on December 26, 1994. A problem arises because Delatorre was under the age of eighteen when he allegedly participated in the murder of Garcia.
Count one of the third superceding indictment charges Delatorre with a pattern of racketeering activity in violation of RICO, 18 U.S.C. § 1962(c). Count two of the indictment charges Delatorre with conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity in violation of RICO, 18 U.S.C. § 1962(d). To establish a pattern of racketeering activity under either subsection (c) or (d) of RICO, the Government must prove, among other things, "at least two" predicate acts of racketeering. Id. § 1961(5). Both counts one and two allege the murder of Patrick Garcia as one of seven predicate acts which Delatorre allegedly committed in furtherance of the pattern.
Count three of the third superceding indictment charges Delatorre with conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) & 846. Although the Government need not prove an overt act to establish a conspiracy under § 846, the jury may "infer an agreement constituting a conspiracy from the acts of the parties ... indicating concert of action for the accomplishment of a common purpose." United States v. Carter, 130 F.3d 1432, 1439 (10th Cir.1997), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 118 S.Ct. 1856, 140 L.Ed.2d 1104 (1998) (internal quotations omitted). Count three alleges the murder of Patrick Garcia as one of seven overt acts which Delatorre allegedly committed in furtherance of the conspiracy.
Delatorre filed a motion in limine asking the district court to exclude any evidence of his alleged participation in Garcia's murder. According to Delatorre, the Government could not introduce such evidence without first meeting the transfer requirements of the Juvenile Delinquency Act (JDA), 18 U.S.C. §§ 5031-42, because he was under eighteen at the time of the homicide. The district court agreed in part, ruling that the Government could not introduce evidence of Delatorre's alleged participation in Garcia's murder for the purpose of proving his guilt on the racketeering or conspiracy charges. The district court reserved ruling, however, on whether the Government could introduce such evidence to show relevant prior conduct under Fed.R.Evid. 404(b). The district court also reserved ruling on whether the Government, which seeks the death penalty against Delatorre for his role in another murder charged in the indictment, could introduce evidence of Garcia's murder at any penalty phase of trial to show future dangerousness. In reserving ruling on the latter two questions, the court stated that it was unable to properly consider the admissibility of the evidence until the Government made a proffer indicating what evidence it intended to introduce and what such evidence tended to establish.
The Government appealed pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3731. Section 3731 allows the Government to take an interlocutory appeal--
from a decision or order of the district court suppressing or excluding evidence ..., not made after the defendant has been put in jeopardy and before the verdict ... on an indictment or information, if the United States Attorney certifies to the district court that the appeal is not taken for purpose of delay and that the evidence is a substantial proof of a fact material in the proceeding.
Id. § 3731. Subsequently, Delatorre filed a motion asking us to dismiss the Government's appeal for lack of jurisdiction. Delatorre argues that because the district court's order does not suppress or exclude evidence of Delatorre's participation in Garcia's murder for all purposes, but only for the purpose of proving his guilt on substantive elements of the crimes, we lack jurisdiction under § 3731