Opinion ID: 443089
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: admissibility of coconspirator's statements

Text: 26 Montes-Cardenas claims that the district court erred in permitting Munoz to testify to statements made by his brother, Frank Montes, who was not named in the indictment. Under the Federal Rules of Evidence, a statement is not hearsay if it is offered against a party and is a statement by a co-conspirator of a party during the conspiracy and in furtherance of the conspiracy. Fed.R.Evid. 801(d)(2)(E). In United States v. James, 590 F.2d 575 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 442 U.S. 917, 99 S.Ct. 2836, 61 L.Ed.2d 283 (1979), the former Fifth Circuit held that to admit a statement by a coconspirator against a criminal defendant, 27 the court must determine as a factual matter whether the prosecution has shown by a preponderance of the evidence independent of the statement itself (1) that a conspiracy existed, (2) that the coconspirator and the defendant against whom the coconspirator's statement is offered were members of the conspiracy, and (3) that the statement was made during the course and in furtherance of the conspiracy. 28 590 F.2d at 582. Statements made by an unindicted coconspirator are admissible so long as the government makes the proper showing. United States v. Goodman, 605 F.2d 870, 878-79 (5th Cir.1979); United States v. D'Angelo, 598 F.2d 1002, 1003 (5th Cir.1979). 29 In the instant case, there was sufficient independent evidence that Frank Montes was a member of the same conspiracy as the defendant. Frank Montes paid for the scale that was discovered by police at the home rented by Churon-Gomez. After Frank Montes showed the bag of cocaine to Munoz at the car dealership, Montes-Cardenas told Munoz that he had taken care of Frank. The record shows that the statements were made during the course of the conspiracy. In addition, Frank's acts were in furtherance of the conspiracy to distribute the cocaine. See United States v. Goodman, 605 F.2d at 878 (conspirators' attempts to solicit membership in conspiracy are acts in furtherance of the conspiracy). We hold, therefore, that Munoz's testimony relating Frank Montes' statements was properly admissible.