Opinion ID: 2977794
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: Vasquez next challenged the sufficiency of the evidence against him. When deciding if a conviction is supported by sufficient evidence, we determine “whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.” United States v. Grubbs, 506 F.3d 434, 438 (6th Cir. 2007) (emphasis in original) (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). This standard applies even if the evidence is circumstantial. United States v. Kone, 307 F.3d 430, 434 (6th Cir. 2002). All conflicts in the testimony are resolved in favor of the government, and every reasonable inference is drawn in its favor. United States v. Bashaw, 982 F.2d 168, 171 (6th Cir. 1992). Because Vasquez failed to move for a judgment of acquittal at either the close of the government’s case or the close of his case, we will reverse his conviction only if the record is “devoid of evidence pointing to guilt,” such that a manifest miscarriage of justice occurred. See United States v. Carnes, 309 F.3d 950, 956 (6th Cir. 2002). No. 07-1248 United States v. Vasquez Page 9
An individual who aids and abets another in committing an offense is punishable to the same extent as the principal offender. 18 U.S.C. § 2(a). In order to establish aiding and abetting, the government must show (1) an act by the defendant that contributes to the commission of the offense, and (2) the intent to aid in the commission of the offense. United States v. Hunt, 521 F.3d 636, 645 (6th Cir. 2008). To establish a violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), the government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant “(1) knowingly and intentionally distribute[d] cocaine, and[] (2) at the time of such distribution the defendant knew that that the substance was cocaine.” United States v. Colon, 268 F.3d 367, 376 (6th Cir. 2001). Vasquez argues that the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was a knowing and willing participant in the charged drug offenses. He argues that “[o]ther than the fact that Mr. Vasquez traveled as a passenger in the van with Mr. Ove [Montes] to the location where Ove delivered the cocaine, there was no evidence that Mr. Vasquez’s association with the venture was ‘such that his participation was intended to bring about the crime or make it succeed.’” Vasquez points to the fact that during the drug delivery to Detective Winters, only Montes got into Winters’s vehicle to give him the cocaine. We disagree with Vasquez’s characterization of the evidence. At trial, numerous witnesses testified as to his involvement in the sale of the cocaine. Mason, the informant and cooperating witness for the government, testified that he spoke with Vasquez about payment for the cocaine, and that Vasquez quoted him the price. He further testified that Montes informed him that he could speak to either Montes or Vasquez about the transaction. Detective Winters also testified. He related that he had met with both Montes and Vasquez to discuss the transaction, that Vasquez quoted him the price for the cocaine, that Vasquez provided him with a two-ounce sample, that Vasquez told him that Vasquez’s brother Juan would be transporting the cocaine to Michigan, and that Vasquez No. 07-1248 United States v. Vasquez Page 10 said that the delivery of the cocaine would be delayed because Juan was having car trouble. Based on this evidence and reviewing the record in the light most favorable to the government, we conclude that sufficient evidence supported Vasquez’s conviction for aiding and abetting the distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine. Vasquez contributed to the distribution of the cocaine by meeting with Winters to discuss the transaction, quoting the price of the cocaine, keeping in touch with Winters about the transportation and expected arrival time for the cocaine that was delivered, and being present during other discussions involving the transaction and the actual exchange of the cocaine. The substance actually exchanged during the transaction was cocaine that weighed more than 500 grams. Accordingly, there was more than sufficient evidence to support Vasquez’s conviction for aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine. C. Cautionary instructions regarding Detective Winters’s testimony 1. Standard of review Because Vasquez failed to object to the jury instructions during trial, we will review these instructions under the plain-error standard of review. See United States v. Martin, 520 F.3d 656, 658 (6th Cir. 2008). A defendant can demonstrate plain error by showing (1) an error, (2) that is plain, and (3) that affects his fundamental rights. Id. If the defendant satisfies these three conditions, we may exercise our discretion to correct the error only if the error seriously affected the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of the judicial proceedings. Id. We will not reverse a conviction if an error is harmless, meaning that “it appears beyond a reasonable doubt that the error complained of did not contribute to the verdict obtained.” United States v. Baldwin, 418 F.3d 575, 582 (6th Cir. 2005) (citation and quotation marks omitted). No. 07-1248 United States v. Vasquez Page 11 2. Analysis A law-enforcement officer may offer dual testimony as a fact witness and as an expert witness where a cautionary instruction is provided to the jury. United States v. Lopez-Medina, 461 F.3d 724, 743 (6th Cir. 2006). In Lopez-Medina, we concluded that plain error occurred because no instruction on expert testimony or on the dual role of the officer was given, and there was no clear demarcation between the officer’s expert testimony and his factual testimony. Id. at 744. We further found that the defendant’s substantial rights and the fairness, integrity, and public reputation of the judicial proceeding were seriously impacted by this error “in conjunction with the other evidentiary errors we find occurred” in the defendant’s trial. Id. at 745. In the instant case, Detective Winters testified at trial as both a fact and an expert witness, but the judge failed to give a cautionary instruction regarding Winters’s dual role. Vasquez argues that this constitutes reversible error. The government does not dispute that a cautionary instruction was required and that an error occurred. Instead, the government argues that the error was harmless because the district judge gave general instructions regarding the two expert witnesses who testified at trial and that there were no other evidentiary errors. We agree with the government’s argument. Although the failure to give a cautionary instruction was erroneous, the error was a harmless one because Vasquez failed to establish “an effect on his substantial rights[] and a serious impact to the fairness, integrity or public reputation of the judicial proceeding.” See Lopez-Medina, 461 F.3d at 745. “An effect on substantial rights is typically established through a showing of an actual effect on the outcome of the case.” Id. (citation omitted). In Lopez-Medina, we determined that the defendant made such a showing because the error in the jury instructions, in conjunction with other evidentiary errors, likely affected the outcome of the trial. But we have declined to extend the holding in Lopez-Medina to circumstances in which there were no other evidentiary errors. See Martin, 520 F.3d at 659-60 (holding that the lack of a cautionary instruction for an officer’s dual testimony, although erroneous, did not “seriously affect[] the fairness, integrity, or public reputation No. 07-1248 United States v. Vasquez Page 12 of the proceedings” in the absence of other evidentiary errors). We also declined to extend Lopez-Medina in United States v. Cobbs, 233 F. App’x 524, 541-42 (6th Cir. 2007), where the prosecution effectively distinguished between the officer’s expert and factual testimony and there were no other evidentiary errors. No other evidentiary errors were alleged in Vasquez’s trial. Moreover, during the preliminary instructions, the district judge informed the jurors that “[y]ou must consider and weigh the testimony of all witnesses who appear before you, and you alone are to determine whether to believe any witnesses and the extent to which any witness should be believed.” Detective Winters testified in his capacity as an expert on October 18, 2006. When he stepped down, the government stated in the presence of the jury that it planned on “recalling him relating to some of the factual circumstances in this case.” Detective Winters was recalled the following day to testify regarding the facts of the case, after six other government witnesses had testified. After the close of testimony, the district judge generally instructed the jury on how to weigh expert testimony. Furthermore, there was ample evidence to support Vasquez’s convictions. We therefore conclude that, although an error occurred, Vasquez’s substantial rights were not affected and his convictions should not be reversed on this basis. D. Substantive issues in sentencing We now turn to the three substantive issues raised by Vasquez with respect to his sentencing. He argues that the district court erred in (1) determining that his offenses involved seven kilograms of cocaine, (2) increasing his offense level for his leadership role, and (3) increasing his offense level for obstruction of justice. In the following sections, we will address each of these issues in turn. No. 07-1248 United States v. Vasquez Page 13 1. Drug quantity We will not set aside a district court’s determination of drug quantity attributable to the defendant for sentencing purposes unless the determination was clearly erroneous. United States v. Swanberg, 370 F.3d 622, 624-25 (6th Cir. 2004). In this case, the determination of the quantity of drugs attributable to Vasquez turns upon the proper application of Sentencing Guidelines § 2D1.1 Application Note 12. Note 12 states in relevant part: If the offense involved both a substantive drug offense and an attempt or conspiracy, . . . the total quantity involved shall be aggregated to determine the scale of the offense. In an offense involving an agreement to sell a controlled substance, the agreed-upon quantity of the controlled substance shall be used to determine the offense level unless the sale is completed and the amount delivered more accurately reflects the scale of the offense . . . . If, however, the defendant establishes that the defendant did not intend to provide or purchase, or was not reasonably capable of providing or purchasing, the agreed-upon quantity of the controlled substance, the court shall exclude from the offense level determination the amount of controlled substance that the defendant establishes that the defendant did not intend to provide or purchase or was not reasonably capable of providing or purchasing. U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1, cmt. n.12 (2001). We have previously held that “[t]he government must prove the amount to be attributed to a defendant by a preponderance of the evidence.” Swanberg, 370 F.3d at 625. Once the government has established the negotiated amount of cocaine to be transferred, “the defendant[] ha[s] the burden of proving that [he was] not capable of producing that amount.” United States v. Vasquez, 352 F.3d 1067, 1071 (6th Cir. 2003) (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). A district court’s finding is clearly erroneous where, although there is evidence to support it, we are “left with the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed.” Id. at 1070. Based solely on the fact of conviction for the distribution of cocaine, Vasquez was exposed to a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. See 21 U.S.C. No. 07-1248 United States v. Vasquez Page 14 § 841(b)(1)(C). By finding Vasquez responsible for “more than 500 grams but less than 5 kilograms of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine” (Count 1), the jury’s verdict exposed him to an enhanced statutory maximum of 40 years of imprisonment. See 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(B)(ii)(II). But the fact that the jury found the quantity to be less than five kilograms is not dispositive for sentencing purposes because the district court retains an independent obligation to find sentencing facts by a preponderance of the evidence. See United States v. Flores, 477 F.3d 431, 439 (6th Cir. 2007). Vasquez does not dispute that the agreed-upon amount for the December 2001 transaction was seven kilograms of cocaine. He instead contends that he was not reasonably capable of providing that quantity. Vasquez points to the fact that Montes required a “down payment” of only $2,000 for a transaction that would have involved “upwards of $140,000” to suggest that his “actual intent and ability” was to provide no more than the one kilogram of cocaine actually delivered. He also argues that although there was a lot of “big talk” and that the final quantity of the cocaine negotiated by Detective Winters was seven kilograms, the quantity discussed by Montes, Vasquez, and Winters was “all over the map.” The district court, however, disagreed with Vasquez’s contention that the actual amount of cocaine at issue was only the one kilogram, and found instead that “[t]he only impediment that the evidence supported for the delivery of the seven kilograms was the fact of coordinating product, money and transportation.” We conclude that the district court did not err in determining that Vasquez’s offense involved seven kilograms of cocaine. Neither Montes nor Vasquez ever suggested during the negotiations that they would be unable to provide Mason and Winters with that amount. During the discussions between Montes, Vasquez, and Winters, both Montes and Vasquez participated in the offer to sell seven kilograms for $13,000 per kilogram if Mason and Winters traveled to Texas for a personal pick-up, but that the price would be $23,500 per kilogram if Montes and Vasquez had to take the time and risk of driving the cocaine to Detroit. Montes told Winters that he and Vasquez could not get the full amount of the cocaine until they paid off an outstanding balance No. 07-1248 United States v. Vasquez Page 15 to their supplier in Texas, and Montes asked Winters to front the money for the exchange so that he and Vasquez could obtain the cocaine. Finally, Mason testified that he had witnessed a friend purchase two kilograms from Montes, Vasquez, and Juan on an earlier occasion, and that he had observed that they had a total of ten kilograms to sell during the transaction. All of this evidence establishes that Vasquez was reasonably capable of providing seven kilograms of cocaine to Winters. 2. Leadership role The standard that governs the review of a sentencing enhancement for a leadership role under U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1 is not altogether clear. A district court’s legal conclusions are generally reviewed de novo, and its factual findings will not be set aside unless clearly erroneous. United States v. Moncivais, 492 F.3d 652, 660 (6th Cir. 2007). In Buford v. United States, 532 U.S. 59 (2001), however, the Supreme Court held that a district court’s application of the Guidelines should be reviewed deferentially rather than de novo “in light of the fact-bound nature of the legal decision.” Id. at 66. We need not resolve this uncertainty in the present case because we conclude that the leadership adjustment was appropriate under either standard of review. A district court may increase a defendant’s offense level by two levels if the defendant was “an organizer, leader, manager, or supervisor in any criminal activity of one or more participants.” U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1(c), cmt. n.2. More than one person involved in an offense may be a leader or organizer. U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1, cmt. n.4. A defendant qualifies for a leadership enhancement if the district court concludes that he has exercised decisionmaking authority, recruited accomplices, received a larger share of the profits, was instrumental in the planning phase of the criminal venture, or exercised control or authority over at least one accomplice. United States v. Lalonde, 509 F.3d 750, 765-66 (6th Cir. 2007). Vasquez argues that Montes was the sole leader involved in the offense. At trial, however, Detective Winters testified that he had negotiated the price of the cocaine with Vasquez, that Vasquez had informed Winters that the cocaine would be of higher than average quality, and that Vasquez had offered to have his brother Juan transport the No. 07-1248 United States v. Vasquez Page 16 cocaine to Michigan for Winters. Mason added that he viewed Montes and Vasquez as equals. Juan Trujillo, another witness for the government, testified that he had bought cocaine from someone nicknamed “Junior,” that “Junior” obtained the cocaine from Vasquez, and that “Junior” paid Vasquez for the cocaine. Based on Vasquez’s representations to Winters and Mason, his knowledge and involvement in the details of the transaction, his position as a supplier to others, and his authority over his brother Juan, we conclude that the district court did not err in determining that Vasquez was a leader in this offense.
“In reviewing a district court’s application of obstruction of justice enhancements under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual (“U.S.S.G.”) § 3C1.1 (1998), we employ a three-step process of review.” United States v. Roberts, 243 F.3d 235, 237 (6th Cir. 2001) (citation omitted). These steps are as follows: First, this Court applies a clearly erroneous standard to the district court’s findings of fact with respect to the enhancement. Second, a district court’s determination of whether facts constitute obstruction of justice is a mixed question of law and fact that requires de novo review. Third, once there has been a finding that the defendant obstructed justice, application of the enhancement is mandatory, so review of the enhancement at that point is de novo. Id. (citations omitted). In light of Buford, 532 U.S. at 66, we will also “give due deference to the district court’s application of the guideline to the facts.” See United States v. Cline, 362 F.3d 343, 350 (6th Cir. 2004). A two-level enhancement for obstruction of justice is appropriate where “the defendant willfully obstructed or impeded, or attempted to obstruct or impede, the administration of justice during the course of the investigation, prosecution, or sentencing of the instant offense of conviction . . . .” U.S.S.G. § 3C1.1. Application Note 4 of § 3C1.1 contains a “non-exhaustive list” of examples of the types of conduct to which the obstruction-of-justice enhancement applies, and instructs that the enhancement is appropriate where the defendant has engaged in “escaping or attempting No. 07-1248 United States v. Vasquez Page 17 to escape from custody before trial or sentencing . . . .” U.S.S.G. § 3C1.1, cmt. n.4(e). This section of the Guidelines also provides examples of conduct ordinarily not covered, which includes “avoiding or fleeing from arrest.” The district court found that a twolevel enhancement was appropriate. In this case, Vasquez absconded before he was indicted but after he agreed to cooperate in order to obtain his release. Vasquez argues on appeal that his conduct was more akin to “avoiding or fleeing from arrest” rather than “escaping or attempting to escape from custody.” He particularly points out that his flight “did not involve any deception, false names, use of an alias, or any other fraudulent misrepresentation to avoid arrest—here he simply absented himself from the jurisdiction to avoid arrest.” We are not persuaded. In a case virtually identical to the instant case, this court concluded that a defendant obstructed justice where he delayed his prosecution by agreeing to cooperate in order to obtain his release and then fleeing the jurisdiction upon his release. United States v. Lopez, 102 F. App’x 985, 989 (6th Cir. 2004). Exactly as in Lopez, Vasquez obtained his release after his initial arrest by agreeing to cooperate with the government. He then fled the jurisdiction. Vasquez never disputed that he fled in order to evade prosecution for a federal offense; nor did he proffer any other reason for his flight. We therefore conclude that the district court did not err in increasing Vasquez’s offense level for obstruction of justice. E. Procedural reasonableness of sentencing Vasquez’s final challenge is to the reasonableness of his sentence. We review sentences imposed by the district court for reasonableness. United States v. Vowell, 516 F.3d 503, 509 (6th Cir. 2008). Reasonableness review has both a substantive and a procedural component. Gall v. United States, 128 S. Ct. 586, 597 (2007); Vowell, 516 F.3d at 509. When reviewing a district court’s sentencing determination, we “first ensure that the district court committed no significant procedural error, such as failing to calculate (or improperly calculating) the Guidelines range . . . .” Gall, 128 S. Ct. at 597. “Assuming that the district court’s sentencing decision is procedurally sound, the No. 07-1248 United States v. Vasquez Page 18 appellate court should then consider the substantive reasonableness of the sentence imposed under an abuse-of-discretion standard.” Id. Vasquez argues that his sentence was procedurally unreasonable. He does not argue, however, that the district court inadequately explained the sentence or considered impermissible factors under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). Instead, Vasquez contends that the district court erred in calculating his applicable Guidelines range. His argument is primarily based on the sentencing enhancements imposed by the district court because of its determination of the drug quantity, Vasquez’s leadership role, and his obstruction of justice. Because we find no merit in Vasquez’s assertions regarding his sentencing enhancements and conclude that the district court did not err, we also reject Vasquez’s argument that his sentence was procedurally unreasonable.