Opinion ID: 2981346
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Pretrial factual background

Text: During trial, the Government alleged Corona was involved in a plot to transport cocaine and marijuana from California to areas of east Tennessee and north Georgia for sale and distribution. Coconspirators Richard Robinson, Dennis Richardson, Jermaine Hughes, and Kimberly Robinson testified for the Government in exchange for sentencing consideration. Collectively, these witnesses indicated Corona was the conspiracy’s major source of cocaine. Richard Robinson and Richardson said Corona began supplying them with cocaine and marijuana in 2004. The two received weekly shipments of cocaine, provided by Corona, from California to Tennessee weighing between five and twenty-seven kilograms. Richard Robinson’s wife, Kimberly Robinson, accompanied him to several meetings with Corona where drug transactions occurred. Witnesses testified that, in all, Corona supplied more than 200 kilograms of cocaine to the drug organization in east Tennessee. Distributors in the conspiracy also purchased -2- No. 10-5253, United States v. Vincente Corona marijuana from both Corona and an unindicted coconspirator named “Worm.” The marijuana too was shipped from California. In 2005, Richard Robinson was arrested for his drug-related activities and was held in the Knox County Detention Center. Richardson and Hughes continued to engage in the conspiracy during Richard Robinson’s incarceration. At some point, Hughes spoke with Worm in an attempt to acquire more narcotics. Hughes testified that Worm responded that he did not “mess with the white side of the fence, he only messed with the green side of the fence.” Hughes interpreted the statement to mean Worm did not deal cocaine. Kimberly Robinson began cooperating with law enforcement following her husband’s arrest. In November of 2005, she started recording her conversations with Richardson and Corona. Richardson eventually brokered a meeting on December 15, 2005, between Kimberly Robinson and Corona in Los Angeles. There, the two discussed the continued sale of cocaine and its eventual distribution in Tennessee. Kimberly Robinson and Corona agreed to meet again in January of 2006 because he did not possess cocaine to sell her at that time. On January 4, 2006, Kimberly Robinson and Richardson spoke about her anticipated purchase of cocaine from Corona. In the taped conversation, Richardson advised her that Corona would sell cocaine for $14,500 a kilogram. Kimberly Robinson agreed to meet Corona in California three days later to make the purchase. Richardson confirmed at trial that he had spoken with Corona about the price and relayed the information to Kimberly Robinson. Kimberly Robinson, Richardson, and Corona met in California on January 7, 2006. The three spoke about Corona’s future sales of cocaine to Kimberly Robinson and Richardson. Corona -3- No. 10-5253, United States v. Vincente Corona outlined future transactions, with cash payments by Kimberly Robinson on Fridays and delivery of cocaine on the following Mondays. He also envisioned the increase of sales to eight kilograms a week. With Kimberly Robinson’s assistance, this conversation was secretly recorded by law enforcement officials. Immediately following this gathering, law enforcement arrested Corona and Richardson. While incarcerated before trial, Corona encouraged both Richardson and Hughes to wrongly characterize their drug activities as only involving the sale of marijuana and not cocaine because the penalties for the former involve less jail time. Both men declined and eventually offered testimony to the contrary against Corona.