Opinion ID: 775727
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Monroe Evans

Text: 91 Monroe Evans was convicted under the Mann Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2421, of knowingly transporting an individual in interstate commerce with the intent that the individual engage in prostitution; under 18 U.S.C. § 2422(a), of knowingly persuading, inducing, or enticing an individual to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution; and under 18 U.S.C. § 371, of conspiracy to violate the Mann Act. He also was convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1)(A)(i) of two counts of money laundering; under 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1)(B)(i), of money laundering; and, under 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h), of conspiracy to launder money. 92 Following his conviction, the District Court sentenced Monroe Evans to 33 years in prison (396 months). Based on a total offense level of 37 and a criminal history category of II, the imprisonment range under the Sentencing Guidelines was 235 to 293 months. From the high end of the range, the Court departed upward by 103 months. 93 The parties agree that the District Court committed plain error, violating the Ex Post Facto Clause, by applying altered versions of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2421 and 2422(a), which were amended after the date of the charged offenses, to counts 17 and 18 of the indictment. That error resulted in Monroe's being sentenced to punishment greater than that existing at the time the offenses were committed. The parties agree that the statutory maximum for each of those counts was five years in prison--not the ten years that Monroe received--at the time of the charged offenses. 94 Monroe Evans, both through counsel and pro se, raises a number of arguments on appeal. Of these arguments, several also were made by Derry Evans or Terrance Roberts, including that: (1) the District Court's imposition of sentences for both money laundering and transporting an individual for prostitution violates the Double Jeopardy Clause; (2) various of the jurors' actions resulted in juror misconduct and merit a mistrial; (3) the District Court gave conflicting jury instructions on the mental element for money laundering, resulting in the omission of the element of knowledge that the money being transferred came from an illegal activity; and (4) the District Court abused its discretion by failing to sever Monroe's trial from those of the other defendants pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 14. For the reasons discussed previously, these arguments are without merit. 95 Like Terrance Roberts, Monroe Evans contends that the District Court committed clear error by enhancing his sentence for targeting vulnerable victims under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual § 3A1.1(b)(1). Like Terrance Roberts, he argues that his victims were not atypically vulnerable. However, the testimony reflects that when Julia Wilson, one of Monroe's victims, met Monroe, she was incarcerated and addicted to drugs and alcohol. Monroe picked her up upon her release from prison and furnished her with alcohol and drugs. Monroe also supplied drugs to Amanda Kicker, another of his victims. Thus, deferring to the District Court, we affirm the sentence enhancements. The Court did not clearly err. 96 Also like Terrance Roberts, Monroe Evans argues that the District Court acted unreasonably, abused its discretion, and violated the Double Jeopardy Clause by granting the government's motion for an upward departure of 103 months based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual §§ 5K2.2 (significant physical injury), 5K2.6 (use of a weapon) and 5K2.8 (extreme conduct). The Court explained that each of these bases was independently sufficient to impose an upward departure. Monroe contends that his case does not fall outside of the heartland of the applicable Guidelines because the Court used § 2A3.1 (criminal sexual abuse) as the base offense and enhanced that base by four levels pursuant to § 2A3.1(b)(1). Citing to the application notes to the section, he argues that use of force against the victim, threatening or placing the victim in fear of death or serious bodily injury, rendering the victim unconscious, administering intoxicants or drugs, and using or brandishing a weapon are incorporated into his enhanced offense level, so further departure is impermissible. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual § 2A3.1, cmt. n.1 (1998). However, as discussed previously with regard to Terrance Roberts, the question is whether the factors were present to an exceptional degree. Koon, 518 U.S. at 96. 97 Regarding significant physical injury, Monroe argues that among his victims Julia Wilson, Amanda Kicker, and Rosita Francis, there were no hospital stays, surgery, or permanent disability, so there were no serious injuries. This argument is incorrect. There is sufficient evidence of significant injury to Ms. Francis (a split head from a beating with a cable cord), Ms. Kicker (bruises, a split lip, and eyes swollen shut), and Ms. Wilson (cuts on the head and beatings requiring hospital stays) as a result of Monroe's physical abuse to satisfy us that the District Court did not abuse its discretion. Regarding use of a weapon, Ms. Wilson testified that Monroe beat her with a gun and threatened her with it. Again, the Court did not abuse its discretion. 98 Regarding extreme conduct, there also is evidence that Monroe forced Ms. Wilson to work as a prostitute up to the time of birth of her children, threatened her with murder, threatened her with abortion of her child by the use of a vacuum hose, forced her to perform oral sex on him, and forced her to engage in sex with another woman. Monroe also subjected Ms. Wilson to body-cavity searches in the presence of her children. Monroe also forced Ms. Kicker to perform oral sex on him, and, on one occasion, beat her until she passed out and, when she came to consciousness, forced her to perform oral sex on him. This testimony makes clear that the District Court did not abuse its discretion in departing upward. 99 In his pro se brief, Monroe challenges the sufficiency of the evidence relating to his conviction of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He argues that there was insufficient evidence to establish that he engaged in a financial transaction, under 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1)(A)(i), to promote interstate transportation for prostitution, and, under § 1956(a)(1)(B)(i), to conceal the proceeds of interstate transportation for prostitution. He also argues that the evidence was insufficient to tie him to his co-defendants. We review the evidence in the light most favorable to the government. Jackson, 443 U.S. at 319. 100 Regarding promotion, Ms. Wilson testified that Monroe had her wire prostitution proceeds from St. Louis to Terrance Roberts (Monroe's son) in Minnesota. Mr. Roberts used the funds to purchase a Mercedes Benz that was used on prostitution calls. Monroe also purchased a Dodge Aries which was used on prostitution calls. Regarding concealment, Julia Wilson testified that Monroe told her that she would have to work extra hard to make money for a down payment on his mother's house. Tonya May testified that she was present for a conversation among Monroe, LeVorn, Clem, and Johnny Lee regarding funding the down payment on the house. Monroe then sent Ms. Wilson to collect money from LeVorn and Johnny Lee, and, with Stacy Ballantyne, another prostitute, to purchase cashier's checks. They purchased four checks totaling $7000 and sent them to Alice Evans. The checks were later used for the down payment on Alice's house. This evidence is clearly sufficient to establish concealment, promotion, and joint action among the co-defendants. The District Court did not err. 101 Like Derry Evans, Monroe Evans argues that the District Court erred in admitting evidence of his violent behavior as direct evidence of the conspiracy. Specifically, Monroe contests the admission of evidence concerning numerous violent acts, including repeated beatings of Rosita Francis, Amanda Kicker, and Julia Wilson and forced oral sex. For the reasons discussed above, these violent acts are relevant and probative of Mann Act violations because they describe actions taken to recruit, control, and discipline prostitutes. The Court did not abuse its discretion. 102 Monroe also contends that the District Court erred in refusing to give a defense instruction on multiple conspiracies. Derry Evans raised the same issue. For the reasons discussed above, we reject this argument. Monroe further alleges that there was insufficient evidence of conspiracy linking him to the other defendants. He is mistaken. There is more than ample evidence of agreement between Monroe and his coconspirators both with regard to violations of the Mann Act--including Monroe's ordering Julia Wilson, his prostitute, to drive Ms. Garcia, Derry's prostitute, on prostitution calls--and with regard to money laundering, as discussed above. 103 Monroe argues that counts nineteen (charging money laundering under 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1)(A)(i) and aiding and abetting under 18 U.S.C. § 2) and twenty (charging money laundering under 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1)(B)(i) and aiding and abetting under 18 U.S.C. § 2) of the indictment were legally insufficient. Specifically, he argues that aiding and abetting is a specific-intent crime that requires identification of all of its elements in the indictment, that the indictment failed to specify the elements of aiding and abetting, 18 U.S.C. § 2(a), and willfulness, 18 U.S.C. § 2(b), and that, therefore, the indictment is fatally defective. The government argues that the indictment need not allege those elements--being insufficient only if an essential element of substance was omitted--and that the indictment is sufficient as long as it fairly apprises the accused of the charges and allows him to plead double jeopardy. However, according to the judgment sheet, Monroe was not convicted of aiding and abetting, so the question whether the indictment sufficiently alleged that charge is moot. 104 Monroe next argues that the District Court abused its discretion by allowing the presence of federal marshals and court security officers in the courtroom. He asserts that the presence of such officers with visible badges deprived him of his right to a fair trial because it jeopardized the appearance of a presumption of innocence. As the government points out, the need for and extent of security measures in a courtroom during trial are within the sound discretion of the trial court. United States v. Darden, 70 F.3d 1507, 1533 (8th Cir. 1995), cert. denied, 517 U.S. 1149 (1996). This argument is frivolous. 105 Monroe also argues that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to make an opening statement, revealing to the jury that he was court-appointed, and conceding Monroe's guilt in his closing statement. Claims of ineffective assistance of counsel are properly raised in a post-conviction motion under 28 U.S.C. § 2255, not on direct appeal. United States v. Embrey, 250 F.3d 1181, 1184 (8th Cir. 2001). Were we to consider Monroe's argument at this stage, we would find it unpersuasive. While a couple of Monroe's counsel's decisions--failing to give an opening statement and referring to himself as court-appointed once in the course of a two-week trial--may not have represented ideal trial practice, given the strong presumption of attorney competence, these decisions did not render counsel ineffective. Finally, counsel did not concede guilt in his closing argument, but rather tried to diffuse the government's arguments addressed to the jury's emotions. 106 Finally, Monroe argues that plain error occurred when counsel for Johnny Lee and counsel for Derry, in the course of questioning witnesses, revealed that the defendants were in custody. We find none. It is the burden of the defendant to show prejudice from an inadvertent revelation. United States v. Robinson, 645 F.2d 616 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 454 U.S. 875 (1981). Here, not only was there no prejudice established, but there was a tactical advantage to the revelation. Through the questioning, counsel established that Tonya May continued to work as a prostitute even after the defendants had all been incarcerated, thereby implying that she worked as a prostitute voluntarily, not because of control or abuse by the defendants. There is no plain error.