Opinion ID: 2994799
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Abeln received his money after Westmoreland

Text: sold the drugs. J. The getaway car was a blue Dodge pick-up, perhaps a beater. Appellant’s Br. at 21-22 (citations omitted). /2 The government argues that Westmoreland both improperly raised a Confrontation Clause argument in his supplemental motion for new trial and waived his right to raise the argument on appeal by failing to raise it in his opening brief in Appeal No. 99-1491. The district court appears to have exceeded the scope of this court’s remand by entertaining arguments based upon Lilly in Westmoreland’s supplemental motion for a new trial. However, this court will still consider Lilly because, contrary to the government’s position, Westmoreland did not fail to raise a Confrontation Clause argument in his opening brief in Appeal No. 99-1491, and Lilly clearly governs the hearsay issues raised in this appeal. /3 Abeln’s description of the pick-up truck that was used for the murders is certainly not a statement against interest, nor any other form of admissible hearsay. However, the description of the pick-up truck is a minor detail and its admission is harmless error, as described below. /4 Westmoreland is correct to note that in United States v. Robinson we stated that it’s not a terribly bad idea to hear personally from witnesses instead of relying upon hearsay testimony. 164 F.3d 1068, 1070 (7th Cir. 1999). However, the remainder of Robinson (finding that hearsay statements relied upon for sentencing purposes did not include sufficient indicia of reliability) does not help Westmoreland. The hearsay statements in Robinson were nonsensical and clearly contrary to the other evidence. Here, Abeln’s statements were generally consistent, both internally and with the remainder of the evidence. /5 However, we note that Apprendi does not apply when drug quantity is used to reach a sentence that falls beneath the statutory maximum. See United States v. Talbott, 226 F.3d 866, 869 (7th Cir. 2000). Thus, for example, when the statutory maximum is life imprisonment, Apprendi is beside the point. Id. Further, while we believe that Apprendi may, under certain circumstances, also require that drug type (as opposed to only drug quantity) be charged in the indictment and submitted to the jury in certain cases, that issue is not before us and we therefore do not decide it.