Opinion ID: 1035557
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Magana

Text: IRS Agent Juan Rodriguez testified that, from 2006 through 2008, Magana reported income of approximately $140,000 in total from work as a hair dresser at a salon. She did not file a tax return in 2009. Yet, during that period, Magana received approximately $220,000 in wire transfers and cash deposits into the eleven different bank accounts that she controlled. This evidence demonstrates that Magana experienced sudden wealth in the form of property valued at more than $10,000.
11 Case: 11-41376 Document: 00512323905 Page: 12 Date Filed: 07/29/2013 Nos. 11-41376 c/w 11-41392 From 2002 to 2009, the record reflects instances where Magana knew that Salas—her brother—was using the alias “Daniel Obregon.” Moreover, on April 3, 2007, Galaviz wired $52,130 into Chase Bank Account No. 7697, which Magana controlled. Magana used those funds to purchase a $50,000 CD on April 17, 2007. Subsequently, Magana increased the CD purchase to $80,000, using some of the approximately $74,600 in cash that had been deposited into the account between July 2006 and April 2007. Upon the CD’s maturation, Magana wired $25,000 from the account to Becerra in Mexico and another $58,692 back to Galaviz. Together, this evidence—especially the $25,000 transfer to Becerra, a drug trafficker—could permit a reasonable jury to infer that Magana knew her sudden wealth came or derived from Salas’s drug trafficking, an unlawful activity.
Funds Derived from Salas’s Trafficking In 2007 alone, Magana purchased a new Ford F150 pickup truck for $41,694, a new Jeep Commander SUV for $38,500, and a new Mercedes-Benz SUV for $73,641.95. With respect to each purchase, someone other than Magana made most of the payments and someone other than Magana ultimately drove the vehicle (generally Salas). There was no apparent purpose to Magana making the purchases other than the intentional obscurement of the true purchaser. In light of Magana’s knowledge that she had obtained property in excess of $10,000, and that the property was derived from Salas’s unlawful drug trafficking, Magana’s intentional use of the property to act as a straw purchaser of the vehicles could permit a reasonable jury to infer that Magana implicitly 12 Case: 11-41376 Document: 00512323905 Page: 13 Date Filed: 07/29/2013 Nos. 11-41376 c/w 11-41392 agreed to launder the source of the property in order to facilitate Salas’s trafficking.8
Based on the above evidence, it was reasonable for the jury to conclude that Magana conspired to launder Salas’s drug trafficking proceeds in violation, inter alia, of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h). On or about March 29, 2007, Magana drew a $15,000 check on Chase Account No. 7969 in order to make a payment on Salas’s house in Laredo. For the reasons stated above, Magana knew the check was funded with Salas’s drug trafficking proceeds. Accordingly, it was reasonable for the jury to conclude that Magana laundered those proceeds in violation, inter alia, of 18 U.S.C. § 1957(a).