Opinion ID: 3048259
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Admission of Dr. Gunaratna’s testimony

Text: Defendants argue on appeal that the district court erred in allowing Dr. Gunaratna to testify as an expert witness because his methodology was unreliable. Specifically, they claim that they were unable to verify his methods because he would not identify the interviewees upon whom he based his information due to confidentiality agreements he had signed with them. Furthermore, Dr. Gunaratna had to rely on translators during his communications with the interviewees, and 40 defendants contend that this compromised the reliability of the information he gleaned from his interviews. They also contend that he was not qualified to testify about the use and importance of code words in communications among violent jihad supporters. “We review a trial court’s evidentiary rulings on the admission of expert witness testimony for abuse of discretion.” Toole v. Baxter Healthcare Corp., 235 F.3d 1307, 1312 (11th Cir. 2000). Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence controls the admission of expert testimony. It provides: If scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education, may testify thereto in the form of an opinion or otherwise, if (1) the testimony is based upon sufficient facts or data, (2) the testimony is the product of reliable principles and methods, and (3) the witness has applied the principles and methods reliably to the facts of the case. Fed. R. Evid. 702. In Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharm., Inc., 509 U.S. 579, 592–95, 113 S. Ct. 2786, 2796–98 (1993), the Supreme Court stated that Rule 702 compels the district courts to perform the critical “gatekeeping” function concerning the admissibility of expert evidence. This function “inherently require[s] the trial court to conduct an exacting analysis” of the foundations of expert opinions to ensure they meet the standards for admissibility under Rule 41 702. McCorvey v. Baxter Healthcare Corp., 298 F.3d 1253, 1257 (11th Cir. 2002). In determining the admissibility of expert testimony under Rule 702, district courts must consider whether the expert can testify competently on the areas he intends to discuss, whether the expert’s methodology is sufficiently reliable, and whether the expert’s testimony, through the application of his scientific, technical, or specialized expertise, will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence. City of Tuscaloosa v. Harcros Chems., Inc., 158 F.3d 548, 562 (11th Cir. 1998). Defendants filed a pre-trial Daubert motion, which the district court denied without holding a hearing. At trial, the district court accepted Dr. Gunaratna as an expert in the areas of al-Qaeda and its associated groups and international terrorism. During their cross-examination, defendants objected to Dr. Gunaratna’s testimony because he based his opinion on confidential or classified information. [Doc. 1136, p. 42–50.] They also made a Sixth Amendment objection. [Id.] The government responded that the location where Dr. Gunaratna interviewed these individuals was irrelevant, and he would be breaching confidentiality agreements with governments if he revealed where he conducted the interviews and the identity of the people he interviewed. [Id. at 50–54.] The government also 42 responded that Dr. Gunaratna based his identification of the al-Qaeda form from his viewing of similar documents, not from his interviews. [Id.] The district court noted that the defendants had been able to call into question Dr. Gunaratna’s credibility on cross. [Id. at 49.] Then, the district court sustained the objections on relevance grounds, finding that “the fact that he has maintained confidential relationships with other governments is not relevant to this case.” [Id. at 54–55.] The defendants made no specific objection to Dr. Gunaratna’s testimony about the use of code words by violent Islamists. Therefore, because the defendants did not preserve this particular challenge to Dr. Gunaratna’s testimony regarding code words, we will address this challenge under the plain error doctrine. See United States v. Arias-Izquierdo, 449 F.3d 1168, 1185 n.8 (11th Cir. 2006) (noting that appellate court will remand on an issue not raised in the district court only if “there is (1) error, (2) that is plain, (3) that affects substantial rights, and . . . (4) the error seriously affects the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings”). We conclude from the record that the district court did not plainly err in allowing Dr. Gunaratna to testify regarding the use of code words by violent radical groups. Based on his specialized knowledge of Islamist radicals, Dr. Gunaratna was able to testify regarding their method of communication. Further, his testimony related to trial 43 evidence, helped the jury understand the unique use of certain words in the intercepted calls, and countered defendants’ claim that these words did not have violent connotations. With regard to defendants’ objection to Dr. Gunaratna’s qualification as an expert, we conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in accepting him as an expert witness. A review of the record indicates that the defendants had broad latitude in their cross-examination, and the district court acknowledged that they had been able to call into question Dr. Gunaratna’s credibility during cross. Defendants challenged his undisclosed sources for his published works and thoroughly questioned him about his interviews with extremists. [Docs. 1139, 1136, 1394, 1157, 1158.] The district court properly determined that the defendants’ inability to obtain the location of Dr. Gunaratna’s interviews and the identities of the interviewees did not make Dr. Gunaratna’s methodology unreliable. Accordingly, we conclude that the district court’s admission of Dr. Gunaratna’s testimony was not “manifestly erroneous. United States v. Douglas, 489 F.3d 1117, 1124 (11th Cir. 2007) (quoting Quiet Tech. DC-8 v. Hurel-Dubois UK Ltd., 326 F.3d 1333, 1339–40 (11th Cir. 2003)). D. Admissibility of televised interview of Osama bin Laden 44 Defendants argue that the district court erred by admitting into evidence a portion of a 1997 CNN interview with Osama bin Laden. Jayyousi and Hassoun objected at trial to the video’s presentation based on Rule 401, arguing relevancy. Padilla objected based on Rule 403, arguing that it was prejudicial to him because there was no evidence he watched the interview or discussed the interview with another co-defendant. The district court admitted a seven-minute portion of the bin Laden interview, stating that the jury could consider the evidence as it pertained to Jayyousi and Hassoun’s states of mind, but not Padilla’s. The government presented evidence of numerous calls, [see Gov’t Ex. 84, 85, 52, 53], in which Jayyousi and Hassoun referred to bin Laden by his nickname “Abu Abdallah,” which was known only to his supporters and identified him as one of the biggest backers of jihad in Afghanistan. The two also discussed the videotaped interview and an August fatwa that Dr. Gunaratna stated was “very likely” issued by bin Laden as a threat to America. [Doc. 1137, p. 23.] We review the district court’s admission of the edited portion of the videotaped interview for abuse of discretion. See United States v. Jiminez, 224 F.3d 1243, 1249 (11th Cir. 2000). Federal Rule of Evidence 403 states that relevant evidence “may be excluded if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice.” Fed. R. Evid. 403. The district 45 court conducted the proper balancing test and mitigated the prejudice to the defendants by instructing the jury to consider the video not for its truth, but rather as state of mind evidence against Hassoun and Jayyousi. [Doc. 1137, p. 32–34.] The district court clearly expressed to the jury that there was no indication that the defendants were connected to the 9/11 attacks. [Id.] Further, the district court only admitted a seven-minute portion of the twenty-four minute video, only played it once for the jury, and did not allow the government to ask any witnesses questions regarding the video’s content. Cf. United States v. Chandia, 514 F.3d 365, 375 (4th Cir. 2008) (finding that if the district court erred in admitting threeminute video clip glorifying the 9/11 attacks, any error was harmless because clips were not a central part of government’s case, they only lasted three minutes of five-day presentation of government’s case, and clips were only played once to jury). Because “Rule 403 is an extraordinary remedy which should be used only sparingly,” United States v. Merrill, 513 F.3d 1293, 1301 (11th Cir. 2008) (internal quotation marks omitted), the excerpted portion of the video did not present a risk of unfair prejudice such that the district court committed an abuse of discretion in allowing the government to present it to the jury. E. Padilla’s Motion to Suppress 46 Padilla filed a motion to suppress statements he made during his interview with FBI agents at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport in May 2002. He argued that his statements were inadmissible because the FBI agents failed to administer Miranda5 warnings prior to interrogating him. The magistrate judge conducted an evidentiary hearing on the motion and issued a report and recommendation denying the motion to suppress. Padilla filed his objections with the district court, and the government filed its response. The district court fully adopted the factual findings of the magistrate judge and denied Padilla’s motion. On review of the district court’s disposition of the motion to suppress, we review the facts under the clearly erroneous standard and the application of the law to the facts de novo. United States v. Brown, 441 F.3d 1330, 1344 (11th Cir. 2006). In Miranda, the Supreme Court established a set of enumerated warnings that officers are required to give suspects prior to custodial interrogation. See United States v. Acosta, 363 F.3d 1141, 1148 (11th Cir. 2004). An interrogation is custodial when “under the totality of the circumstances, a reasonable man in [Padilla’s] position would feel a restraint on his freedom of movement to such extent that he would not feel free to leave.” Brown, 441 F.3d at 1347 (internal quotation marks omitted). The test is objective, and “the reasonable person from 5 Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S. Ct. 1602 (1966). 47 whose perspective ‘custody’ is defined is a reasonable innocent person.” United States v. Moya, 74 F.3d 1117, 1119 (11th Cir. 1996). Additionally, because of the sovereign interest in securing entry points to the United States, “some degree of questioning and of delay is necessary and is to be expected at entry points.” Id. at 1120. “Because of this expectation, questioning at the border must rise to a distinctly accusatory level before it can be said that a reasonable person would feel restraints on his ability to roam to the degree associated with formal arrest.” Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). See also United States v. Lueck, 678 F.2d 895, 899 (11th Cir. 1982) (“Interrogation at the border constitutes one notable exception to the constitutional protection of Miranda. Because of the overriding power and responsibility of the sovereign to police national borders, the fifth amendment guarantee against self-incrimination is not offended by routine questioning of those seeking entry to the United States.”). When Padilla arrived at the airport, he passed through customs where agents discovered that he possessed $10,526 in United States currency, although his written declaration stated that he possessed only $8,000. [Doc. 500, p. 4–46.] A customs agent escorted Padilla to a conference room to talk to the FBI agents. Padilla was not in handcuffs or otherwise physically restrained. FBI Agent Fincher stated that he wanted to speak with Padilla to gain his cooperation because 48 the FBI believed that Padilla had information which would prevent a terrorist attack. Agent Fincher testified that he did not restrain Padilla, and Padilla was forthcoming about his background and some of his travels. After a dinner break, which lasted over an hour, Agent Fincher asked Padilla if he would continue discussing his travels and the money he had in his possession, and Padilla indicated his desire to cooperate. Agent Fincher asked Padilla why he declared $8,000 when he was carrying over $10,000, and Padilla stated that he did not know that this was against the law and that the amount of money was not a “big deal.” Agent Fincher expressed skepticism about Padilla’s statement that the amount of money was not a big deal. Padilla then asked to call his mother, but when Agent Fincher asked him why he wanted to call his mother, Padilla “dropped the subject.” [Doc. 549, p. 4] Padilla did not ask to leave or to speak with an attorney. After Padilla stated that he was tired, the agents thanked Padilla for his cooperation and offered to take him to a hotel and pay for his stay in order to give him an opportunity to rest and continue the interview the following day, but Padilla declined because he wanted to “clear this up that day.” [Doc. 549, p. 4-5] Padilla again stated that he wanted to contact his mother, and Agent Fincher testified that the agents did not tell Padilla that he could not contact his mother. [Doc. 549, p. 5] But Padilla did not make the phone call, and the interview 49 continued. [Id.] They continued discussing Padilla’s overseas travel, and when Agent Fincher asked about his passport, Padilla stated that it had been stolen in a market, but he could not remember the name of the market or the date it was stolen. Following another break, Agent Fincher confronted Padilla with what the agent believed were Padilla’s intentions during his travels. He stated that he believed Padilla had been in Afghanistan, training with and meeting al-Qaeda officials, that these officials sent Padilla back to Pakistan, where he later departed for another location to commit an act of terrorism, that Padilla had been delayed and detailed in Karachi, and that Padilla then traveled from Zurich to Egypt and eventually to Chicago, where he intended to commit or conduct surveillance for a terrorist act. Agent Fincher asked for Padilla’s assistance to understand what was going on, but Padilla stood up and announced that the interview was over and it was time for him to go. Agent Fincher told Padilla that if he did not assist the government, he would be served with a grand jury subpoena to compel his testimony in New York. About an hour later, Padilla declined to assist Agent Fincher, and the agent arrested Padilla and read him his Miranda rights. We agree with the district court that the earlier portions of the interview were not custodial in nature, but we do not agree with the district court’s 50 conclusion that the entire interview was non-custodial in nature. Similar to Moya, where we held that a defendant was not in custody, Padilla “was [not] handcuffed . . . physically held or moved, or . . . accompanied by uniformed officers. Nor was he subjected to booking procedures, [or] told he was not free to leave.” Moya, 74 F.3d at 1119. “Nothing indicates that [Padilla] ever asked to leave or to see a lawyer” before Agent Fincher’s accusation that Padilla was linked to terrorist activities. See id. Even Agent Fincher’s offer to take Padilla to a hotel for the night to allow him to rest establishes that a reasonable person under the circumstances would not have believed that he was subject to a degree of restraint comparable to arrest because he was given the opportunity to leave the interview. After the second break, however, when Agent Fincher accused Padilla of terrorist activities, a reasonable person would have felt subjected to a degree of restraint comparable to arrest. At this point, the interrogation became custodial, and it is evident by Padilla’s reaction to Agent Fincher’s accusation—he stood up and announced that the interview was over. Because the interview became custodial in nature, any statements Padilla made after he was accused of participating in terrorist activities and before he received his Miranda warning would have been inadmissible. A review of the record reveals that Agent Fincher did not testify at trial about any statements Padilla made after he accused Padilla 51 of participating in terrorism-related activities. [Doc. 1159, p. 90–129.] Thus, no error occurred at trial, and Padilla is not entitled to relief on this claim. The dissent contends that the questioning became accusatorial when Agent Fincher confronted Padilla about not telling the truth about the source and purpose of the money that he had failed to declare, but being accused of lying about the funds did not make the interview custodial. We have held that a suspect questioned for approximately four hours at an entry point after he had tried to retrieve a shipment of 62 kilograms of cocaine was not in custody for purposes of Miranda until he was formally arrested. United States v. McDowell, 250 F.3d 1354, 1362 (11th Cir. 2001). Law enforcement agents knew about the cocaine and questioned McDowell extensively about his activities at the point of entry, and the agents accused McDowell of lying. Id. at 1359. But “[t]he substance of the questioning was not accusatory,” and “the teachings of Moya suggest[ed] that McDowell was not ‘in custody,’” Id. at 1363. The dissent relies on several decisions, most of which do not involve interrogation at a border crossing, and its reliance on factors that support a finding of custodial interrogation in non-border cases is of limited value. We have “stress[ed] that events which might be enough often to signal ‘custody’ away from the border will not be enough to establish ‘custody’ in the context of entry into the 52 country.” Moya, 74 F.3d at 1120. The only precedential decision relied on by the dissent that involves a border crossing is United States v. McCain, 556 F.2d 253 (5th Cir. 1977), where our predecessor court explained that being forced to abandon one’s luggage was “itself . . . a sufficient restriction on one’s freedom of action so as to trigger the giving of Miranda warnings before proceeding with any interrogation.” Id. at 255. The dissent argues that Padilla was in custody because he did not have possession of his money or luggage, but Padilla’s money would have been subject to forfeiture whether or not Padilla left the interview as a part of customs enforcement, [Doc. 549, p. 2 n.1] and the district court made no finding that the government had seized Padilla’s luggage. The dissent also argues that Padilla was in custody for purposes of Miranda because, in a context that did not involve customs enforcement we explained that, “[a]n officer’s asking an individual to accompany him or her to an office is an intrusive request that raises a presumption that the individual would not feel free to leave.” United States v. Espinosa-Guerra, 805 F.2d 1502, 1507 (11th Cir. 1986). But the dissent ignores that “‘referral of a person entering this country to a secondary inspector is part of the ‘routine’ border interrogation and does not, in and of itself, focus on the person so as to require a Miranda warning.’” Moya, 74 F.3d at 1120 (quoting United States v. Henry, 604 F.2d 908, 920 (5th Cir. 1979)). 53 F. Padilla’s motion to dismiss his indictment The district court denied Padilla’s motion to dismiss his indictment based on alleged outrageous government conduct while he was in custody at the Naval Consolidated Brig in South Carolina due to his designation as an enemy combatant. “[A] motion to dismiss the indictment due to outrageous government conduct involves a question of law that we review de novo.” United States v. Avery, 205 F. App’x 819, 824 (11th Cir. 2006). We have never applied the outrageous government conduct defense and have discussed it only in dicta. See United States v. Ciszkowski, 492 F.3d 1264, 1272 (11th Cir. 2007) (Carnes, J., concurring) (describing the outrageous government conduct doctrine as rooted in “speculative dicta” and noting that we have never “reversed a conviction or vacated a sentence on th[is] basis”). Several of our sister circuits have either rejected this defense completely, see United States v. Boyd, 55 F.3d 239, 241 (7th Cir. 1995), or have been sharply critical of the defense, see e.g., United States v. Tucker, 28 F.3d 1420, 1422–27 (6th Cir. 1994) (citing separation of powers concerns and discussing the lack of authority for any argument that outrageous government conduct violates due process); United States v. Santana, 6 F.3d 1, 3 (1st Cir. 1993) (“Outrageous misconduct is the deathbed child of objective entrapment, a doctrine long since discarded in the federal courts.”). 54 Although we have never acknowledged the existence of the outrageous government conduct doctrine, we note that the actionable government misconduct must relate to the defendant’s underlying or charged criminal acts. “Outrageous government conduct occurs when law enforcement obtains a conviction for conduct beyond the defendant’s predisposition by employing methods that fail to comport with due process guarantees.” Ciszkowski, 492 F.2d at 1270 (majority opinion) (citing United States v. Sanchez, 138 F.3d 1410, 1413 (11th Cir. 1998)). Padilla does not allege any government intrusion into his underlying criminal conduct. Padilla does not claim that the government caused him to leave the United States to be a jihad recruit. Instead, his claim of outrageous government conduct relates to alleged mistreatment he received at the brig after the conclusion of his criminal acts and prior to the indictment on the present charges. Thus, even if we were to adopt it, the doctrine does not apply in this situation, and the district court properly concluded that Padilla was not entitled to the relief he sought in his motion for dismissal of his indictment. See United States v. Morrison, 449 U.S. 361, 365–66, 101 S. Ct. 665, 668–69 (1981) (stating that “absent demonstrable prejudice, or substantial threat thereof, dismissal of the indictment is plainly inappropriate, even though the violation may have been 55 deliberate” and that the remedy in such situations “is limited to denying the prosecution the fruits of its transgression”). G. Exclusion of Uways’s statement and Padilla’s statement Hassoun contends that the district court excluded evidence that was material to his defense in violation of his constitutional rights. There are two specific pieces of evidence about which Hassoun complains. One involves a classified statement by Abdallah Ahmad al-Rimi, a.k.a. “Uways,” demonstrating that an alQaeda facilitator, Malik, and not Hassoun, recruited Padilla to go to Afghanistan. The government required, and the district court conducted, an ex parte in camera review under § 4 of the Classified Information Procedures Act, 18 U.S.C. app. 3 §§ 1–16 (“CIPA”). After reviewing all the pertinent materials, the district court approved an unclassified summary of Uways’s statement, which was produced as discovery before trial. [Doc. 914.] The summary stated: During the 2003–2004 timeframe, Uways noted that fellow facilitator Abu Mal[ik] Al-Sharabi had met Abu Abdallah Al-Amriki during the Hajj and had convinced him to come with him to Yemen in 2000, so that he could then travel to join the second jihad in Afghanistan. During this time, Uways met with Abu Abdallah on numerous occasions to get to know him, ask him why he was willing to join jihad, and vet his personality in order to determine whether he would be a satisfactory candidate to send to jihad. Uways claimed that he ultimately decided not to send Abu Abdallah to jihad. As a result, Abu Malik turned to Rashad Sa’id Al-Abi, aka Al Fida, to get Abu Abdallah to Afghanistan. Eventually, Uways saw Abu Abdallah 56 again in Qandahar and Zormat, Afghanistan, in late 2001. Uways identified a picture of U.S. citizen Jose Padilla as being Abu Abdallah Al-Amriki. [Id. at 2.] Hassoun sought admission of the unclassified summary, and the district court denied the motion, finding that Uways’s statement was hearsay and not admissible under Federal Rule of Evidence 807 because Hassoun did not present the court with indicia of trustworthiness pertaining to Uways’s hearsay statement. [Doc. 1052, p. 2.] Hassoun also moved to compel production of Uways, but the government responded that he was not in the custody of the U.S. government. The district court denied the motion. [Id.] The other specific piece of evidence that Hassoun claims was improperly excluded involves statements Padilla made to officials in a classified videotaped interview taken during Padilla’s detention at the brig. During his detention, Padilla explained to the authorities that Malik had introduced him to al-Fida. After briefing and evidentiary hearings, the court concluded that Padilla’s statements were not admissible under Rule 807 because they were untrustworthy due to the conditions of Padilla’s detention. [Doc. 1053.] Hassoun also filed a motion to sever his trial from Padilla’s based on Uways’s statements, Padilla’s admissions, and pervasive pretrial publicity generated by the government 57 regarding Padilla’s alleged activities. The district court denied this motion. [Doc. 992.] We review the district court’s evidentiary rulings and its denial of a motion for severance for an abuse of discretion. United States v. Westry, 524 F.3d 1198, 1214 (11th Cir. 2008) (evidentiary motions); United States v. Blankenship, 382 F.3d 1110, 1120 (11th Cir. 2004) (denial of a motion for severance). An abuse of discretion occurs where “the district court’s decision rests upon a clearly erroneous finding of fact, an errant conclusion of law, or an improper application of law to fact.” Westry, 524 F.3d at 1214 (internal quotation marks omitted). We see no abuse of discretion in the district court rulings. The district court properly excluded Uways’s statement under Rule 807, which provides in part: A statement not specifically covered by Rule 803 or 804 but having equivalent circumstantial guarantees of trustworthiness, is not excluded by the hearsay rule, if the court determines that (A) the statement is offered as evidence of a material fact; (B) the statement is more probative on the point for which it is offered than any other evidence which the proponent can procure through reasonable efforts; and (C) the general purposes of these rules and the interests of justice will best be served by admission of the statement into evidence. 58 Fed. R. Evid. 807. The residual hearsay exception applies only when “certain exceptional guarantees of trustworthiness exist and when high degrees of probativeness and necessity are present.” United Techs. Corp. v. Mazer, 556 F.3d 1260, 1279 (11th Cir. 2009) (internal quotation marks omitted). Congress intended the residual hearsay exception to be used only in exceptional circumstances. Id. Exceptional circumstances are not present in this case. The district court reviewed the classified material and provided a summary of Uways’s testimony for the parties to consider. The district court found that Uways’s statement did not contain “equivalent circumstantial guarantees of trustworthiness” as required by Rule 807. Additionally, Uways’s statement was not “more probative on the point for which [Hassoun] offered than any other evidence” that Hassoun could have procured. Id. As a matter of fact, Hassoun made arguments at closing that he did not recruit Padilla for the training camp. [Doc. 1208, p. 139–145.] Moreover, the government introduced Padilla’s identification form which states that the person who recommended Padilla for camp entry was al-Fida. [Gov’t Ex. 403.] Accordingly, we conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in excluding Uways’s statement. 59 The district court also properly excluded Padilla’s statements because it found that the statements were not trustworthy in part because the military interrogators themselves stated that Padilla was often untruthful. [Doc. 1053, p. 7–8.] Because the district court was in the best position to access the reliability of the evidence, we cannot say that its exclusion of the evidence was an abuse of discretion. We also cannot say that the district court’s denial of Hassoun’s motion for severance was an abuse of discretion because there was no error in the district court’s exclusion of the challenged evidence. Furthermore, we see no merit to Hassoun’s argument that the district court should have granted his motion for severance due to the pre-trial publicity surrounding Padilla. The district court presided over a four-week jury selection and gave instructions to the jury about the pre-trial publicity. [Doc. 1269, p. 7–10; Doc. 1247; Doc. 992.] Hassoun cannot show that the joint trial “prevent[ed] the jury from making a reliable judgment about guilt or innocence” such that the district court should have granted a severance. Zafiro v. United States, 506 U.S. 534, 539, 113 S. Ct. 933, 938 (1993). Accordingly, we conclude that Hassoun is not entitled to a reversal of his convictions on this ground. H. Application of the terrorism enhancement 60 Hassoun and Jayyousi object to the district court’s application of the terrorism sentencing enhancement, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual § 3A1.4 (2001). Defendants rely primarily on their assertion that their benign motive in assisting the oppressed Muslims was not calculated to influence or affect the conduct of any government. They also claim that the evidence was insufficient for the district court to find that their activities were intended to displace infidel governments that opposed radical Islamist goals. The 12-level enhancement applies if the “offense is a felony that involved, or was intended to promote, a federal crime of terrorism.” Id. § 3A1.4(a). The Guidelines, § 3A1.4 cmt. n.1, define a federal crime of terrorism by referring to 18 U.S.C. § 2332b(g)(5), which states that it is any offense that violates a specified federal statute and is “calculated to influence or affect the conduct of government by intimidation or coercion, or to retaliate against government conduct.” 18 U.S.C. § 2332b(g)(5). We review the district court’s interpretation and application of the Guidelines de novo and its underlying factual findings for clear error. United States v. Foley, 508 F.3d 627, 632 (11th Cir. 2007). The district court found that the crimes charged are among the specified statutes that could give rise to a “federal crime of terrorism.” [Doc. 1372, p. 6–7.] The district court noted that the version of 18 U.S.C. § 2332b(g) in effect in 2001 61 specifically identified 18 U.S.C. § 2339A as an offense supporting the terrorism enhancement. [Id.] The district court also found that the defendants’ activities were calculated to influence, affect, or retaliate against government conduct, satisfying the other element of the enhancement. [Id. at 7–10.] Specifically, the district court reasoned: Defendants Hassoun and Jayyousi argue that any conduct that resulted in criminal liability in this case was based upon their motives to help Muslims under physical attack or to provide each other aid to Muslims in distress. The government intends that motive is unimportant in this analysis. The counts of conviction specify the nature and level of the defendants’ intent and that is all the Court needs to examine in making the determination under the statute, according to government counsel. . . . The language of the indictment available to the jury contained the following language: It was the purpose and object of the conspiracy to advance violent jihad, including supporting and participating in armed confrontations in specific locations outside the United States, and committing acts of murder, kidnapping and maiming for the purpose of opposing existing governments, . . . . Given the indictment, there is within the jury verdict a finding that the defendants’ actions were intended to bring about the downfall of governments that were not Islamic or not Islamic enough. There was also ample evidence introduced at trial that defendants Jayyousi and Hassoun wished to impose Sharia throughout the Middle East and remove governments in the process. . . . Hassoun railed against secular governments in the Middle East and pledged allegiance to individuals and organizations who sought to eliminate the secular governments or non-Islamic governments in the Middle East. 62 .... . . . However, in finding the defendants guilty, the jury rejected the defendants’ premise that they were only providing nonviolent aid to Muslim communities. Even so-called benign motive is subject to the enhancement if the defendants, as here, intended by their acts to affect or retaliate against the conduct of the government. [Id. at 7–9.] The district court did not err in applying the terrorism sentencing enhancement. As the district court found, the crimes charged against the defendants are among the specified statutes that can give rise to a federal crime of terrorism. Thus, the first element is satisfied. The district court also found that the Guidelines’s precise language focuses on the intended outcome of the defendants’ unlawful acts—i.e., what the activity was calculated to accomplish, not what the defendants’ claimed motivation behind it was. See United States v. Mandhai, 375 F.3d 1243, 1248 (11th Cir. 2004) (“[I]t is the defendant’s purpose that is relevant, and if that purpose is to promote a terrorism crime, the enhancement is triggered.”); United States v. Awan, 607 F.3d 306, 316–17 (2d Cir. 2010) (finding that government only had to demonstrate that defendant’s offenses were intended to promote a federal crime of terrorism, whatever his reasons for committing them). The record demonstrates that the defendants’ support activities were intended to displace “infidel” governments that opposed radical Islamist goals. 63 Jayyousi and Hassoun spoke expressly about their desire to impose Sharia, toppling existing governments in the process. [Gov’t Ex. 802 (Jayyousi’s statement in The Islam Report: “May Allah help the mujahideen topple these unIslamic and illegal puppet regimes in our Muslim lands.”); Gov’t Ex. 70 (Hassoun’s statement that Muslims have a duty of jihad to regain every land that was under the umbrella of Islam).] Defendants’ motive “is simply not relevant.” Awan, 607 F.3d at 317. Thus, the second element is satisfied, and the district court properly applied the terrorism sentencing enhancement.