Opinion ID: 712224
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Israel-Treiber

Text: 82 Israel-Treiber argues that the police illegally seized marijuana after a warrantless search of her purse in violation of the Fourth Amendment. The purse was opened by a nurse, after Israel-Treiber's consent, in an attempt to verify her true name from her driver's license. The officer smelled and saw the marijuana when the nurse opened the purse. The district court denied her motion to suppress on the ground that she had in effect put the incriminating evidence within the plain view of the police officer. It held the search to be a private search not in violation of Israel-Treiber's Fourth Amendment rights. See United States v. Jacobsen, 466 U.S. 109, 104 S.Ct. 1652, 80 L.Ed.2d 85 (1984). The district court's factual finding that the marijuana was in plain view was not clearly erroneous. X. MOTIONS FOR MISTRIAL 83 Best, Treiber, Bauer, and Israel-Treiber appeal the district court's denial of defense motions for a mistrial. One motion was based on the admission of testimony of Luke Mills. The other was based on a stricken comment from Captain O'Brien made on redirect examination. Denial of a motion for mistrial is reviewed for abuse of discretion. United States v. Homick, 964 F.2d 899, 906 (9th Cir.1992). The record reflects no basis for mistrial. There was no abuse of discretion. XI. SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE 84 Bauer and Israel-Treiber argue that their money laundering convictions should be reversed due to insufficient evidence presented by the government at trial. These conviction will be upheld if the evidence, when viewed in the light most favorable to the government, establishes that any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2789, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979). The test was met. 85 XII. DISCRETIONARY REFUSAL TO DEPART FROM THE GUIDELINES 86 Bauer appeals the district court's refusal to grant a downward departure for acceptance of responsibility. The district court exercised its discretion not to depart downward based on its finding that at no time during the course of the trial had Bauer ever accepted responsibility. A district court's discretionary refusal to depart from the Sentencing Guidelines is not reviewable on appeal. United States v. Eaton, 31 F.3d 789, 792 (9th Cir.1994). XIII. MOTION FOR CONTINUANCE 87 Best contends that he was deprived effective assistance of counsel when the district court denied his request for a continuance so that his attorney could adequately prepare. The decision to deny a motion for continuance is reviewed for an abuse of discretion. United States v. Gonzalez-Rincon, 36 F.3d 859, 865 (9th Cir.1994), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 115 S.Ct. 1323, 131 L.Ed.2d 203 (1995). To reverse a trial court's denial of a continuance, an appellant must show that the denial prejudiced her defense. Id. 88 Best's attorney, Donald Fiedler, was appointed to represent Best on May 13, 1993 after the court found Best indigent. Fiedler admitted to having already spent months trying to become familiar with case, working on the detention hearing, working with Cameron [Best] and working with his family. Best requested a continuance from the original June 21, 1993 trial date to a November 1993 trial date. Fiedler did not appear at the hearing to set a new trial date, and the court set the date for September 20, 1993. The district court did not abuse its discretion in denying Best's motion for continuance. Best has not shown actual prejudice resulting from the denial. See United States v. Tham, 960 F.2d 1391, 1396 (9th Cir.1991). XIV. MARTINEZ 89 Martinez argues that the district court denied him effective assistance of counsel by refusing to grant him extra time at the May 12, 1994 hearing. He was not denied effective assistance of counsel. 90 Martinez entered a guilty plea, along with three codefendants, on March 22, 1994. He agreed to a sentence of 78 months. Within sixty days of entering the plea, the three codefendants filed motions to withdraw their pleas. Martinez never filed a motion to withdraw his plea. During the sentencing hearing on May 12, 1994, counsel for Martinez requested additional time to confer with Martinez. The court denied the request, noting that Martinez had not filed any of the motions under consideration. It also denied the codefendants' motions to withdraw. Martinez was sentenced to the agreed 78 months. 91 The issue of effective assistance of counsel is more appropriately addressed in a habeas corpus proceeding because it requires an evidentiary inquiry beyond the official record. United States v. Carr, 18 F.3d 738, 741 (9th Cir.1994). However, the claim can be resolved on direct appeal when the record is sufficiently developed to permit the reviewing court to resolve the issue. United States v. Daly, 974 F.2d 1215, 1218 (9th Cir.1992). The record is sufficiently developed to show that counsel for Martinez did not fall below the objective standard of reasonableness required by Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 690-92, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 2065-67, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). He asked the judge for time to confer with Martinez and was denied. It was too late to join the motions to withdraw. 92 Further, Martinez was not prejudiced by his counsel's failure to join the motions. The motions were denied and we affirmed the denial. United States v. Best, Nos. 94-30172, 94-30175, 94-30176, 1995 WL 218502 (Filed April 13, 1995). 93 Martinez failed to challenge the amount of marijuana attributed to him in the presentence report at the district court. He has waived his right to challenge that amount on appeal. United States v. Visman, 919 F.2d 1390, 1393 (9th Cir.1990). XV. RAMIREZ 94 Ramirez agreed to an offense level of 31 as part of his plea, giving him a sentencing range of 108 to 135 months. He now challenges his sentence of 120 months, arguing that the amount of marijuana attributed to him in the presentence report was not supported by the facts. He failed to challenge the presentence report in the district court and agreed to the sentence in his plea. We reject his challenge. Visman, 919 F.2d at 1393. 95 Affirmed in part. Vacated and remanded in part. The convictions of Bauer, Meeks and Treiber on Counts 15 and 54 and of Meeks on Count 13 are VACATED and the case on those counts is REMANDED to the district court.