Opinion ID: 76075
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Ortiz's Signed Statement

Text: 26 On November 21, 2000, CID Agents Hickey and Miller met Ortiz at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, upon his return from military training in California. ATF Agents Valoze and John Limbach also were present at the airport. The agents did not arrest Ortiz at that time, but did interview him — first at the CID office and then at the ATF field office. The agents advised Ortiz of his Miranda rights. 2 Ortiz read and signed waivers of his rights to counsel and to remain silent, and agreed to speak with the agents. 27 At the CID office, Ortiz stated that he had transported the seventeen firearms to New York City. During his interview at the ATF office, Ortiz agreed to make a written statement, which he asked Agent Valoze to write for him, about his alleged firearms-related activity. 3 After Agent Valoze completed the statement on Ortiz's behalf, Ortiz read it and signed each page of his statement. Ortiz made no changes or corrections to the statement dictated to Agent Valoze. Above the signature block where he signed, Ortiz verified that his statement was true and correct as follows: 28 I have read the foregoing statement consisting of ___ pages, each of which I have signed. I fully understand this statement and I declare, certify, verify and/or state under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. I made the corrections shown and placed my initials opposite each. I made this statement freely and voluntarily without any threats or rewards, or promises of reward having been made to me in return for it. ATF Form 5000. 4 29 The government introduced Ortiz's signed statement into evidence at trial. According to his statement, Ortiz traveled to New York City and sold four guns to Richard Alexander Rivera (Rivera or Alex Rivera), whom he knew from when he lived in New York, for about $900. 5 He then made a second trip to New York City and sold five guns to Martin Jenkins (Jenkins or Marty Jenkins) for about $900. On a third trip, Ortiz again traveled to New York City and sold eight guns to Rivera for about $1300. 6 Ortiz resold seventeen guns, the same number of guns he had purchased in Georgia, to the two buyers in New York City. Because they are not Georgia residents, neither Rivera nor Jenkins legally could purchase firearms in Georgia. 30 Ortiz's statement indicated that  [b]efore I purchased any of these firearms, an individual named Alex Rivera, a friend of my sister, Elisha Ortiz, had asked me if I could buy guns for him in Georgia (emphasis added). In his statement, 7 Ortiz described each of his three trips to New York City. Regarding the first trip, Ortiz stated that he traveled to New York City by Greyhound bus with the first four guns, which he took to his fiancee's house. She objected to having the guns there, so Ortiz called Alex Rivera ... and offered to sell him the guns. He then returned to Hinesville, Georgia. Using some of the proceeds from his previous sale, Ortiz purchased five more guns in Hinesville. As to this second purchase for Rivera, Ortiz's statement also indicated:  Rivera had asked me to purchase more firearms and that he would buy them from me. 31 About one week later, Ortiz made his second trip. He returned to New York City by bus and brought the five guns he purchased in Hinesville to his sister's house. His sister provided him with the name of Marty Jenkins, a friend of hers, as a potential buyer. Ortiz contacted Jenkins. Jenkins came to Ortiz's sister's house, paid cash and picked up the guns. Ortiz flew back to Georgia. 32 On his third trip to New York City, Ortiz brought eight guns by Greyhound bus. Ortiz stated that he called Alex Rivera from the bus station in New York and told him that I had the guns and told him to meet me at my sister's house. According to Ortiz's statement, Rivera met Ortiz at his sister's house and gave Ortiz about $1300 for the guns. 33 While being interviewed on November 21, 2000, Ortiz agreed to telephone Rivera and Jenkins. Ortiz made a total of five telephone calls, two of which were unsuccessful attempts to reach Jenkins. Each call was made in the presence of Agent Valoze and recorded by the ATF via microcassette recorder. The recorded calls indicated that Rivera and Jenkins had purchased guns from Ortiz. Arrest warrants were obtained for Rivera and Jenkins and were executed by the ATF in New York City on November 30, 2000. 34 At the time the arrest warrant was served, Rivera consented to a search of his home. Among other things, four guns were recovered at Rivera's home, and the serial numbers on three of them had been obliterated. The guns were identified as four of those originally purchased by Ortiz. Although three had no serial numbers remaining, the guns were found with their boxes, and each box listed the serial number of the corresponding gun.