Opinion ID: 610597
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Clarence Taylor

Text: 4 Taylor moved for a judgment of acquittal at the close of the Government's case, but not at the close of his case. We therefore restrict our review of his claim to whether his conviction results in a manifest miscarriage of justice. United States v. Knezek, 964 F.2d 394, 399-400 (5th Cir.1992). A miscarriage of justice exists if the record is devoid of evidence pointing to guilt or if the evidence on a key element of the offense is so tenuous that a conviction would be shocking. United States v. Pierre, 958 F.2d 1304, 1310 (5th Cir.1992). 5 The indictment charged Taylor with conspiring to possess and distribute cocaine from November 1990 until January 1991. He argues that insufficient evidence exists of his involvement in the conspiracy during this time frame because of Howard's testimony that she personally did not give or sell cocaine to Taylor in November, December, or January and Jeffrey Hale's testimony that he did not know whether he met with Taylor to deal cocaine during November, December, or January. 6 We note that Taylor need not have purchased cocaine directly from Howard or Hale in order to be involved in the conspiracy. Only slight evidence is needed to connect an individual to an illegal conspiracy once the United States has produced evidence of that conspiracy. United States v. Duncan, 919 F.2d 981, 991 (5th Cir.1990), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 111 S.Ct. 2036, 114 L.Ed.2d 121 (1991). A defendant is presumed to continue involvement in a conspiracy unless that defendant makes a substantial affirmative showing of withdrawal, abandonment, or defeat of the conspiratorial purpose. United States v. Branch, 850 F.2d 1080 (5th Cir.1988), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 1018, 109 S.Ct. 816, 102 L.Ed.2d 806 (1989). The defendant has the burden of going forward with such evidence. United States v. MMR Corp. (LA), 907 F.2d 489, 499-500 (5th Cir.1990), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 111 S.Ct. 1388, 113 L.Ed.2d 445 (1990). The record reveals substantial evidence that Taylor was deeply involved in the conspiracy prior to November 1990. 1 7 To prove his withdrawal from the conspiracy, Taylor must show [a]ffirmative acts inconsistent with the object of the conspiracy and communicated in a manner reasonably calculated to reach co-conspirators. United States v. United States Gypsum Co., 438 U.S. 422, 464-465, 98 S.Ct. 2864, 2887, 57 L.Ed.2d 854 (1978). Howard and Hale's testimony that they did not directly sell cocaine to Taylor from November 1990 to January 1991 does not carry this burden. Taylor did not demonstrate his withdrawal from the conspiracy and we therefore conclude that his conviction did not result in a manifest miscarriage of justice.
8 A detective with the Osceola County Sheriff's Office in Florida testified that in February of 1990 he stopped Taylor's vehicle in Florida and searched it with Taylor's consent and found over $350,000 in Taylor's car. A deputy with the Chambers County Sheriff's Office in Texas testified that in May of 1990 he stopped Taylor and his father outside of Beaumont, Texas and found approximately $26,000 as well as a pound and a quarter of cocaine in the vehicle. The court admitted this evidence pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b) to prove motive, opportunity, intent, or preparation. Taylor contends this was error because the evidence was more prejudicial than probative in violation of Rule 403. 9 Our thorough review of the record reveals that Taylor did not make a Rule 403 objection to the evidence. We are therefore limited to the plain error standard of review. United States v. Blankenship, 746 F.2d 233, 238 (5th Cir.1984); see United States v. Arteaga-Limones, 529 F.2d 1183, 1198-99 (5th Cir.1976), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 920, 97 S.Ct. 315, 50 L.Ed.2d 286 (1976). 10 Taylor's cocaine conspiracy transferred cocaine between Louisiana and Florida by car and airplane, and the amounts of money involved reached the tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. The money and cocaine found during Taylor's prior stops and searches in Florida and Texas strongly indicate motive and intent to carry drugs and money interstate. The probative value of this evidence was not outweighed by its prejudicial impact, if any. We therefore conclude that the court did not clearly err in admitting the evidence.
11 Taylor argues that the court erred by (1) increasing his offense level under United States Sentencing Commission, Guidelines Manual, § 3B1.1(c) (Nov.1990), for his role as a leader, (2) increasing his offense level under U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(b)(1) for possessing a weapon during the commission of a drug offense, and (3) increasing his offense level for obstruction of justice based on perjury, under U.S.S.G. § 3C1.1.1. Taylor's Role as a Leader 12 Section 3B1.1(c) requires a two level increase in a defendant's offense level if the defendant was an organizer, leader, manager, or supervisor in the criminal activity. Taylor's level was increased because his presentence report indicated that he determined whether to purchase cocaine from the co-conspirators, made decisions about its quantity, price, and place of delivery, and directed others to transport it. 13 Taylor argues that this enhancement was error because this information is based on unsubstantiated claims against him, and because the conduct portraying him as a leader did not occur during the time frame of the conspiracy. 14 Information with a  'sufficient indicia of reliability to support its probable accuracy,'  may be relied upon. See United States v. Alfaro, 919 F.2d 962, 966 (5th Cir.1990) (quoting U.S.S.G. § 6A1.3(a)). An addendum to the presentence report states that the information is based on statements from confidential informants and cooperating defendants. Having reviewed the presentence report and the transcript of the sentencing hearing, we find that this information had a sufficient indicia of reliability to support the district court's finding that Taylor had a leadership role in the conspiracy. See United States v. Ramirez, 963 F.2d 693, 708 (5th Cir.1992), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 113 S.Ct. 388, 121 L.Ed.2d 296 (1992). 15 Regarding Taylor's claim that the leadership conduct occurred prior to November 1990, we first note that § 1B1.3 provides that offense level adjustments shall be determined on the basis of all acts committed by the defendant that occurred during the commission of the offense of conviction [or] in preparation for that offense. Additionally, the introductory commentary to § 3B1.1 states that the determination of a defendant's role in the offense is to be made on the basis of all conduct within the scope of § 1B1.3 ... and not solely on the basis of elements and acts cited in the count of conviction. The court heard testimony specifically identifying Taylor as a leader and supervisor in the overall cocaine conspiracy. Given this evidence, we find that the court did not clearly err in enhancing Taylor's offense level for his role as a leader. 2. Possession of a Weapon 16 We review a court's decision to apply U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(b)(1) for clear error. United States v. Paulk, 917 F.2d 879, 882 (5th Cir.1990). Taylor's offense level was increased because (1) a .357 revolver was found under the driver's seat of his vehicle one week after his arrest, and (2) a handgun was found in the glove compartment of his rental car when he was stopped in Florida in February 1990. Taylor objected to this increase, arguing that the gun found in the truck after his arrest was not his and had not been placed there by him, and that the gun in his car in Florida belonged to his passenger. 17 After Taylor's arrest, police officers inventoried his truck and had it towed to an impoundment lot by a wrecker service that has a contract with the Baton Rouge Sheriff's Department. One week later, the owner of the impoundment lot noticed that the driver's side door of Taylor's truck was not completely closed. He approached the truck to close the door, saw the handle of a revolver protruding from under the front of the driver's seat, and called the Sheriff's Department. The Sheriff's Department searched the truck and found cocaine, in addition to the revolver. Taylor argues that the gun and cocaine were not his, and that he did not place them in the truck. He suggests that both were planted in the truck sometime after the initial inventory search. The record does not support Taylor's position. 2 The court reasonably adjusted his offense level based on this evidence. 18 Regarding the gun found in Florida, the presentence report states that there is no indication in the police officer's report that the gun belonged to Taylor's passenger. The district court considered this evidence during sentencing, and concluded that [t]here is no question that the earlier evidence in the court indicated that Mr. Taylor knew there was a gun in the car [in Florida], and in fact told the officer there was a handgun in the glove box. Furthermore, an offense level adjustment under § 2D1.1(b)(1) is not limited to situations where the defendant possessed a gun during the offense of conviction. U.S. v. Eastland, 989 F.2d 760, 769 (5th Cir.1993). Taylor's offense level may be adjusted under § 2D1.1(b)(1) if he possessed a gun during the course of related relevant conduct. Id. The stop in Florida was relevant and related to the cocaine conspiracy. 3. Obstruction of Justice 19 Taylor's offense level was increased by two points for obstruction of justice pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 3C1.1 because, during the suppression hearing, Taylor testified falsely by denying that he gave the police officer oral permission to search his car. U.S.S.G. § 3C1.1, comment. (n. 3(f)). 20 Taylor objects to this adjustment, arguing that he did not lie and that in the face of conflicting testimony regarding whether he gave consent, the Application Notes to § 3C1.1 provide that the balance should tip in his favor. He also argues that he was punished for exercising his constitutional right to take the stand and deny that he consented to the search. 21 We first note that the district court's imposition of a two level enhancement for obstruction of justice was not clearly erroneous, given the presentence report's statement that information from the police report and officer's testimony indicated that Taylor consented to the Florida vehicle search. We next note that although Application Note 2 to § 3C1.1 states that suspect statements should be evaluated in a light most favorable to the defendant, it does not require the sentencing judge to believe the defendant.... Instead, we believe the note simply instructs the sentencing judge to resolve in favor of the defendant those conflicts about which the judge, after weighing the evidence, has no firm conviction. U.S. v. Franco-Torres, 869 F.2d 797, 801 (5th Cir.1989). The judge in this case was clearly convinced of Taylor's perjury. Finally, we certainly agree that Taylor has a constitutional right to testify on his own behalf; Taylor does not, however, have a protected right to testify falsely. United States v. Matos, 907 F.2d 274, 276 (2nd Cir.1990); United States v. Beaulieu, 900 F.2d 1537, 1539 (10th Cir.1990), cert. denied, 497 U.S. 1009, 110 S.Ct. 3252, 111 L.Ed.2d 762 (1990). Taylor's constitutional rights were not infringed when the court increased his base offense level based on his perjury. United States v. Dunnigan, --- U.S. ----, 113 S.Ct. 1111, 122 L.Ed.2d 445 (1993); United States v. Butler, 988 F.2d 537 (5th Cir.1993).