Opinion ID: 2977284
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Intercepted Statements

Text: Willie next contends that the district court abused its discretion in denying his mistrial motion because the court improperly admitted intercepted statements between Desi Jr. and Little (“Call 171”) under the coconspirator hearsay exception. Fed. R. Evid. 801(d)(2)(E); see supra Part II.A. According to Little’s testimony, Call 171 took place on March 6, 2005, after police arrested Desi Sr. and Mike Estrada, and transpired in relevant part as follows: - 11 - Nos. 07-5543 and 07-5544 United States v. Estrada and Villasenor DESI JR: Yeah. [Mike and Desi Sr.], uh . .. they’ve been picked up since you last spoke with them. Cause I know. I spoke with him on Thursday and he told me that you were going to send me, uh, some stuff for the vehicle that I purchased. Right? LITTLE: Yeah, you got that package all right? DESI JR: Yeah. LITTLE: And he said . . . all he told me was he was going to have to, uh, maybe run out of town for two weeks. But, see . . . we had an agreement that when he has a package . . . DESI JR: . . . he calls you. LITTLE: Yeah. DESI JR: Yeah. And that’s the thing. I didn’t know how to get a hold of you. So, I thought . . . LITTLE: I haven’t talked to anybody. [Inaudible] DESI JR: Yeah. Uh, if anybody approaches . . . If anybody approaches you, don’t, don’t . . . you don’t know us . . . nothing. You don’t talk to anybody until we get a hold of you guys again. ... DESI JR: I know that I want to talk to you about some more cars that I, uh . . . That I want to buy from you cause I’d like to resell them. So, uh . . . LITTLE: I would think they’d DESI JR: Uh, just because they said that he . . . He used that as part of the deal. I told them that, that’s false. I told them that I sent my brother up there to pick up vehicles for me. And they said that they caught him, I guess, driving down south and they gave him two warnings; like tickets, I guess. So, in the process, they said that he used that to go up north. The Government contends that these statements fall within the coconspirator hearsay exception because Desi Jr. is a coconspirator and the statements were made in furtherance of the conspiracy. See Conrad, 507 F.3d at 429. To that end, the Government points out that Little testified that Desi - 12 - Nos. 07-5543 and 07-5544 United States v. Estrada and Villasenor Jr. wanted to continue in the business of trading cars for marijuana, and that Desi Jr. made statements in furtherance of the conspiracy when he warned Little against talking to anyone or attempting any further drug transactions while the situation with DEA agents was “hot.” The court accepted that the cars discussed were intended as part of an exchange for marijuana and that Desi Jr.’s warnings were given as a coconspirator in furtherance of the conspiracy, and admitted the statements. The district court’s finding that the statements were made during and in furtherance of a conspiracy likely survives clear-error review, but a closer question exists as to whether the court clearly erred in finding that Desi Jr. was a coconspirator. In order to demonstrate that a preponderance of the evidence supports such a finding, the Government must provide evidence independent from the statement in dispute. Payne, 437 F.3d at 544. Here, the Government points to a single instance where Desi Jr.’s relationship to the conspiracy was mentioned outside the contested Call 171. In its entirety, the discussion on direct examination proceeded as follows: GOV’T: And with reference to Desi, the vehicles, was it your understanding that he wanted to continue in the business? LITTLE: That’s what he said. The independent support offered by the Government is not wholly convincing, but is sufficient under our deferential standard of review. Given Little’s testimony describing Desi Jr. as a coconspirator, the district court did not clearly err in admitting the statements under Rule 801(d)(2)(E), and thus denying the motion for mistrial fell within its sound discretion. - 13 - Nos. 07-5543 and 07-5544 United States v. Estrada and Villasenor