Opinion ID: 654623
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Challenges Raised by Chaidez

Text: 23 1. The Right to be Tried on the Basis of the Indictment Returned by the Grand Jury 24 Chaidez's first claim is that the district court allowed the government to expand the scope of the conspiracy charged in the indictment by putting forth evidence of co-conspirators and events not alleged in the indictment. Chaidez complains about two pieces of evidence that he says effectively amended the indictment. He points first to testimony by Fontanez that concerned events that occurred seven months prior to the date charged in the indictment. This testimony discussed the origins of Fontanez's involvement in the drug distribution ring. She explained that she had been injured in an automobile accident and that, due to financial problems, she considered selling drugs to Santiago during December 1990 or January 1991. The indictment listed the conspiracy as beginning on June 1, 1991 and continuing until January 17, 1992. 25 Second, Chaidez alleges that the district court erroneously admitted evidence which related to Senovio Rodriguez. Chaidez charges that Fontanez's testimony described Rodriguez as a co-conspirator even though the indictment did not name Rodriguez. Chaidez claims that the district court erred when it instructed the jury that any defendant, including Chaidez, could be found guilty if he or she participated in a conspiracy as charged with at least one other person, whether a defendant or not, and whether named in the indictment or not. Record in No. 92-3522 Doc. 36 at 18. Count one of the indictment, on the other hand, named only Chaidez, Ramirez, Fontanez, and Santiago and charged that they conspired with each other to distribute cocaine. Record in No. 92-3522 Doc. 13. 26 Chaidez raised his claim that the district court amended the indictment for the first time on appeal. Because he did not raise this issue before the district court, it is waived unless it was plain error. 4 We will reverse a conviction for plain error in the jury instructions only when a miscarriage of justice would otherwise result. United States v. Young, 470 U.S. 1, 15, 105 S.Ct. 1038, 1046, 84 L.Ed.2d 1 (1985). A miscarriage of justice occurs when the plain error is such that it could result in the conviction of an innocent person or the imposition of an erroneous sentence. United States v. Caputo, 978 F.2d 972, 974 (7th Cir.1992). 27 First, the testimony of events that occurred seven months prior to the date the indictment charges for the commencement of the conspiracy merely provided background information about Fontanez's involvement in the drug ring. Chaidez claims that this background testimony violated his right to be tried only on charges returned by a grand jury because it expanded the scope of the indictment to events that occurred seven months prior to those charged. See United States v. Miller, 471 U.S. 130, 136, 105 S.Ct. 1811, 1815, 85 L.Ed.2d 99 (1985) (discussing the right to be tried on charges returned by a grand jury). Fontanez's testimony, admitted as background information, did not refer to or mention Chaidez. We find no basis for his claim that it could have prejudiced him. See United States v. Goodapple, 958 F.2d 1402, 1407 (7th Cir.1992) (evidence of transaction five years prior to those charged in indictment properly admitted). Her testimony in this regard certainly did not amend the indictment with respect to Chaidez. 28 Chaidez's second complaint is that the district court effectively amended the indictment when it instructed the jury that Chaidez could be guilty of criminal conspiracy if the jury found that he conspired with a co-conspirator who was not named in the indictment. He claims that the admission of the testimony about Rodriguez, coupled with the jury instructions, told the jury that he could be guilty for conspiring with Rodriguez even though the conspiracy count of the indictment charged that the named co-conspirators conspired only with each other. 29 The instructions given by the district court to the jury explained that Chaidez was not on trial for any act or conduct not alleged in the indictment. 5 Record in No. 92-3522 Doc. 36 at 4. The problem, as Chaidez accurately points out, is that the district court explained that the indictment charged a conspiracy among the defendants named in count one, but then added the following: A person cannot conspire with himself, and therefore you cannot find a defendant guilty unless you find beyond a reasonable doubt that he participated in a conspiracy as charged with at least one other person, whether a defendant or not, and whether named in the indictment or not. Id. at 18. Chaidez contends that this instruction amended count one of the indictment and, coupled with the testimony about Rodriguez, enabled the jury to find him guilty of conspiring with someone (Rodriguez) who was not named in count one. 30 Normally, a criminal defendant can be convicted of conspiring with anyone. The defendant's co-conspirator does not have to be named in the indictment. United States v. Lechuga, 994 F.2d 346, 350 (7th Cir.1993). Additionally, a co-conspirator's identity need not be known. Rogers v. United States, 340 U.S. 367, 375, 71 S.Ct. 438, 443, 95 L.Ed. 344 (1951); United States v. Winn, 948 F.2d 145, 157 (5th Cir.1991). The government does not have to prove with whom the defendant conspired, but only that the defendant joined the alleged agreement. United States v. Maholias, 985 F.2d 869, 874 (7th Cir.1993). 31 The peculiar thing about this case is that the indictment charges an agreement only with those named, that is, with each other, whereas the district court instructed the jury to return a guilty verdict if Chaidez (or any other defendant) conspired with anyone whether named or not. The evidence was abundant that Chaidez conspired with the named co-conspirators. Further, the district court instructed the jury, first and foremost, that the defendants were not on trial for any act or conduct not alleged in the indictment. Record in No. 92-3522 Doc. 36 at 4. The district court's error did not result in a miscarriage of justice. Therefore, even if the portion of the instruction Chaidez complains of was error, we do not believe it was plain error. 2. Jencks Act 32 Chaidez next claims that the district court violated the Jencks Act, 18 U.S.C. Sec. 3500, when it did not conduct an in camera review of the government's notes taken during two pre-trial debriefings of Fontanez. 6 The relevant notes were allegedly taken by the government on February 7, 1992 and February 27, 1992 when the government interviewed Fontanez. Chaidez avers that Fontanez's responses to cross-examination at trial prompted his request for production of the original notes. 33 The Jencks Act compels the government's production of statements a government witness has signed or otherwise adopted or approved and which relate to the subject matter of a witness's testimony. United States v. Morris, 957 F.2d 1391, 1400 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 113 S.Ct. 380, 121 L.Ed.2d 290 (1992). Upon reasonable argument from counsel, a presumption arises that the district court should conduct an in camera inspection of documents to determine whether the documents are producible under the Jencks Act. United States v. Marshall, 985 F.2d 901, 907 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 113 S.Ct. 2445, 124 L.Ed.2d 662 (1993). That presumption can be overcome by an articulation on the record as to why an examination of the document was unnecessary or pragmatically impossible. United States v. Allen, 798 F.2d 985, 995 (7th Cir.1986). 34 Here, the district court did not conduct an in camera inspection of the notes. First, the court ruled that, as a general matter, an agent's notes are not typically statements for purposes of the Jencks Act. See, e.g., United States v. Herrero, 893 F.2d 1512, 1524 (7th Cir.) (no need for in camera inspection when extrinsic evidence showed agent's notes did not fall within the definition of Jencks Act statements). Second, the court noted that Fontanez never signed or adopted the notes as her statement. The court also pointed out that the government gave defense counsel a memorandum of the interviews. We find the district court's reasons for not inspecting the notes unpersuasive and conclude that the district court erred when it did not conduct an inspection. 35 We considered the same issue in Marshall. In that case, as here, the defendants argued that the district court should have ordered the production of an agent's witness interview notes pursuant to the Jencks Act. Marshall, 985 F.2d at 907. We concluded that the district court erred by failing to conduct an in camera inspection of the notes to determine whether they were producible under the Jencks Act. Id. at 908. We held, however, that the error was harmless because it was extremely unlikely that this error would either influence the jury or have more than a slight effect on the trial. Id. We therefore affirmed the defendant's conviction. Id. 36 Marshall requires that we affirm Chaidez's conspiracy conviction on this point. As in Marshall, it is extremely unlikely that the district court's failure to conduct an in camera inspection of the notes in this case either influenced the jury or had more than a slight effect on the trial. See also United States v. Brumel-Alvarez, 991 F.2d 1452, 1457 (9th Cir.1992) (conviction affirmed if Jencks error more than likely harmless). Chaidez has failed to make any claim that he was harmed by the district court's omission and has not alleged that there was any variance between Fontanez's pre-trial statements to the agents and her testimony at trial. The evidence against Chaidez was voluminous and we simply do not believe that the district court's failure to conduct an in camera inspection of the notes deprived Chaidez of any substantial right. Although we agree with Chaidez that the district court's failure to inspect the notes was error, we decide that such error was harmless. See Fed.R.Crim.P. 52(a) (Any error, defect, irregularity or variance which does not affect substantial rights shall be disregarded.). 37 3. The District Court's Failure to Instruct the Jury on Chaidez's Proposed Theory of Defense 38 Chaidez finally contends the district court committed reversible error when it failed to instruct the jury on his proposed theory of defense to the conspiracy charge. Chaidez's theory of defense was that the evidence proved only the existence of a buyer-seller relationship, not a conspiracy. Record in No. 92-3522 Doc. 32. 39 The principal problem with Chaidez's claim is that the district court included Chaidez's theory of defense in the jury instructions. In relevant part, the district court instructed the jury as follows: 40 [I]t is defendant Francisco Chaidez's theory of defense that any relationship established by the evidence in this case is only that of a buyer-seller rather than a conspiracy. Evidence of a mere buyer-seller relationship without more is insufficient to support a finding of guilt on the charge of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. However, if you find that the alleged co-conspirators had a mutual understanding--an agreement to agree--to facilitate the achievement of a common goal, namely the continued unlawful distribution of cocaine, you may conclude that a conspiracy existed. 41 Record in No. 92-3522 Doc. 36 at 20. Chaidez complains that the agreement to agree language and the reference to the continued unlawful distribution of cocaine misstates the law. Chaidez relies on our decision in United States v. Townsend, 924 F.2d 1385 (7th Cir.1991) as support for his challenge to the jury instruction. His reliance is misplaced. Like the district court in this case, we noted in Townsend that conspiracies are really agreements to agree and involve agreements to commit crime, such as obtaining drugs for distribution. Id. at 1394. See also Lechuga, 994 F.2d at 346 (criminal conspiracy is an agreement to commit a crime). 42 Looking at the instructions as a whole we find no error in the district court's instruction on the conspiracy charge.