Opinion ID: 770533
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Solis Issues

Text: 29 Oscar Solis first assigns as error the admission into evidence of agent Kostecke's testimony recounting what Walden told him about the operation of the conspiracy. The government argues in response that admission of the testimony was not error, and, alternatively, that any error was harmless. The parties also disagree about the standard of review we should apply to decide the issue: Solis seeks de novo review of whether Kostecke's testimony was inadmissible hearsay, while the government argues that, because Solis's counsel failed to object tothe testimony, we should review admission of the statements for plain error. 30 As discussed above, after Walden had testified extensively and been cross-examined, agent Kostecke was questioned concerning a number of conversations which he had both at the time of Walden's arrest and later. Well into the agent's testimony an objection was made by counsel for codefendant Rey Solis which was overruled by the trial judge upon the government's assertions that the statements were not hearsay under Rule 801(d)(1)(B). 31 Because statements testified to by agent Kostecke were made at various times after Walden's arrest, Solis now contends that they were inadmissible as having been made after a motive to prevaricate had arisen, citing Tome v. United States, 513 U.S. 150 (1995), in which the Supreme Court held that out-of-court statements are admissible into evidence under Rule 801(d)(1)(B) only if they were made before a witness has a motive to lie. See Tome, 513 U.S. at 155-56. Solis argues that admission of the statements was error because the prior statements in question were made after he had been apprehended by Missouri and federal authorities and comprehended the potential charges against him, and thus not made before Walden possessed a motive to lie. Solis further asserts that the Tome rule was expressly recognized by our circuit in Toney v. United States, 161 F.3d 404 (6th Cir. 1998). 32 Assuming the question was somehow properly preserved for appeal under a standard other than review for plain error, we note that the trial judge's ruling was correct at the time it was made. See generally United States v. Hamilton, 689 F.2d 1262, 1273 (6th Cir. 1983). Such statements were at the time fully admissible without respect to whether they arose before or after the witness quoted had a motive to lie. The Supreme Court's decision in Tome came five years after the trial involved here. Our own circuit's recognition of Tome did not come until eight years later. That the defendant Oscar Solis could even presume to raise such an issue is due to the inordinate amount of time which lapsed between the time of trial and this appeal, a lapse of course occasioned by his having absconded for so many years. 33 Even were we to find error in the court's application of Rule 801(d)(1)(B), such error is harmless unless it is more probable than not that the error materially affected the verdict. See Toney, 161 F.3d 410 (quoting United States v. Martin, 897 F.2d 1368 (6th Cir. 1990)). Applying that rule here we are unable to conclude that it was more probable than not that the error materially affected the verdict. Walden had testified extensively and while Kostecke also testified at great length; his testimony introduced essentially nothing new to the case. Walden was extensively cross-examined, and his own testimony was corroborated in a number of convincing ways by other evidence properly before the jury, including evidence of marijuana retrieved from the basement of the Reyna/Garrett residence; Solis's Saginaw motel and telephone records made contemporaneous with Walden's deliveries; taped recordings of Reyna referring to Oscar and business records found in Reyna's home referring to Oscar; and records from various automobiles, registered to Solis, parked outside Reyna's home at the time of Reyna's arrest and subsequent arraignment. With or without Kostecke's testimony, the jury could have considered, after Walden's cross-examination, his motive to testify falsely at the time he originally gave Kostecke his statements. 34 Ultimately, Solis's claim relies upon our construction of the harmless error and plain error standards set forth in Fed. R. Crim. P. 52(a) and (b). As such, his assertion of reversible error must fail.
35 Solis next argues that the district court committed reversible error in failing to instruct the jury as to how itcould consider agent Kostecke's testimony recounting Jesus Reyna's prior inconsistent statements. At trial Solis neither requested such an instruction nor did he object to the instructions before submission of the case to the jury. We therefore review the jury instructions for plain error. See United States v. McGee, 173 F.3d 952, 957 (6th Cir.); cert. denied, 120 S. Ct. 146 (1999); United States v. McCall, 85 F.3d 1193, 1195-96 (6th Cir. 1996). A plain error analysis, under Fed. R. Crim. P. 52(b), consists of four steps: (a) we must decide whether the district court committed an error; (b) whether the error was plain; (c) whether it affected the defendant's substantial rights; and (d) whether the error seriously affected the fairness, integrity or public reputation of judicial proceedings. United States v. Owusu, 199 F.3d 329, 339 (6th Cir. 2000). 36 Solis claims that the trial court's failure to include in the jury instructions an express instruction that the jury could only consider Reyna's out-of-court statements for their impeachment value, and not for their substance, was such an error. The government admits the error, but argues that it was not plain error. We agree with the government. Although we have in the past found failure to instruct a jury on limitations on the use of prior inconsistent statements plainly erroneous, see United States v. Lipscomb, 425 F.2d 226, 227 (6th Cir. 1970), we have done so specifically only where the testimony brought out during the impeachment process established in large measure the substantive elements of the crime which the government was required to prove. Id. As discussed above, in this case the government presented adequate evidence apart from Reyna's out-of-court statements to establish that Solis participated in the marijuana conspiracy scheme. Solis's rights were therefore not substantially violated by the court's failure to state the limiting instruction.
37 Solis also argues that even if the court's errors regarding the use of Walden's and Reyna's out-of-court statements do not themselves require reversal of his conviction, the cumulative effect of such errors deprived him of a trial consistent with constitutional guarantees of due process. As discussed above, the two errors alleged by Solis, taken alone, were not prejudicial. We acknowledge that [e]rrors that might not be so prejudicial as to amount to a deprivation of due process when considered alone, may cumulatively produce a trial setting that is fundamentally unfair. Walker v. Engle, 703 F.2d 959, 963 (6th Cir. 1983); see also Byrd v. Collins, 209 F.3d 486, 547-48 (6th Cir. 2000) (Jones, J., dissenting) (terming various instances of error symbiotic and then stating that confidence in the outcome of [defendant's] trial must be, and is, seriously undermined); Eberhardt v. Bordenkircher, 605 F.2d 275, 279 (6th Cir. 1979). Notwithstanding, neither Walden's nor Reyna's in-court testimony was rendered inadmissible by the admission of their out-of-court statements. This proof and the other evidence presented at the eleven-day trial sufficiently supported Solis's conviction. Solis' trial may not have been perfect, but overall the procedures withstand his due process challenge.
38 Solis next argues that the district court erred in attributing 1400 pounds of marijuana to him in calculating his sentence. We review a district court's drug quantity determination for clear error. See Owusu, 199 F.3d at 338. The government must prove the amount to be attributed to a defendant by a preponderance of the evidence. See United States v. Walton, 908 F.2d 1289, 1302 (6th Cir. 1990). Testimonial evidence from a coconspirator may be sufficient to determine the amount of drugs for which another coconspirator should be held accountable. See UnitedStates v. Pruitt, 156 F.3d 638, 647 (6th Cir. 1998), cert. denied, 525 U.S. 1091 (1999), and cert. denied, 526 U.S. 1012 (1999). 39 Two presentence reports were prepared for Oscar Solis. The first report was prepared in 1990. The presentence report noted that informant Walden stated that codefendant Reyna told him that during the conspiracy the Solis brothers were shipping 500 pounds of marijuana per month to Saginaw, and that this had been continuing for the past eight years. Walden also stated that Reyna told him that the Solis brothers also used other couriers to make their marijuana deliveries. Based upon Walden's statements, the presentence report concluded that during the course of the eight year conspiracy, the defendant sold 48,000 pounds of marijuana, placing his base offense level at 36. The presentence report also recommended that Solis be assessed 4 points pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1(a) for being an organizer or leader of a criminal activity that involved five or more participants. 40 A second presentence report was prepared in 1999. It noted that at the time Solis' co-defendants were sentenced, the district court, on the basis of testimony at trial, had ruled that the conspiracy involved 1400 pounds of marijuana for purposes of relevant conduct. Therefore, the presentence report recommended that Solis be held accountable for 1400 pounds of marijuana, for a base offense level of 28. 41 At Oscar Solis' sentencing the trial judge stated: 42 I find that the quantity involved was 1400 pounds of marijuana. That was the quantity found with his codefendants, and I don't see the need to go through an evidentiary hearing. That was determined on the record previously, and I am satisfied that that's the amount that should be ascribed to him. 43 The quantity of drugs ascribed to Oscar Solis' coconspirators is relevant, but not sufficient by itself to support his sentence. Here, however, direct attribution of the quantities attributed to the coconspirators to Solis is not a problem. There is sufficient evidence in the trial record to support the trial court's determination that Solis was a leader in this drug conspiracy. There is evidence that he was involved in shipping the marijuana, overseeing its distribution, and collecting the profits. Indeed, both Solis brothers were already deeply involved in an ongoing marijuana operation when Walden became involved in the organization in 1988. The Sentencing Guidelines provide that the defendant's relevant conduct, in the case of a jointly undertaken criminal activity, includes all reasonably foreseeable acts and omissions of others in furtherance of the jointly undertaken criminal activity that occurred during the commission of the offense of conviction. U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3. A preponderance of evidence supports the district court's finding that Oscar Solis should at a minimum be held responsible for the same quantity of drugs that was attributed to the others in the conspiracy. 44 In so doing, we acknowledge that even if Oscar Solis is properly attributed the same quantity of drugs attributable to his codefendants, this does not obviate the trial court's duty to support its finding that the total quantity involved in the conspiracy was at least 1400 pounds. 45 The only precise evidence we have on how the trial court originally arrived at the 1400 figure comes in directly from Rey Solis' judgment of sentence which includes the following attachment suggesting that factual findings were made on the record: 46 There was disagreement at sentencing as to the amount of marihuana involved in the conspiracy for which defendant was convicted. The Court, on the basis of testimony at trial, determined that an accomplice made 7 trips to Saginaw, Michigan from the Rio Grande Valley and delivered 200 pounds on each trip. Therefore, 1,400 pounds of marihuana was involved in the conspiracy and thatamount should be used in determining relevant conduct. 47 In review on appeal we may consult the entire record. A reviewing bench should sustain a sentencing court's factual finding if it was supported by 'some minimum indicium of reliability beyond mere allegation.' Dunlap, 209 F.3d 476, n.8 (quoting United States v. Robison, 904 F.2d 365, 371 (6th Cir. 1990) (citations omitted)). If the exact amount of drugs involved is uncertain, the court may make an estimate supported by competent evidence in the record. Owusu, 199 F.3d at 338. Furthermore, both sentencing and reviewing courts may consider relevant information which is prohibited from being introduced into evidence at trial in determining a defendant's sentence. See United States v. Charles, 138 F.3d 257, 267 (6th Cir. 1998). Approximations are completely appropriate. United States v. Maliszewski, 161 F.3d 992, 1027 (6th Cir. 1998). District courts may approximate the quantity of drugs for sentencing purposes based upon circumstantial evidence as long as they err on the side of caution. See United States v. Elder, 90 F.3d 1110, 1127 (6th Cir. 1996). 48 Walden's trips were not the only evidence available to the trial court. There was admissible testimony from Walden that Solis had been involved in the conspiracy for eight years, that other couriers had been used, and that monthly quantities exceeded 500 pounds. There was also a narcotics record book that showed large quantities of money going back to Texas. Finally, the court had before it evidence that while still at large following his trial in the instant case, Solis had been apprehended during a drug bust in Cameron County, Texas for which he had been sentenced on September 17, 1998, to 18 months for possession with intent to distribute 33 kilograms of marijuana, the amount involved there being approximately 72 pounds. Given this evidence, we believe the total quantity of marijuana attributed by the court to the original coconspirators is supportable and probably conservative. 49 Solis misapprehends the range and nature of fact-finding responsibilities of the trial court in cases such as this one, especially when the defendant was a leader of a drug distribution conspiracy. The district judge was in no way limited to the 641 pounds which only defined Walden's immediate involvement. Indeed, it could reasonably have chosen an amount substantially larger than that upon which it settled without committing clear error. The wide and varied scope of the other evidence before the trial judge, including evidence of an ongoing conspiratorial activity even before Walden's involvement, is fully convincing that the amount settled upon by the trial judge was well within the permissible range of his fact finding discretion.
50 Finally, Solis argues that the district court erred in enhancing his sentence pursuant to sentencing guideline § 3B1.1(a), which instructs: If the defendant was an organizer or leader of a criminal activity that involved five or more participants or was otherwise extensive, increase by 4 levels. 51 We review a sentencing court's factual findings regarding a defendant's role in a conspiracy for clear error. See Owusu, 199 F.3d at 345. Whether these facts warrant a sentence enhancement pursuant to § 3B1.1(a) is a legal conclusion subject to de novo review. See United States v. Gort-DiDonato, 109 F.3d 318, 320 (6th Cir. 1997). The reviewing court should consider the following factors in making its determination: 52 the exercise of decision making authority, the nature of participation in the commission of the offense, the recruitment of accomplices, the claimed right to a larger share of the fruits of the crime, the degree of participation in planning or organizing the offense, the nature and scope of the illegal activity,and the degree of control and authority exercised over others. 53 U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1 commentary, applic. note 4. 54 Here the district court adopted the factual findings in Solis's presentence report, which recommended enhancement pursuant to § 3B1.1, stating that Solis directed codefendants to make payments, took profits from the drug transactions from Saginaw, Michigan back to Texas, paid codefendant's utilities, and was involved in planning and organizing the conspiracy. The government expands upon this list on appeal, noting evidence presented at trial that Solis approved Walden as a courier, met him in Saginaw and asked him to deliver cash back to Texas, and called Reyna and Garrett and visited Saginaw at times contemporaneous with Walden's visits there. Given this evidence, we believe the district court did not err in applying the leadership enhancement. The conspiracy included at least five participants--Oscar and Rey Solis, Hernandez, Reyna, Garrett, and Walden--and the evidence supports the court's conclusion that Oscar Solis was leading or organizing all of them. Solis's conduct was in line with that of other drug conspiracy defendants whose sentences have been enhanced by this court pursuant to § 3B1.1(a). See Owusu, 199 F.3d at 346-47; United States v. Feinman, 930 F.2d 495, 500 (6th Cir. 1991); United States v. Castro, 908 F.2d 85, 90 (6th Cir. 1990). 55 AFFIRMED.