Opinion ID: 694108
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: January 28 Warrant Searches of Home and Business

Text: 33 One week after Tapia-Torres' arrest, police searched her home and business. Tapia-Torres argues that the search warrant lacked probable cause. 34 At the time the warrant was executed, Tapia-Torres had already been arrested, along with fourteen others, a week earlier in connection with the production and sale of methamphetamine, and incriminating evidence had been seized during the arrests. We have held that [i]n the case of drug dealers, evidence is likely to be found where the dealers live. When the traffickers consist of a ringleader and assistants, a fair probability exists that drugs will be present at the assistants' residence as well as the ringleader's. United States v. Angulo-Lopez, 791 F.2d 1394, 1399 (9th Cir.1986) (citations omitted). Even if Tapia-Torres could only be considered an assistant of Amescua, for whom there was a great deal of evidence of methamphetamine manufacture and distribution, there was a fair probability under Angulo-Lopez that evidence would be found at Tapia-Torres' home and business to support the issuance of the warrant. This court has held that [i]n doubtful cases, preference should be given to the validity of the warrant. United States v. McQuisten, 795 F.2d 858, 861 (9th Cir.1986). 35 Tapia-Torres argues that a Franks hearing was warranted because the affiant knowingly distorted the facts when he stated: 36 .. [S]earch warrants were served on 1/21/93 in which 15 defendants were arrested and over 22 pounds of Methamphetamine were recovered. In those arrested was a Camerina Torrez Tapia [sic].... 37 Tapia-Torres contends that the affiant's failure to advise the magistrate that she was arrested in a different city from where the drug labs were located and where the drugs were seized constituted a deliberate, or reckless disregard for the truth, which required a Franks hearing. See Franks v. Delaware, 438 U.S. 154, 155-56 (1978). 38 The district court found that a Franks hearing was not warranted because Tapia-Torres presented no evidence that the statements were knowingly false or made with reckless disregard for the truth. Furthermore, the statements were not necessary to a finding of probable cause. The affidavit contained other information that was corroborated by police, and there was a statement indicating that Tapia-Torres was one of the largest distributors of methamphetamine in the county. Moreover, the same magistrate issued all the warrants for the searches, and thus was familiar with the fact that the motel where Tapia-Torres was arrested was located in Visalia and not in Woodlake where the drug lab was located. 39 The district court was correct in its determination that a Franks hearing was not required. Under the circumstances, the failure to note the different locations did not amount to a distortion that would have seriously misled or altered the magistrate's finding of probable cause. 40 In conclusion, the district court's denial of Tapia-Torres' motion to suppress evidence was proper. 41 III. The District Court Did Not Err in Basing Tapia-Torres' Sentence on the Entire Amount of Contraband Involved and in Refusing to Reduce Her Sentence Based on Her Claim of Being a Minor Participant in the Conspiracy 42 The district court based Tapia-Torres' sentence on the entire amount of methamphetamine seized during the investigation. Tapia-Torres argues that the evidence at best established that she was involved only in the June 17 half-pound delivery, and that thus, her sentence should have been based solely on that amount. 43 A district court's findings about the quantity of drugs on which a sentence should be based are factual findings which are reviewed for clear error. United States v. Mitchell, 964 F.2d 454, 457 (5th Cir.1992). The court is not limited to considering the amount of drugs seized or specified in the indictment, but may consider amounts that were part of a common plan or scheme to distribute. Id. at 458. Because this is a conspiracy case, Tapia-Torres is to be sentenced on the basis of the quantity of drugs which [she] reasonably foresaw or which fell within 'the scope' of [her] particular agreement with the conspirators. United States v. Petty, 992 F.2d 887, 890 (9th Cir.1993). 44 During the sentencing hearing, Tapia-Torres argued that she had no connection to the drugs found at the Selma and Woodlake labs. The district court disagreed, however, finding that the entire amount of drugs was foreseeable to her. Testimony at trial indicated that the purity level of the half-pound of methamphetamine involved in the June 17 delivery matched that of the methamphetamine found at the Selma lab. During the time of the drug manufacturing activities at the Woodlake lab, Tapia-Torres had rented two rooms at the Lampliter, and phone records reflected calls between her phones, the lab, and some of the men, including Betancourt, who were arrested leaving the lab with methamphetamine. The district court found that the evidence as a whole indicated that she was significantly involved in the entire conspiracy and was therefore responsible for the entire amount of drugs seized. 45 The district court's findings were not clearly erroneous given the evidence as a whole. There was evidence indicating that both labs were part of a common plan or scheme to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, with Raul and Gonzalo Amescua as the leaders. Therefore, we cannot conclude that the court clearly erred in basing Tapia-Torres' sentence on the entire amount of drugs involved. See United States v. Lillard, 929 F.2d 500, 504 (9th Cir.1991) (not clear error for court to add drug quantities from second drug lab where court implicitly concluded that both labs were part of a general scheme to manufacture). 46 Tapia-Torres, however, argued that, even if the entire amount of drugs was foreseeable to her, she was merely a minimal or minor participant in the conspiracy and therefore should have been granted a downward adjustment in her sentence. The district court denied the reduction. 47 The Guidelines provide for a 2-4 level reduction when a defendant is plainly among the least culpable of those involved in the conduct of a group, or is less culpable than most other participants, but whose role could not be described as minimal. U.S.S.G Sec. 3B1.2, comment. (nn. 1, 3). A district court's denial of minor or minimal participant status will be upheld unless clearly erroneous. United States v. Ocampo, 937 F.2d 485, 491 (9th Cir.1991). A simple statement by the district court that the defendant was not a minor participant is typically sufficient to settle the question. Id. 48 The district court expressly found that Tapia-Torres was one of the major players in the conspiracy because Gonzalo Amescua indicated that she knew everything that was going on, she had arranged for the vacuum pump purchases, and she was in extensive phone contact with the labs and the men who were arrested leaving the lab. The court was convinced that there was enough evidence to tie her into the larger conspiracy. Id. 49 Tapia-Torres does not explain how the court's finding was clearly erroneous other than to state that her involvement was minimal when compared to that of the other codefendants. However, the mere fact that one participant's activity may be less culpable than one's co-participants does not require a finding of minor participant status. United States v. Peters, 962 F.2d 1410, 1415 n. 1 (9th Cir.1992). 50 Therefore, we find that the district court's refusal to reduce Tapia-Torres' sentence as a minor or minimal participant was not clearly erroneous. 51 IV. The Government Did Not Commit Prosecutorial Misconduct During the Trial by: 52 A. Using Statements from a Juvenile Probation Report to Impeach a Defense Witness' Testimony 53 The defense called Isidro Lopez, a juvenile, to testify on Betancourt's behalf. Lopez was one of the men arrested in the van with Betancourt leaving the Woodlake lab site. Lopez testified that he went to Woodlake to pick fruit before school. The government on cross-examination attempted to impeach Lopez's testimony by raising prior inconsistent statements he made to his probation officer indicating that he moved several buckets for Betancourt while at Woodlake and observed several men packaging some unknown substance into bags. On cross-examination, Lopez affirmed that he had made those statements to his probation officer. 54 Betancourt argues that the government was not entitled to refer to the statements in the probation report because juvenile probation reports are sealed documents and may be inspected only by court personnel, the district attorney ... the minor who is the subject of the proceeding, his or her parents ... and any other person who may be designated by court order of the judge of the juvenile court.... Cal.Welf. & Inst.Code Sec. 827 (West Supp.1995). Because there was no court order, Betancourt contends that the government illegally obtained and used the probation report to impeach Lopez's testimony. 55 The purpose of the California statute, however, is to protect the confidentiality of juvenile delinquents. Betancourt has no standing to assert Lopez's confidentiality privilege in this matter, and Lopez, by testifying on behalf of Betancourt, publicly disclosed his involvement in the events leading to his arrest, thereby waiving his right to confidentiality. We agree with the government that the state's interest in protecting the confidentiality of juvenile probation reports does not give juvenile witnesses license to commit perjury in federal court and be exempt from impeachment attempts. 56 The Supreme Court has specifically stated that a [s]tate's policy interest in protecting the confidentiality of a juvenile offender's record cannot require yielding of so vital a constitutional right as the effective cross-examination ... of an adverse witness. Davis v. Alaska, 415 U.S. 308, 320 (1974) (holding that refusal to allow defendant to impeach prosecution witness by showing his probation status as juvenile delinquent violated defendant's right to cross-examine witnesses, notwithstanding state policy and statute protecting confidentiality of juvenile offenders). Davis indicates that state laws protecting the confidentiality of juvenile delinquents are not absolute and, under certain circumstances, may be subordinated to other interests. Therefore, in this case, we find that the government did not commit prosecutorial misconduct by using prior inconsistent statements in the probation report to impeach Lopez's testimony. 57 Even if we were to find that the government's use of the probation report was error, it was harmless. There was other substantial evidence linking Betancourt to the methamphetamine manufacturing activities at the Woodlake lab. See supra part I. 58 B. Referring to Betancourt As Having Been Arrested in the lab 59 During the cross-examination of one of Betancourt's character witnesses, the government asked the witness if his opinion of Betancourt's truth and veracity would change if he assumed Betancourt had been arrested in this lab site or in the lab. Betancourt argues that these references were improper. The government maintains that it was free to argue reasonable inferences from the evidence and that the evidence indicated that Betancourt was in the lab at some point. 60 Even assuming the government's references were improper, the error was harmless in light of the other substantial evidence connecting Betancourt to the lab activities. See supra part I. 61 V. The District Court Did Not Err in Denying Betancourt's Motion to Sever the Trial 62 Betancourt filed a motion for severance which was denied by the district court. He failed, however, to renew the motion at the close of the evidence. [T]o preserve the issue on appeal, a motion to sever must be renewed at the close of the evidence or it is waived. United States v. Burgess, 791 F.2d 676, 678 (9th Cir.1986). Therefore, Betancourt is precluded from raising on appeal the issue of whether he was entitled to severance. 63 VI. The District Court Did Not Err in Allowing Gonzalo Amescua's Statements into Evidence As Co-conspirator's Statements and in Allowing Evidence of the Selma Lab Site 64 Tapia-Torres argues that the district court improperly allowed into evidence taped conversations between Gonzalo Amescua and Garcia in which Gonzalo instructed Garcia to call Tapia-Torres about purchasing the vacuum pumps and stated a number of times that she knows everything. Tapia-Torres maintains that these statements were inadmissible hearsay. She also argues that the court erred in admitting evidence of the Selma lab site because there was no indication that the Selma lab was within the scope of the charged conspiracy. 65 Hearsay statements are admissible if made by a co-conspirator during and in furtherance of the conspiracy. Fed.R.Evid. 801(d)(2)(E). The government must show by a preponderence of the evidence that the hearsay declarant is a co-conspirator. See Bourjaily v. United States, 483 U.S. 171, 177 (1987). The determination that a conspiracy existed and that the statements were made in furtherance of it is reviewed for clear error, and the decision to admit co-conspirator statements is reviewed for an abuse of discretion. See United States v. Arambula-Ruiz, 987 F.2d 599, 607 (9th Cir.1993). 66 The district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting Gonzalo's statements. There was evidence indicating that Gonzalo was involved in the conspiracy. His fingerprints were found at the Selma lab site. He told Garcia that he and Raul Amescua were working together, and he instructed Garcia to call Raul or Tapia-Torres about purchasing the vacuum pumps. His statements with respect to Tapia-Torres and his instructions to contact her were therefore made in furtherance of the conspiracy. 67 With respect to the Selma lab site evidence, the district court did not err in allowing it as well. Phone records indicated that numerous calls were made between the Selma lab and Tapia-Torres' phones during the time specified in the indictment. Gonzalo's fingerprints were found there. The methamphetamine in the June 17 half-pound delivery had the same purity level as that of methamphetamine seized from the Selma lab, which led to the inference that it had been manufactured there. In light of these connections to the Selma lab site, we find that the allowance of the evidence was not improper. 68 VII. The District Court Did Not Err in Denying the Defendants' Requests to Strike Identification Testimony Given by the Informants and to Conduct a Live Line-up, Because of Allegedly Improper Pretrial Photographic Identifications by the Informants 69 The defendants argue that the informants' in-court identification testimony should have been stricken or a live line-up performed because the government conducted an improperly suggestive pretrial photographic identification session with the informants. The informants Garcia and Martinez were shown a photo album with about 50 photographs and were asked whether they recognized anyone. The informants identified Tapia-Torres and Betancourt. The photos included blown-up driver's license pictures of the defendants with their names on the backs. There were no written reports or tape recordings made of the sessions, and the photo albums were not preserved in the same order later. 70 The government maintains that the purpose of the photographic showing was not for the informants to identify the defendants, but to see if they recognized anyone other than the defendants who was involved in the conspiracy. Police already assumed that Garcia and Martinez knew Tapia-Torres and Betancourt because of their face-to-face encounters with them in the past. 71 Even if an out-of-court identification procedure is impermissibly suggestive, identification testimony may nonetheless be sufficiently reliable to be admitted into evidence, United States v. Nash, 946 F.2d 679, 681 (9th Cir.1991), if for example, the witness has had an opportunity to view the criminal at the time of the crime. United States v. Simoy, 998 F.2d 751, 752 (9th Cir.1993). Assuming, without deciding, that the photographic identification procedures in the instant case were improperly suggestive, we find that the informants' identification testimony was sufficiently reliable. The evidence suggested that Garcia had an opportunity to observe Tapia-Torres on at least two occasions, during the June 17 half-pound delivery and the August vacuum pump purchase, and Martinez had observed Betancourt when she delivered the red powder to him. Thus, the district court did not err in refusing to strike the in-court identification or conduct a live line-up. See United States v. Hernandez-Valenzuela, 932 F.2d 803, 804 (9th Cir.1991) (inspector's in-court identification of defendant was sufficiently reliable, notwithstanding inspector's accidental pretrial view of defendant's identification card, when identification was based on inspector's opportunity to observe defendant at the scene). 2