Opinion ID: 3165718
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Testimony of Josef Burns

Text: Josef Burns could not state with certainty how many times and in what quantities he had purchased heroin from Equihua-Ramirez. For example, Burns initially stated that he had purchased heroin “more than a dozen times,” but later said that he “[did]n’t know [how many times].” When pressed on cross-examination, he agreed that a more realistic range was twelve to sixteen transactions, and stated “I mean, whatever. I mean, I’m not sure. I can’t exactly say.” On cross-examination, Burns also waffled on how long he had been buying from Equihua-Ramirez: Q. Yeah. Is it possible your relationship started sometime in late April? A. In April? Q. Correct. So it would have been about a month and a half? UNITED STATES V. NAVARRETTE-AGUILAR 9 A. March, April, something like that. April, May, June, yeah, something around there. Q. You don’t really have a definite memory of that? A. I don’t have a definite—I don’t have a definite time on that. Describing his purchasing practices, Burns stated that he began by buying “one piece [twenty-five grams] and then two or three.” He testified that he could not estimate the total amount of heroin that he purchased, but that it took him “a month or two” to “wor[k] up to two or three pieces.” We note again that the entire time period of the conspiracy alleged was approximately two and a half months. When questioned about the frequency with which he purchased heroin, Burns stated that it could be one or two times a week, but also “maybe a few more times . . . maybe three or four max.” He went on to explain that the frequency with which he purchased and the amount he purchased “would all just depend” on the level of demand, which was “different all the time.” The variation in the amount Burns purchased is borne out by other record evidence. Notably, on May 26, Burns received a text message from Equihua-Ramirez asking him why he was not purchasing more heroin. When presented with this evidence, Burns responded Yeah. I think I just—I just hadn’t called them in a little bit or whatever. I was not very—I didn’t really want to sell heroin. I did it because I didn’t know what else to do, really. I couldn’t do what I used to do, any of the 10 UNITED STATES V. NAVARRETTE-AGUILAR jobs I used to do. But I didn’t want to do it. I just did it because—I don’t know. Burns testified several times that he had difficulty remembering details of the time period in question. For example, when questioned more specifically about his practice of selling heroin, Burns answered, “I’m trying to think. I’m not prepared for all this. I can’t really remember.” And, later, Burns stated in response to further questioning: “I’m not really on it. . . . I just had a lot going on in the last year since this happened so I haven’t been dealing with any of this.” In sum, Burns’s testimony was vague; he could not provide an estimate as to how much heroin he sold or purchased, and could not clearly remember or describe his practices during the time in question.