Court Opinion

ID: 990260
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2013-07-03 23:18:25.62896+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:35:31.519969
License: Public Domain

UNPUBLISHED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,

v.                                                                     No. 95-5941

MASON DEWEY HALL,
Defendant-Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Middle District of North Carolina, at Greensboro.
Frank W. Bullock, Jr., Chief District Judge.
(CR-95-91)

Submitted: July 25, 1996

Decided: August 19, 1996

Before LUTTIG and MOTZ, Circuit Judges, and
PHILLIPS, Senior Circuit Judge.

_________________________________________________________________

Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

_________________________________________________________________

COUNSEL

William Carlton Ingram, Jr., FLOYD, ALLEN & JACOBS, L.L.P.,
Greensboro, North Carolina, for Appellant. Walter C. Holton, Jr.,
United States Attorney, David Bernard Smith, Assistant United States
Attorney, Greensboro, North Carolina, for Appellee.

_________________________________________________________________
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. See
Local Rule 36(c).

_________________________________________________________________

OPINION

PER CURIAM:

Mason Dewey Hall pled guilty to conspiracy to possess marijuana
with intent to distribute, 21 U.S.C.A. § 846 (West Supp. 1996). He
appeals his 37-month sentence, alleging that the district court clearly
erred in determining that he transported 180 pounds of marijuana
from Texas to Virginia. United States Sentencing Commission,
Guidelines Manual § 2D1.1 (Nov. 1995). We affirm.

Between 1993 and 1995, Paul Lilly and James Hodges bought mar-
ijuana in Texas and moved it to Virginia where it was sold. Their sup-
pliers were Jesse Baca and Mario A. Zunzunegui. Hall participated by
allowing his van to be used to transport the marijuana. He made at
least two trips to Texas for this purpose. Before Hall's presentence
report was prepared, the government interviewed Zunzunegui and
Lilly. Based on the information they provided, the probation officer
recommended that Hall be held responsible for 180 pounds of mari-
juana which he transported to Virginia in March 1994.

At Hall's sentencing hearing, Zunzunegui testified that in March
1994 he placed 200 pounds of marijuana in Hall's van for transporta-
tion from El Paso, Texas, to Virginia, but that 20 pounds were miss-
ing when it was unloaded. James Hodges testified that he witnessed
the unloading of 205 pounds of marijuana which Hall had brought
from Texas. Hodges, who was in custody, also said that Hall had con-
tacted his wife during the previous week and told her that he wanted
Hodges to testify that he had transported only 50 pounds of mari-
juana.

Paul Lilly testified that Hall transported only 40-50 pounds. How-
ever, he professed uncertainty about many other events as well as
concern that his cooperation with the government to that point had
earned him a bad reputation among his associates. Defendant Hall tes-

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tified that he had expected to deliver 200 pounds in March 1994, but
that Zunzunegui had only 50 pounds available.

The district court found the testimony of Hodges and Zunzunegui
generally consistent and credible; the court deemed Lilly's testimony
unreliable and implicitly rejected Hall's as well. The court found by
a preponderance of the evidence that Hall had transported 200 pounds
of marijuana. We review the district court's factual finding for clear
error. United States v. Ricco, 52 F.3d 58, 62 (4th Cir.), cert. denied,
___ U.S. ___, 64 U.S.L.W. 3247 (U.S. Oct. 2, 1995) (No. 95-5502).
Given the district court's assessment of the credibility of the wit-
nesses, its finding was not clearly erroneous.

We therefore affirm the sentence. We dispense with oral argument
because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the
materials before the court and argument would not aid the decisional
process.

AFFIRMED

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