Court Opinion

ID: 2963442
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-09-21 21:09:46.577208+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:02:03.701514
License: Public Domain

USCA1 Opinion

	

                            United States Court of Appeals
                            United States Court of Appeals
                                For the First Circuit
                                For the First Circuit
                                 ____________________

        No. 94-1697

                                    UNITED STATES,

                                      Appellee,

                                          v.

                                 JORGE PEREZ-GARCIA,

                                Defendant, Appellant.

                                 ____________________

                     APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

                           FOR THE DISTRICT OF PUERTO RICO

                       [Hon. Gene Carter,* U.S. District Judge]
                                           ___________________

                                 ____________________

                                        Before

                                Boudin, Circuit Judge,
                                        _____________
                            Bownes, Senior Circuit Judge,
                                    ____________________
                              and Stahl, Circuit Judge.
                                         _____________

                                 ____________________

            Kevin G. Little on brief for appellant.
            _______________
            Antonio  R.  Bazan, Assistant  United  States  Attorney,  Jose  A.
            __________________                                        ________
        Quiles-Espinosa, Senior  Litigation Counsel, and Guillermo Gil, United
        _______________                                  _____________
        States Attorney on brief for appellee.

                                 ____________________

                                     June 6, 1995
                                 ____________________

        _____________________
        *Of the District of Maine, sitting by designation.

                      STAHL, Circuit Judge.  Defendant-appellant Jorge L.
                      STAHL, Circuit Judge.
                             _____________

            Perez-Garcia challenges  his  conviction for  carjacking,  in

            violation  of  18 U.S.C.    2119  (West  1992),1 and  using a

            firearm in relation to  a crime of violence, in  violation of

            18 U.S.C.   924(c).2  We affirm.

                                          I.
                                          I.
                                          __

                                      BACKGROUND
                                      BACKGROUND
                                      __________

                       On October 8, 1993, four  gunmen, one of whom  was

            later  identified as Perez-Garcia,  forcibly entered the home

            of Maria de los Angeles Rosado Rosario ("Rosado") in Bayamon,

                                
            ____________________

            1.  The 1992 version of   2119 provides:

                           Whoever, possessing a firearm, . . .
                      takes  a  motor  vehicle  that  has  been
                      transported,  shipped,   or  received  in
                      interstate or foreign  commerce from  the
                      person  or presence  of another  by force
                      and  violence  or  by   intimidation,  or
                      attempts to do so, shall--
                           (1)  be  fined under  this  title or
                      imprisoned  not more  than  15 years,  or
                      both.

            2.  Section 924(c) provides:

                      Whoever--
                           (1) uses  a  firearm to  commit  any
                      felony for which he  may be prosecuted in
                      a court of the United States, or
                           (2)  carries  a  firearm  unlawfully
                      during the commission  of any felony  for
                      which he may be  prosecuted in a court of
                      the United States, shall, in  addition to
                      the    punishment   provided    for   the
                      commission of such  felony, be  sentenced
                      to a  term of imprisonment  for not  less
                      than one year nor more than ten years.

                                         -2-
                                          2

            Puerto  Rico.    The  gunmen  tied  up  Rosado's  family  and

            threatened  to kill them if Rosado did not meet their demands

            for money and jewelry.

                      In  response  to their  threat,  Rosado offered  to

            bring the gunmen to her parents' farm in Barranquitas where a

            friend  had  allegedly  buried some  jewelry.    Perez-Garcia

            instructed Rosado to give him her car keys.  Perez-Garcia and

            one of his accomplices  then forced Rosado to ride  with them

            in her car to  Barranquitas to recover the jewelry  while the

            other gunmen  remained at Rosado's house,  holding her family

            hostage.

                      When they arrived at the farm, Perez-Garcia and his

            accomplice forced Rosado, her mother, brother, and sister-in-

            law,  all  of whom  were home  at the  time,  to dig  for the

            jewelry.   After Rosado and  the others  unearthed six  five-

            gallon buckets  of  valuables,3 at  the  gunmen's  direction,

            they loaded them into the trunk of  Rosado's car.  The gunmen

            then  forced Rosado  and her  sister-in-law into the  car and

            ordered Rosado to return to Bayamon.

                      Upon  reaching   Bayamon,  Perez-Garcia  instructed

            Rosado to stop at a  public telephone.  Perez-Garcia remained

            in  the car  while his  accomplice ran  across the  street to

                                
            ____________________

            3.  The  buckets  did  not  contain  jewelry  as  Rosado  had
            thought,  but  instead  contained  U.S.  currency,  totalling
            $654,100.

                                         -3-
                                          3

            place a call.   While Perez-Garcia waited for  his accomplice

            to return, three police officers approached Rosado's car with

            their  weapons drawn  and ordered  Perez-Garcia to  get out.4

            Perez-Garcia  instructed  Rosado to  drive  away.   When  she

            refused, Perez-Garcia  pushed her  out of  the car  and drove

            off.  After a brief pursuit, Perez-Garcia was apprehended.

                      On November 3, 1993,  a federal grand jury returned

            a   two-count   indictment,   charging    Perez-Garcia   with

            carjacking, in violation of    2119 ("Count I"), and  using a

            firearm in relation to a crime of violence, in violation of  

            924(c)  ("Count II").    Before trial,  Perez-Garcia filed  a

            motion to dismiss Count II,  arguing that the Double Jeopardy

            Clause  barred simultaneous  prosecution  under     2119  and

            924(c).   The district court  denied the motion  and the case

            proceeded to trial.

                      At the close of  evidence, Perez-Garcia moved for a

            judgment of  acquittal  pursuant to  Fed.  R. Crim.  P.  29,5

            arguing that  there was  insufficient evidence to  prove that

            the car was taken  "from the person" of Rosado, as charged in

                                
            ____________________

            4.  The gunmen remaining  at Rosado's house  had fled, and  a
            member Rosado's  family had called  the police to  report the
            incident and give them a description of Rosado's car. 

            5.  Fed. R. Crim. P.  29 provides:  "The  court on motion  of
            the defendant  . .  . shall  order the  entry of  judgment of
            acquittal of one or  more offenses charged in  the indictment
            or information after the evidence on either side is closed if
            the  evidence is insufficient to sustain a conviction of such
            offense or offenses."

                                         -4-
                                          4

            the indictment.  The district court denied the motion and, on

            February 9, 1994,Perez-Garcia was found guilty onboth counts.

                      At  the  sentencing   hearing,  Perez-Garcia   made

            another  motion  to  dismiss  Count  II  on  double  jeopardy

            grounds.  The district court  denied the motion and sentenced

            Perez-Garcia  to 175  months'  imprisonment for  Count I  and

            sixty  months'  imprisonment  for  Count  II.    This  appeal

            followed.

                                         II.
                                         II.
                                         ___

                                      DISCUSSION
                                      DISCUSSION
                                      __________

                      On  appeal, Perez-Garcia  argues that  the evidence

            was  insufficient  to  support  a conviction  under     2119,

            because he had not taken the car "from the person" of Rosado,

            as charged in the indictment.6

                      Count  I  of  the  indictment charged  that  Perez-

            Garcia:

                      aided and abetted by persons to the Grand
                      Jury unknown and while in possession of a
                      firearm .  . .  did take a  motor vehicle
                      from the person  of Maria de los  Angeles
                      _______________
                      Rosado  Rosario,  by force,  violence and
                      intimidation  . .  .  said motor  vehicle
                      having   been  transported,   shipped  or
                      received   in   interstate   or   foreign

                                
            ____________________

            6.  Perez-Garcia also argues that  the Double Jeopardy Clause
            bars  cumulative  punishment   under      2119   and  924(c).
            However, the First Circuit recently  decided that "cumulative
            punishment under 18 U.S.C.    2119 and 924(c) does not offend
            the   Double   Jeopardy   clause   of   the   United   States
            Constitution."  United States v. Centeno-Torres, No. 94-1882,
                            _____________    ______________
            slip  op. at 4 (1st Cir. Mar. 28, 1995).  Accordingly, Perez-
            Garcia's double jeopardy claim fails.   

                                         -5-
                                          5

                      commerce.  All in violation of [18 U.S.C.
                        2119(1) and (2)].

            (emphasis   added).     Perez-Garcia,   in   challenging  his

            conviction, argues that the adduced facts belie the charge in

            the indictment.   He contends  that although he  was charged,

            convicted, and sentenced for taking a motor vehicle "from the

            person"  of Rosado,  the evidence  presented at  trial proved

            that  the motor  vehicle  was taken  "from  the presence"  of

            Rosado.7  We reject his argument.

                      Although  Perez-Garcia  frames  his  argument  as a

            sufficiency-of-the-evidence challenge, in effect, he contends

            that  there  was a  prejudicial  variance  between the  facts

            proved  at trial  and those  alleged in  the indictment.   "A

            variance occurs when the  charging terms remain unchanged but

            when  the  facts proved  at  trial are  different  from those

            alleged  in the indictment."  United States v. Fisher, 3 F.3d
                                          _____________    ______

            456, 462 (1st Cir.  1993); see also United States  v. Tormos-
                                       ___ ____ _____________     _______

            Vega,  959 F.2d 1103, 1115 (1st  Cir.),  cert. denied, 113 S.
            ____                                     _____ ______

            Ct.  191-92 (1992).  "A variance is grounds for reversal only

            if it affected the  defendant's 'substantial rights' -- i.e.,

            the  rights  to  'have  sufficient knowledge  of  the  charge

                                
            ____________________

            7.  Perez-Garcia  contends that he  effectively took Rosado's
            car when he obtained her  car keys, at which time  Rosado was
            inside her  house and  the car  was parked  on the street  in
            front of  the house. Perez-Garcia  concedes that the  car was
            taken from Rosado's observation or control -- i.e., "from the
            presence" of Rosado -- but argues that it was not taken "from
            the person" of Rosado, as charged in the indictment.  Section
            2119 criminalizes takings "from the person or presence."

                                         -6-
                                          6

            against  him  in order  to prepare  an effective  defense and

            avoid  surprise at trial, and to prevent a second prosecution

            for the  same offense.'"     Fisher, 3  F.3d at  463 (quoting
                                      _________

            Tormos-Vega, 959 F.2d at 1115). 
            ___________

                      The carjacking  statute does  not define "from  the

            person or presence," and neither do the robbery statutes upon

            which   2119  was based.  See H.R.  Rep. No. 102-851(I), 103d
                                      ___

            Cong.,  2d Sess.  5  (1992), reprinted  in 1992  U.S.C.C.A.N.
                                         _________  __

            2829,  2834 ("definition of  [carjacking] tracks the language

            used in other federal robbery statutes");  18 U.S.C.    2111,

            2113,  and 2118.  Courts  generally agree that  taking from a

            victim's  person  is understood  to  include  the common  law

            conception  of taking  from a victim's  presence.   See e.g.,
                                                                ___ ____

            Collins  v.  McDonald,  258  U.S. 416,  420  (1922)  ("taking
            _______      ________

            property  from the  presence  of another  feloniously and  by

            putting  him  in fear  is equivalent  to  taking it  from his

            personal  protection  and  is,  in  law,  a taking  from  the

            person");  Norris v.  United States,  152 F.2d 808,  809 (5th
                       ______     _____________

            Cir.), cert. denied, 328  U.S. 850 (1946); Weisman  v. United
                   _____ ______                        _______     ______

            States, 1 F.2d 696, 698  (8th Cir. 1924); Mays v. State,  335
            ______                                    ____    _____

            So.2d 246, 248 (Ala. Crim. App. 1976); Mitchell v. State, 329
                                                   ________    _____

            So.2d  658, 659  (Ala. Crim. App.  1976) (citing  DeFranze v.
                                                              ________

            State, 241 So.2d  125, 127 (Ala. Crim.  App.)), cert. denied,
            _____                                           _____ ______

            329 So.2d 663 (Ala.  1976); People v. Adams, 359  N.E.2d 840,
                                        ______    _____

            842 (Ill. App. Ct. 1977); State v. Constantine, 342 A.2d 735,
                                      _____    ___________

                                         -7-
                                          7

            736 (Me. 1975); Williams v. State, 256 A.2d 776, 778 (Md. Ct.
                            ________    _____

            Spec. App.  1969); Commonwealth  v. Lashway, 634  N.E.2d 930,
                               ____________     _______

            932  (Mass. App.  Ct.), review  denied, 640  N.E.2d 475,  641
                                    ______  ______

            N.E.2d 1352 (Mass. 1994); State v. Reddick, 184 A.2d 652, 654
                                      _____    _______

            (N.J. Super. Ct. App.  Div. 1962); State v. Webber,  513 P.2d
                                               _____    ______

            496, 498 (Or.  Ct. App.  1973); State v.  Howard, 693  S.W.2d
                                            _____     ______

            365, 368  (Tenn. Crim.  App. 1985); Garland  v. Commonwealth,
                                                _______     ____________

            446 S.E.2d 628, 629  (Va. App. 1994).   Here, it is  apparent

            that the vehicle was taken from the person of Rosado when the

            defendant forced  her to  ride with  him  in her  car to  the

            family farm.   Such a  taking was,  in law, a  taking of  the

            motor vehicle "from the  person" of Rosado.  Thus,  the facts

            proved  at trial and those  alleged in the  indictment do not

            amount to a variance.

                                         III.
                                         III.
                                         ____

                                      CONCLUSION
                                      CONCLUSION
                                      __________

                      For the foregoing reasons, the judgment below is   

                      Affirmed.
                      Affirmed.
                      _________

                                         -8-
                                          8