Court Opinion

ID: 9460748
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 21:59:24.38735+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:36:46.015376
License: Public Domain

HUFSTEDLER, Circuit Judge
(concurring in part and dissenting in part):
Although I concur in the majority’s affirmance of Ledesma’s conviction, I cannot join in affirming Quiroz-Santi’s conviction. In my view, there was not sufficient independent proof of Quiroz-Santi’s knowledge of and participation in the conspiracy to permit introduction against Quiroz-Santi of hearsay testimony of statements made by alleged co-conspirators. Without the hearsay testimony, the evidence against Quiroz-Santi was not sufficient to sustain his conviction.
The Government produced only meager evidence of Quiroz-Santi’s knowing participation in the conspiracy apart from the hearsay testimony concerning telephone conversations between Nancy Pena and Isabelle Soto and the transcriptions of several of those conversations: (1) Quiroz-Santi flew with Ledesma from New York, shared a motel room with him, and accompanied him while Ledesma picked up and shipped the trunk; (2) Quiroz-Santi used a different address when renting a car from that used in renting the motel room; (3) he waited outside Pena’s apartment in a rented car while Ledesma picked up the trunk; and (4) he talked to Pena’s neighbor when Ledesma had difficulty communicating with her. In addition, Quiroz-Santi’s explanation for his conduct was somewhat strained.
All other “independent evidence” detailed in the majority opinion, including the hearsay testimony of Pena’s neighbor that Ledesma told her that he had obtained her telephone number from Soto in Chile, concerns only Ledesma’s involvement in the conspiracy. It is fundamental that evidence of Ledesma’s guilt cannot be used to prove Quiroz-Santi’s participation in the conspiracy merely because the two men associated with each other. (E. g., Sibron v. New York (1968) 392 U.S. 40, 62-63, 88 S.Ct. 1889, 20 L.Ed.2d 917.) Other than establishing that he associated with Ledesma, the independent evidence of Quiroz-Santi’s involvement revealed only that he engaged in some ambiguous conduct while traveling with Ledesma. That evidence is not sufficient to support a finding that Quiroz-Santi was a knowing participant in the conspiracy; conduct less innocuous repeatedly has been held insufficient to constitute prima facie evidence of involvement in a criminal enterprise. (See, e. g., Sibron v. New York, supra, at 62-63; United States v. Di Re (1948) 332 U.S. 581, 592, 68 S.Ct. 222, 92 L.Ed. 210; United States v. Strickler (9th Cir. 1974) 490 F.2d 378, 380.)
Evidence that is not sufficient to justify admission of hearsay testimony of the Soto-Pena conversation is necessarily insufficient to sustain the jury’s verdict that Quiroz-Santi was guilty of conspiring to possess and distribute cocaine.
I would reverse Quiroz-Santi’s conviction.