USA v. Valles, No. 05-51209 (5th Cir. 2007)
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United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FILED FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT April 12, 2007 _____________________ Charles R. Fulbruge III Clerk No. 05-51209 _____________________ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee v. JUAN VICTOR VALLES, also known as Smiley; JOHNNY GARCIA-ESPARZA, also known as Gira; SAMMY GARCIA, also known as Spiderman; JIMMY ZAVALA, also known as Panson, also known as Gordo, Defendants-Appellants ---------------------Appeals from the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas ---------------------Before KING, WIENER, and OWEN, Circuit Judges. Per Curiam: Defendants-Appellants Esparza, Sammy Garcia, Juan and Victor Jimmy Valles, Zavala were Johnny Garcia- indicted for numerous illegal acts stemming from their involvement in the Texas Mexican Mafia ( TMM ). After a lengthy trial, a jury returned guilty verdicts against each defendant on each count of their respective indictments. The district court sentenced the defendants to lengthy terms of imprisonment. appeal their convictions and sentences. The defendants now Concluding that the district court committed no error, we affirm the defendants convictions and sentences. I. A. FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS Origins of the TMM The TMM officially named Mexikanemi (Spanish for free- Mexicans ) and often referred to as La Eme (a phonetic reference to Mexikanemi ) was formed in the mid-1980s by Heriberto Huerta, penitentiary. while he was imprisoned in a federal He did so after he obtained permission from the Mexican Mafia of California to establish a similar organization in Texas. According to the TMM constitution, which has remained virtually unchanged since it was drafted in the mid-1980s, the TMM is a criminal organization functioning in whatever aspect or criminal interest for the benefit of advancement of Mexikanemi and willing to traffic in drugs, contract murders, prostitution, major robberies, gambling, arms and anything else [it] can imagine. The TMM originally operated exclusively inside prisons, both federal and state. As TMM members were released or paroled from prison, however, the TMM spread outside prison to cities within Texas, including San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Midland, Odessa, and El Paso. It now has a significant presence in the federal prison system, the Texas state prison system, and throughout the 2 state of Texas. B. Internal Structure of the TMM The TMM is organized in a hierarchical military structure. At the top are a president and vice president, responsible for all that occurs in the Mexikanemi. who are Huerta, who is now incarcerated in a different federal penitentiary, is still president of the TMM. Benito Alonzo, a prisoner in a Texas state penitentiary, is the vice president. Serving directly under the president and vice president are the TMM generals, who are responsible for all that happens in the region of which they are in charge and for maintaining communication everything with will organization. the always president be and organized vice because president [the so TMM that is] an Immediately under the generals are the captains and then the lieutenants, who are responsible for the city where they reside or the prison where they are incarcerated, as the case may be. Under the lieutenants are the sergeants, who are responsible for maintaining order wherever they are. At the bottom of this pyramid are the rank-and-file soldiers, who have the obligation to attempt to do the best possible in [the TMM s] objective to progress and to advance everything with the Mexikanemi. Despite any hierarchical differences within the TMM, its 3 constitution expressly establishes that all TMM members have the obligation of serving and obeying all the rules equally just like any other soldier or brother because all [TMM members] are soldiers and all [TMM members] are Mexican and all [TMM members] are equal. This notion of equality is further exemplified in the TMM s punitive recourse, which provides that [a]ny member of the Mexikanemi, and it does not matter if it is the president, vice president, general, lieutenants or sergeants or soldiers, that violate consequences. the rules of the Mexikanemi must suffer the These consequences usually constitute death and always do so in the case of disloyalty or treason. Even though the TMM is a single organization, its hierarchical structure is divided into two separate and distinct chains of command. The TMM s ranking system is split between those members in prison and those outside of prison or on the street. lieutenants, Thus, there are sergeants, and TMM prison soldiers, generals, and there captains, are street generals, captains, lieutenants, sergeants, and soldiers. TMM prison members only have authority over the TMM s activities within prison, and TMM street members only have authority over activities outside of prison. Because of this dichotomy, the TMM has developed a policy governing TMM members who are released or paroled from prison. 4 When a TMM prison member is released, he is given a certificate of good-standing from the ranking TMM prison official and must then report to the city where he formerly resided. On his return, to the TMM member must present his certificate the sergeant in charge of the section of the city where the returning member formerly resided. The TMM officials in that area must then investigate the returning member to ensure that he is in good standing. Once it has been determined that the returning member has met the necessary requirements, he becomes a street member of the TMM, starting at the rank of soldier, regardless of what his rank had been in prison. Similarly, a street member who is convicted and sent to prison surrenders his street rank and starts anew in prison. The president and vice president, however, retain their rank and corresponding authority whether they are in prison or on the street. C. Membership in the TMM Membership in the TMM was originally limited to convicts while they were in prison. began to allow As the organization evolved, the TMM non-convicts to become members, but only sparingly. The TMM constitution designates that all TMM members are responsible for recruiting soldiers and each member which recommends a soldier will be responsible for his recommendation 5 even though the recommendation results as an honorable one or one who deceives. referred to as Under a this system, prospecto a prospective must be member recommended for membership by a current member, who is designated as a sponsor or padrino (Spanish for godfather ). If the prospecto fouls up after he is initiated, his sponsor is responsible for resolving the matter, killing the prospecto if necessary. In recommending a prospecto, the sponsor must submit the prospecto s name to the entire membership to acquire as much background information on the prospecto as possible. If the prospecto is found to be acceptable, he begins a six-month probation period, at the end of which he will be accepted as a member, barring any setbacks. TMM members refer to each other as carnal (Spanish for brother ) or merecido (Spanish slang for a true, hard-core Mafia guy ), and commonly use tattoos for identification. At first, the tattoos were mandatory for TMM members, but they are no longer required, because they hindered the TMM s ability to infiltrate rival gangs and made its members easy targets for law enforcement. Nonetheless, they are still commonly displayed. There are several tattoos that are common among TMM members. One of these tattoos is the sequence of the arabic numerals 5, 13, 5 or the Roman numerals V, XIII, V. The 5 or the V represent the fifth letter in the alphabet, E. 6 The 13 or the XIII represent the thirteenth letter in the alphabet, M. This sequence Mexikanemi. therefore spells Eme, the abbreviation for Another tattoo is shaped like a spider, with two E s forming the legs of the spider and one M forming the body. Other popular tattoos comprise the Aztec symbol of an eagle clutching a snake and the word Mexikanemi spelled out. D. The TMM in San Antonio San Antonio is the capital of the TMM, with a membership of approximately 500. It is divided into four eschenas (Spanish for corners ), North, South, East, and West. the strongest. overseeing The West corner is the A lieutenant commands each corner, with a captain four lieutenants and a general ultimately responsible for the entirety of San Antonio. In the late 1990s, the TMM in San Antonio increased its involvement in drug trafficking by forcing non-TMM drug dealers to share the heroin and cocaine they received from Mexico. The higher and ranking TMM officials would receive the drugs distribute them down the chain of command to the lieutenants, who would then distribute to the sergeants, who would then distribute to the soldiers. Between 1998 and 2004, as a result of the TMM s newly established supply source, the TMM imported and distributed large amounts of heroin and cocaine, moving at least one kilogram of heroine and one to two kilograms of cocaine a week. 7 Not only did the TMM in San Antonio make money from directly distributing drugs, but they controlled drug distribution by extorting a street tax known as the dime or el daime (Spanish for the dime ) from rival drug dealers. When the presence of a non-TMM drug dealer came to the attention of the TMM, it would send a member to confront the drug dealer and inform him that he had to pay ten percent of his drug proceeds to the TMM. the In return for the dime, the TMM allowed drug dealers privilege dealers. of dealing and provided protection from other In addition to charging the dime prospectively, the TMM would impose a retroactive tax on the amount of drugs proceeds that had already accrued. If a rival drug dealer refused to pay the dime, the TMM would conduct a home invasion, in which a large number of armed TMM members would break into the drug dealer s home and take everything of value, including automobiles. If a drug dealer refused to pay the dime after a home invasion, the TMM would then have the drug dealer killed. To further their drug trafficking and extortion practices, the TMM maintained a vast storehouse of firearms, which were kept in a secret location, known only to high ranking TMM officials. If a soldier was sent to collect the dime, participate in a home invasion, or execute a green light (i.e., a homicide), the TMM 8 would have their firearms weaponry to the soldier. custodian furnish the necessary After the mission had been completed, the soldier would return the weapon to the custodian, who would either destroy the weapon or hide it in a different location. Between the late 1990s and 2004, the TMM in San Antonio executed numerous home invasions and murdered several people, including a number of its own members. E. The Defendants Between the late 1990s and 2004, each of the defendants served with the TMM in San Antonio. Following his initiation into the TMM, Zavala served as lieutenant in the North corner and subsequently was promoted to captain and then general of San Antonio. Garcia-Esparza served as lieutenant in the North corner after Zavala s promotion from that same position. Valles was initially a sergeant, but eventually was promoted to lieutenant in the East corner. corner. Garcia served as the third-man for the North As third-man, Garcia was an assistant to the sergeant of the North corner and functioned as an intermediary between the sergeant and the soldiers. F. The Indictment In August 2004, a federal grand jury returned a 33-count indictment against 28 TMM members. Count One charged all 28 TMM members with conspiring to distribute and to possess with the 9 intent to kilograms distribute or more a of kilogram cocaine, or in 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(A), and 846. more of violation heroin of 21 and five U.S.C. §§ Count One alleged that between August 1, 1999 and August 1, 2004, the TMM, through these 28 defendants, conspired among each other and agreed to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute heroin and cocaine, then committed the following overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy: (1) obtained heroin and cocaine in large quantities and distributed it among members of the TMM for further distribution and sale; (2) controlled the distribution of heroin and cocaine by restricting drug trafficking among non-members of the TMM, exclusively to those non-members who paid the dime to the TMM; (3) protected authorized drug distributors from robbery, violence, and competition; and (4) used violence to enforce the TMM s requirement that all drug distributors pay the dime. Count Thirteen charged Valles and two other TMM members with distributing a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin on January 29, 2004, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C), and 18 U.S.C. § 2. Count Seventeen charged Garcia-Esparza and another TMM member with distributing a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin on March 17, 2004, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 18 U.S.C. § 2. 10 Count Eighteen charged Garcia-Esparza and another TMM member with distributing a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin on March 23, 2004, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 18 U.S.C. § 2. Count Nineteen charged Garcia-Esparza and another TMM member with distributing a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin on March 30, 2004, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 18 U.S.C. § 2. Count Twenty charged Garcia-Esparza, Garcia, and another TMM member with distributing a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin on April 22, 2004, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 18 U.S.C. § 2. Count Twenty-One charged Zavala and another TMM member with possessing with the intent to distribute five hundred grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine on April 22, 2004, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B), and 18 U.S.C. § 2. Count Thirty charged Zavala, Garcia-Esparza, and four other TMM members with conspiring to knowingly use, carry, and posses at least one of fifty individually listed firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (Count One of the Indictment) from August 1, 1999 to August 1, 2004, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c), (o). 11 Count Thirty-One charged Zavala, Garcia-Esparza, and four other TMM members with knowingly using, carrying, and possessing at least one of fifty individually listed firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (Count One of the Indictment) on April 29, 2004, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c), (o), and 18 U.S.C. § 2. Count Thirty-Two charged Zavala, Valles, and Garcia with knowingly using, carrying, and possessing a Taurus .9 millimeter handgun, bearing serial number L20209; and a Davis Industries .380 caliber furtherance handgun, of a drug bearing serial trafficking number crime AP355098, (Count One of in the Indictment), in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c) and 2. Count Thirty-Three charged all 28 defendants with conspiring to conduct financial transactions that involved property which was the proceed of unlawful activity, by collecting a mandatory tax on the proceeds of narcotic sales in exchange for granting the drug dealer authorization to sell narcotics, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1)(A)(I). The trial of Zavala, Garcia-Esparza, commenced early in April 2005. Valles, and Garcia More than two weeks later, the jury returned guilty verdicts as to each defendant on each count. In required addition the to jurors the criminal to determine 12 charges, beyond a the verdict reasonable form doubt whether: (1) Zavala was a leader or organizer of the conspiracy alleged in Count One, (2) Garcia was a leader or organizer of the conspiracy alleged in Count One, (3) Garcia-Esparza was a leader or organizer of the conspiracy alleged in Count One, (4) Zavala committed a home invasion on Steve Pedraza on May 14, 2003, and (5) Zavala intentionally and knowingly killed Jose Luis Moreno. The jury answered interrogatories 1, 3, and 4, yes, and numbers 2 and 5, no. When the verdict was returned, Valles made an oral motion for a new trial, which was denied. In August 2005, the district court sentenced Zavala to life imprisonment on Count One; 480 months imprisonment on Count Twenty-One; and 240 months on each of Counts Thirty and ThirtyThree, further each to be sentenced served Zavala concurrently. to 60 months The district imprisonment on court Count Thirty-One to be served consecutively to Counts One, Twenty-One, Thirty, and Thirty-Three. months imprisonment on The court also sentenced Zavala to 300 Count Thirty-Two to be served consecutively to Counts One, Twenty-One, Thirty, Thirty-One, and Thirty-Three, and imposed a five year term of supervised release as to Counts One, Twenty-One, Thirty-One, and Thirty-Two, and a three year term of supervised release as to Counts Thirty and Thirty-Three, each to be served concurrently. In the same month, the district court sentenced Valles to 13 600 months imprisonment on Count One and 240 months imprisonment on each of Counts Thirteen and Thirty-Three, each to be served concurrently. The court also sentenced Valles to 60 months imprisonment as to Count Thirty-Two, to be served consecutively to the other sentences, and imposed a five year term of supervised release on each of Counts One and Thirty-Two, and a three year term on Counts Thirteen and Thirty-Three, each to be served concurrently. Also that month, the district court sentenced Garcia to 600 months imprisonment on Count One and 240 months imprisonment on each of Counts concurrently. Twenty The and court Thirty-Three, also sentenced each to be served Garcia to 60 months imprisonment on Count Thirty-Two, to be served consecutively to the other sentences, and imposed a five year term of supervised release on each of Counts One and Thirty-Two, and a three year term on each of Counts Twenty and Thirty-Three, each to be served concurrently. The following month, the district court sentenced GarciaEsparza to 660 months imprisonment on Count One and 240 months on each of Counts Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Thirty, and Thirty-Three, each to be served concurrently. sentenced Garcia-Esparza to 60 months The court also imprisonment on Count Thirty-One to be served consecutively to the other counts, and 14 imposed a five year term of supervised release on each of Counts One and Thirty-One, and a three year term of supervised release on Counts Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Thirty, and Thirty-Three, each to be served concurrently. Each defendant timely filed a notice of appeal. II. A. LAW AND ANALYSIS Garcia-Esparza s Claim of Insufficiency of the Evidence Garcia-Esparza claims that there was insufficient evidence to support his conviction on any of Counts One, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Thirty, and Thirty-Two. 1. Standard of Review In reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence to support a conviction, determining we ordinarily whether a review rational the juror jury s could have verdict by found the elements of the offense proved beyond a reasonable doubt.1 In so doing, we view the evidence in the light most favorable to the government, with all reasonable inferences choices made in support of the jury verdict.2 and credibility When a defendant fails to move for a judgment of acquittal and thereby fails to preserve the issue for appeal, however, we review to determine only whether the conviction amounts to a manifest miscarriage of 1 United States v. Yi, 460 F.3d 623, 629 (5th Cir. 2006). 2 Id. 15 justice.3 Under this standard, we will reverse a conviction only if the record is devoid of evidence pointing to guilt.4 2. Merits As Garcia-Esparza failed to move for a judgment of acquittal in the district court, we review for manifest miscarriage of justice. Even a cursory review of the record illustrates that it is not devoid of evidence of guilt. We affirm each of Garcia- Esparza s convictions. B. The Defendants Motion for Mistrial All four defendants contend that the district court abused its discretion in denying their motions for a mistrial after government witness Luis Adame, Jr. revealed his gun-shot wound scars to the jury during his testimony. In its case-in-chief, the government called Adame as a fact witness regarding the TMM s alleged attempt to murder him. Moments into his testimony, Adame began having trouble answering the government s questions. He stated that he was nervous and, after government being asked by the if wanted to continue testifying at that time, Adame requested to have a minute and step out . . . . After two additional questions from the government Adame s regarding fitness to testify, the court 3 United States v. Partida, 385 F.3d 546, 561 (5th Cir. 2004). 4 Id. 16 excused Adame, giving him time to overcome his nervousness. After examining another witness, the government re-called Adame. As soon as he took the stand, and before any questions were asked on direct examination, Adame stated that he was having a panic attack and again requested that he be allowed to step out of the courtroom for a few minutes. The district court again let Adame leave the courtroom. After examining still another witness, the government again re-called Adame to the witness stand. Before any examination of Adame occurred, a brief bench conference took place, at which counsel for Zavala brought the following information to the court s attention: Apparently this witness s father was murdered and there s some indication it might have been related to the Mexican Mafia. Now I asked [the government] if [it] had planned to go into that and [it] said [it] did, and I m going to object to it unless it s tied to one of our clients. It s much more prejudicial than probative especially in light of the fact that this man has been in and out of the courtroom four times. In response, relevant the because Finding the government it stated explained government s why explanation that Adame the information was inadequate, so was emotional. the district court granted Zavala s request and told the government, Don t go there. When Adame resumed, he testified that he had been a TMM 17 member under the direct authority of Zavala and that, in March 2003, Zavala, Garcia-Esparza, and Valles came to his place of employment a car lot and kilograms of cocaine from him. sale of five kilograms for asked took all five $55,000.00, kilograms, deducting $33,000.00 as tax. that Zavala paying. was effectively purchasing five After he and Zavala agreed on the kilograms delivered to the car lot. Zavala about Adame had the five When the cocaine arrived, but only paid $22,000.00, According to Adame, he objected taking three kilograms without After then being surrounded by Zavala, Garcia-Esparza, Valles, and the rest of the TMM members who were escorting them, Adame acquiesced to Zavala s demand. When asked by the prosecution why this happened, Adame explained that he was being punished for refusing to collect the dime in his neighborhood. Adame further testified that, two weeks after the initial incident, Zavala, Garcia-Esparza, and Valles returned to the car lot with approximately thirteen or fourteen other TMM members, demanding $30,000.00 in back taxes from him, accusing him of under-reporting his drug sales. As Adame did not have $30,000.00 in his possession, Zavala took Adame s Harley Davidson motorcycle (worth approximately $28,000.00) and pickup truck (worth approximately $9,000.00) as collateral, telling Adame that the vehicles would be returned when Adame paid the $30,000.00. 18 Adame testified that he called Zavala two hours later and informed him that the $30,000.00 was available and (Adame) would be at the car lot in twenty minutes. that he Zavala, Garcia-Esparza, Valles, and an additional crew of thirteen or fourteen TMM members then proceeded to the car lot, where Adame gave Zavala the $30,000.00 and requested his motorcycle and truck back. Instead of returning the vehicles as promised, though, Zavala kept them as additional payment for back taxes. Four weeks after the second incident, Adame told Zavala during a telephone conversation that he was quitting the TMM. Approximately two or three weeks after that, Adame received a telephone call from Jesse Hernandez, a close friend of his and a TMM member. Adame that During this telephone conversation, Hernandez told Zavala had given Valles a green light meaning that Zavala had ordered Valles to murder him. on him, After this conversation, Adame became very cautious, even moving to a new home. In early September, as Adame was approaching the door to his home, he heard a vehicle come to an abrupt stop behind him and, after turning around, saw Valles jump out of a van and start shooting at him, with a gun in each hand. Adame ran and called the police on his cellular phone, telling them that he had been shot several times and requesting help. 19 In fact, he had been shot three times. After the police arrived, Adame lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital, where he remained for approximately a month and a half. Because of his wounds, Adame was relegated to a wheelchair and had to use a colostomy bag for approximately one year. On cross-examination, Adame about his father. killed by the TMM. Garcia-Esparza s counsel questioned Adame testified that his father was At this point, defense counsel asked Adame why he had joined the TMM if it was responsible for his father s murder. Adame explained that he joined because he did not want to be killed himself. Defense counsel then proceeded to question Adame about why he had quit the TMM, to which Adame answered that he did so after the TMM began taking his possessions. Defense counsel then posed the following question: You didn t get fed up when they started shooting your family, killing your father. It wasn t until they started taking your stuff that you decided to quit, you were fed up with this? Adame explained that he had not really known his father, who had been in prison most of Adame s life. Defense counsel then interrupted Adame, leading to the following dialogue: Q: You know, it is surprising how much trouble you had talking earlier -- 20 A: In June -- Q: -- this morning but you can t shut up now. Wait till I ask you a question. Now was that all some big act earlier that you came out here with that production you made that you couldn t talk? A: Do you want to see my wounds? Q: Did you hear what I asked you? A: No, it wasn t a big act. Q: You were not wounded in a courtroom were you? A: No. Q: You weren t wounded when you were surrounded by U.S. Marshals, were you? A: I was scared. Q: You weren t wounded by people on this jury, were you? A: No. Q: But yet you made that big production out here this morning that you couldn t talk because these people scared you? A: No, because [the defendants] scared me. I started getting anxiety attacks. The government began re-direct by asking Adame: Just to make sure you didn t make up this whole shooting thing, will you stand up and show us your scars? Defense counsel objected, and the district court sustained the objection. On re-cross, Valles s counsel, who had just obtained the police report for the September 2003 shooting incident, began the 21 following exchange: Q: Do you remember talking to an Officer P. Joke [phonetic], Badge No. 950, about this case? A: At the scene? Q: Yes. A: Yes. Q: Do you remember telling him and here the complainant is you. Do you remember telling him that you, Luis Adame: Said he didn t know any of the people that got out of that van shooting at him ? Do you remember saying that, yes or no? A: The reason I said that is because Q: Yes or no? A: I wanted to get them myself. Q: Yes or no? A: THE COURT: A: THE COURT: A: I wanted him myself. Wait, wait. This is what he did to me. Wait. Sit down. He shot me. THE COURT: Get him out of here. MARSHALL: Step this way, please. THE COURT: I don t have time for nonsense. Out. And I m going to tell the prosecution don t ever bring someone who s just going to show a lot of nonsense. Next witness. 22 Out, out, out. [VALLES COUNSEL]: THE COURT: It s all struck. [VALLES COUNSEL]: THE COURT: May his testimony be -Let s go. Motion to disregard. Motion to disregard. Just pretend the gentleman was never there. [THE GOVERNMENT]: Dr. Kim Molina, Your Honor. [VALLES COUNSEL]: I m sorry, Your Honor. I need to make a motion for mistrial. THE COURT: I understand. That s denied. Thank you. The motion is made as to each defendant and it s denied as to each defendant. During this exchange, Adame had stood and shown the jury the scars from his gun-shot wounds. It was at this point that the court told Adame to sit down, then had him removed from the courtroom, striking the entirety of his testimony. As part of its jury charge, the district court instructed: During the trial I sustained objections to certain questions. You must disregard those questions entirely. Do not speculate as to what the witness would have said if permitted to answer the question. As I told you during the trial, I also struck the entire testimony of Luis Adame, and you are instructed to disregard his testimony in its entirety. You shall not consider any part of his testimony for any reason whatsoever. Your verdict must be solely based on the legally admissible evidence and testimony. On appeal, the defendants contend that Adame s revealing of his scars necessitates a mistrial, 23 because his actions were unfairly prejudicial and incurable.5 1. Standard of Review We review the denial of a motion for mistrial for abuse of discretion.6 A new trial is required only when, after a review of the entire record, it appears that there is a significant possibility that the prejudicial impact on the jury verdict.7 evidence had a substantial We give great weight to the trial court s assessment of the prejudicial effect of the evidence, and 5 The defendants also assert, albeit somewhat cryptically, that the government knowingly presented false testimony and thus a mistrial must be granted. The defendants apparently contend that Adame s prior inconsistent statement to the police that he did not know any of the people who shot him rendered his testimony false and, more importantly, this was known by the government when it elicited Adame s testimony. We disagree. There is absolutely no evidence that the government intentionally presented testimony known to be false. The government presented Adame s testimony surrounding the who, how, and why of his shooting. Defense counsel was able effectively to cross-examine Adame on his prior inconsistent statement regarding the identity of his shooter. Adame responded that he gave an intentionally false statement to police and was now giving truthful testimony. The government did not ask Adame whether he made a statement to the police or the substance of such a statement, thereby allowing Adame to deny the existence or substance of the statement. Instead, the prosecution asked fact questions (e.g., who shot you and how did it happen?), which was subjected to crossexamination. In fact, at the time of its direct examination of Adame, the government did not have the police report and had never even seen it before. Thus, it is unclear how, on this basis, the government knowingly and intentionally elicited false testimony. 6 United States v. Dupre, 117 F.3d 810, 823 (5th Cir. 1997). 7 United States v. Paul, 142 F.3d 836, 844 (5th Cir. 1998). 24 prejudice may be rendered harmless by a curative instruction.8 We also examine the context of the challenged statement to determine whether the prejudicial comment was elicited by the government or was a spontaneous act by the witness.9 2. Merits Our review of the record on appeal satisfies us that the district court did not abuse its defendants motions for mistrial. was not so prejudicial that instructions to the jury. objection, that he had discretion and denying the Adame s showing of his scars it could not be cured with He had already testified, without been shot by Valles, hospitalized, and had suffered severe injuries. hospitalization, in injuries were not in had been His shooting, dispute; identities of the responsible parties were in dispute. only the Revealing his scars may well have been unwarranted drama, but his actions did not present new, inadmissible evidence. It only tended to confirm what was already known that Adame had been shot. In addition, government. his actions were not elicited by the First, during cross-examination, Adame asked Garcia- Esparza s counsel if he wanted to see Adame s scars. True, the 8 United States v. Nguyen, 28 F.3d 477, 483 (5th Cir. 1994). 9 United States v. Moreno, 185 F.3d 465, 472-73 (5th Cir. 1999). 25 government on re-direct examination had asked Adame to show the jury his scars, the district court quickly sustained defense s objection and prevented Adame from doing so. the It was only during defense counsel s re-cross examination that Adame autonomously revealed his scars. He did so when defense counsel questioned him about the shooting and suggested that he did not know who shot him. This occurred after an intense cross- examination, during which Adame was questioned about his father s murder and was made to appear that he valued his possessions more than his family. Given the timing and context of Adame s actions and the fact that he was the first to bring up the possibility of revealing his scars, we cannot conclude that the government elicited Adame s actions. More importantly, after Adame revealed his scars, the district court quickly and authoritatively took command of the situation, expelling Adame from the courtroom, striking entire testimony, and admonishing the prosecution. his During the jury charge, the district court again instructed the jury that it could not consider any of Adame s testimony. Based on the limited prejudice suffered by the revealing of Adame s scars and the strong, immediate actions of the district court, we conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying the defendants motions for mistrial. 26 C. Garcia-Esparza s Claim of Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Garcia-Esparza contends that his trial counsel failed to provide effective assistance of counsel because (1) he failed to move for a mistrial after Adame s testimony, and (2) he failed to argue effectively against the district court s decision to sentence Garcia-Esparza to 720 months, as recommended in his PreSentence Investigation Report ( PSR ). 1. Standard of Review To prevail on an ineffective assistance of counsel claim, a defendant must show that (1) his counsel s performance was deficient, and (2) the deficient performance was prejudicial.10 To satisfy the first prong, the defendant must demonstrate that the alleged errors were so serious that the assistance was below the constitutional minimum guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment, as measured under an objective standard of reasonableness.11 satisfy the second prong, the defendant must show that To his counsel s performance prejudiced him to such an extent that the trial or sentencing was fundamentally unfair or unreliable and that, but for counsel s errors, the result would have been different.12 10 Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687 (1984). 11 United States v. Faubion, 19 F.3d 222, 228 (5th Cir. 1994). 12 Id. 27 Our review is highly deferential to counsel and presumes that counsel s assistance was adequate.13 Moreover, we will not resolve a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel on direct appeal when the defendant fails to raise the issue in the district court, except when a well developed record exists.14 2. Merits Our review of the record convinces us that the performance of Garcia-Esparza s trial counsel was not deficient. As to Adame s testimony, immediately after Valles counsel orally moved for a mistrial, the district court considered the mistrial motion as having been made by each defendant and then denied it as to each defendant. It would have been redundant and pointless and not conceivably a constitutional violation for GarciaEsparza s trial counsel to move personally for a mistrial. As for sentencing, it is Esparza contends was deficient. entirely unclear what Garcia- In his appellate brief, the totality of his argument consists of the following: Appellant s counsel failed to argue effectively the judge s adherence to the PSR. The PSR called for 720 months instead of the range above noted, 352 to 425 months. This claim simply lacks the requisite 13 Burger v. Kemp, 483 U.S. 776, 789 (1987). 14 United States v. Brewster, 137 F.3d 853, 859 (5th Cir. 1998). 28 specificity needed for appellate review, as it is unknown what Garcia-Esparza claims to be error. The most that we can decipher is that Garcia-Esparza takes issue with the district court s factual finding that he was responsible for the distribution of over 150 kilograms of heroin and 30 kilograms of cocaine. To the extent that this is Garcia- Esparza s argument, we note that his trial counsel objected indepth to the factual findings in the PSR, both to the probation officer who relayed the objections to the district court prior to the sentencing hearing and to the district court during the sentencing hearing. One of his objections asserted that the PSR incorrectly calculated the Guidelines range, claiming that it should have been 352 to 425 months, because the district court incorrectly found that Garcia-Esparza was responsible for the distribution of over 150 kilograms of heroin and 30 kilograms of cocaine, rather than the 1.6 kilograms of heroin kilograms of cocaine advocated by Garcia-Esparza. court considered sentencing Garcia-Esparza s hearing, afforded trial and The district objections prior counsel opportunity an 2.3 to the to argue the objections orally at the sentencing hearing, and then denied the objections. We cannot see how the actions of Garcia- Esparza s trial counsel were deficient in any way. If perchance this is not 29 Garcia-Esparza s argument of ineffective assistance at sentencing, we rule that his argument was waived for inadequate briefing.15 D. Valles Due-Process Claim Valles contends that the district court violated his constitutional right to due process by not allowing him to enter his plea in front of the jury. Valles acknowledges that he can find no case supporting this proposition, but insists that he has a constitutional right to plead before the jury. 1. Standard of Review The identification of a liberty interest that is protected by the Due Process Clause is a question of federal constitutional law and reviewed de novo.16 As Valles failed to raise this issue before the district court, we review his claim for plain error.17 Under plain error review, we may exercise our discretion to reverse a defendant s conviction if there is (1) an error, (2) that is plain, (3) that affects substantial rights, and (4) that seriously affects the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings.18 An error is plain if it is clear 15 Int l Truck & Engine Corp. v. Bray, 380 F.3d 231, 232 (5th Cir. 2004). 16 Madison v. Parker, 104 F.3d 765, 767 (5th Cir. 1997). 17 United States v. Vargas-Garcia, 434 F.3d 345, 47 (5th Cir. 2005). 18 United States v. Lewis, 412 F.3d 614, 616 (5th Cir. 2005). 30 under current law.19 2. Merits As Valles recognizes, there is no authority for the legal holding that due process entitles a defendant to enter a plea in front of a jury. Thus, even assuming without granting that Valles had a constitutional right to enter his plea before the jury, this right is not clear under current law and thus cannot constitute plain error. E. Valles claim therefore fails. Zavala s Sentencing Challenge Zavala asserts that the district court impermissibly found for sentencing purposes that he was responsible for the murder of Jose Luis Moreno. if it found At the conclusion of trial, the jury was asked beyond a reasonable doubt intentionally or knowingly killed Moreno. that Zavala had The jury answered in the negative. Notwithstanding that the the information sufficiently reliable jury verdict, relevant to to support the a Zavala s murder finding PSR of concluded Moreno that it was was reasonably foreseeable that Zavala was responsible for [Moreno s murder] and should be held accountable for [this act]. Prior to sentencing, Zavala objected to the PSR s recommendation on this 19 United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725, 734 (1993). 31 point. At sentencing, the district court overruled Zavala s objection, found that he was responsible for Moreno s murder, and sentenced him accordingly. On appeal, Zavala contends that United States v. Booker20 prevents the district court from sentencing a defendant on facts not found by a jury or admitted in a guilty plea. insists, the district court committed Thus, Zavala reversible error by sentencing him based on facts of which he was acquitted by a jury. Zavala argues, in the alternative, that there was insufficient evidence to support the district court s finding, regardless of the standard, i.e., beyond a reasonable doubt or by a preponderance of the evidence. 1. Standard of Review We review a district court s interpretation and application of the Guidelines de novo and its factual findings in connection with sentencing for clear error.21 We will find a district court s factual findings to be clearly erroneous only if, based on the entirety of evidence, we are left with the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been made.22 A factual finding is not clearly erroneous if it is plausible in light of 20 543 U.S. 220 (2005). 21 United States v. Parker, 133 F.3d 322, 328 (5th Cir. 1998). 22 United States v. Valdez, 453 F.3d 252, 262 (5th Cir. 2006). 32 the entire record.23 In making its factual findings for sentencing, a district court may adopt the findings of the PSR without additional inquiry if those facts have an evidentiary basis with sufficient indicia of reliability and the defendant does not present rebuttal evidence or otherwise demonstrate that the information is materially unreliable.24 The defendant has the burden of showing that the information relied on by the district court in the PSR is materially unreliable.25 2. Merits Post-Booker, a district court may sentence a defendant on facts not established by either a guilty plea or jury verdict, as long as the conduct for which the defendant was acquitted has been proven by a preponderance of the evidence.26 Thus, Valles argument that the district court s fact finding was a per se Booker violation is foreclosed. Accordingly, the real issue on appeal is whether the district court s finding by a preponderance of the evidence that Zavala erroneous. 23 Id. 24 Id. 25 Id. 26 Id. at 264. 33 murdered Moreno was clearly At trial, Bexar County Deputy Sheriff Sal Marin testified about the investigation of Moreno s death. Moreno was reported missing and an whereabouts was commenced in July 2002. According to Marin, investigation into his During the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers learned that Moreno was a TMM member and had rented a Sports Utility Vehicle ( SUV ) on July 3, 2002. 15, 2003, It was found burned on July 11, 2002. skeletal human remains eventually On October identified as Moreno s were found on the property of Tomas Carrasco, who is the father of TMM member Ray Carrasco. the TMM, Marin testified that Based on his experience with the TMM usually disposes of homicide victims by burying the remains in rural areas and that the burial of Moreno s body fit this pattern. In addition, TMM member Joe Rene Tamayo testified that, one morning in mid-July 2002, he got a telephone call from TMM member Casper around 2:30 a.m. Casper told Tamayo that they needed to do a cook out, which was TMM code for a procedure the TMM used to dispose of evidence, such as a weapon or vehicle, by burning it. According to TMM custom, the TMM member who used the weapon at issue would present it to Tamayo, who would then destroy it by burning it with a blow torch. To effectuate this cook out, Casper and Tamayo arranged to meet that morning at a place in the West side of San Antonio where they frequently performed cook 34 outs. After Tamayo arrived at the cook out, Zavala, who was not a TMM member at the time, showed up, looking shaken and scared, and gave a gun to Tamayo. After torching the gun, Casper told Tamayo that they also needed to dispose of a vehicle. Casper and Tamayo went to a gas station and filled two gas cans with gasoline. Tamayo pick up the vehicle, which was a Jeep Casper then had Cherokee SUV. Tamayo knew the vehicle belonged to Moreno, because he recognized it as Moreno s and also saw receipts in the vehicle belonging to Moreno. Tamayo drove Moreno s SUV towards Castroville, Texas, parked it on the side of the road, and burned it. Tamayo further testified that he saw bloody hand prints sliding down the rear windshield of the automobile. Tamayo never saw Moreno again. Tamayo also testified that, prior to the murder, Zavala had been associating with TMM members and wanted to become one. The day before the cook out, Zavala had talked to Tamayo, indicating that he did not trust Moreno, that Moreno was doing drugs, and that Moreno was probably an informant. Shortly after the cook out was performed, Zavala became a member of the TMM and was given Moreno s former position as lieutenant of the North corner. Additional testimony indicated that it was rare for a person who had not been in prison to be admitted to the TMM and that, to make up for this, a non-convict prospecto such as Zavala 35 would often be required to commit a cameo, which meant killing someone on the TMM s behalf. Given that (1) Moreno s remains were found on the property of a TMM member s father, (2) the remains were buried in a rural area, as customary with the TMM, (3) Moreno s automobile was found torched, (4) Tamayo admitted torching Moreno s automobile on the same night that he received a gun from Zavala for a cook out, (5) TMM custom had the user of the gun present it to Tamayo for torching, (6) there were bloody hand prints on the rear windshield of Moreno s SUV, (7) Zavala suspected Moreno of being an informant, (8) Zavala became a TMM member, taking Moreno s position after his death, (9) Zavala wanted to become a TMM member prior to Moreno s death, and (10) TMM custom required a non-convict prospecto to murder a person on behalf of the TMM before being admitted into the TMM, the district court did not commit clear error in finding by a preponderance of the evidence that Zavala killed Moreno. F. Garcia-Esparza s Sentencing Challenge Garcia-Esparza asserts that the district court sentenced him in violation Jersey.28 of He Blakely contends v. Washington27 that 27 542 U.S. 296 (2004). 28 the 530 U.S. 466 (2000). 36 and district Apprendi court v. New erred by increasing his sentence based on judge-found failing to identify which facts are in contention. facts, despite Regardless of which facts are in contention, Garcia-Esparza s claim is without merit. A district court may sentence a defendant on the basis of judge-found facts post-Booker. G. Garcia s Sentencing Challenge Garcia insists that the district court committed error in purporting to find by a preponderance of the evidence that Garcia was a leader or organizer of the Count One conspiracy. At the conclusion of trial, the jury was asked if it found beyond a reasonable doubt that Garcia was a leader or organizer of the overarching conspiracy alleged in Count One of the Indictment. The jury answered in the negative. Notwithstanding the jury verdict, Garcia s PSR recommended that the district court find that Garcia was an organizer or leader of accordingly. the conspiracy and enhance his Guidelines range Garcia objected to the PSR, but the district court denied the objection and found by a preponderance of the evidence that Garcia was an organizer or leader of the conspiracy. On appeal, Garcia claims that his sentence violated Booker and Blakely because the district court sentenced him based on facts of which he was acquitted by the jury. noted, this claim is without merit and thus fails. 37 As previously H. Valles s Sentencing Challenge Valles contends that the district court violated Booker in finding that Valles distributed and possessed with the intent to distribute a specified quantity of drugs and that he was a leader or organizer of the Count One conspiracy. The jury was not asked to find beyond a reasonable doubt the amount of drugs that Valles was responsible for or whether Valles was a leader or organizer of the conspiracy. Nonetheless, the district court enhanced Valles sentence based on the drug quantity and on his status as a leader or organizer. On appeal, Valles contends that the district violated court s actions Booker and Blakely. Once again, as noted above, this claim is without merit and thus fails. III. CONCLUSION Based on the applicable law and our extensive review of the parties briefs and the record on appeal, district court did not commit any error. defendants convictions and sentences. AFFIRMED 38 we hold that the We therefore affirm the
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