Genaro Ruben Fuentes v. United States

283 F.2d 537
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedDecember 7, 1960
Docket16758
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 283 F.2d 537 (Genaro Ruben Fuentes v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Genaro Ruben Fuentes v. United States, 283 F.2d 537 (9th Cir. 1960).

Opinion

JERTBERG,- Circuit Judge.

The appellant and one Torres were indicted in a fiye-count indictment for violation of the federal narcotics laws. Each count charged a violation of Title 21 U.S.C.A. § 174. Count one charged that on or about July 2, 1959, appellant and Torres knowingly concealed, transported, and facilitated the concealment and transportation of a specified quantity of heroin. Count two related to the same heroin mentioned in count one, and charged that appellant and Torres sold and facilitated the sale thereof. Count three charged that on or about July 6, 1959, appellant and Torres knowingly concealed, transported, and facilitated the concealment and transportation of a specified quantity of heroin. Count four related to the same heroin mentioned in count three, and charged that appellant and Torres sold and facilitated the sale thereof. Count' five charged that on or about July 8, 1959, appellant and Torres knowingly concealed, transported, and facilitated the concealment and transportation of a specified quantity of heroin. The indictment contained a sixth count against the appellant only, which charged a violation of Title 21 U.S.C.A. § 176a, in that on or about July 8, 1959, the appellant knowingly received, concealed and facilitated the transportation and concealment of a specified quantity of marihuana.

Following a jury trial, appellant and Torres were convicted on each of the first five counts in the indictment, and in addition the appellant was convicted of the offense set forth in the sixth count of the indictment.

The appellant was sentenced to the custody of the Attorney General for a period of 20 years on each count, all sentences to run concurrently. Thereafter, on timely'motion of the appellant, the district judge reduced the sentence on each count to 12 years, all sentences to run concurrently. From that judgment appellant appeals.

The district court had jurisdiction under Title 18 U.S.C.A. § 3231, and this Court has jurisdiction on appeal under Title 28 U.S.C.A. §§ 1291 and 1294.

On this appeal appellant contends:

1. That his motion for acquittal made at the close of all the testimony should have been granted;

2. That the trial court erred in denying appellant’s motion to strike from the-evidence the exhibits consisting of heroin and marihuana;

3. That the trial court erred in admitting into evidence the exhibits consisting of marihuana; and

4. That the trial court erred in admitting into evidence as against the appellant conversations between Torres and certain of the arresting and surveilling officers.

Before considering the contentions of appellant, we will briefly summarize the testimony which was before the jury. Since the appellee was the prevailing party, we must view the testimony in the light most favorable to support the judgment. We must also bear in mind that the jury impliedly resolved all disputed questions of fact adversely to the-appellant.

We will first consider the evidence relating to count six of the indictment, in which appellant alone was-charged with the offense of knowingly receiving, concealing, and facilitating the-transportation and concealment of marihuana. Following the transaction alleged *539 in count five of the indictment appellant was arrested. He was then taken to his home by the arresting officers and his •home searched. During the search a package was found in the headboard of the bed in appellant’s bedroom. He was asked as to the contents of the package -and replied that the package contained -marihuana. At the trial the marihuana was received in evidence as against the appellant. No motion to suppress this ■evidence was made by appellant prior to trial nor during the trial of the case, as -contemplated by Rule 41(e), Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, 18 U.S.C.A. Appellant moved that the exhibits relating to and including the marihuana be stricken from the evidence on the grounds that the exhibits were not properly identified and that the requisite foundation for their admission was lacking. On this appeal appellant contends that the search of appellant’s home which revealed the marihuana was illegal, in that the search was made without a search warrant. There is substantial ■evidence in the record that appellant voluntarily consented to the search after being advised that he was not required to do so. In view of the substantial evidence indicating voluntary consent to the search, and appellant’s failure to make timely objection to the introduction of such evidence, we find no error on the part of the trial court in the denial of appellant’s motion to strike such exhibits from the evidence. We are satisfied that there was sufficient evidence before the .jury to support the conviction of appellant on count six.

In view of the imposition of con- ■ current sentences on all counts and the fact that appellant was validly convicted ■on count six, a reversal cannot be had regardless of the validity of the conviction ■on the other counts. Sinclair v. United States, 279 U.S. 263, 49 S.Ct. 268, 73 L.Ed. 692; Winger v. United States, 9 Cir., 1956, 233 F.2d 440; King v. United States, 9 Cir., 1960, 279 F.2d 342. Nevertheless we will consider appellant’s -contentions relating to such other counts.

Appellant’s main .contention in respect to his conviction on counts one to five, inclusive, is that the evidence was insufficient to admit as against the appellant the exhibits relating to and consisting of heroin, and that the statements and admissions made by the codefendant Torres out of the presence of the appellant and to the arresting officers were hearsay and not admissible against the. appellant, and that therefore the other evidence received as against appellant was insufficient to sustain his conviction. At the trial appellant objected to the introduction as against the appellant of statements made by the codefendant Torres solely on the ground that since there was no count charging a conspiracy between appellant and Torres that it was error to admit the statements and admissions of Torres. On this appeal appellant concedes that the admissions and statements of a codefendant may be admissible as against the other defendant in the absence of a conspiracy count in the indictment if there is sufficient independent evidence of a concert of action between the defendants to sustain the jury’s verdict of guilt. Such is the law. Lutwak v. United States, 344 U.S. 604, 73 S.Ct. 481, 97 L.Ed. 593; United States v. Olweiss, 138 F.2d 798, at page 800, wherein the court stated: .

“The notion that the competency of the declarations of a confederate is confined to prosecutions for con-, spiracy has not the slightest basis; their admission does not depend upon the indictment, but is merely an incident of the generál principle of agency that the acts of any agent, . within the scope of his authority, are competent against his principal.”

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. Laurence John Layton
855 F.2d 1388 (Ninth Circuit, 1988)
Neel v. Rehberg
577 F.2d 262 (Fifth Circuit, 1978)
United States v. Anthony Sannicandro
434 F.2d 321 (Ninth Circuit, 1970)
United States v. Morris Garfield Williams, Jr.
435 F.2d 642 (Ninth Circuit, 1970)
United States v. David Valadez Rodriguez
426 F.2d 302 (Ninth Circuit, 1970)
United States v. Zentgraf
310 F. Supp. 268 (N.D. California, 1970)
Martin Nelson Kay v. United States
421 F.2d 1007 (Ninth Circuit, 1970)
Helen Reyes v. United States
417 F.2d 916 (Ninth Circuit, 1969)
United States v. Marvin Smith and James Smith
343 F.2d 847 (Sixth Circuit, 1965)
Peter Leroy Ortiz v. United States
318 F.2d 450 (Ninth Circuit, 1963)
United States v. Sigal
216 F. Supp. 306 (W.D. Pennsylvania, 1963)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
283 F.2d 537, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/genaro-ruben-fuentes-v-united-states-ca9-1960.