Howard Edward Jordan v. United States

428 F.2d 7, 1970 U.S. App. LEXIS 8529
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedJune 24, 1970
Docket23831
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 428 F.2d 7 (Howard Edward Jordan 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
Howard Edward Jordan v. United States, 428 F.2d 7, 1970 U.S. App. LEXIS 8529 (9th Cir. 1970).

Opinion

CROCKER, District Judge:

Appellant was convicted of the crime of knowingly receiving, concealing and facilitating the transportation of a certain quantity of marihuana which had been illegally imported into the United States. 21 U.S.C. § 176a.

Two Government informers were solicited by a supplier in Mexico to fly marihuana to the United States from Mexico. After several meetings and telephone conversations between the informers and the supplier, the informers were given appellant Jordan’s name and telephone number and told to contact him in order to arrange delivery of the marihuana upon arrival of the flight in the United States. The contact was made and a meeting was set up to work out the details of the delivery.

At the meeting the appellant supplied the informers with two automobiles for use in the delivery of the marihuana. One of the informers flew the marihuana from Mexico to Long Beach, California, and subsequently loaded the marihuana into the two automobiles at the airport. Appellant was then contacted and he subsequently drove one of the vehicles for delivery of the marihuana to a designated designation. The appellant was thereafter arrested.

*9 1. The Question of Entrapment.

One of the defenses relied upon by the appellant was that of entrapment. In a discussion out of the presence of the jury at trial, the Government attorney indicated the intent to show predisposition on the part of appellant to commit the crime by the use of hearsay testimony in order to defeat the defense of entrapment. The testimony would show that a Government agent had a file on the appellant. The court indicated that it would admit this testimony. As a result, the defense of entrapment was withdrawn by appellant’s counsel because it was felt the testimony would be too prejudicial to the defense’s case.

Appellant contends first that it was error for the court to rule that it would admit hearsay evidence to show predisposition. Second, it is argued that even though the defense was not relied upon, there was enough evidence of entrapment that it was error to fail to give the entrapment instruction to the jury. We do not agree on either count.

We do not think that on the record in this case, appellant may claim error in the trial court’s proposed ruling. When appellant’s counsel withdrew the entrapment defense the Government did not present the evidence which the court had held would be admissible. Appellant’s counsel thus forestalled the use of this evidence by the Government and thus enhanced his chance for an acquittal. This trial strategy by appellant’s counsel gave appellant two bites at the apple. Having taken a position on which the Government relied, appellant should not, after a guilty verdict, be entitled to reverse his field and cry error.

This is like the situation in Shorter v. United States, (9 Cir. 1969) 412 F.2d 428, where the defendant, knowing the Government had prior convictions, elected not to place the defendant on the witness stand and then later complained that the priors would have been inadmissible, and that therefore his rights had been jeopardized. His contention was rejected.

During the course of the trial, defense counsel will make many decisions, some right and some wrong, but is generally bound by the position he takes. Here appellant’s counsel decided to abide with the court’s ruling. He withdrew his entrapment defense and the Government in reliance thereon did not put into evidence the hearsay testimony, nor did it offer testimony by the informers in rebuttal to appellant’s testimony as to inducements. Appellant cannot now raise the question as to whether the hearsay testimony would have been admissible.

We do not reach the question as to whether hearsay testimony by the officers would be admissible on the limited issue of reasonable grounds for the officer’s contacts and dealings with appellant, when coupled with an instruction that the evidence was not received for the truth of the contents of the hearsay statements. See Trice v. United States, (9 Cir. 1954) 211 F.2d 513 and Washington v. United States, (5 Cir. 1960) 275 F.2d 687.

As to the matter of the lack of a jury instruction on entrapment, defense counsel at trial indicated he was withdrawing the defense of entrapment. Thus, it is not error for the court to withdraw the jury instruction on entrapment.

2. Importation of the Marihuana.

Appellant next contends that since a Government agent flew the marihuana into the United States, it was brought in “under color of law” and so there was no violation of 21 U.S.C. § 176a which requires entry “contrary to law.” We have held in Juvera v. United States, 378 F.2d 433 (9th Cir. 1967), and Pederson v. United States, 392 F.2d 41 (9th Cir. 1968) in similar circumstances that such a defense is unmeritorious. For the reasons cited in those cases we so hold here.

Appellant also makes an argument under the Fifth Amendment’s privilege against self-incrimination. It is argued that in order to avoid violation *10 of the words “contrary to law” in 21 U.S.C. § 176a, appellant would have to comply with the taxation provisions of other sections of Title 21. He cites a recent line of cases holding that a similar requirement would violate a defendant’s privilege against self-incrimination by forcing him to disclose his illegal activities. Marchetti v. United States, 390 U.S. 39, 88 S.Ct. 697, 19 L.Ed.2d 889 (1968); Grosso v. United States, 390 U.S. 65, 88 S.Ct. 709, 19 L.Ed.2d 906 (1968); and Haynes v. United States, 390 U.S. 85, 88 S.Ct. 722, 19 L.Ed.2d 923 (1968).

This argument is in error. Section 176a requires' only a showing of specific intent to defraud the Government by doing one or more of the aces prohibited thereby. It is independent of the registration and taxation sections of Title 21. Therefore, it is not subject to the line of cases cited by appellant. See, Witt v. United States, 413 F.2d 303 (9 Cir. 1969) ; McClain v. United States, 417 F.2d 489 (9 Cir. 1969); and United States v. Simon, 424 F.2d 1049 (9 Cir. 1970) .

3. Alleged Error at Trial.

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

Related

United States v. Gerald Mark Williams
939 F.2d 721 (Ninth Circuit, 1991)
State v. Baker
293 N.W.2d 568 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1980)
United States v. Paul David Sutton, Jr.
446 F.2d 916 (Ninth Circuit, 1971)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
428 F.2d 7, 1970 U.S. App. LEXIS 8529, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/howard-edward-jordan-v-united-states-ca9-1970.