People v. Flores CA2/6

California Court of Appeal·Decided November 17, 2015·No. B256911·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 11/17/15 P. v. Flores CA2/6

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION SIX

THE PEOPLE, 2d Crim. No. B256911 (Super. Ct. No. VA127846) Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County)

v.

ALFREDO MOISES FLORES,

Defendant and Appellant.

Alfredo Moises Flores appeals from the judgment following his conviction by jury of possession of marijuana for sale (Health & Saf. Code, § 11359; count 1) and active participation in a criminal street gang (Pen Code, § 186.22, subd. (a); count 2).1 The jury also found true that he committed count 1 for the benefit of a criminal street gang (§ 186.22, subd. (b)(1).)2 In bifurcated proceedings appellant admitted that he had suffered a prior serious felony conviction which qualified as a strike (§§ 667, subds. (a)-(i), 1170.12, subds. (a)-(d)). The trial court sentenced him to

1 All statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise stated. 2 Appellant was charged and tried jointly with codefendant Valentin Chapa. The jury convicted Chapa of possession of marijuana for sale (count 1) and active gang participation (count 2) and found the count 1 gang benefit enhancement was true. Chapa waived his right to appeal. nine years in state prison, including a concurrent term for count 2. Appellant contends there is not sufficient evidence to support the active participation in a criminal street gang conviction or the true finding on the gang benefit enhancement. He also contends the trial court erred by failing to give the jury a lesser included offense instruction, by imposing a serious felony enhancement and by failing to stay his count 2 sentence pursuant to section 654. Respondent appropriately concedes the section 654 sentencing issue. We modify the judgment to stay the two-year sentence on count 2, and affirm it in all other respects. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND Prosecution Evidence November 16, 2012 Offenses On November 16, 2012, appellant was with his cousin, Valentin Chapa, in Apartment Number 5 at 20727 Seine Avenue in Lakewood when several members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office arrived with an arrest warrant for Zachary Casco. Casco was suspected of committing attempted murder or assault with a deadly weapon. Casco was not in the apartment, but officers located more than 13 ounces of marijuana, $530 in cash, and a digital scale in the apartment's bedroom. The marijuana was packaged in several containers, including pill bottles, mason jars and plastic bags. The apartment contained envelopes addressed to appellant and to Valentin Chapa at the Seine address. Detective Devin Vanderlaan3 testified as a narcotics expert. In response to a hypothetical question based on the prosecution evidence, Vanderlaan opined that the marijuana recovered from the Seine Avenue apartment was possessed for the purpose of sale. He based his opinion on several factors, including the amount recovered, which far exceeded the amount typically possessed for personal use, the absence of paraphernalia for ingestion at the location, and the presence of a digital scale.

3 Vanderlaan and the other detectives mentioned in this case are members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office.

2 Gang Evidence Detective Ivania Farias testified as the prosecution gang expert. As a gang detective in the Operation Safe Streets Bureau for four years, Farias routinely investigated gang cases and contacted and interviewed gang members in the field. She focused on the Carmelas gang in Lakewood, among others. Carmelas has approximately 110 documented members, including about 30 to 35 active members. Appellant is an active Carmelas gang member. Farias had four to five contacts with him before November 16, 2012. On each occasion, he admitted his membership in the "Carmelas Varrio Locos." He uses "Tigre" as his moniker and has multiple Carmelas tattoos on his neck and back. Appellant's Seine Avenue apartment is in a building which is known to be used by Carmelas members. Farias testified that it is outside their gang territory, but it is not unusual for gangs to store contraband outside their territory. Casco, the suspect and subject of the above-mentioned arrest warrant, is a Carmelas member. He had been seen with appellant at the Seine Avenue location. Farias testified that Carmelas members "involve[d] themselves" in various crimes, including "[m]urder, attempted murder, possession for sales, attempted murder on police officers, gun possessions, sales of methamphetamine, sales of heroin, robberies" and "[s]ales of marijuana." The prosecution presented evidence of the Carmelas gang members' convictions as predicate offenses. Leonel Santiago, a self- admitted Carmelas member was convicted of two counts of second degree robbery in December, 2010. In August 2010, Carmelas gang member Albert Palacios was convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm (Former § 12021, subd. (a)(1)). Farias also testified about an investigation of four attempted murders that occurred in January, 2013, and led to the arrest of Carmelas member Manuel Guardado. Farias learned that shortly after committing the crimes, Guardado contacted appellant, and appellant rented him a motel room in Long Beach. The charges against Guardado were pending at the time of trial.

3 Appellant's cousin and codefendant, Chapa, belongs to the Street Villains gang. Chapa, however, associates with the Carmelas street gang. Detective Richard Torres testified that on November 15, 2012, Chapa told him that he was associated with the Carmelas gang, whose members include Chapa's friends and relatives. Farias saw Chapa with appellant in 2011. Farias opined that the possession of narcotics for sale would benefit a criminal street gang. Gangs "profit from the narcotics they sell" and use the profits to purchase weapons and narcotics; to rent cars that are used in crimes; and to rent motel rooms to help gang members avoid detection by law officers. Farias also testified that the Carmelas, the Street Villains, and other local Hispanic street gangs in Southern California are affiliated with, and subordinate to, the much larger Mexican Mafia gang. Thus, a portion of the money earned from narcotics sales is sent to the Mexican Mafia as a "tax." The Mexican Mafia can "green light" a local street gang that defaults on its "tax" obligation, which allows any other Mexican Mafia-affiliated gang to commit violent acts against the defaulting gang. Defense Evidence The parties stipulated that a licensed California physician issued a letter of recommendation authorizing Chapa to use medical marijuana from August 28, 2012 to August 28, 2013. They further stipulated that a licensed medical marijuana user cannot sell marijuana, and that Chapa was authorized to possess less than eight ounces of marijuana and cultivate twelve plants. William Britt, a medical marijuana expert, testified that a patient with a letter of recommendation can possess and cultivate as many ounces of marijuana "as needed." DISCUSSION Substantial Evidence Claims Primary Activities of the Carmelas Gang Appellant contends there is not sufficient the evidence to support the active gang participation offense (§ 186.22, subd. (a)), or the gang benefit enhancement (§ 186.22, subd. (b)(1)), because the prosecution failed to show that the

4 gang's "primary activities" qualify it as a "criminal street gang" as defined in section 186.22, subdivision (f). We disagree.

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