United States v. Daniel Miller

698 F.3d 699, 2012 WL 5350151
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedOctober 31, 2012
Docket11-3701, 11-3737
StatusPublished
Cited by93 cases

This text of 698 F.3d 699 (United States v. Daniel Miller) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Daniel Miller, 698 F.3d 699, 2012 WL 5350151 (8th Cir. 2012).

Opinion

LOKEN, Circuit Judge.

Between October and December 2010, informant Colin Dorsey made four controlled methamphetamine buys from Daniel Miller at the home of Daniel and his wife, Rebecca Miller. When Mr. Miller was arrested and interviewed in February 2011, he admitted distributing enough methamphetamine between 2004 and 2010 to fill the conference room in which the interview was being conducted, receiving as much as two kilograms per week from his suppliers. Interviewed that same day, Mrs. Miller admitted that on several occasions she and her 17-year-old son assisted in the distribution of methamphetamine, including three occasions when she received money from Dorsey at the Millers’ home.

Mr. and Mrs. Miller were charged with conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a methamphetamine mixture in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), (b)(l)(A)(viii), and 846. Based on Colin Dorsey’s four controlled buys, Mr. Miller was charged with four counts of aiding and abetting the distribution of more than 5 grams of actual methamphetamine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(l)(B)(viii), and 18 U.S.C. § 2. Mrs. Miller was charged with three counts of aiding and abetting based on the three buys in which she participated. A jury found the Millers guilty on all counts, except it found Mrs. Miller guilty of conspiring to distribute only 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Mr. Miller was sentenced to 360 months in prison. Mrs. Miller was sentenced to 188 months in prison. Both appeal. Mrs. Miller argues the evidence was insufficient to support her conviction. Mr. Miller argues the district court erred in denying pretrial discovery requests. Both challenge a two-level sentencing enhancement for maintaining their home for the purpose of distributing a controlled substance. We reject these contentions and affirm both convictions and Mr. Miller’s sentence. Mrs. Miller further argues the district court committed procedural sentencing error in determining that her advisory guidelines sentencing range was 188-235 months in prison. We agree with this contention, vacate Mrs. Miller’s sentence, and remand for resentencing.

I. Sufficiency of the Evidence

Mrs. Miller argues the trial evidence was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she aided or abetted the distribution of methamphetamine or intentionally joined a conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. “We review the sufficiency of the evidence de novo, viewing evidence in the light most favorable to the government, resolving conflicts in the government’s favor, and accepting all reasonable inferences that support the verdict.” United States v. Guenther; 470 F.3d 745, 747 (8th Cir.2006) (quotation omitted).

The government introduced evidence that on October 8, 2010, Dorsey called Mr. Miller to purchase methamphetamine. Mr. Miller told Dorsey to come to his home. When Dorsey arrived, Mr. Miller was not home. Dorsey called Mr. Miller, who told Dorsey to give the $900 purchase money to Mrs. Miller. When Dorsey gave Mrs. Miller the money, she said “Okay.” Dorsey again called Mr. Miller, who said Dorsey would find the methamphetamine in a shoe on the rafter of the front porch. This buy involved 14.7 grams of actual *703 methamphetamine in a mixture weighing 21.8 grams. On October 20, Dorsey called Mr. Miller and arranged another buy. When Dorsey arrived at the Millers’ residence, neither Mr. Miller nor Mrs. Miller was home. Mrs. Miller and their 17-year-old son soon arrived. Dorsey called Mr. Miller, who told Dorsey to give Mrs. Miller the money. The Millers’ son then retrieved the methamphetamine and gave it to Dorsey. This buy involved 17.7 grams of actual methamphetamine in a mixture weighing 21.6 grams. On December 2, Dorsey called Mr. Miller and set up another buy at Mr. Miller’s home. When Dorsey arrived, Mr. Miller was not home; Mrs. Miller answered the door. Mr. Miller told Dorsey by phone to give the money to Mrs. Miller and then said Dorsey would find the methamphetamine above a barbeque pit on the property. This purchase involved 17.5 grams of actual methamphetamine in a mixture weighing 26.2 grams. In addition to admitting receiving money from Dorsey in these three transactions, Mrs. Miller admitted that over the prior twelve months she had accepted money for methamphetamine from two other individuals at the Millers’ residence.

The elements of aiding and abetting the distribution of a controlled substance are: “(1) the defendant associated herself with the unlawful venture; (2) the defendant participated in it as something she wished to bring about; and (3) the defendant sought by her actions to make it succeed.” United States v. Ellefson, 419 F.3d 859, 863 (8th Cir.2005) (quotation omitted). Mrs. Miller argues the government failed to prove she possessed the necessary intent to be guilty of aiding and abetting. She further argues the government failed to establish an essential element of a drug conspiracy offense, that she “intentionally joined the conspiracy.” United States v. Jiminez, 487 F.3d 1140, 1146 (8th Cir.2007) (quotation omitted). We disagree. Based on Mrs. Miller’s admissions that she accepted money for drugs on prior occasions and received money from Dorsey on three occasions when he came to her home and left with methamphetamine, a reasonable jury could find she intentionally participated in completing three methamphetamine transactions. This same evidence was sufficient for the jury to find beyond a reasonable doubt that Mrs. Miller was a knowing member of the conspiracy, even if she played a relatively minor role compared to Mr. Miller. See United States v. Lopez, 443 F.3d 1026, 1030-31 (8th Cir.) (en banc), cert. denied, 549 U.S. 898, 127 S.Ct. 214, 166 L.Ed.2d 172 (2006).

Alternatively, Mrs. Miller argues there was insufficient evidence to support the jury’s finding that she conspired to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine. We disagree. Mrs. Miller personally participated in three transactions involving a total of more than 50 grams of a methamphetamine mixture. These transactions clearly were “reasonably foreseeable drug quantities that were in the scope of the criminal activity that [she] jointly undertook.” United States v. Foxx, 544 F.3d 943, 951 (8th Cir.2008) (quotation omitted), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 130 S.Ct. 91, 175 L.Ed.2d 63 (2009).

II. Mr. Miller’s Discovery Motion

Three weeks before trial, Mr. Miller filed a Motion for Additional Discovery Regarding Cooperating Witness requesting, in twenty numbered subparagraphs, that the government produce for inspection and copying a variety of documents concerning “cooperating” and “prospective government” witnesses. The motion relied on Rule 16

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

Related

United States v. Le
126 F.4th 373 (Fifth Circuit, 2025)
United States v. Marcus Medina
Eighth Circuit, 2024
State v. Antuna
2024 S.D. 78 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2024)
United States v. Ryan Myrick
107 F.4th 873 (Eighth Circuit, 2024)
United States v. Frias
102 F.4th 98 (Second Circuit, 2024)
United States v. Michael Terry, Jr.
83 F.4th 1039 (Sixth Circuit, 2023)
United States v. Jesus Rodriguez
75 F.4th 1231 (Eleventh Circuit, 2023)
United States v. Daniel Rios
Eighth Circuit, 2023
United States v. Breon Armstrong
60 F.4th 1151 (Eighth Circuit, 2023)
United States v. Rafiel Owens
Eighth Circuit, 2023
United States v. Melendez-Rosado
57 F.4th 32 (First Circuit, 2023)
United States v. David Lemley
Eighth Circuit, 2021
United States v. Wakinyan McArthur
11 F.4th 655 (Eighth Circuit, 2021)
Mann v. Griffith
E.D. Missouri, 2021
United States v. Demetrius Jefferson
975 F.3d 700 (Eighth Circuit, 2020)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
698 F.3d 699, 2012 WL 5350151, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-daniel-miller-ca8-2012.