United States v. David Romo, Jr., Ann Romo, Juanita Romo

914 F.2d 889, 31 Fed. R. Serv. 481, 1990 U.S. App. LEXIS 17181
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedSeptember 27, 1990
Docket89-3012, 89-3049, and 89-3156
StatusPublished
Cited by74 cases

This text of 914 F.2d 889 (United States v. David Romo, Jr., Ann Romo, Juanita Romo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh 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. David Romo, Jr., Ann Romo, Juanita Romo, 914 F.2d 889, 31 Fed. R. Serv. 481, 1990 U.S. App. LEXIS 17181 (7th Cir. 1990).

Opinion

MANION, Circuit Judge.

Defendants-appellants David Romo, Jr., Ann Romo, and Juanita Romo were convicted of conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute, and Ann and Juanita were convicted of various substantive offenses of cocaine distribution. 1 David, Jr. and Ann were sentenced to 120 months imprisonment and five years of supervised release, and Juanita to 121 months imprisonment and five years supervised release. Defendants challenge their convictions on appeal; additionally, David, Jr. and Ann challenge their sentences. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm the convictions and sentences.

I.

In early 1988, Milwaukee police officers executed a search warrant at a tavern and the apartment above the tavern, in which David, Jr. lived. David Jr. was apparently in the process of purchasing the tavern from his father, David Romo, Sr. As a result of the search, they found a small amount of cocaine (.7 grams) in the apartment, and nine small packages of cocaine (totalling 7.1 grams) in the tavern. On July 8, 1988, a West Allis, Wisconsin Police Department undercover officer purchased three ounces of cocaine from Ricardo Reyes. 2 The testimony at trial revealed that Reyes had purchased cocaine from Juanita Romo approximately 30 times during 1988; during several of these transactions, Reyes and Juanita would travel to David Romo, Sr.’s residence to pick up the cocaine. During the July 8 transaction, the officer met Reyes at Reyes’ home, along with Juanita, Manuel Alarcon, and another woman. Juanita then left to pick up the cocaine, and was followed by another offi *893 cer to Ann’s residence. Juanita returned to Reyes’ apartment and sold the officer three ounces of cocaine.

Testimony at trial also revealed that during this summer two people parked in front of the tavern and waited half an hour for David, Jr., who eventually came out and gave one of them a baggie with about one ounce of “white powder,” stating that his father had told him to give it to them. A woman who stored cocaine for David, Sr. testified that on two occasions she delivered one ounce of cocaine to David, Jr., and on three occasions delivered cocaine to Juanita. She also testified that David, Sr. told her that whenever he was out of town she was to “take orders from David, Jr.” for the cocaine business. Reynaldo Rosalez, who was storing and distributing cocaine for David, Sr., testified that he delivered cocaine to Juanita approximately six times, and to David, Jr. one time.

After being arrested in the fall of 1988, Ricardo Reyes decided to cooperate with the police. He arranged for an undercover officer to purchase an ounce of cocaine from Juanita, and to make two two-ounce and one three-ounce purchases from Ann. Reyes also testified that on one occasion Juanita gave him Vie of an ounce of cocaine to deliver, and that David, Jr. went with him, although they were unable to locate the buyer. After the arrest and cooperation of Angelo Rosalez, who was also involved in these drug transactions, the police conducted a search of Ann’s apartment and found a loaded handgun and a triple-beam scale. Officers soon after searched Juanita’s apartment and found numerous drug notes and needles.

II. Jury Instructions

A. Conspiracy instruction

All three defendants challenge the conspiracy instruction given by the district court. The instruction given by Judge Warren deleted the following paragraph from the Seventh Circuit Model Federal Jury Instructions:

In determining whether the defendant became a member of the conspiracy, you may consider only the acts and statements of that particular defendant.

Defendants claim that failure to give this part of the instruction constitutes reversible error because it not only allowed the jury to determine whether a conspiracy existed, but also whether a defendant was a member. Very recently this court considered this precise question and rejected a similar claim. In United States v. de Ortiz, 907 F.2d 629 (7th Cir.1990) (en banc), we held that the Seventh Circuit Instruction is inconsistent with Fed.R.Evid. 104 and Bourjaily v. United States, 483 U.S. 171, 107 S.Ct. 2775, 97 L.Ed.2d 144 (1987). “[T]he admission of declarations does not violate the Confrontation Clause even if hearsay supplies part of the foundation for the conclusion that the accused belonged to the conspiracy_” de Ortiz, 907 F.2d at 634. Given the decision in de Ortiz, the failure to give the instruction here was not error.

B. Missing witness instruction

Juanita challenges the district court’s refusal to give a missing witness instruction regarding the government’s failure to call as a witness her former boyfriend-turned-government-informant, Manuel Alarcon. To be entitled to such an instruction, a defendant must show two things. First, the absent witness must be peculiarly within the power of the government to produce. U.S. v. Rollins, 862 F.2d 1282, 1297 (7th Cir.1988), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 109 S.Ct. 2084, 104 L.Ed.2d 648 (1989); U.S. v. Mahone, 537 F.2d 922, 926 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 1025, 97 S.Ct. 646, 50 L.Ed.2d 627 (1976). Second, the missing witness’ testimony must be such that it would “elucidate issues in the case” and not be irrelevant or merely cumulative. Rollins, 862 F.2d at 1298.

Even assuming Alarcon’s testimony would have elucidated issues in the case, Juanita was not entitled to the instruction because she has failed to meet the first requirement. A defendant can show that the witness is peculiarly within the power of the government “by showing that the witness is only physically available to the” government or “that because of the *894 witness’ relationship with the [government], his ... testimony is, in pragmatic terms, only available to the other side.” Rollins, 862 F.2d at 1297. Juanita does not dispute that Alarcon was “physically” available to both sides here. However, she incorrectly concludes that the fact that Alarcon had acted as a government informant meant that it was not within her control to obtain him as a witness. We have held that a witness’ status as a government informant does not necessarily “establish that he was pragmatically available to testify only on behalf of the prosecution.” Id. at 1298. Where defense counsel chooses not to call a witness, the district court’s refusal to give the missing witness instruction is not error. Id. Juanita’s counsel failed to subpoena Alarcon, to attempt to interview him, or to request that the government produce him as a witness or help in doing so. In fact, Juanita states in her brief that the government offered “to arrange” to produce Alarcon as a defense witness.

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Bluebook (online)
914 F.2d 889, 31 Fed. R. Serv. 481, 1990 U.S. App. LEXIS 17181, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-david-romo-jr-ann-romo-juanita-romo-ca7-1990.