United States v. Enrique Vinales

658 F. App'x 511
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
DecidedSeptember 22, 2016
Docket12-15168
StatusUnpublished

This text of 658 F. App'x 511 (United States v. Enrique Vinales) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eleventh 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. Enrique Vinales, 658 F. App'x 511 (11th Cir. 2016).

Opinion

ON REMAND FROM THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT

PER CURIAM:

In this direct appeal, Enrique Vinales appeals his conviction and 204-month sentence for three counts of conspiring to distribute heroin in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846; one count of conspiring to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(l)(a)(l) and 846; two counts of distributing heroin in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. § 2; one count of *514 possessing with intent to distribute heroin in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. § 2; and being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Vinales argues that the district court erred by: (1) admitting unlawfully obtained wiretap evidence and physical evidence—fruit of the poisonous tree— subsequently seized from Vinales’ house pursuant to a search warrant; (2) admitting improper opinion testimony in violation of the Federal Rules of Evidence, the Fifth Amendment, and the Sixth Amendment; (3) allowing the jury to convict Vi-nales on insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he conspired to distribute heroin; (4) allowing the government to make inflammatory arguments in violation of Vinales’ rights to due process and a fair trial; and (5) allowing the jury to convict Vinales despite the cumulative effect of many serious errors.

On May 2, 2014, this Court issued its unpublished opinion in this case, affirming his conviction and concluding that Vinales’, burglary convictions ■ qualified as violent felonies under the ACCA’s residual clause. United States v. Vinales, 564 Fed.Appx. 518 (11th Cir.2014). After we denied Appellant’s motion for rehearing, he petitioned for certiorari with the United States Supreme Court. The Court granted his petition, vacated this Court’s judgment, and remanded for further consideration in light of Johnson v. United States, 576 U.S. -, 135 S.Ct. 2551, 192 L.Ed.2d 569 (2015). We ordered supplemental briefing from the parties. In supplemental briefing, Vinales argues that his fleeing and eluding offenses as well as his resisting an officer • with violence no longer qualify as ACCA predicates. He also argues that he is not eligible for the guidelines career offender enhancement for the same reasons. 1

I. BACKGROUND

During December 2010 and January 2011, a joint task force of federal and state law enforcement had focused an investigation on the activities of codefendant Michael Cooper, whom they had identified as a heroin distributor in the Overtown area of Miami, Florida. In April and again in May 2011, an informant received heroin from Cooper near Cooper’s apartment. At that time, the investigation aimed to identify Cooper’s heroin source. Law enforcement obtained a wiretap for Cooper’s phone and beginning in April 2011, over a period of 30 days, numerous incriminating calls and text messages between Cooper and Vinales were intercepted, and Vinales was soon identified as one of Cooper’s main suppliers. Many of these calls and text messages used code-words, ¿nd at trial, the District Court permitted DEA Special Agent Edward J. Willett, III—the case agent assigned to the investigation of Vinales—to interpret these coded conversations for the jury.

On June 3, 2011, while under police surveillance, a confidential informant (“PeeWee”) purchased “six bundles” of heroin from Vinales. Inside each “bundle” were 10 small baggies of heroin individually sized for personal use (a total of 60 personal-use baggies). The gross weight of the heroin was 39 grams. At trial, the government introduced into evidence the undercover tape recording of this meeting between PeeWee and Vinales.

Between August 3 and 31, 2011, police intercepted Vinales’ cell phone conversations via a wiretap. Through the wiretap, police intercepted communications between Vinales and Co-defendant Maria “Mari” Audevert, who lived across the *515 street from Vinales’ Overtown home. Audevert assisted Vinales in packaging heroin, and throughout the entire wiretap, police watched her transport Vinales to and from narcotics deals. At trial, the government introduced into evidence intercepts of conversations between Vinales and Audevert. During a conversation with Audevert on August 8, while she was shopping at Wal-Mart, Vinales told her to buy a coffee grinder. He further specified that she should buy “the regular one.” Agent Willett testified that grinders are used to convert chunks of substance containing heroin into a fine powder for packaging and distribution. During a call on August 23, Vinales and Audevert discussed how the police stopped codefendant Darrell Edmond, whom police believed had just received heroin from Vinales. On that same date, the police also stopped Audevert while she was driving and accompanied by Vinales. The police found a small amount of marijuana on Audevert and arrested her, but they 'found nothing on Vinales aside from $558 in cash.

After reviewing the telephone intercepts, police determined that Edmond worked with Vinales packaging and distributing heroin. On August 4, 2011, Vi-nales told Edmond during a phone call that he had “[j]ust enough to make for a 14”—a reference to 14 grams (half an ounce) of heroin. During an intercepted call on August 9, 2011, Vinales confirmed with Edmond that Edmond had made “five packs”—a reference explained to the jury to mean five separate lots of heroin that each contained between two and five “bundles,” each of which were comprised of 10 individual baggies. Each bundle would sell for around $100. On August 10, Vinales and Edmond discussed how Edmond had found it difficult to locate customers for the heroin he had purchased from Vinales. In August 2011, Edmond also discussed his heroin distribution arrangement with code-fendant Elliott Hudson, specifically telling Hudson that Edmond “would be at [Vi-nales’] house helping [Vinales] bag up, like, a quarter key or half key of heroin at a time.”

Co-defendant Hudson pled guilty, under a plea agreement, to a count of the superseding indictment that charged him with conspiring to distribute heroin with Vinales. Hoping for leniency, Hudson testified against Vinales in Vinales’ trial. Hudson had numerous prior felony convictions and a history of distributing narcotics, and he described himself as “a career drug dealer.” Hudson testified that back in 2000, he and Vinales entered into a business arrangement and he began purchasing cocaine from Vinales.

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Bluebook (online)
658 F. App'x 511, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-enrique-vinales-ca11-2016.