United States v. Gonzalez

Procedural entryThis page is a short order in United States v. Gonzalez. Read the opinion of the Court — 76 F.3d 1339
Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit·Decided December 16, 1998·No. 96-41246·Published

Opinion

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

No. 96-41246

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

VERSUS

HIPOLITO GONZALEZ, JR., ABELARDO GERARDO GONZALEZ, and ALBERTO JAVIER GONZALEZ

Defendants-Appellants.

Appeals from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas

December 16, 1998 Before KING, SMITH and PARKER, Circuit Judges.

ROBERT M. PARKER, Circuit Judge.

Appellants Hipolito Gonzalez, Jr. (“Hipolito Gonzalez”),

Abelardo Gerardo Gonzalez (“Gerardo Gonzalez”) and Alberto Javier

Gonzalez (“Alberto Gonzalez”) appeal their convictions and

sentences for violations of drug and firearm statutes. We affirm

in part, and vacate and remand in part.

FACTS

1 A.

The evidence at trial established the following facts.

Around 2:50 a.m. on September 8, 1995, Arturo Rocha, a United

States Border Patrol agent, was monitoring the radio scanner from

his post in Laredo. He overheard a conversation among three men

speaking mostly in Spanish over two-way radios. The men used the

names “Junior,” “Gerry,” and “René.” Their discussion focused on

whether the border patrol checkpoint in Hebbronville would close

due to the severe thunderstorms in the area.1 René told the others

that four men and a dog were outside the checkpoint; one of the men

expressed concern about the dog and suggested that they should wait

until the dog left.

Rocha contacted his supervisor, suspecting that the three men

were planning to smuggle drugs or illegal aliens. As he continued

listening to the conversation, he overheard one of the men report

that the checkpoint was now closed and its lights were out. The

man noted, however, that there still appeared to be one agent

inside the checkpoint and another agent two miles from the

checkpoint on the other side of the road.

Based on the conversation, Rocha concluded that there would be

two cars (a lead and a load car) traveling east on Highway 359

toward the Hebbronville checkpoint. Accordingly, Rocha, joined by

another agent in a separate vehicle, positioned themselves

1 Testimony at trial indicated that smugglers were aware that the Border Patrol often closed this checkpoint in bad weather.

2 alongside the dark highway. Within minutes a Dodge pickup sped by,

followed closely by a white Lincoln Town Car. As the agents pulled

out and tailed the vehicles, the Town Car exited the highway,

turned into a subdivision and parked in front of a house. Rocha

parked behind the car with his high beams on. The driver turned

around and looked at Rocha; the agent later identified the driver

as Gerardo Gonzalez. As Rocha left his vehicle and approached the

Town Car, the driver made a quick u-turn and re-entered the

highway, this time heading west. When the driver passed him in the

subdivision, Rocha noted that he was wearing a black coat with gold

around the neck. Rocha pursued the car with his siren and

emergency lights, radioing for assistance.

As the chase proceeded west down Highway 359, the Dodge pickup

-- which had continued east when the Town Car turned into the

subdivision -- suddenly made a u-turn and sped west down the

highway. The pickup caught up with the police chase, passed

Rocha's car, then, positioning itself between Rocha's car and the

Town Car, slowed down and began weaving between lanes. The

maneuver allowed the Town Car to speed off alone down the highway.

By this time, other agents had joined the chase. Although the

Town Car had shaken its pursuit, the agents nevertheless spotted it

at a distance turning into another subdivision. They followed it

in, but were too late. The car was abandoned, having fishtailed

and stuck in the mud. The agents discovered 22 bundles of

marijuana in the trunk; the driver had escaped. The car was

3 registered to Gerardo Gonzalez.

Back on the highway, the Dodge pickup was now leading a small

caravan of law enforcement down the highway and through the

neighborhoods of Laredo. It finally stopped in front of the

Gonzalez family house. Hipolito emerged from the truck and was

subdued after a struggle. The police found an unloaded revolver on

the back seat and a box of ammunition in the front console. They

also found a two-way radio on the front seat.

During the highway pursuit, a roving Border Patrol agent

spotted a white Chevrolet Suburban about 13 miles west of the

Hebbronville checkpoint on Highway 359. The car was traveling

toward Laredo. The agent ran a computer check and determined that

the Gonzalez family owned a white Chevrolet Suburban. As the agent

began following the suburban, the driver sped up, posting 60 m.p.h.

in a 20-30 m.p.h. zone. The Suburban was pulled over and the

driver, Alberto, consented to a search. The agent found a two-way

radio, two cellular phones, red-and-blue emergency lights, latex

gloves, and a large knife.

The police obtained a search warrant for the Gonzalez home.

Inside they found a black coat with gold around the neck; the coat

was damp and muddy. They also found a two-way radio that was

muddy. The police maintained surveillance at the family compound,

waiting for the missing Gerardo Gonzalez. At around 9:30 a.m. the

next morning, Gerardo Gonzalez appeared carrying a white box. He

and his mother got into a car and drove to another house in Laredo.

4 Mrs. Gonzalez gave the box to a younger woman who had come out of

the house. The officers then approached the group and obtained

consent to open the box. Inside they found a digital scale.

B.

Hipolito Gonzalez, Gerardo Gonzalez and Alberto Gonzalez2 were

charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 459

pounds of marijuana (21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) & (b)(1)(B) and 21

U.S.C. § 846) and possession with intent to distribute marijuana

(21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. § 2). Hipolito was also

charged with carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking

crime (18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)) and with being a felon in possession

of a firearm (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) and § 924(a)(2)).

The first trial was interrupted by two bomb threats and ended

in a hung jury (11-1). The second trial also ended in a mistrial

after three jurors reported that they received anonymous calls

urging them to convict the defendants. The court, sua sponte, then

transferred venue from the Laredo Division to the Houston Division.

Following the third jury trial, all defendants were convicted on

all counts.

2 A fourth Gonzalez brother, René Gonzalez, is not a defendant in this case.

5 DISCUSSION

I. Venue

The Gonzalezes claim the district court erred by transferring

venue from the Laredo Division to the Houston Division of the

Southern District of Texas. As noted above, the district court

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