United States v. Huggins

392 F. App'x 50
Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit·Decided August 16, 2010·No. 06-3982·Unpublished·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

STAPLETON, Circuit Judge:

Andre Huggins appeals criminal convictions and sentences imposed by the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. For the reasons that follow, we will affirm the judgment of the District Court.

I. Factual and Procedural Background

This criminal case arose out of a joint investigation conducted by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”). Federal law enforcement officers became interested in Huggins during an investigation into a used car business named 1800 Motor Cars in Wilmington, Delaware. The IRS suspected that 1800 Motor Cars was accepting large cash payments from drug dealers but was not reporting such transactions to the IRS, as required by *52 federal law. Huggins was a client of 1800 Motor Cars, and law enforcement officers believed he was dealing drugs as his primary source of income. As part of the investigation, law enforcement officers used a variety of techniques to investigate Huggins, including surveillance, wiretaps, and a pen register. The agents also conducted undercover operations, using a confidential informant to attempt to purchase drugs from Huggins.

In connection with this investigation, the law enforcement officers sought and received authorization to search Huggins’s home for evidence of drug trafficking. At trial, three law enforcement officers testified that Huggins agreed to speak with them while his home was being searched and confessed that he was involved in distributing large amounts of cocaine. Huggins was arrested that day.

A grand jury returned a third superseding indictment, charging Huggins in seventeen counts. Count I charged that Huggins and Ricardo Rogers, a separately indicted co-conspirator, and others engaged in a conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and distribute fifty grams or more of cocaine base between November 2001 and June 2002, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846 and 18 U.S.C. § 2. Counts II through XI charged Huggins and Rogers with distributing cocaine or cocaine base on specific dates between February 21, 2002, and June 4, 2002. Count XII charged that Huggins and Jermaine Franklin, a previously indicted co-conspirator, and others conspired to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846. Count XIII charged Huggins and Franklin with knowingly managing and controlling a building, room, and enclosure for the purpose of unlawfully storing and distributing cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 856(a)(2) and (b) and 18 U.S.C. § 2. Count XIV alleged that Huggins and Franklin knowingly possessed cocaine with the intent to distribute on May 28, 2003. Lastly, Counts XV through XVII charged Huggins with money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956(a)(l)(B)(i) and 2 involving transactions involving a Cadillac Escalade on December 3, 2001, a GMC Denali on August 14, 2002, and the same GMC Denali on February 3, 2003.

Huggins filed pretrial motions. He moved to dismiss the indictment with prejudice, contending that one of the federal agents involved in the investigation presented materially false information to the grand jury. He also moved to suppress the statements made during the search of his residence, arguing that they were obtained in violation of his Miranda rights and were involuntary. The District Court denied the motion to dismiss the indictment without a hearing. The Court also denied the motion to suppress after holding an evidentiary hearing. The case proceeded to trial.

At trial, the government presented the testimony of the three law enforcement officers who interviewed Huggins at his home, Special Agent Greene of the IRS, Special Agent Miller of the DEA, and Task Force Officer Collins 1 of the DEA Task Force. Agent Greene testified that, during the search of the house, the three law enforcement officers spoke with Huggins in his bedroom. During this discussion, Agent Greene explained to Huggins that he had conducted an investigation of his finances and had concluded that his expen *53 ditures exceeded the approximately $5,000 of legitimate income reported on his 2001 tax return. Agent Greene then explained to Huggins that, based on the investigation, the officers believed he was making his money by distributing drugs.

According to Agent Greene, Huggins initially denied being involved in drug activity but eventually confessed that he was selling powder cocaine. Agent Greene stated that Huggins told them that other individuals, including Ricardo Rogers, Jermaine Franklin, and Ricardo Barnaby, were also involved in selling drugs with him. Specifically, Huggins stated that he sold cocaine to Rogers in four and a half ounce and nine ounce quantities and that Huggins was aware that Rogers converted the powder cocaine into crack cocaine. According to Agent Greene, Huggins also informed them that Franklin held kilograms of cocaine for him and that Franklin held “one to two kilos and up to five kilos” “a couple of times.” (App. at 275-76.) Agent Greene also testified that Huggins told the officers he had been purchasing powder cocaine from Barnaby, whom Huggins called Pop or Man-pop, for the previous six months and that he purchased up to ten kilograms of powder cocaine from Barnaby at a time.

The officers also asked Huggins about his involvement with 1800 Motor Cars. Agent Greene said that Huggins told them that he found out about 1800 Motor Cars through an acquaintance. Huggins explained to the officers that he spoke with Chris Malatesta, an employee at 1800 Motor Cars, and told him he needed some cash “cleaned up” and wanted to buy a car. (App. at 290.) According to Huggins, 1800 Motor Cars charged two thousand dollars extra to “clean up” the cash — in other words, to make the transaction appear legitimate and avoid reporting that the business had received over ten thousand dollars in cash. Huggins said he purchased several cars from 1800 Motor Cars, including a 2001 GMC Denali.

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