United States v. Hunter

48 F. Supp. 2d 1283, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21846, 1998 WL 1039089
CourtDistrict Court, D. Utah
DecidedNovember 4, 1998
Docket2:97-cv-00382
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 48 F. Supp. 2d 1283 (United States v. Hunter) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Hunter, 48 F. Supp. 2d 1283, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21846, 1998 WL 1039089 (D. Utah 1998).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

JENKINS, Senior District Judge.

On October 16, 1998, the defendant John C. Hunter appeared-before the Court for sentencing. Hunter, who was present, was represented by Richard Mauro; Assistant United States Attorney Wayne Dance appeared on behalf of the United States. After listening to the proffered testimony and examining the exhibits received, and after listening to the arguments of counsel, the Court determined, among other things, that the defendant was not an organizer or leader of the criminal activity and that the amount of loss for sentencing purposes was in excess of $10,000 but less than $20,000. The Court -then sentenced the defendant to a ten-month term of imprisonment. For reasons stated on the record, and as supplemented below, the Court reaffirms those findings.

Brief Background

On November 19, 1997, the defendant John Hunter and two co-defendants, Kelby Chadburn and Linden Stucki, were charged in a five-count indictment with violating the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (“ARPA”), 16 U.S.C. § 470ee, and with damaging United States property in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1361. 1 Count I charged that in or about late *1285 spring or early summer of 1995, Hunter knowingly excavated and damaged archaeological resources relating to the Fremont culture that were located in the Dixie National Forest at the Santa Clara River Gorge Shelter site. Count IV similarly charged that in or about the summer of 1995, Hunter willfully injured and committed depredation against the property of the United States in the Dixie National Forest by digging, excavating, and otherwise altering and defacing the Santa Clara River Gorge Shelter site. On June 10, 1998, Hunter entered a plea of guilty to these two counts.

On April 15, 1998, Hunter and John Robinson were charged in' a separate two-count indictment with similar violations for excavating and damaging property of the United States at the Big Round Valley site in the Dixie Resource Management Area, an area managed by the Bureau of Land Management. This indictment was assigned case no. 2:98-CR-198K, and was assigned to Judge Kimball. Count I of this second indictment charged that Hunter, on or about April 24, 1993, violated ARPA by knowingly excavating, damaging, and removing prehistoric archaeological resources from the Big Round Valley site. On June 10, 1998, before Judge Kimball, Hunter entered a plea of guilty to Count I. By Order dated September 3, 1998, the two cases were consolidated for sentencing purposes.

Discussion

Among the issues to be resolved at the sentencing hearing were: (1) was Hunter a “leader” or “organizer” of a criminal activity within the meaning of section 3B1.1 of the Sentencing Guidelines? (2) was the Presentence Report’s (“PSR”) calculation of Hunter’s criminal history score and resulting criminal history category correct? and (3) what was the amount of “loss” for sentencing purposes under the Sentencing Guidelines?

1. Was Hunter an Organizer or Leader for Sentencing Purposes ?

Paragraph 64 of the PSR recommends that, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1(c) (1997), Hunter’s base offense level should be adjusted by increasing his offense level by two levels to reflect his role as an “organizer/leader” of the unlawful excavations. Hunter specifically objected to this adjustment.

In determining whether a defendant was an organizer or a leader, the sentencing court should consider whether the defendant exercised decision making authority, the extent of the defendant’s participation in the offense, his role in recruiting accomplices, his role in planning or organizing the offense, and the degree of control or authority the defendant exercised over other co-conspirators. See § 3B1.1, comment, (n. 4); United States v. Torres, 53 F.3d 1129, 1142 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 515 U.S. 1152, 115 S.Ct. 2599, 132 L.Ed.2d 845 and 516 U.S. 883, 116 S.Ct. 220, 133 L.Ed.2d 150 (1995). “[T]he gravamen of this enhancement is control, organization, and responsibility for the actions of other individuals, because § 3B1.1(a) is an enhancement for organizers or leaders, not for important or essential figures.” Torres, 53 F.3d at 1142 (citations and internal quotation marks omitted).

In support of this adjustment, the United States offered the testimony of David Griffel, special agent for the United States Forest Service, and Rudy Mauldin, special agent for the Bureau of Land Management. The sum of the agents’ testimony was that others charged with Mr. Hunter, and an individual named Burt Rondo, asserted that Hunter was the moving force behind the excavations. This testimony, however, is far from persuasive on the issue of Hunter’s alleged leadership role.

As an initial matter, these statements have been contradicted. Specifically, when John Robinson, Hunter’s co-defendant, was asked about the excavation at Big *1286 Round Valley, he stated that it was a “spur of the moment” thing. (See PSR ¶ 49.) Moreover, Mr. Rondo, who has himself been charged with archaeological violations at the Big Round Valley site, was found in possession of the excavating equipment that had been used at the Santa Clara River Gorge Shelter site and, indeed, stated that he (Rondo) was the person who originally brought Hunter to the site. Such testimony makes one wonder whether it might have been Mr. Rondo, rather than Hunter, who was the organizer or leader of the excavations.

Assessing the value and reliability, if any, of the proffered evidence is made even more difficult by the form in which it was presented. Instead of offering the live testimony of the speakers— Hunter’s co-defendants and Rondo — the United States offered the statements of the listeners — the federal agents. Without an opportunity to examine the demeanor of the actual speaker (or for defendant Hunter to cross-examine the speaker), the Court is not in a position to attach any heightened credibility to these statements. 2

Rather than demonstrating that Hunter was a leader or organizer, the proffered evidence merely demonstrates that Hunter may have been an important or essential figure. Although he admittedly knew how to find the archaeological sites, there was no direct evidence that the excavations were organized in any fashion by Hunter. Indeed as one co-defendant purportedly described an excavation, it was a “spur of the moment” thing. Nor was there any direct evidence that Hunter had a greater participatory role in the offenses. Each of the participants took turns excavating and each came away with the same type of bounty. Hunter’s role was neither greater nor lesser than any other willing participant.

At best, the evidence of Hunter’s (or any other person’s) leadership role in these offenses remains in doubt.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
48 F. Supp. 2d 1283, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21846, 1998 WL 1039089, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-hunter-utd-1998.