United States v. Juan Balderas Garcia, Jr.

72 F.3d 130, 1995 U.S. App. LEXIS 39778, 1995 WL 712757
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedDecember 4, 1995
Docket95-1224
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 72 F.3d 130 (United States v. Juan Balderas Garcia, Jr.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth 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. Juan Balderas Garcia, Jr., 72 F.3d 130, 1995 U.S. App. LEXIS 39778, 1995 WL 712757 (6th Cir. 1995).

Opinion

72 F.3d 130
NOTICE: Sixth Circuit Rule 24(c) states that citation of unpublished dispositions is disfavored except for establishing res judicata, estoppel, or the law of the case and requires service of copies of cited unpublished dispositions of the Sixth Circuit.

UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Juan Balderas GARCIA, Jr., Defendant-Appellant.

No. 95-1224.

United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit.

Dec. 4, 1995.

Before: ENGEL, MILBURN, and NORRIS, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM.

Defendant Juan Balderas Garcia, Jr. appeals his jury convictions, and the sentences imposed thereon, of one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute in violation of 21 U.S.C. Sec. 841(a)(1), and one count of conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent to distribute in violation of 21 U.S.C. Secs. 846 and 841(a)(1). On appeal, the issues are (1) whether the district court abused its discretion in permitting an investigating police officer to testify, over defendant's objection, as to the street meaning of the Spanish term "jale"; and (2) whether the district court erred when it enhanced defendant's offense level by two levels for obstruction of justice under United States Sentencing Guideline ("U.S.S.G.") Sec. 3C1.1, based upon a finding that defendant committed perjury when he testified at trial. For the reasons that follow, we affirm in part and reverse in part.

I.

A.

On July 21, 1994, a federal grand jury issued a two count indictment charging defendant Garcia with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute in violation of 21 U.S.C. Sec. 841(a)(1) and conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent to distribute in violation of 21 U.S.C. Secs. 846 and 841(a)(1). Subsequently, defendant Garcia was arraigned on August 29, 1994, and entered pleas of not guilty.

A three-day jury trial commenced on October 17, 1994. On October 19, 1994, the jury found defendant Garcia guilty of the charges in both counts of the indictment.

On February 15, 1995, defendant Garcia was sentenced to 110 months imprisonment as to both count one and count two, to run concurrently with any sentence he was presently serving, and four years of supervised release as to each count to be served concurrently. This timely appeal followed.

B.

Zeke Anguiano, a cooperating witness, who resided in Brownsville, Texas, testified that in March 1994, pursuant to an agreement between himself and defendant Garcia, who resided in Lansing, Michigan, he transported approximately 100 pounds of marijuana from Texas to Michigan for redistribution and sale. Anguiano stated that he and defendant Garcia "had agreed that if I could get [to Michigan] with the marijuana, he would take care of the rest." J.A. 61.

The marijuana was obtained in Brownsville, Texas and transported in the trunk of a Chevrolet Lumina. Anguiano, Roberto Alviar, and Elizabeth Anguiano, Zeke Anguiano's sister-in-law, followed the Lumina from Texas to Michigan in a Chevrolet Blazer. The marijuana was delivered to defendant Garcia's home at 1176 Davis Avenue, Lansing, Michigan.

In May 1994, a second load of marijuana, weighing approximately 170 pounds, left Texas for Michigan. The marijuana, which was in two black canvas American Tourister suitcases, was again transported in the trunk of a Chevrolet Lumina driven by Maria Hernandez. The Lumina was again followed by a Chevrolet Blazer occupied by Anguiano, his wife and son, and Elizabeth Anguiano. On May 12, 1994, as the two vehicles approached Rolla, Missouri, they were stopped at a drug checkpoint manned by the Phelps County (Missouri) Sheriffs Department. An exterior search of the Lumina by a drug sniffing dog alerted the police to the presence of drugs.

Maria Hernandez was arrested. Subsequently, the police determined that the persons in the Chevrolet Blazer, who had been permitted to leave the drug checkpoint, were travelling with Hernandez. The police caught up with the Blazer and arrested all of its occupants except for Zeke Anguiano's son. In exchange for a promise that the females who were travelling with him, particularly his wife, would not be prosecuted, Anguiano agreed to cooperate with the authorities.1 Specifically, Anguiano told the authorities that the marijuana was "going to Juan Garcia" in Lansing, Michigan, J.A. 73, and he agreed to cooperate with agents of the United States Customs Service in making a controlled delivery of the marijuana to defendant Garcia's home.

On May 15, 1994, Anguiano made a controlled delivery of the two black canvas American Tourister suitcases containing approximately 170 pounds of marijuana to defendant Garcia's home. Anguiano drove to defendant Garcia's home in a car that had been provided to him. The two suitcases, which were in the trunk of the car, were carried into the basement of Garcia's home. As this was being done, the conversation between Anguiano and defendant Garcia was tape recorded because Anguiano was wearing a "wire," a tape recorder, as part of the controlled delivery.

After the two suitcases had been carried into the basement of defendant Garcia's home, Anguiano left in the vehicle that had been provided to him. Moments later, law enforcement officers from the Lansing police department executed a search warrant at defendant Garcia's home. In addition to the two black canvas American Tourister suitcases containing the marijuana, which were seized in the basement of defendant Garcia's home, other items of evidence, including a box of .25 caliber ammunition and several scales were seized by the police.

At trial, a tape recording of the conversation between Anguiano and defendant Garcia was played for the jury. Because the conversation was in Spanish, a transcription and an English language translation prepared by Max Romero, an interpreter, was also admitted into evidence. Romero testified about his translation.

In addition, Detective Sergeant John Jose Gutierrez of the Michigan State Police testified at trial. Gutierrez, who is fluent in Spanish and has 22 years of law enforcement experience, including five years of experience in narcotics investigations, was permitted to testify, over defendant's objection, as an expert as to the meaning of a particular term, namely, "jale," used by Spanish speaking drug traffickers.

Defendant Garcia testified at trial in his own behalf. He stated that in March 1994, he did not order marijuana from Zeke Anguiano. He also stated that he had no contact with Zeke Anguiano between March 1994 and May 1994. He stated that Anguiano's arrival at his home on May 15, 1994 was a surprise. Further, he stated that Anguiano brought the first suitcase into his home, and he denied that Anguiano ever told him that the suitcase contained marijuana.

Defendant Garcia stated that at Anguiano's request, he went outside and helped him carry in the second suitcase. However, he stated that he did not look inside the suitcase and was not curious as to what it contained. Defendant Garcia stated that after the suitcases were brought inside his home, he told Anguiano to put them in the basement. Defendant Garcia stated that after the suitcases had been taken into his basement, Anguiano, who was complaining that he was hungry, left the house.

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Bluebook (online)
72 F.3d 130, 1995 U.S. App. LEXIS 39778, 1995 WL 712757, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-juan-balderas-garcia-jr-ca6-1995.