United States v. Mario Caicedo

937 F.2d 1227, 1991 U.S. App. LEXIS 16107, 1991 WL 133513
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedJuly 23, 1991
Docket89-2813
StatusPublished
Cited by59 cases

This text of 937 F.2d 1227 (United States v. Mario Caicedo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh 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. Mario Caicedo, 937 F.2d 1227, 1991 U.S. App. LEXIS 16107, 1991 WL 133513 (7th Cir. 1991).

Opinion

NOLAND, Senior District Judge.

This is a direct criminal appeal in which the defendant-appellant, Mario Caicedo, challenges both his conviction of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and distribution of cocaine, and his sentence. Caicedo’s sentence was imposed pursuant to the Sentencing Guidelines (“Guidelines”), which were promulgated by the United States Sentencing Commission. Caicedo argues that the district court erred in failing to conduct a “full” competency hearing, that it incorrectly applied the Guidelines, and that it otherwise failed to provide a sufficient statement of reasons for the sentence which it imposed. We affirm.

I. BACKGROUND

Mario Caicedo, the defendant-appellant in the present case, was a self-employed watch repairman, before he became involved in the illegal sale of cocaine. Because Caicedo does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence to support his conviction, it is unnecessary to set out in detail the factual background underlying his involvement in the conspiracy which was described in the indictment. Caicedo was arrested as the result of a successful undercover operation conducted by officers of the Chicago Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. He arranged to have cocaine brought into the United States from Bogota, Columbia. Ultimately, he and codefendant William Berg-mark would distribute it. On more than one occasion the cocaine was smuggled out of Bogota hidden in clocks behind engraved pictures of “The Last Supper.”

On August 10, 1988, a special grand jury returned a five (5) count indictment charging Caicedo and codefendant Bergmark (a/k/a “Cole”) with conspiracy and distribution of cocaine. Caicedo was charged in counts 1, 4, and 5 of the indictment. Count 1 of the indictment charged that Caicedo had conspired to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute a mixture containing cocaine from June of 1988 to on or about July 14, 1988, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and § 846. Caicedo was alleged to have been Bergmark’s supplier. Count 4 charged that Caicedo had distributed 29 grams of a mixture containing cocaine on or about July 8, 1988, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). Count 5 charged Caicedo with having distributed 1000 grams of a mixture containing cocaine on or about July 14, 1988, again in' violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). While Bergmark eventually pleaded guilty to a single count of the indictment, Caicedo proceeded to trial.

On January 13, 1989, the government filed its Notice of Intent to Introduce 404(b) Evidence 1 at trial. The government stated in its Notice that it expected its evidence to show that the cocaine which Caicedo had delivered to Bergmark prior to Bergmark’s sale of the same to undercover agents “remained in a type of package indicating it had come directly from a source country.” The government sought to show that Caicedo was capable of providing such high quality cocaine from another country by introducing evidence that in the past Caicedo had supplied a woman in Bogota, Columbia with a kilogram of cocaine hidden in a clock, and that he had also assisted her by instructing her how to *1230 disassemble the clock without exposing the cocaine and how to avoid detection at the Bogota Airport.

At his jury trial, Caicedo was represented by appointed counsel, Steven B. Muslin, of Chicago, Illinois. Despite counsel’s efforts, Caicedo was ultimately convicted on each of the three (3) counts in which he was named in the indictment. After the jury returned its verdict, Judge Rovner referred this case to the Probation Department for a presentence investigation. The report which resulted therefrom was issued on or about February 23, 1989. The probation officer who completed the presentence investigation report stated therein, under the section of the report entitled “Offense Adjustments,” that Caicedo’s offense level should be enhanced by two (2) points as a result of his perjured testimony before the Magistrate. Subsequently, on April 26, 1989, Caicedo’s trial counsel filed his objections to the presentence investigation report. In due course, the government responded to Caicedo’s objections.

On May 26, 1989, the court conducted Caicedo’s Guidelines sentencing hearing. During this hearing, codefendant Berg-mark and Kay Cool, one of the individuals who had imported cocaine for Caicedo, testified with regard to Caieedo’s involvement in the conspiracy. Their testimony was not confined to those drug quantities which were charged in the indictment. Less than two (2) months later, on July 17, 1989, the court found Caicedo’s base offense level to be 30 under § 1B1.3(a)(2) of the Guidelines. His base offense level was found to be 30 based upon (1) his involvement in the distribution of just over one (1) kilogram of cocaine, as charged in the indictment, and (2) his involvement in the importation or distribution of “at least 2.5 additional kilograms of cocaine not set forth in the indictment.” Furthermore, the district court found that a two (2) point enhancement pursuant to § 3C1.1 was appropriate because Caicedo had obstructed justice when he committed perjury during his testimony before Magistrate Rosemond. Accordingly, the court concluded that Caicedo’s adjusted base offense level was 32.

On August 15, 1989, Caicedo was sentenced to a concurrent term of 128 months on counts 1, 4, and 5 of the charging indictment. The court also imposed a four (4) year period of supervised release to be served upon the expiration of his sentence.

II. ANALYSIS

A. Competence to Stand Trial

The first (and primary) argument raised by Caicedo is that the district court erred in failing to conduct a “full” competency hearing in order to determine his fitness to stand trial. Citing the United States Supreme Court’s opinion in Pate v. Robinson, 383 U.S. 375, 86 S.Ct. 836, 15 L.Ed.2d 815 (1966), Caicedo urges this Court to reverse the district court. Caicedo’s appellate counsel refers the court to the following occurrences at trial as evidence of Caice-do’s incompetence which she argues should have alerted the court to the necessity of conducting a “full” competency hearing: (1) an early delay in his trial, and subsequent repeated interruptions, to permit Cai-cedo to consult with his counsel, (2) Caice-do’s trial counsel’s insistence that certain matters be put on the record (i.e., his advice to Caicedo and the decisions which Caicedo made after receiving such advice), (3) Caicedo’s insistence that his trial counsel not object if the government called 404(b) witnesses against him, (4) Caicedo’s statements regarding a government plot to coerce him to plead guilty, him and his family being killed, and that “they” were “weaving” to put him in prison, and (5) Caicedo’s statements that the jury was comprised, in part, of police officers or DEA agents, and his statement that undercover Officer Triner was really a drug addict or informant who was paid either money or drugs for testifying against certain individuals.

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Bluebook (online)
937 F.2d 1227, 1991 U.S. App. LEXIS 16107, 1991 WL 133513, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-mario-caicedo-ca7-1991.