United States v. Mendez

514 F.3d 1035, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 1411, 2008 WL 192861
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedJanuary 24, 2008
Docket06-3282
StatusPublished
Cited by56 cases

This text of 514 F.3d 1035 (United States v. Mendez) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth 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. Mendez, 514 F.3d 1035, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 1411, 2008 WL 192861 (10th Cir. 2008).

Opinion

MURPHY, Circuit Judge.

Baltazar Mendez was convicted of several counts of unlawful firearm and ammunition possession in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(3) and 922(g)(5), and maintaining a residence for the purpose of storing, distributing and using controlled substances in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 856(a)(2). Mendez filed a motion for a new trial based on alleged Brady and Confrontation Clause violations, which the district court denied. Mendez also moved for a judgment of acquittal based on insufficient evidence to sustain a conviction. The district court granted the motion with respect to one charge and denied the motion with respect to the remaining charges. Exercising jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291, this court affirms the district court.

I. Background

Mendez lived on Vassar Court in Wichita, Kansas. On December 9, 2005, agents from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Wichita Police Department (WPD) obtained and executed a warrant on the residence. 1

Once in the house, KBI agents uncovered weapons, drugs, and items commonly used in the sale of drugs. In the southeast bedroom, officers found drug-related items located in a dresser drawer, including plastic baggies, electronic scales, and methyl-sufone, which is often used as a cutting agent for methamphetamine. Under the same dresser, officers found a nylon bag containing a .380 handgun with a loaded magazine containing eleven rounds. In the pocket of a shirt hanging in the closet, officers discovered a baggie with a mixture containing over ten grams of methamphetamine. The mixture had a street value of about $1,000, but was possibly worth more if the drugs were further cut. Under the mattress of the bed, officers found a Springfield Arms shotgun and a notebook. The notebook contained the name “Mendez” in large letters written on the inside cover, along with other names next to figures containing dollar amounts, indicating a running total for various individuals. After testing, the government determined Mendez’s fingerprints were on the notebook and it presented evidence that the notebook was a ledger used to keep track of drug transactions. Other documents belonging to the defendant were also uncovered in the southeast bedroom.

In a northwest bedroom, a Remington 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun was uncovered, with shotgun shells nearby. In the living room of the house, officers found *1039 documents bearing the defendant’s name, including a driver’s license and an energy bill. Inside an entertainment cabinet, between the living room and kitchen, multiple types of ammunition were located. Officers found a straw with a mirror in the kitchen, which later tested positive for cocaine. Several ecstacy pills were also found on top of the refrigerator. Mendez was arrested and agents found a glass smoking pipe and a .44 caliber bullet in his pocket.

Mendez waived his Miranda rights and agreed to talk with the police officers. He stated he lived at the Vassar Court residence, he had access to all parts of the house, and that he had two roommates who paid him rent to stay at the residence. Mendez admitted the .380 handgun was his and that he kept it for protection because he had been robbed. He also admitted to regularly using and purchasing methamphetamine and sometimes using cocaine. Mendez used about 1/16 of an ounce of methamphetamine a day by smoking it through a pipe. He paid about $500 to purchase a half ounce every three to four weeks.

Mendez also admitted the following to the officers: he typically kept his methamphetamine in his shirt pocket; he sometimes slept in the one bed in the house and at other times on the couch; the electronic scales the agents found were his, and he used them to make sure he was not getting “ripped off’ when he purchased his drugs; and he knew both shotguns were in the house, but disclaimed ownership. Mendez also told the agents he was born in Mexico in 1976 and provided the agents with a social security number, which was later shown to be false and invalid. Mendez gave the same false social security number to the Vassar Court landlord on his lease application.

On February 7, 2006, a grand jury returned a twelve-count superseding indictment. Mendez was charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a) (Count 1); possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) (Count 2); possession of a Browning .380 caliber pistol while being an unlawful user of any controlled substance in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3) (Count 3); possession of a Springfield Arms shot gun while being an unlawful user of any controlled substance in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3) (Count 4); possession of a Remington shotgun while being an unlawful user of any controlled substance in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3) (Count 5); possession of a .44 cartridge of ammunition while being an unlawful user of any controlled substance in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3) (Count 6); eluding inspection after entering the United States at a place other than designated by the government in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(l)-(2) (Count 7); possession of a Browning .380 pistol by an alien not lawfully in the United States in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5) (Count 8); possession of a Springfield Arms shotgun by an alien not lawfully in the United States in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5) (Count 9); possession of a Remington shotgun by an alien not lawfully in the United States in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5) (Count 10); possession of an unregistered firearm in violation of 26 U.S.C. §§ 5841 and 5861(d) (Count 11); and knowingly and intentionally managing and controlling a residence for the purpose of unlawfully storing, distributing and' using a controlled substance in violation of 21 U.S.C. §.856(a)(2) (Count 12).

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Bluebook (online)
514 F.3d 1035, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 1411, 2008 WL 192861, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-mendez-ca10-2008.