United States v. Rebmann Ongaga

820 F.3d 152, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 6697, 2016 WL 1458942
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedApril 13, 2016
DocketNo.. 14-20235
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 820 F.3d 152 (United States v. Rebmann Ongaga) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth 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. Rebmann Ongaga, 820 F.3d 152, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 6697, 2016 WL 1458942 (5th Cir. 2016).

Opinion

WIENER, Circuit Judge:

Defendants Andrew Mokoro, Herman Ogoti, Alfonso Ongaga, and Rebmann On-gaga appeal their separate judgments of conviction. We affirm all of the convictions, with the exception of Herman Ogo-ti’s and Rebmann Ongaga’s convictions for marriage fraud. . , ,

I.

FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS

A grand jury returned an indictment in November 2010, charging Andrew Mokoro (“Mokoro”), Herman Ogoti (“Ogoti”), Alfonso Ongaga (“Alfonso”), and Rebmann Ongaga (“Rebmann”) with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, marriage fraud, and fraud .and misuse of visa, permits, and other documents. In May 2012, a grand jury returned a ten count second superseding indictment against the defendants. Count One charged Mokoro, Ogoti, Alfonso, and Rebmann with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 and 8 U.S.C. § 1325(c). The indictment alleged that the object of their conspiracy was to knowingly enter into marriages and to help others enter into marriages for the purpose of evading immigration laws, in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1325(c). Counts Two, Three, and Four Charged Ogoti, Rebmann, and Mokoro, re *157 spectively, with marriage fraud, in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1325(c). Counts Five, Six, and Seven charged Ogoti, Mokoro, and Rebmann, respectively, with fraud and misuse of visa, permits, and other documents, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a). Count Eight charged Rebmann with tampering with a witness, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(3). Counts Nine and Ten charged Alfonso and Ogoti, respectively, with unlawful procurement of naturalization, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1425(b).

After a six-day trial, a jury found the', defendants guilty on all counts, with the exception of Rebmann’s witness-tampering count. The evidence showed that the defendants — all Kenyan nationals — -married members of a closely connected group of American women to gain residency and citizenship. The defendants then prepared fraudulent immigration forms and took additional steps to make their marriages appear legitimate. The evidence further showed that the defendants sought to procure American spouses for other Kenyan nationals — some residing in the United States, others residing in Kenya — for the same purpose.

II.

ANALYSIS

A. Count One

Count One charged the defendants with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 and 8 U.S.C. § 1325(c). All of the defendants contend that Count One should be dismissed because the government failed-to prove an offense occurring within the statute of limitations. All of the defendants preserved their challenges to the sufficiency of-the evidence by moving for acquittal under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 29 at the conclusion of the government’s case and again at the close of all evidence, so our review is de novo. 1 We view all evidénce in the light most favorable to the government, drawing all reasonable inferences and credibility choices in favor of the jury’s verdict. 2 We will affirm the jury’s verdict if we conclude that a rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. 3 '

The statute of limitations for conspiracy to commit marriage fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 and 8 U.S.C. §. 1325(c) is five.years. 4 To prove a conspiracy under Í8 U.S.C. § 371, the government had-to prove

(1) an agreement between two or more persons to pursue an unlawful objective; (2) the defendant’s knowledge of the unlawful objective and voluntary agreement to join the conspiracy; and (3) an overt act by one or more of the members of the conspiracy in furtherance of the objective of the conspiracy. 5

For this charge to be timely, the government had to prove “the existence of the *158 conspiracy within the five years prior to the return of the indictment, and ... the commission of at least one overt act by one of the conspirators within that period in furtherance of the conspiratorial agreement.” 6

The defendants first contend that the government did not prove a single conspiracy; rather, they assert, their individual participations in any conspiracy ended on the occurrence of their respective marriages. It next follows, they each argue, that because each of their marriages occurred more than five years before the original indictment, the charge in Count One is untimely. In other words, the defendants contend that the government failed to prove an overt act of a single conspiracy occurring within the limitations period.

Initially, we examine whether the government proved a single conspiracy. “The principal considerations in counting the number of conspiracies are (1) the existence of a common goal; (2) the nature of the scheme; and (3) the overlapping of the participants in the various dealings.” 7 Whether the evidence shows a single conspiracy or multiple conspiracies is a fact question for the jury to decide. 8 “We will affirm the jury’s finding that the government proved a single conspiracy unless the evidence and all reasonable inferences, examined in the light most favorable to the government, would preclude reasonable jurors from finding a single conspiracy beyond a reasonable doubt.” 9

The government alleged that the common goal of the conspiracy was for the defendants to enter into marriages for the purpose of evading immigration laws, in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1325(c). The indictment elaborated that the common goal was not only .to accomplish the defendants’ marriages, but also to facilitate the marriages- of other Kenyan nationals so that they could enter or remain in the United States.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
820 F.3d 152, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 6697, 2016 WL 1458942, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-rebmann-ongaga-ca5-2016.