United States v. Roy Brooks Stoddard

111 F.3d 1450, 97 Daily Journal DAR 5122, 97 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2907, 79 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 2250, 1997 U.S. App. LEXIS 7910, 1997 WL 197491
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedApril 22, 1997
Docket96-30095
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 111 F.3d 1450 (United States v. Roy Brooks Stoddard) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth 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. Roy Brooks Stoddard, 111 F.3d 1450, 97 Daily Journal DAR 5122, 97 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2907, 79 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 2250, 1997 U.S. App. LEXIS 7910, 1997 WL 197491 (9th Cir. 1997).

Opinion

DAVID R. THOMPSON, Circuit Judge.

In 1995, Roy Brooks Stoddard was charged with various crimes related to a conspiracy to grow, produce, and distribute marijuana. Stoddard moved to dismiss one of the charges as barred by double jeopardy, and several other charges as barred by collateral estoppel. The district court rejected Stoddard’s motion, and Stoddard filed this interlocutory appeal.

We have jurisdiction over Stoddard’s appeal under the Abney exception to 28 U.S.C. § 1291, 1 and we reverse.

FACTS

I. 1990 Indictment (1990 conspiracy)

In analyzing the double jeopardy and collateral estoppel issues, we must look back to 1990. On September 7, 1990, Stoddard and two codefendants, Walter Edward Zachman and Roger Karl Lokken, were indicted by a federal grand jury. Count 9 of the 1990 Indictment charged Stoddard, Zachman, and Lokken with violating 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846 between May, 1989 and August 30, 1990, by knowingly conspiring to: (1) possess, with the intent to distribute, marijuana; and (2) distribute marijuana. Count 10 of the 1990 Indictment charged Stoddard, Zach-man, and Lokken with knowingly attempting to possess, with the intent to distribute, over 100 kilograms of marijuana on August 31, 1990, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846.

The 1990 case went to trial. During trial, Ramon Lopez, a confidential government informant, testified that Stoddard asked Lopez to obtain between 300 to 500 pounds of marijuana in the spring of 1989. Stoddard told Lopez he was apprehensive about engaging in the sale with a stranger. Stoddard suggested instead that his friend, Zachman, buy a smaller amount of marijuana as a test-with the understanding that, if the test-purchase was consummated, Stoddard and Zachman would purchase 500 pounds of marijuana per week. Lopez agreed to make arrangements for Zachman to meet with undercover agent Ruben Garcia, who posed as a marijuana supplier. Between May 24, 1989 and June 14, 1989, Garcia and Zachman negotiated the terms for buying up to 1,000 pounds of marijuana per week.

On May 25, 1989, Garcia met Zachman at the airport in Wenatchee, Washington to show Zachman a sample of marijuana. On June 2,1989, in Seattle, Garcia showed Zach- *1453 man 500 pounds of marijuana. Negotiations then broke down between Garcia and Zach-man.

Several months later, Stoddard told Lopez that he was again interested in buying large quantities of marijuana. To prove he had the money to make a large purchase, Zach-man guided Lopez to Lokkeris mountain cabin where he showed Lopez $100,000 in Canadian currency. Zachman indicated he was interested in buying 500 pounds of marijuana.

On August 31, 1990, Stoddard dropped Zachman off at a store where he was picked up by Lopez. Lopez drove Zachman to a hotel where Zachman negotiated the sale with undercover DEA agent Eric Levy. Zachman then went to Stoddard’s truck in Wenatchee, Washington, and took out a paper bag containing $74,000. When he returned to the hotel and paid for the marijuana, he was arrested. The government subsequently arrested Stoddard and Lok-ken.

After trial, a jury acquitted Stoddard on all ten counts of the 1990 Indictment, including the marijuana conspiracy and possession charges.

II. 1995 Indictment (1995 conspiracy)

On November 7,1995, Stoddard, Zachman, Lokken, and fifteen other defendants were charged in a 42-count indictment. Count 2 of the 1995 Indictment charged Stoddard and his codefendants with knowingly conspiring to manufacture, possess with intent to distribute, and distribute marijuana between January 1, 1985 and October 12, 1995. Counts 40-42 of the 1995 Indictment charged Stoddard and his wife, Jacqueline L. Stod-dard, with willfully making and subscribing false income tax returns for the tax years ending in 1989,1990, and 1991.

The government began its second investigation of Stoddard and his codefendants in May of 1992, when border patrol agents arrested a suspected illegal alien at the Canada-United States border. The alien told government officials that he and four other couriers routinely transported marijuana from the United States to Canada for Stod-dard. 2 According to the alien, the couriers also drove the Canadian cash proceeds from the sale of marijuana back into the United States. The courier stated that, from late May 1991 to November 24, 1991, he had driven loads of marijuana to Canada on a biweekly basis. After November 24,1991, he drove loads to Canada every two to three weeks.

The courier also led the government to the home of Jerry Montgomery and Susan Pic-cardo, two people he stated were involved in Stoddard’s operation. Montgomery and Pic-cardo subsequently agreed to cooperate with the government. They told the government that Stoddard had grown marijuana in To-nasket, Washington since 1985. According to Montgomery, Lokken and Zachman had delivered a load of marijuana to Montana in the winter of 1987. In September, 1991, Montgomery twice picked up marijuana for Stod-dard.

Later in 1991, Stoddard financed and supplied equipment to Montgomery to grow marijuana. Both Stoddard and Lokken took a share of Montgomery’s profits from the sale of Montgomery’s marijuana crop. Lok-ken himself grew marijuana, and on several occasions, replanted the marijuana starts produced by Montgomery.

Montgomery described several conversations with Stoddard during which Stoddard told him the names and activities of several other marijuana growers and sellers involved in the alleged conspiracy. Montgomery was also present at several discussions between Stoddard and his alleged coconspirators dim-ing which the manufacture, transport, and sale of marijuana were discussed.

Montgomery told officials that Stoddard had traveled to Nevada to exchange Canadian currency for Federal Reserve Notes. Montgomery believed that Stoddard instituted all of the conspiracy’s procedures for exchanging marijuana for Canadian currency. Montgomery and Pieeardo stated that they had exchanged thousands of dollars in Canadian currency for Stoddard on several occasions. Both Lokken and Stoddard often *1454 backpacked or otherwise transported marijuana into Canada.

In May 1992, government officials found another one of the couriers who transported marijuana for Stoddard. That courier told government agents that Stoddard had been trafficking in marijuana since 1985. The government subsequently spoke with others who either grew marijuana for Stoddard or transported Canadian currency proceeds from marijuana sales.

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111 F.3d 1450, 97 Daily Journal DAR 5122, 97 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2907, 79 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 2250, 1997 U.S. App. LEXIS 7910, 1997 WL 197491, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-roy-brooks-stoddard-ca9-1997.