United States v. Ruelas

18 F. App'x 759
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedSeptember 7, 2001
Docket00-3354
StatusUnpublished

This text of 18 F. App'x 759 (United States v. Ruelas) 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. Ruelas, 18 F. App'x 759 (10th Cir. 2001).

Opinion

ORDER AND JUDGMENT *

BRORBY, Senior Circuit Judge.

After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined unanimously to grant the parties’ request for a decision on the briefs without oral argument. See Fed. R.App. P. 34(f); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.

Defendant was charged in four counts of a ten-count indictment with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute illegal drugs (heroin), conspiracy to introduce contraband into a prison facility, and illegal use of a communication facility in furtherance of criminal activities. In exchange for dismissal of three counts, defendant pleaded guilty to one count of violating 21 U.S.C. § 843(b), use of a communication facility in the furtherance of criminal activity. He appeals only his sentence. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, and we affirm.

His argument on appeal is that the district court erred in increasing his offense level by two levels under USSG § 2Dl.l(b)(3) by finding that the object of the offense was the distribution of a controlled substance in a prison. He contends that his plea was not to the use of a communication facility to attempt distribution, but merely to attempt to possess heroin. ‘We review the district court’s legal interpretation and application of the sentencing guidelines de novo and review the court’s factual findings for clear error, *760 giving due deference to the district court’s application of the guidelines to the facts.” United States v. Henry, 164 F.3d 1304, 1310 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 527 U.S. 1029, 119 S.Ct. 2381, 144 L.Ed.2d 784 (1999).

In his petition to enter his plea, defendant represented that he had committed the acts charged in Count 9 of the indictment, specifically that he unlawfully used a communication facility to attempt to possess 19.2 grams of heroin. R. Vol. I, doc. 76 (plea petition) at 1. He further understood that the maximum sentence was four years’ imprisonment with a year of supervised release and a fíne of $30,000. Id. at 2. The plea petition also acknowledges that there was no limitation on the information the judge could consider at sentencing and that the court could take into account “all relevant criminal conduct, which may include counts to which [defendant had not pleaded] guilty or been convicted.” Id. at 4.

The plea agreement states that defendant pleaded guilty to Count 9 charging him with using a telephone “to commit, cause, and to facilitate the attempted possession of 19.2 grams of heroin.” R. Vol. I, doc. 76 (plea agreement) at 1. Initially the typed version of the agreement contained the language “attempted possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.” Id. This language was changed from “with intent to distribute a controlled substance” to “possession of 19.2 grams of heroin.” Id. The plea agreement also states that although the remaining counts would be dismissed, the dismissed counts would be included in the Sentencing Guideline range calculation as relevant conduct. R. Vol. I, doc 76 (plea agreement) at 2.

Moreover, as part of the plea the agreement, defendant admitted that

The defendant, along with 5 other defendants, is charged with conspiracy to smuggle a controlled substance into the United States Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas. The defendant, using a communication facility, that is, a telephone, would contact individuals located in California, to obtain heroin. The heroin was packaged in color coded balloons.
Each balloon represented the inmate for whom the heroin was destined. The heroin was then sent to a co-defendant (Hill) in Oklahoma. Hill would be instructed to transport the heroin to the prison, and to smuggle it in during a visit with another inmate, Kenneth Taylor, also a co-defendant in this case. Hill was to place the balloons in her mouth and then transfer the heroin to Taylor during a kiss. Tape recorded conversations were intercepted between the inmates and others establishing the conspiracy. The heroin was seized from Gladys Hill, packaged in the color coded balloons.

Id. at 2-3.

At the plea hearing, defendant acknowledged understanding that there was no limit to the information the court could consider, “provided the information was reliable and this includes relevant information related to any counts against you to which you have not plead guilty or been convicted.” Plea Tr. at 12. He further admitted using a telephone to try to obtain 19.2 grams of heroin while incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary at Leavenworth. Id. at 19.

The presentence report listed the charges against all the defendants including the two conspiracy counts against defendant: conspiracy to smuggle a controlled substance into the prison and conspiracy to attempt to possess with the intent to distribute approximately *761 19.2 grams of heroin. The report further outlined the offense conduct, including the telephone calls which had alerted authorities to the scheme and the particular inmates involved, and the interception of the heroin before it reached the prisoners. With several exceptions that did not impact the guideline calculations, defendant did not challenge the factual recitation in the report, nor did he challenge the base offense level computation. Rather, he challenged the addition of the specific offense characteristic of two points under USSG § 2Dl.l(b)(3) “[i]f the object of the offense was the distribution of a controlled substance in a prison....”

The district court must consider all relevant conduct at sentencing. See United States v. Washington, 11 F.3d 1510, 1516 (10th Cir.1993). Relevant conduct “is pertinent to determining the base level offense level and the specific offense characteristics.” United States v. McGee, 7 F.3d 1496, 1499 (10th Cir.1993) (citing USSG § 1B1.3(a)(ii)). Moreover, the scope of that conduct includes “all reasonably foreseeable acts and omissions of others in furtherance of the jointly undertaken criminal activity, that occurred during the commission of the offense of conviction.” USSG § lB1.3(a)(l)(B).

At the sentencing hearing, The FBI agent in charge of investigating crimes at Leavenworth testified at length to the acts of the various defendants, including numerous telephone calls, the value of the drugs involved, the method of payment used for prison drug trafficking (with the money trading hands on the outside), and the methods of determining which prisoners belong to which group.

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Related

United States v. Lang, S.
81 F.3d 955 (Tenth Circuit, 1996)
United States v. Tagore
158 F.3d 1124 (Tenth Circuit, 1998)
United States v. Henry
164 F.3d 1304 (Tenth Circuit, 1999)
United States v. Charles W. McGee
7 F.3d 1496 (Tenth Circuit, 1993)
United States v. Patrick E. Washington
11 F.3d 1510 (Tenth Circuit, 1993)

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Bluebook (online)
18 F. App'x 759, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-ruelas-ca10-2001.