United States v. Russell

513 F. App'x 67
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedMarch 5, 2013
Docket11-3719-cr
StatusUnpublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 513 F. App'x 67 (United States v. Russell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second 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. Russell, 513 F. App'x 67 (2d Cir. 2013).

Opinion

SUMMARY ORDER

Gregory Russell was convicted after a trial by jury of one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2); one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C); and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(l)(A)(i). Russell was sentenced, inter alia, to 120 months’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. He now appeals both the sentence and the underlying conviction. First, in a counseled brief, Russell argues that the district court erred by applying a sentencing enhancement under § 3B1.1 of the Sentencing Guidelines. In a separate pro se brief, Russell also asserts that his conviction should be overturned due to the prosecution’s knowing use of false testimony. We assume the parties’ familiarity with the facts and procedural posture of this case, and we address each basis for the appeal in turn.

I. Pro Se Motion for New Trial

Russell argues that he is entitled to a new trial because the government knowingly used the false testimony of a witness. On appeal, “[w]e review motions for a new trial under an ‘abuse-of-discretiori standard.” United States v. Rigas, 583 F.3d 108, 125 (2d Cir.2009). “The Supreme Court has consistently held that a conviction obtained by the knowing use of perjured testimony is fundamentally unfair, and must be set aside if there is any reasonable likelihood that the false testimony could have affected the judgment of the jury.” Drake v. Portuondo, 553 F.3d 230, 241 (2d Cir.2009) (internal alterations and quotation marks omitted). Nonetheless, to succeed in a challenge to his conviction on this basis, the defendant must prove on appeal that “(i) the witness actually committed perjury; (ii) the alleged perjury was material; (iii) the government knew or should have known of the alleged perjury at time of trial; and (iv) the perjured testimony remained undisclosed during trial.” United States v. Zichettello, 208 F.3d 72, 102 (2d Cir.2000) (internal citations and quotation marks omitted).

Here, Russell’s challenge fails because he has not shown that the government witness in fact committed perjury. Russell claims that Officer Broems testified falsely at trial when he asserted that he did not testify before the grand jury that he saw a green bandana wrapped around the firearm Russell was carrying at the time of Russell’s arrest. Officer Broems was called as a summary witness before the grand jury, and in that capacity he identified an exhibit as depicting the firearm recovered from the crime scene wrapped in a green bandana. There is no dispute that the exhibit Officer Broems identified depicted the wrapped firearm.

The difference between Broems’s testimony at trial and before the grand jury was brought out on cross-examination. “Differences in recollection do not constitute perjury, and when testimonial inconsistencies are revealed on cross-examination, the jury is entitled to weigh the evidence and decide the credibility issues *69 for itself.” United States v. Josephberg, 562 F.3d 478, 494 (2d Cir.2009) (internal quotation marks, citation, and alteration omitted). In the present case, Russell has not shown that Officer Broems’s testimony was perjured or even inconsistent. Broems testified at trial that he did not see the bandana at the time of the arrest; at the grand jury when examining an exhibit that depicted the gun wrapped in a green bandana, he described the image in the exhibit and identified the gun as the one he saw Russell holding at the time of arrest. Notably, he did not testify at trial that the gun was or was not wrapped in the bandana when the arrest was initiated, only that he did not see the bandana at that time. Because Russell has failed to show that the government’s witness committed perjury, Russell’s challenge to his conviction on that ground is without merit.

II. Challenge to § 3B1.1 Sentencing Enhancement

We review a district court’s sentencing decisions for reasonableness under a “deferential abuse-of-discretion standard,” which encompasses both procedural and substantive review. United States v. Cavera, 550 F.3d 180, 189 (2d Cir.2008) (en banc) (quoting Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38, 41, 128 S.Ct. 586, 169 L.Ed.2d 445 (2007)). In evaluating a sentence’s reasonableness we “consider whether the sentencing judge exceeded the bounds of allowable discretion, committed an error of law in the course of exercising discretion, or made a clearly erroneous finding of fact.” United States v. Fernandez, 443 F.3d 19, 27 (2d Cir.2006) (internal quotation marks and alterations omitted). “A district court commits procedural error where it fails to calculate the Guidelines range[,] ... makes a mistake in its Guidelines calculation, or treats the Guidelines as mandatory.” Cavera, 550 F.3d at 190.

Under section 3Bl.l(c) of the Sentencing Guidelines, a defendant’s offense level may be increased by two levels if “the defendant was an organizer, leader, manager, or supervisor in any criminal activity” not included in sections (a) or (b) of § 3B1.1. U.S.S.G. § 3Bl.l(c). A defendant is properly considered a manager or supervisor “if he exercised some degree of control over others involved in the commission of the offense ... or played a significant role in the decision to recruit or to supervise lower-level participants.” United States v. Blount, 291 F.3d 201, 217 (2d Cir.2002) (internal quotation marks, alterations and ellipsis omitted), see also United States v. Hertular, 562 F.3d 433, 448-49 (2d Cir.2009). We have held that it is sufficient under section 3B1.1 for the defendant to have managed or supervised one other participant in the conspiracy. United States v. Al-Sadawi, 432 F.3d 419, 427 (2d Cir.2005). The government must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant’s conduct meets the qualifications for application of a role enhancement under this section. See United States v. Molina, 356 F.3d 269, 274 (2d Cir.2004).

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Bluebook (online)
513 F. App'x 67, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-russell-ca2-2013.