United States v. Terry Honeycutt

816 F.3d 362, 2016 FED App. 0056P, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 4104, 2016 WL 851781
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedMarch 4, 2016
Docket14-5790, 14-5850
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 816 F.3d 362 (United States v. Terry Honeycutt) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth 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. Terry Honeycutt, 816 F.3d 362, 2016 FED App. 0056P, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 4104, 2016 WL 851781 (6th Cir. 2016).

Opinions

SILER, J., delivered the opinion of the court in which GIBBONS, J., joined, and MOORE, J., joined in the result.

MOORE, J. (pp. 381-83), delivered a separate opinion concurring in the judgment.

[369]*369OPINION

SILER, Circuit Judge.

A jury convicted Defendant Terry Ho-neycutt (“Honeycutt”) of eleven counts of conspiring to and knowingly distributing iodine while knowing it would be used to manufacture methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(c)(2), 843(a)(6), and 846. The district court sentenced Ho-neycutt to concurrent terms of 60 months’ imprisonment for each count, but declined to order any forfeiture. Honeycutt now appeals his conviction, and the Government cross-appeals on the issue of forfeiture. For the following reasons, we AFFIRM Honeycutt’s § 841(c)(2) "convictions, VACATE his sentences on the § 843(a)(6) convictions, and REVERSE the district court’s determination that forfeiture is not warranted.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

I. Factual Background

Honeycutt worked as the salaried employee in charge of sales and inventory in the Brainerd Army Store—which was owned by his brother (and codefendant), Tony Honeycutt (“Tony”). In 2008, having noticed an increasing number of “edgy looking folks” purchasing Polar Pure, an iodine-based water purification product, Honeycutt called the Chattanooga Police Department to ask if the iodine in Polar Pure could be used to manufacture methamphetamine. H¿ spoke to Tommy Farmer, Director of the Tennessee Meth and Pharmaceutical Task Force, who confirmed that Polar Pure was being used to manufacture methamphetamine throughout the community and urged Honeycutt not to sell it “if [he] fe[lt] uncomfortable about it.” Afterwards, Director Farmer informed the Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) that Honeycutt was selling Polar Pure.

The Brainerd Army Store was the only local retailer that stocked Polar Pure; the product was kept out of sight behind the sales counter, and only Honeycutt arid his brother sold it. Each bottle of Polar Pure contains about eight grams of iodine crystals that, if used as instructed, could purify up to five hundred gallons of water. Over time, Honeycutt sold increasing quantities of iodine, including as many as twelve bottles of Polar Pure in a single transaction (i.e., enough iodine to purify six thousand gallons of water).

In 2009, the DEA, in conjunction with state and local law enforcement, began investigating the Polar Pure sales at the store. The investigation involved surveillance, monitoring of iodine sales, controlled buys by an undercover agent, direct conversations with Honeycutt and his brother, attempts by officers to convince the brothers to stop selling the product to meth producers, and, ultimately, the execution of a search warrant in 2010.

The search revealed that in a three-year period, Polar Pure became the store’s highest-grossing item, generating upwards of $269,000 in profit from the sale of more than 20,000 bottles of Polar Pure. Upon questioning, Honeycutt indicated- that he and his brother had adopted a “don’t-ask-don’t-tell” policy after discussions with their iodine supplier... Pursuant to the warrant, agents seized the store’s inventory of 307 bottles of Polar Pure. Agent David Shelton testified that after the Brainerd Army Store closed, following the execution of the warrant, the meth labs using the red phosphorus method that required iodine dropped to an “insignificant level,” becoming “rare” and “fairly nonexistent” in the region.

[370]*370II. Procedural History

A federal grand jury indicted the brothers for various offenses regarding their distribution of iodine while knowing or having reasonable cause to believe it would be used to manufacture methamphetamine. Tony pled guilty, and Honeycutt went to trial. Honeycutt was acquitted of three charges in the indictment, and convicted of the remaining’ eleven—which involved conspiring to and knowingly distributing iodine in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(c)(2), 843(a)(6), and 846—although at sentencing the district court merged the counts of the §§ 841(c)(2) and 843(a)(6) offenses that occurred on the same day.

The district court sentenced Honeycutt to concurrent terms of 60 months’ imprisonment for each count. It declined to order any forfeiture, reasoning im particular that, as a salaried employee, Honeycutt did not reap the proceeds of the conspiracy.

DISCUSSION

I. Sufficiency of the Evidence

A.Waiver

As a threshold matter, Honeycutt disputes the sufficiency of the evidence at various points in his appeal, and yet no sufficiency challenge appears in his statement of the issues. Federal Rulé of Appellate Procedure 28(a) explicitly states that an “appellant’s brief must contain ... a statement of the issues presented for review’.” Fed. R.App. P. 28(a)(5) (emphasis added); United States v. Baylor, 517 F.3d 899, 903 (6th Cir.2008). Because Ho-neycutt ' failed to list these evidentiary challenges among his nine issues presented on appeal, we could dismiss Honeycutt’s sufficiency arguments as waived. See, e.g., Barrett v. Detroit Heading, LLC, 311 Fed.Appx. 779, 796 (6th Cir.2009) (holding that “[t]he provisions of Rule 28(a) are .., unambiguously mandatory,” and deeming waived an argument not listed in the statement of issues presented). Even assuming that this issue was properly preserved, however, his arguments are plainly merit-less.

B. Standard of Review

Evidence is sufficient to support a conviction if, “after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the .crime beyond a reasonable doubt” when “all of the evidence is ... considered.” Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979).

C. Conspiracy to Violate §§ 841(c)(2) and 843(a)(6)

To prove the existence of the conspiracy alleged in Counts One and Two, “the government was required to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, ‘(1) an agreement to violate drug laws, (2) knowledge and intent to join the conspiracy, and (3) participation in the conspiracy.’ ” United States v. Pritchett, 749 F.3d 417, 431 (6th Cir.2014) (quoting United States v, Gibbs, 182 F.3d 408, 420 (6th Cir.1999)). Here, the Government presented ample evidence for a rational juror to convict Honeycutt of conspiracy to violate §§ 841(c)(2) and 843(a)(6).

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816 F.3d 362, 2016 FED App. 0056P, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 4104, 2016 WL 851781, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-terry-honeycutt-ca6-2016.