United States v. Wainuskis

942 F. Supp. 1101, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15856, 1996 WL 606978
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Mississippi
DecidedOctober 10, 1996
Docket3:96-cv-00226
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 942 F. Supp. 1101 (United States v. Wainuskis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Wainuskis, 942 F. Supp. 1101, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15856, 1996 WL 606978 (S.D. Miss. 1996).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

PICKERING, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on motion of the Defendant, Christine Wainuskis, to vacate, set aside, or correct sentence by a person in federal custody pursuant to Title 28, U.S.Code § 2255. Defendant seeks to set aside her May 17, 1995, judgment of conviction for violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) for “carrying” or “using” a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

Defendant was indicted on four counts. In the first count Defendant was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine over a two year period from August 1991 until July 29,1993. In the second count, Defendant was charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Count III charged that Defendant did knowingly “use and carry” a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. In the fourth count Defendant was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Defendant entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government in which the Defendant agreed to plead guilty to Counts III and IV and the Government agreed to dismiss Counts I and II. Defendant entered her plea of guilty as to Counts III and IV and the Government in exchange moved to dismiss and the Court dismissed Counts I and II. Because of her plea bargain and a downward departure, Wainuskis received a sentence of ninety months, less than one-half the minimum sentence which she would have received under the guidelines if she were held fully accountable for all of the criminal conduct which she admitted. By this motion Wainuskis seeks to reduce her total prison sentence to thirty months.

This matter was referred to a Magistrate Judge for report and recommendation. The Magistrate Judge concluded that under Bailey v. United States, — U.S. —, 116 S.Ct. 501, 133 L.Ed.2d 472 (1995), the record did not establish a factual basis for a conviction under 18 U.S.C. § 924(e). The Government objected to the Report and Recommendation of the Magistrate Judge arguing that although under Bailey the facts established in the record might not support a conviction and sentence for “use” of a firearm under § 924(c) that the facts established by the record did support a conviction and sentence *1103 under the “carry” prong of § 924(c). This Court gave notice that it had concluded that the sentence should be vacated but was uncertain as to what the Court should do in regard to resentencing Defendant and requested more briefing from both parties. Since giving that notice to the parties, the Court has spent a considerable amount of time on this case and has concluded that it was in error when it indicated that it agreed that the sentence of May 9, 1995, should be set aside and vacated.

In order to appropriately decide this case it is necessary to take a detailed look at all of the facts and circumstances. The record establishes the following: When Defendant Wainuskis entered her plea, the attorney for the government was asked to relate what the government would be able to prove if Wain-uskis should go to trial. He related that on July 29,1993, a search warrant was executed at the home of Wainuskis and co-defendant Materne. That officers found the two defendants at their residence along with several grams of methamphetamine, bagging scales and other items associated with packaging and distributing methamphetamine. Counsel for the government indicated that the government would prove that the defendants intended to distribute the methamphetamine found in their home and that there were loaded pistols within arm’s reach of both defendants and that as to Wainuskis she was lying on a bed and a pistol “was underneath a mattress within arm’s reach.” He related that the defendants admitted that they had constructive possession of these weapons, that the weapons belonged to the defendants, that the weapons were there for the defendants to use, and that the defendants possessed these guns to “protect their methamphetamine.” (emphasis added). When Wainuskis was asked if she agreed with everything or disagreed with anything that the attorney for the government had related, she stated that she agreed with everything that the attorney for the government had said and disagreed with nothing that he had said and that she was in fact “guilty of Counts 3 and 4.” She further admitted that she was selling drugs and when asked if she and her co-defendant were “drug trafficking” her response was “well, having drugs with the guns.”

The Presentence Investigation Report prepared at the request of the Court and reviewed by the Court before sentencing and before entry of the Judgment Of Conviction In A Criminal Case reveals that Defendant, Christine Wainuskis, and her mother, Marion Wainuskis, had come to the attention of law enforcement officials in early 1993 and that thereafter there had been numerous trash searches of the residence of defendant and her mother. These searches revealed numerous “wire transfer receipts; numerous labels and boxes for fire arm accessories; numerous used hypodermic syringes, some of which tested positive for methamphetamine; several duct tape packages, some of which (sic) a narcotic dog alerted, indicating the presence of a controlled substance residue; telephone numbers and names and numerous other items which indicated that Christine Wainuskis and Joseph Materne were operating a methamphetamine distribution organization.” Further, on February 2, 1993, agents received a federal court order authorizing the use of a dialed number recorder (pen register) as to calls made to and from the telephone at defendant’s home. This recording indicated that there were numerous calls made from this telephone to known drug traffickers. An inmate at the FCI at Talladega indicated that Christine Wainuskis and her mother sold to that informant and his partner “from several ounces to one to two pounds” of methamphetamine monthly during 1991 and 1992. “Information relating to Christine Wainuskis and Mateme’s methamphetamine distribution and their possession of numerous firearms (ranging from .38 caliber revolvers to MAC-11 9 mm pistols, as well as large caliber rifles and shotguns) also resulted from the debriefing of numerous CIs.”

The Presentence Investigation Report further reveals that the methamphetamine found at Wainuskis’ and Mateme’s residence the night that they were arrested weighed 92.3 grams and that they had a total of 27 weapons, including semi-automatic assault pistols, semi-automatic assault rifles and shotguns. Additionally, officers executing *1104 the search warrant found “numerous small bags, vials, cutting agent, numerous sets of digital scales, radio scanners, an electronic listening device, a facsimile machine, a computer, several electronic pocket diaries/phone books and various types of ammunition.” On the same night that defendant’s house was searched, other homes were searched in connection with the investigation of Defendant and Materne. 572.6 grams of methamphetamine was found at another residence attributable to Materne and Wainuskis.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. LeBeau
268 F. Supp. 3d 1023 (D. South Dakota, 2017)
United States v. Winters
Fifth Circuit, 1999
United States v. Terry Lynn Winters
174 F.3d 478 (Fifth Circuit, 1999)
United States v. Sanders
Fifth Circuit, 1998
United States v. Donald Sanders
157 F.3d 302 (Fifth Circuit, 1998)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
942 F. Supp. 1101, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15856, 1996 WL 606978, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-wainuskis-mssd-1996.