United States v. Way Quoe Long

301 F.3d 1095, 2002 Daily Journal DAR 9779, 2002 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 7793, 2002 U.S. App. LEXIS 17651, 2002 WL 1963264
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedAugust 26, 2002
Docket98-10136
StatusPublished
Cited by56 cases

This text of 301 F.3d 1095 (United States v. Way Quoe Long) 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. Way Quoe Long, 301 F.3d 1095, 2002 Daily Journal DAR 9779, 2002 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 7793, 2002 U.S. App. LEXIS 17651, 2002 WL 1963264 (9th Cir. 2002).

Opinions

PER CURIAM Opinion; Dissent by Judge THOMAS.

PER CURIAM:

This case involves growing marijuana, conspiracy, and firearms. Appellant Way Quoe Long (Long) was convicted of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise (CCE), 21 U.S.C. § 848 (count 1); conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 846 (count 2); two counts of manufacture of marijuana and aiding and abetting, 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. § 2 (counts 3 and 5); using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1) (count 6); possessing a firearm silencer, 26 U.S.C. § 5842, 5861(i), 5871 (count 7); two counts of possessing a machine gun, 18 U.S.C. § 922(o) (counts 8 and 9); and four counts of criminal forfeiture, 21 U.S.C. § 853 (counts 11-14). Long was acquitted of a manufacturing charge (count 4) and one piece of real property was found not to be forfeitable (count 10). Long appeals. We affirm.

Long presents ten issues on appeal: (1) whether Long had standing to challenge the evidence seized from 3515 East Clay Avenue, Fresno, California (“East Clay”); (2) whether the evidence seized from 29211 Bonneyview Lane, Toll-house, California (“Bonneyview”) should be suppressed; (3) whether alleged juror misconduct is sufficient for reversal and whether Long knowingly and voluntarily waived his presence at the in camera hearings regarding juror misconduct; (4) whether the district court improperly polled the jurors and gave an inaccurate Pinkerton instruction (Pinkerton v. United States, 328 U.S. 640, 66 S.Ct. 1180, 90 L.Ed. 1489 (1946)) (judicially created rule that makes a conspirator criminally liable for the substantive offenses committed by a co-conspirator when they are reasonably foreseeable and committed in furtherance of the conspiracy), which failed to limit Pinkerton liability for the actions of one’s co-conspirators to reasonably foreseeable substantive crimes in furtherance of the conspiracy; (5) whether the testimony of government witness Khamsouk Vongprachanh should be excluded because of alleged inaccuracies by the court interpreter; (6) whether there was sufficient evidence to support the use or carry firearm conviction; (7) whether there was sufficient evidence to support the CCE conviction and whether the district court erroneously instructed the jury on the CCE charge; (8) whether the trial judge’s absence during the announcement of the jury’s impasse constituted an improper convening of court which created a fatal structural defect; and (9) whether Long may be convicted and punished for both conducting a continuing criminal enterprise and conspiracy (lesser-included offense);

1. Long’s Standing — East Clay.

Fresno Police Department officers served a search warrant at the East Clay residence. They seized marijuana plants, an Uzi submachine gun, and a loaded shotgun. The police also discovered fertilizer, irrigation equipment, heat lamps, and gardening tools. The search warrant was [1100]*1100based upon the sworn affidavit of a Fresno Police Department detective, who in turn relied upon the observations of an animal control officer with no documented expertise in marijuana identification.

Long filed a motion to suppress, arguing that (1) the search warrant failed to establish probable cause; (2) he had a legitimate expectation of privacy in East Clay; and (3) the government is estopped from arguing that he did not because it stated during a bail hearing that Long resided at East Clay. The government responded that Long failed to establish a legitimate expectation of privacy in East Clay. The district court found that although there were indicia of Long’s residing at East Clay, such as photographs of the defendant with his family and male clothing that may have been his, these indicia did not establish Long’s privacy interest in East Clay.

The district court did not err in finding that Long failed to present sufficient evidence to establish either his residency or reasonable expectation of privacy in East Clay. Two previous cases of this Court have held that miscellaneous indications that a defendant had been in a residence are insufficient to establish a legitimate expectation of privacy and thus standing to challenge the search. See United States v. Sarkisian, 197 F.3d 966, 987 (9th Cir.1999) (holding that defendants who failed to claim interest in items seized from search of a rented storage room, and who merely possess the authority to access the room but do not use it, without more, lack Fourth Amendment standing to challenge an unlawful search of that area); United States v. Armenta, 69 F.3d 304, 308-09 (9th Cir.1995) (holding that defendant’s personal items and sworn declaration, and police officer’s testimony that the defendant had stayed in a house the night before are insufficient to establish defendant’s expectation of privacy). Photographs and clothing alone are inconclusive, especially because the clothing was not labeled and could have belonged to any man.

While the government argued during a bail hearing that Long resided at East Clay, and the government may not take contradictory positions in order to defeat an asserted expectation of privacy, United States v. Bagley, 772 F.2d 482, 489 (9th Cir.1985), Long still had to factually establish standing, which he did not. Long is not “entitled to rely on the government’s allegations in the pleadings, or positions the government has taken in the case, to establish standing.” United States v. Zermeno, 66 F.3d 1058, 1062 (9th Cir.1995) (citing United States v. Singleton, 987 F.2d 1444, 1449 (9th Cir.1993)).

2. Bonneyview.

The first search warrant was based on a tip that marijuana was cultivated at Bonneyview, which a police helicopter team confirmed. The helicopter team subsequently realized that they mistakenly identified the marijuana and tried to stop the ground team from executing the search warrant. The ground team did not hear the order to stop due to communications problems. The ground team entered the residence and, while securing the premises, found firearms and two marijuana plants outside the front door. The police asked for and received a second search warrant for Bonneyview. Long claims that the officers were dishonest or misleading in their affidavits to support the warrants, thus negating probable cause.

The district court conducted a hearing pursuant to Franks v. Delaware,

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Bluebook (online)
301 F.3d 1095, 2002 Daily Journal DAR 9779, 2002 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 7793, 2002 U.S. App. LEXIS 17651, 2002 WL 1963264, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-way-quoe-long-ca9-2002.