United States v. Yi

451 F.3d 362, 2006 WL 1523083
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedJune 5, 2006
DocketNo. 05-20144
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 451 F.3d 362 (United States v. Yi) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth 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. Yi, 451 F.3d 362, 2006 WL 1523083 (5th Cir. 2006).

Opinion

EDITH BROWN CLEMENT, Circuit Judge:

The defendant appeals his conviction and sentence for six counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2320. For the following reasons, we affirm his conviction, vacate his sentence, and remand for resentencing.

I. FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS

Zheng Xiao Yi (“Zheng”) owned XYZ Trading Corp. (“XYZ”), a discount retail store in Houston, Texas. In July 2003, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) agents at the arrival port in Norfolk, Virginia, conducted an inspection of a container shipped from China and intended for XYZ. ICE Agent Stephanie McKinney felt that the stated value of the enclosed goods reflected on the invoice did not justify the high costs of shipping the container; a full inspection showed that the container’s contents did not match the invoice. Agent McKinney suspected that some of the goods in the container might be counterfeit, so she photographed them and sent the pictures to the respective trademark owners, Gillette and Underwriters Laboratories (“UL”).1 The trademark owners indicated that the goods were not made by them, and Agent McKinney seized the shipment on August 18, 2003. Agent McKinney determined that another shipment from China to XYZ would arrive in a few weeks, and she designated that shipment for interception. This second shipment, which also was determined to contain counterfeit goods, was seized on September 15, 2003.2

Because of the discovery of the counterfeit goods in the August shipment, ICE Agent Jacqueline Irwin, posing undercover as the owner of a party store, visited XYZ on August 20, 2003. A salesperson named “Anna” showed her around the store and answered her questions regarding several products, including batteries and extension cords. Anna told Agent Irwin that the batteries “were not as good as the real ones” and not to sell them in the party store because she “could get in trouble.” Anna said that most of XYZ’s customers sold the batteries in flea markets “because they were less stricter over there.” Anna told Agent Irwin that the extension cords were safe to use. Agent Irwin purchased several of the items, at a cost of sixty-five cents to $1.25 each, and delivered the items to another ICE agent, Steven Lopez. Agent Irwin, again undercover, visited XYZ a second time on September 2, 2003, and noticed several of the same items for sale.

Agent Lopez applied for and was granted a search warrant, which was executed on November 7, 2003. Agent Lopez and other agents seized batteries, extension cords, other UL-labeled products, toys, and business records identifying Zheng as XYZ’s original incorporator and sole shareholder. Agent Lopez also discovered two cease-and-desist letters sent one week before the search from Gillette and UL to XYZ, addressed to Zheng.

Prior to the search, because the seized goods originated in China, Agent Lopez had suspected that illegal Chinese immigrants may have been on the premises. Accordingly, Agent Jerry Liu, an ICE agent fluent in Mandarin Chinese, accompanied the search party. During the execution of the search warrant, Agent Liu asked Zheng for identification; Zheng had [367]*367no documentation permitting him to be in the United States, and a computer check revealed that Zheng had been ordered deported in 1997. Agent Liu immediately placed Zheng in custody. After reading Zheng the proper Miranda warnings, Agent Liu translated questions from Agent Lopez to Zheng. Both Agents Lopez and Liu testified that Zheng admitted that he knew “the stuff that he was importing was fake.” Zheng also admitted that he was the owner of XYZ and that he had received the cease-and-desist letters.

At some point during the search, after seeing Agent Liu walk back inside from a cigarette break, Zheng asked Agent Liu if he could have a cigarette. Agent Liu then took Zheng outside where Zheng, according to Agent Liu’s testimony, offered a $50,000 bribe if Agent Liu would release him. Agent Liu also testified that Zheng again admitted that some of the goods in his store were “fake or counterfeit” and that Zheng said he “wouldn’t continue in this business any more” if Agent Liu let him go.

Subsequently, Zheng was indicted on six counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2320.3 During Zheng’s trial in July 2004, Agents McKinney, Irwin, Lopez, and Liu all testified to the above facts. Additionally, the government called as witnesses representatives from the trademark-owning companies, Gillette, Marvel, Nike, and UL. The representatives identified various features of the seized goods that, in their view, violated the companies’ registered trademarks. Additionally, the representatives testified as to why preventing counterfeiting was important to their businesses. The government also called as a witness ICE Agent Nicole Palestina, an import specialist, who testified to the retail value of the actual goods that the counterfeits mimicked. At the close of the government’s case, Zheng moved for a judgment of acquittal, which the district court denied. The defense then rested without presenting any evidence.

The jury convicted Zheng on all six counts of the indictment. The jury also made supplemental findings that the infringed goods had a retail value of $304,812 and that the offenses related to the goods in Counts Four and Five, bearing the UL symbol, involved a “conscious or reckless risk of bodily injury.” In February 2005, after the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220, 125 S.Ct. 738, 160 L.Ed.2d 621 (2005), the district court adopted the recommendations of the Pre-Sentence Report (“PSR”) and sentenced Zheng to 63 months imprisonment, the top of the applicable guideline range.

II. DISCUSSION

Zheng appeals his conviction, arguing that the evidence was insufficient to support the jury’s verdict and that the district court erroneously admitted various testimony. He also appeals his sentence, arguing that the district court erred in its interpretation and application of United States Sentencing Guideline (“U.S.S.G.”) § 2B5.3.

A. Sufficiency of the Evidence

(1) Standard of Review

Since Zheng timely moved for a judgment of acquittal, he preserved his [368]*368sufficiency argument for appeal. See United States v. Gonzales, 436 F.3d 560, 571 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 126 S.Ct. 2045, - L.Ed.2d - (2006). Therefore, so long as a rational jury could have found the elements proven beyond a reasonable doubt, this court must uphold the jury’s verdict. Id.; United States v. Adair, 436 F.3d 520, 525 (5th Cir.2006). This court views “the evidence in the light most favorable to the government with all reasonable inferences and credibility choices made in support of the jury verdict.” Gonzales, 436 F.3d at 571. “The intent necessary to support a conviction can be demonstrated by direct or circumstantial evidence that allows an inference of an unlawful intent, and not every hypothesis of innocence need be excluded.” United States v. Aggarwal,

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