U.S. v. Rolett, 97-3407

• Decision Date: 10 December 1998
• Docket Number: No. 97-3407,97-3407
• Citation: 151 F.3d 787
• Parties: UNITED STATES of America, Appellee, v. Roger David ROLETT, Appellant.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Eighth Circuit

Page 787

151 F.3d 787

UNITED STATES of America, Appellee, v. Roger David ROLETT, Appellant.

No. 97-3407.

United States Court of Appeals Eighth Circuit.

Submitted Feb. 10, 1998.

Decided July 30, 1998.

Rehearing and Suggestion for Rehearing En Banc Denied Dec. 10, 1998.

William Charles McArthur, Little Rock, AR, argued, for appellant.

Patrick C. Harris, Assistant United States Attorney, Little Rock, AR, argued (Paul J. Casey, on the brief), for appellee.

Before RICHARD S. ARNOLD, ¹ Chief Judge, HANSEN, Circuit Judge, and LIMBAUGH, ² District Judge.

LIMBAUGH, District Judge.

Appellant was charged with conspiracy to commit a murder in aid of racketeering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959(a)(5) in Count I of the indictment and in Count II was charged with murder in aid of racketeering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959(a)(1)and 2. A jury convicted appellant of Count I, the conspiracy count, and found appellant not guilty of Count II, the murder count.

On this appeal, appellant raises three assignments of error. The first is that the district court ³ erroneously admitted Rule 404(b) evidence. Second, the district court erroneously denied motions for judgment of acquittal and for a new trial because of insufficient evidence to support the verdict as to Count I. The third assignment is that the district court should have sustained the motion for judgment of acquittal as the verdict of guilty on Count I was inconsistent with the verdict of not guilty as to Count II. We affirm.

Appellant and Charles Edwin "Butch" Davidson were both charged in Counts I and II of a superseding indictment. Before trial, the government dismissed Davidson pursuant to an agreement whereby he would cooperate and testify against appellant.

At the trial, the parties stipulated that there was in existence, from February 1989 to February 1995, a racketeering criminal enterprise directed by Davidson. The enterprise was engaged in auto theft, arson, insurance fraud, drug distribution, intimidation and murder in and around White County, Arkansas, and the activities of the enterprise affected interstate commerce.

Davidson testified extensively concerning the racketeering, criminal enterprise and the circumstances surrounding the murder of Marlene Holt. The body of Holt has never been found.

Davidson also stated he had previously been convicted of a RICO charge and for murder for hire of Daryl Cooperwood. His sentence in these cases was life imprisonment without possibility of release, plus an additional term of 999 months incarceration.

During his testimony, Davidson stated that he had been running a body shop and car lot and was involved in stolen trucks. He would take the trucks apart, disassemble them and use the parts on wrecks, switching vehicle identification numbers. He labeled this operation as a chop-shop enterprise. Davidson stated that his stepson, Tim Scarbrough, and appellant would steal trucks for him as a part of his chop-shop operation. Davidson also testified that he would operate as a fence by buying stolen property and reselling it. He stated that Tim Scarbrough and appellant were burglarizing houses and then bringing him stolen property to sell. This included TVs, VCRs, microwaves and guns.

At that point in Davidson's testimony, defendant moved for a mistrial because of the introduction in evidence of the thefts and burglaries. The argument was that this evidence was inappropriate in a murder trial or in a charge of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering. The trial court considered the evidence as that contemplated by Rule 404(b) of the Federal Rules of Evidence. The request for a mistrial was denied but the court elected to give a cautionary instruction. The court told the jury that Davidson had testified about certain acts of conduct involving appellant, that is stealing property, breaking into homes and delivering guns and television sets to Davidson. The court stated that the evidence was being received for a limited purpose and it was not being received to show the character of appellant or to show that appellant acted in accordance with any alleged characterization, but that it was being received to show motivation, intent, knowledge, mode and manner of operation, the absence of mistake or accident or the relationship between the appellant and Davidson. The court told the jury that the members could receive this information for those limited purposes only, and not to pinpoint the character of appellant.

Davidson later testified about events involving Tim Scarbrough buying marijuana from an undercover officer. Davidson stated that Scarbrough attempted to steal some of the evidence of the marijuana offense. He stated that Scarbrough broke into the Drug Task Force office in Searcy, Arkansas and stole all of the files and records. He stated that appellant was with him at the time of the theft. At that point, appellant again moved for a mistrial and the court denied it and offered again to give the same cautionary instruction given earlier as to the Rule 404(b) evidence. Counsel for appellant did not feel it was necessary to restate the cautionary instruction, so none was given and the request for mistrial was denied.

Appellant argues that the introduction of this evidence violated Rule 404(b) of the Federal Rules of Evidence and that the district court, therefore, erred in denying the motion for a mistrial. Appellant urges the court to find that the other acts allegedly performed by him were not similar in kind to the acts charged and the prejudice of this testimony far outweighed the probative value of the evidence.

Although both parties treated the evidence of other acts as Rule 404(b) evidence, this court finds that such evidence is "intrinsic evidence" which is inextricably intertwined as "an integral part of the immediate context of the crime charged." U.S. v. McGuire, 45 F.3d 1177, 1188 (8th Cir.1995). U.S. v. Williams, 95 F.3d 723, 730, 731 (8th Cir.1996).

The superseding indictment as to Count 1 sets out as an introduction that from in or about March 3, 1992 to in or about February 1995, Davidson and others constituted an enterprise as defined in 18 U.S.C. § 1959(b)(2); that is, a group of individuals associated in fact, which engaged in, and the activities of which affected interstate commerce. The purposes of the enterprise included enriching the members of the enterprise through, among other things, drug trafficking, arson, auto theft and fraud, and preserving and protecting the power of the enterprise through use of intimidation, threats, violence, arson and murder. It was alleged that the enterprise employed people, known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to carry out acts for Davidson. The enterprise, "called the Davidson Enterprise" through its members and associates engaged in racketeering activity as defined in 18 U.S.C. § 1959(b)(1) and 1961(1), that is, acts involving murder and arson in violation of the Arkansas Criminal Code and acts indictable under 18 U.S.C. § 1958 and other sections. The indictment charged in addition that in or about July 1992 through September 1992 in the Eastern District of Arkansas, Davidson and appellant conspired with each other as consideration for the receipt of, and as consideration for a promise and agreement to pay something of pecuniary value from the Davidson Enterprise, and for the purpose of maintaining and increasing their position in the enterprise, which was engaged in racketeering activity, to cause the death of Marlene Holt by way of murder, in violation of Arkansas laws, thereby violating 18 U.S.C. § 1959(a)(5).

Although the parties stipulated that there was, in existence, a racketeering, criminal enterprise directed by Davidson which was engaged in auto theft, arson, insurance fraud, drug distribution, intimidation and murder it was relevant for the government to offer evidence that appellant was involved, not only in the conspiracy to cause the death of Marlene Holt, but to offer proof that appellant, himself, was a member of the conspiracy and of the racketeering enterprise.

Section 1959(a) of 18 U.S.C. provides that "whoever as consideration for the receipt of, or as consideration for a promise or agreement to pay, anything of pecuniary value from an enterprise engaged in racketeering activity, or for the purpose of gaining entrance to or maintaining or increasing position in an enterprise engaged in racketeering activity, murders, ... any individual in violation of the laws of any state or the United States or attempts or conspires so to do, shall be punished ..."

In order to prove its case against appellant, the government had to prove that there was an enterprise engaged in racketeering activity and that the enterprise gave or promised consideration to appellant and Davidson to commit a murder, or to conspire to commit a murder. While it was not necessary to prove that appellant was himself a part of the enterprise engaged in racketeering activity, it was certainly relevant to produce evidence suggesting that he and Davidson worked together in the enterprise engaged in racketeering activity as alleged in the indictment. Racketeering activity, among other things, includes trafficking in certain motor vehicle or motor vehicle parts. 18 U.S.C. § 1961. This includes obliterating, tampering or altering motor vehicles, or motor vehicle parts, including engaging in chop-shop operations. 18 U.S.C. § 2321 and § 2322.

The evidence that appellant and Tim Scarbrough were engaged with Davidson in a chop-shop operation, and that appellant was stealing materials to further that operation was certainly relevant to prove that there was an enterprise engaged in racketeering activity and that this enterprise provided the consideration to appellant and Davidson to conspire to commit murder. The stipulation of the parties that there was an enterprise engaged in racketeering activity would not preclude the government from introducing further...