U.S. v. Alcaraz-Garcia

• Citation: 79 F.3d 769
• Decision Date: 10 January 1996
• Docket Number: D,ALCARAZ-GARCI,No. 95-50155,95-50155
• Parties: 96 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 1414, 96 Daily Journal D.A.R. 2423 UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Franciscoefendant, v. Raul D. COVARRUBIAS; Daniel Haro; Javier Aguirre, Third-party-defendants-Appellants.
• Court: United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (9th Circuit)

Page 769

79 F.3d 769

96 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 1414, 96 Daily Journal

D.A.R. 2423

UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Francisco ALCARAZ-GARCIA, Defendant, v. Raul D. COVARRUBIAS; Daniel Haro; Javier Aguirre,

Third-party-defendants-Appellants.

No. 95-50155.

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.

Submitted Jan. 10, 1996 ^*.

Decided March 4, 1996.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of California; Howard B. Turrentine, Senior District Judge, Presiding.

Stephen E. Hoffman, Frank & Milchen, San Diego, California, for third-party-defendants-appellants.

L.J. O'Neale, Assistant United States Attorney, San Diego, California, for plaintiff-appellee.

Before: BRIGHT, ^** SKOPIL, and WIGGINS, Circuit Judges.

WIGGINS, Circuit Judge:

Raul D. Covarrubias, David Haro and Javier R. Aguirre ("Appellants") appeal the district court's denial of their third party petition to amend an order of forfeiture imposed under 18 U.S.C. § 982(a). The criminal forfeiture arose from the defendant Francisco Alcaraz-Garcia's ("Alcaraz") failure to report that he was carrying $35,020 in cash when crossing the border. In their petition, Appellants claimed ownership of a portion of the $25,020 that was forfeited, alleging they had each given sums of money to Alcaraz to deliver to their families in Colima, Mexico. After a hearing, the district court denied their petition, finding that the Appellants failed to establish their ownership interest in the forfeited funds under California law.

We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 and, for the following reasons, we REVERSE the district court's denial of the third party petition and REMAND to the district court for an appropriate amendment of the forfeiture order.

I.

On June 22, 1994, while driving from Southern California to the airport in Tijuana, Mexico, Alcaraz was stopped at the Otay Mesa, California Port of Entry. In response to questioning during primary and secondary customs inspections, Alcaraz told two inspectors of the United States Customs Service and an officer of the Chula Vista Police Department that he was not carrying more than $10,000 in cash. After a search by a customs inspector, $35,020 in U.S. currency was found concealed in Alcaraz' boots.

Based on the above conduct, Alcaraz was convicted in a jury trial of failing to file a currency report in violation of 31 U.S.C. § 5324(b)(1) and making a false statement to a U.S. Customs Service Inspector in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001. After further argument and deliberation, the jury ordered the criminal forfeiture of $25,020 pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 982.

Appellants filed a timely third party petition in the district court under 21 U.S.C. § 853(n)(2), alleging ownership of the forfeited funds. Appellants stated in their petition that they and Alcaraz were from Colima, Mexico. They had immigrated legally to the United States in order to find gainful employment and assist their families. When Appellants learned that Alcaraz planned to travel to Colima to visit family and friends, Appellants asked Alcaraz to deliver various sums from their savings to their respective families in Colima. ¹ Thus, Appellants claimed that forfeiture of the funds in Alcaraz' possession was improper because Appellants were innocent owners of the funds. ²

The district court granted Appellants a hearing pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 853(n)(4). At the hearing, counsel for Appellants declined to present further evidence, relying on the facts presented in the petition. The district court denied the petition at the hearing and issued an order denying the third party claim on February 15, 1995. The court found that under California law, Alcaraz was a gratuitous bailee; therefore, the Appellants' gifts to their relatives were complete upon delivery of the funds to Alcaraz. Alternatively, the court found that if Alcaraz were the agent of the Appellants, their right to the funds would not be superior to Alcaraz' right. Therefore, the court concluded that the petition failed to show by a preponderance of the evidence that Appellants had a legal right, title or interest in the forfeited funds within the meaning of 21 U.S.C. § 853(n)(6)(A). ³

Covarrubias, Haro and Aguirre appeal the district court's denial of their third party petition.

II.

A. STANDARD OF REVIEW

We review the district court's interpretation of federal forfeiture law de novo. United States v. 1980 Lear Jet, Model 35A Serial No. 277, 38 F.3d 398, 400 (9th Cir.1994). However, we review the district court's findings of fact for clear error. See United States v. One Parcel of Land, Known as Lot 111-B, Tax Map Key 4-4-03-71(4), Waipouli, Kapaa, Island and County of Kauai, State of Hawaii, 902 F.2d 1443, 1445 (9th Cir.1990) (finding of nominal ownership in forfeiture action not clearly erroneous). ⁴

B. DID THE DISTRICT COURT ERR IN DENYING THE APPELLANTS' THIRD PARTY PETITION?

As a preliminary matter, we note that Appellants' primary argument on appeal is misplaced. Appellants contend that the district court erred in denying their third party petition because their petition demonstrates that they were "innocent owners" of the funds seized from Alcaraz under Calero-Toledo v. Pearson Yacht Leasing Co., 416 U.S. 663, 94 S.Ct. 2080, 40 L.Ed.2d 452 (1974). ⁵ However, for the following reasons, the "innocent owner defense" as formulated by Calero-Toledo is not available under the forfeiture statute at issue here.

First, Appellants rely solely on cases that discuss the innocent owner defense under 18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(2), rather than § 982(a)--the forfeiture statute at issue here. ⁶ The reasoning of these cases is inapplicable to the case at bar because it is dependent upon the language of § 981--which differs significantly from the relevant language of § 982(a) and § 853(n). See infra, pp. 773-774. ⁷ More importantly, the "innocent owner defense" as formulated by Calero-Toledo does not apply where the forfeiture statute at issue supplies its own requirements to enable an innocent owner to challenge the forfeiture. See $69,292.00 in U.S. Currency, 62 F.3d at 1165 & n. 3 (noting that Calero-Toledo applies where an innocent owner provision does not exist in a forfeiture statute while applying Calero-Toledo to a forfeiture under 31 U.S.C. § 5317(c)). Here, 18 U.S.C. § 982(b) incorporates specified forfeiture procedures contained in 21 U.S.C. § 853, including an innocent owner provision which permits a third party to petition to amend a forfeiture order by establishing certain legal interests in the property. See infra pp. 773-774. Consequently, Appellants must satisfy the requirements of the innocent owner exception explicitly provided by § 853(n), rather than the relying upon the Calero-Toledo formulation of the innocent owner exception. ⁸

1. Standard for Third Party Petition to Amend a Forfeiture Order.

Thus, we turn to the appropriate standard for a third party to petition to amend a forfeiture order under 18 U.S.C. § 982(a). Alcaraz was convicted of failing to file a currency report in violation of 31 U.S.C. § 5324(b)(1), one of the enumerated offenses in 18 U.S.C. § 982(a)(1); therefore, the property involved in the offense was subject to criminal forfeiture under § 982(a)(1) as part of his sentence. 18 U.S.C. § 982(a)(1). The proceedings relating to property forfeited under § 982 are governed by 21 U.S.C. §§ 853(c) and (e) through (p). 18 U.S.C. § 982(b)(1)(A). Under 21 U.S.C. § 853(n)(2), "any person ... asserting a legal interest in property which has been ordered forfeited to the United States" may petition the court for a hearing to adjudicate his or her alleged interest in the property. 21 U.S.C. § 853(n)(2).

Further, in order to obtain an amendment to the forfeiture order, the third party petitioner must establish by a preponderance of the evidence that:

(A) the Petitioner has a legal right, title, or interest in the property, and such right, title, or interest renders the order of forfeiture invalid in whole or in part because the right, title, or interest was vested in the Petitioner rather than the defendant or was superior to any right, title, or interest of the defendant at the time of the commission of the acts which gave rise to the forfeiture of the property under this section.

21 U.S.C. § 853(n)(6)(A). ⁹

In sum, Appellants had the burden below to show by a preponderance of the evidence that they had a "legal interest" in the forfeited property which (1) was vested in the Appellants rather than Alcaraz or (2) was superior to Alcaraz' interest in the property.

2. Appellants' Asserted Legal Interest.

Under 21 U.S.C. § 853(n)(6) the "legal right, title or interest" of the third party is determined by state law. United States v. Certain Real Property Located at 2525 Leroy Lane, West Bloomfield, Mich., 910 F.2d 343, 347-48 (6th Cir.1990) (concluding that the use of state law to determine property rights under § 853(n) does not contravene federal forfeiture scheme), cert. denied, 499 U.S. 947, 111 S.Ct. 1414, 113 L.Ed.2d 467 (1991); United States v. Ben-Hur, 20 F.3d 313, 317 (7th Cir.1994) (state law determines legal interest of claimant under § 853(n)); see also United States v. Ranch Located in Young, Ariz., 50 F.3d 630, 632 (9th Cir.1995) ("In drug forfeiture actions, ownership of property is determined by state law.").

Here, Appellants must look to California law to support their claimed ownership interest in the money. Based upon the allegations in the petition, the district court found that Alcaraz was a gratuitous bailee of Appellants. The court further held that under California law Appellants' gift to their families was complete--and their ownership interest eliminated--once the funds were given to Alcaraz for delivery to Appellants' families.

Appellants do not specifically challenge the district court's findings; nor do they cite any California law to support their claim of ownership in the funds once they gave the funds to...