United States v. Lamine Camara
Opinion
A jury convicted appellant Lamine Camara of criminal conspiracy for his involvement in a scheme to acquire and resell luxury vehicles using stolen identities. Ray Ekobena orchestrated this scheme, and Camara's indictment charged him with conspiring "with Ray Ekobena and others, known and unknown," to violate three different federal laws. J.A. 9 (emphasis added). Following Camara's trial, the district court instructed the jury using the same language. During deliberations, however, the jury submitted a written question, asking, "Do we need to agree the defendant was conspiring with Ray specifically or conspiring in general?" J.A. 617. The district court responded, "[T]he government has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was conspiring specifically with Ray or other known or unknown co-conspirators." J.A. 628 (emphasis added).
Camara identifies two putative constitutional errors based on this supplemental instruction. First, he contends it constructively amended the indictment in violation of the Fifth Amendment by allowing the jury to convict him of a conspiracy that did not involve Ekobena. Second, he argues that it violated his Sixth Amendment right to a trial in a district in which the crime took place, on the theory that Ekobena provided the only connection between his crime and the district in which the government prosecuted him. In the alternative, Camara raises two challenges to the district court's sentence.
Finding no error, we affirm both Camara's conviction and his sentence.
I.
A.
The case against Camara centered on his involvement in Ray Ekobena's luxury car scheme. Ekobena used stolen identities to submit fraudulent loan applications to car dealerships. Once a dealership approved his loan applications, Ekobena relied on third parties to deliver the vehicles to Washington, D.C. Ekobena then resold those vehicles at a steep discount, mostly because he did not have valid title to transfer to a subsequent buyer, as is required to register a car and receive vehicle tags. In total, Ekobena fraudulently purchased ten vehicles as part of this scheme.
At trial, the government introduced evidence of Camara's involvement in five transactions within Ekobena's scheme. Camara purchased two vehicles from Ekobena, paying as little as one-tenth of their market value. For the first car Camara purchased, Ekobena provided a Virginia title with the name of an identity theft victim. Camara forged the identity theft victim's signature on the title and on the bill of sale in order to submit a Maryland title application. For the second, Camara received no title at all from Ekobena. Instead, Camara paid an individual named Zambia Jackson $150 for temporary tags-even though he knew the state of Maryland charged only $20 for legitimate tags. Camara did not know Jackson, and he never attempted to verify that she had the authority to issue vehicle tags. The tags Camara eventually received were fraudulent, stating that he purchased the vehicle from a dealership that does not exist.
Camara also facilitated three other transactions involving Ekobena. He introduced Ekobena to two friends, each of whom purchased cars from Ekobena. Camara participated in the delivery of both vehicles, and Ekobena paid him for his involvement. Because neither vehicle came with valid title, Camara ordered temporary tags from Jackson for each. Finally, Camara connected Ekobena with his local mechanic, who placed an order for a car and deposited money in Ekobena's account.
Before Ekobena could acquire that last vehicle, he was arrested. Ekobena ultimately pleaded guilty to seven felonies, three of which involved his use of stolen identities to purchase cars. Soon after Ekobena's arrest, federal authorities arrested Camara.
B.
A grand jury returned a one-count indictment against Camara. That indictment charged Camara, under
Ekobena, who served as one of the government's main witnesses, testified at trial to Camara's extensive participation in his scheme. Camara also testified, and he did not deny his involvement. Instead, Camara staked his defense on the idea that he was unaware that the vehicles involved in Ekobena's scheme were stolen.
At the end of the trial, the district court instructed the jury on the elements of Camara's charged offense. The court told the jury that the government alleged that, "in the Eastern District of Virginia, the defendant did knowingly, willfully conspire and agree together with Ray Ekobena and others, known and unknown," to commit the three federal offenses identified in the indictment. J.A. 593-94. During deliberations, the jury submitted the following written question: "Do we need to agree the defendant was conspiring with Ray specifically or conspiring in general?" J.A. 617. After consulting with counsel, the district court responded that "[t]he best answer I can give you is that the government has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was conspiring specifically with Ray or other known or unknown co-conspirators." J.A. 628 (emphasis added). A juror immediately asked for clarification: "Did you say 'and' or-." Id . The district court re-read its response and concluded, "So, I've said 'or.' " Id .
The jury returned a guilty verdict the next day. The district court sentenced Camara to a 36-month term of imprisonment, and he timely appealed.
II.
A.
1.
Camara's challenges to his conviction center on the district court's supplemental instruction. 1 His first and primary argument is that the district court's response to the jury's question constructively amended his indictment in violation of the Fifth Amendment. We disagree.
The Fifth Amendment provides that "[n]o person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury." U.S. Const. amend. V. It is therefore " 'the exclusive province of the grand jury' to alter or broaden the charges set out in an indictment."
United States v. Moore
,
Here, Camara argues, the district court's supplemental instruction constructively amended the indictment against him, permitting the jury to convict him of a conspiracy different than the one charged in the indictment. Because the indictment charged Camara with conspiring with "Ray Ekobena and others," J.A. 9 (emphasis added), Camara contends, the government was required to prove his involvement in a conspiracy that involved Ekobena. But by instead instructing the jury that "[t]he government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this defendant was conspiring with Ray [Ekobena] or others," J.A. 628 (emphasis added), according to Camara, the district court allowed the jury to convict him of a conspiracy that did not include Ekobena.
The first problem for Camara's argument is this: A constructive amendment occurs when an indictment is "altered to change the elements of the offense charged,"
Randall
,
We reached a similar conclusion in
United States v. Day
,
Our conclusion puts us in agreement with the Eighth Circuit's decision in
United States v. Behler
,
Our decision also is consistent with
United States v. Weissman
,
Moreover, by charging Camara as it did, the government put Camara on full notice of the case against him. Camara was aware, that is, that the government believed other co-conspirators were involved in Ekobena's scheme, and could prepare a defense accordingly. The defendants in
Weissman
, on the other hand, had no reason to expect that they would have to defend at trial against claims that they were associated with any enterprise other than the specified "DeCavalcante Family." This is an important distinction; one of the central purposes of the indictment is to provide sufficient notice to "allow[ ] the accused to prepare a defense as to every element of the indicted crime."
United States v. Promise
,
Here, Camara can point to no way in which his defense was prejudiced by the district court's supplemental instruction. Camara's trial defense-that he participated in buying and selling luxury cars with Ekobena, but was unaware that the cars were stolen-had nothing to do with the precise identity of his co-conspirators. As in
Behler
, Camara's defense "did not rise or fall on a conjunctive reading of the charge."
In sum, the district court's supplemental instruction neither altered an element of the conspiracy charged by Camara's indictment nor prejudiced Camara's defense. Accordingly, we hold that the instruction did not constitute a constructive amendment in violation of the Fifth Amendment.
2.
Camara next contends that this same supplemental instruction violated his constitutional "right to a trial 'by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed,' "
United States v. Bowens
,
In a conspiracy case, venue is proper " 'in any district in which any act in furtherance of the conspiracy was committed,' and 'proof of acts by one co-conspirator can be attributed to all members of the conspiracy.' "
United States v. Smith
,
At the outset, we note that there is a serious question as to whether Camara waived his venue challenge by failing to raise the issue when the district court indicated it would answer the jury's question as it ultimately did.
See
United States v. Collins
,
The district court instructed the jury that the government was required to establish that either "the agreement or an overt act took place in this district." J.A.
608. The court later reiterated that it was the government's burden to establish "that part of the conspiracy took place in the Eastern District of Virginia."
Moreover, the government introduced ample evidence that Camara or one of his co-conspirators committed an "act in furtherance of the conspiracy" in the Eastern District of Virginia,
Smith
,
Camara's only response to these multiple contacts is that many of them involve Ekobena, and that under his theory of the case-that the supplemental instructions permitted the jury to convict based on a distinct conspiracy in which Ekobena was not involved-they should not be considered here. But we have held already that Camara has failed to identify any separate conspiracy, apart from Ekobena, of which he could have been convicted. And, in any event, it was Camara himself who made the drive, in a stolen vehicle, to Arlington, Virginia, in furtherance of the conspiracy. Camara's venue argument fails, and we affirm his conviction.
B.
We turn now to Camara's challenges to his sentence. At sentencing, the district court calculated an offense level of 20 under the Sentencing Guidelines, which translated to a Guidelines range of 33 to 41 months in prison. The total offense level reflected a loss calculation of $276,331 and a two-point enhancement for "being in the business of receiving and selling stolen property," U.S.S.G. § 2B1.1(b)(4). The district court sentenced Camara to a 36-month term of imprisonment and a two-year period of supervised release. We review the district court's factual findings for clear error and its legal conclusions de novo,
United States v. Llamas
,
Camara first disputes the district court's loss calculation. "[T]he determination of loss attributable to a fraud scheme is a factual issue for resolution by the district court, and we review such a finding of fact only for clear error."
United States v. Godwin
,
Camara also challenges the district court's finding that he was in the "business of receiving and selling stolen property" under U.S.S.G. § 2B1.1(b)(4), resulting in a two-point enhancement to his offense level. The Sentencing Guidelines adopt a "totality of the circumstances" approach to this issue,
United States v. White
,
The evidence fully supports the district court's conclusion here. Camara purchased two different luxury vehicles at steep discounts and fraudulently registered them using different methods. He connected Ekobena with three other interested purchasers, each of whom paid Ekobena and two of whom ultimately received stolen vehicles from Ekobena. As noted above, the estimated total value of the vehicles involved in these transactions exceeded $276,000. Camara also participated in the delivery of the vehicles he did not purchase, received payment for his efforts, and helped secure fraudulent tags for those vehicles. Under these circumstances, and in light of the guidance provided by the Sentencing Commission, we find no error in the district court's finding that Camara was in the "business of receiving and selling stolen property" under U.S.S.G. § 2B1.1(b)(4).
III.
For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the judgment of the district court.
AFFIRMED.
Camara also contests the district court's decision to give a willful blindness instruction. Such an instruction is proper where "the defendant claims lack of guilty knowledge in the face of evidence supporting an inference of deliberate ignorance."
United States v. Lighty
,
We assume for purposes of this opinion that Camara's interpretation of the supplemental instruction is correct. We note, however, that the government takes a different view, arguing that the instruction is better read as clarifying only that a conspiracy conviction requires that there be some specific co-conspirator, and not just "conspiring in general." And indeed, when Camara argued before the district court as it considered its response to the jury's question, he gave no indication that he understood the issue to be the particular identity or identities of Camara's alleged co-conspirators. We need not resolve this question, however, because even on Camara's reading, the instruction did not constitute a constructive amendment.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Lamine CAMARA, Defendant-Appellant.
- Cited By
- 25 cases
- Status
- Published