UNITED STATES of America, Appellee, v. Lynette MARYEA, Defendant, Appellant.
No. 11-2239
United States Court of Appeals, First Circuit.
Jan. 15, 2013.
705 F.3d 54
Seth R. Aframe, Assistant United States Attorney, with whom John P. Kacavas, United States Attorney, was on brief for appellee.
Before LYNCH, Chief Judge, TORRUELLA and BOUDIN,* Circuit Judges.
TORRUELLA, Circuit Judge.
Defendant-Appellant Lynette Maryea (“Maryea” or “Defendant“) was charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to unlawfully distribute Oxycodone, Oxycontin, Subox-
I. Background
A. Factual Background
Maryea was originally charged with fourteen co-defendants for their collective involvement in a scheme to unlawfully procure, smuggle into and distribute narcotic controlled substances within the Rockingham County Housе of Corrections (“RCHOC“) in Brentwood, New Hampshire. Since Maryea‘s appeal follows a conviction, the facts associated with that scheme are recounted “in the light most favorable to the verdict.” United States v. Poulin, 631 F.3d 17, 18 (1st Cir. 2011).
In March 2009, Richard Woods (“Woods“)—Maryea‘s co-defendant in the original indictment and the only remaining co-defendant with Maryea in the superseding indictment—began his incarceration at RCHOC. Woods and his girlfriend, Noreen Durham (“Durham“), both suffered from opiate addictions, and Durham was prescribed Suboxone, an opiate blocker that assists with withdrawal symptoms. Following his incarceration, Woods regularly asked Durham to procure Suboxone for him. Durham testified to having made three deliveries of Suboxone to RCHOC for Woods through a delivery scheme involving placing Suboxone and tobacco into a baggie, putting the baggie inside a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee cup, and dropping the coffee cup in a pre-designated trash can in front of a nursing home approximately 100 yards from the jail. The nursing home contained a laundry room where designated inmates (“trustees“) were employed. In July 2009, Durham informed Woods in recorded phone conversations that she would not make any further deliveries of Suboxone outside the nursing home for fear of getting caught and violating her probation for a conviction unrelated to this scheme.
Troy Muder (“Muder“)—another co-defendant in the original indictment and Maryea‘s boyfriend—had been committed at RCHOC to serve a six-month sentence, and became Woods’ cellblock mate on July 8, 2009. Shortly after his incarceration at RCHOC, Maryea made an unsuccessful attempt to smuggle painkillers into RCHOC by dropping pills off in a dump truck parked on the premises of the jail near the nursing home. However, in early July 2009, Maryea reunited with a former acquaintance, Justin Knowles (“Knowles“), who knew Muder and had recently been released from RCHOC. Knowles advised Maryea of a “better way” to smuggle drugs into the jail, namely, by packaging drugs—tobacco, Oxycodone, Oxycontin, Xanax, and other pills—into “slugs,” or containers made from the tip of a latex glove, and dropping off the slugs with the “trustees” working in the laundry department in the nursing home.
Maryea largely procured the drugs included in the slugs by filling fraudulent prescriptions at various pharmacies after stealing blank prescription pads with Knowles and Kerry Noonan (“Noonan“),
On August 14, 2009, after Durham informed Woods that she would no longer be making Suboxone deliveries, Woods instructed her in a recorded phone conversation to call Maryea, tell her that he, Woods, “owe[s] her boy” Muder, and deliver the Suboxone to Maryea. Maryea would then, in turn, accomplish the Suboxone delivery to RCHOC. Durham delivered Suboxone pills to Maryea three times in August 2009, and on one occasion, when delivering the pills to Maryea‘s home, she met Knowles.
On September 20, 2009, Noonan and Knowles were arrested after Noonan drove Knowles to RCHOC and Knowles entered the laundry room of the nursing home. Upon their arrest, a slug was seized from Knowles containing fifteen 15-milligram Oxycodone pills, three 30-milligram Oxycodone pills, twelve Suboxone pills, and sixteen Xanax pills. A pill bottle was also seized from Noonan‘s purse which contained five 30-milligram Oxycodone pills.
B. Indictments and Pre-Trial Motion Practice
On December 16, 2009, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Maryea and fourteen other individuals for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and to unlаwfully distribute Oxycodone, Oxycontin, Suboxone, Lorazepam, and Ativan from July 2009 to September 20, 2009, in violation of
On July 16, 2010, Woods filed a motion to continue (“Woods’ First MTC“), and Maryea objected, providing speedy trial calculations. The district court granted Woods’ motion after Maryea‘s counsel “expressly informed the court that Maryea does not request or desire severance of her case.” In August 2010, a grand jury returned a superseding indictment (“Superseding Indictment“) charging only defendants Maryea and Woods with the same conspiracy as in the Original Indictment, but stating that the conspiracy began in April 2009 instead of July 2009.
During Maryea‘s arraignment on the Superseding Indictment, the government moved the district court to order a mental health evaluation at a federal medical facility to assess her competency to stand trial. Maryea objected to the government‘s motion as she had already procured her own mental health evaluation, and the examining physician had concluded that she was competent to stand trial. The district court denied the government‘s motion for the reasons stated in Maryea‘s objection.
On September 1, 2010, Woods filed his second motion to continue (“Woods’ Second MTC“), requesting a delay in his trial date due to: (1) a companion state matter pending in the Rockingham County Superior Court with a trial scheduled for October 6, 2010, the outcome of which could affect Woods’ plea negotiations in the federal criminal matter; and (2) Woods’ continuing plea negotiations with the government. The district court granted the continuance on the day it was filed without obtaining Maryea‘s objection or consent, concluding that “the ends of justice served by granting a continuance outweigh the best interest of the public and the defendant in a speedy trial,
Maryea filed a series of motions in late August and early September 2010, including, inter alia, two motions to dismiss the Superseding Indictment for violations of the Speedy Trial Act, a motion to remove counsel and appoint new counsel, and a motion for bail alleging the Bureau of Prisons’ failure to properly provide medical care.1 In her September 20, 2010 Reply Brief to her motion to dismiss, Maryea objected to the granting of the continuance. Relying on the co-defendant exclusion in the Speedy Trial Act,
It is simply submitted that the Court cannot find the delay caused by Woods’ ... motion[] to continue to be reasonable as to Maryea.... This is because the Court was no longer dealing with more than two co-defendants and one of the defendants was simply looking for more time to resolve companion state cases.
The district court convened a hearing to address Maryea‘s objection, where the district court judge stated to Maryea that the court was:
fairly aggravated that you‘re advancing these arguments that contradict the positions you‘ve taken already in the case, because I‘ve asked you repeatedly every time we‘ve talked about speedy trial if you wanted a severance, and you‘ve stressed to me every single time you do not want a severance. Let me ask you this. Do you want to go to trial in this case next week? Is that what you want to do? Because I‘m ready to try the case whenever you are.
In response, Maryea‘s counsel stated that,
[I]n terms of trial strategy, ... I want Mr. Woods sitting on one of these chairs along with everybody else, and that‘s the truth. And that‘s a simply [sic] legal analysis, factual analysis ... trial analysis that I do ... I‘m not looking for severance. I am objecting to the motion to continue.
The district court judge then asked defense counsel, “But given that the law says when you don‘t agree, you have to choose trial strategy; right? Do you prefer to be sitting there next to Woods, or do you prefer your speedy trial? Because that‘s what the statute says,” and defense counsel responded, “I don‘t think the statute says that because I don‘t move to sever, that I‘ve forfeited my speedy trial claim.”
Evaluating the strategic choices expressed by Maryea in choosing not to sever her trial from Woods alongside Woods’
Before trial commenced, the district court sua sponte ordered that Maryea undergo “a medical and psychological evaluation to determine her competency to stand trial, including an assessment of whether, and the extent to which her physical pain impacts that competency.” On November 10, 2010, the court-appointed doctor submitted his report, concluding that Maryea was competent to stand trial. The report confirmed that Maryea was “able to answer all ... questions” during the doctor‘s evaluation and that she “reported that she uses the law library [to] work on her defense.” After recognizing Maryea‘s “ongoing pain symptoms,” the doctor observed that said symptoms “did not impair the cognitive process during the evaluation,” and that it would be “a very unusual circumstance that, with an individual‘s mental disorder under reasonable control, the mere presence of pain would make them not competent to stand trial.” The report thus concluded that Maryea‘s pain complaints did not affect her competency.
C. Maryea‘s Trial
On December 30, 2010, Woods entered a plea agreement which the court accepted. Maryea‘s trial then commenced on January 4, 2011. After the fourth day of trial, Maryea was injured in a car accident while being transported from the courthouse to the jail. She moved to continue the trial and filed a motion for a mistrial, which was later withdrawn. The district court granted the continuance and held two subsequent status conferences to consider Maryea‘s complaints of pain and her treatment in the prison. The district court also ordered an independent medical evaluation to (1) evaluate and diagnose any injuries Maryea may have sustained in the car accident; and (2) determine whether the “continuing effects of those injuries, if any, will prevent her from meaningfully participating in the ongoing criminal trial and assisting in her defense, including observing the evidence and communicating with her counsel.” Following an examination, the examining doctor concluded that Maryea had suffered a pinched nerve in her neck, and the district court ordered that an MRI be performed on her neck based on the report‘s recommendation. In a series of hearings following the accident, the district court monitored Maryea‘s status and, following the withdrawal of Maryea‘s oral motion for a mistrial, scheduled the trial to reconvene on January 24, 2011.
Upon the recommencement of her trial, Maryea said that she was experiencing “breakthrough pain,” although she also told the district court that the pain was “not impairing [her] ability to pay attention or to sit here as of right now.” The court notified her that if her pain reached a point “where it interferes with your ability to participate meaningfully in your defense and consult with counsel and the like, I‘m sure you‘re going to let us know.” Maryea confirmed that she would.
On January 25, 2011, defense counsel informed the court that Maryea was “crying” and “hysterical” after not receiving
Evidence closed on January 27, 2011, and Maryea filed a Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 29 motion for a judgment of acquittal, arguing that the government‘s evidence proved two distinct conspiracies rather than one overarching conspiracy, and that the government had not produced sufficient evidence linking her to the conspiracy charged in the Superseding Indictment. The district court denied Maryea‘s motion, stating that, when “viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution ... , it seems to me that ... the jury certainly could infer that ... the conspirators who did tie this entire course of conduct together, even if it does amount to more than one conspiracy if broken down, into a single conspiracy, was Lynette Maryea and Troy Muder. So for the reasons ... stated by the U.S. Attorney in his objection, I have to deny the motion for Rule 29.”
The district court charged the jury, and the jury sent a note to the court during its deliberations asking, “Which indictment are we supposed to refer to? Jury instructions are unclear.” The court instructed the jury to deliberate and return a verdict on the Superseding Indictment. The jury then returned a guilty verdict, and the district court entered judgment on October 19, 2011. This timely appeal followed.
II. Discussion
Maryea argues that the district court erred by (1) denying her Speedy Trial Act claims in her motion to dismiss; (2) failing to order a second mental health evaluation of her competency to stand trial following her car accident; and (3) denying her Rule 29 motion based on a prejudicial variance between the conspiracy proven at trial and that charged in the Superseding Indictment. We address each issue in turn.
A. Maryea‘s Challenges on Appeal
1. Speedy Trial Act Claims
This court “review[s] the district court‘s denial of a motion to dismiss based upon the Speedy Trial Act de novo as to legal rulings and for clear error as to factual findings.” United States v. Maxwell, 351 F.3d 35, 37 (1st Cir. 2003). The Speedy Trial Act requires that a court grant a defendant‘s motion to dismiss for lack of a speedy trial if the defendant is
Under the Speedy Trial Act, “[i]n any case in which a plea of not guilty is entered, the trial of a defendant charged in an indictment ... shall commence within seventy days from the filing date ... of the ... indictment, or from the date the defendant has appeared before a judicial officer of the court in which such charge is pеnding, whichever date last occurs.”
Between Maryea‘s appearance and trial, 383 days elapsed. Maryea concedes that, of those days, 204 days are excludable under the Speedy Trial Act. Maryea also assumes, without conceding, that for the purposes of appeal: (1) 36 days are excludable under the First MTC granted to Woods; and (2) 30 of the 58 tоtal days for the court-ordered competency evaluation are excludable. Therefore, 113 days remain between the filing of the Superseding Indictment and the commencement of Maryea‘s trial, and Maryea limits her challenge in this appeal to those sixty days within that period “erroneously held to be excludable by the district court based on” that court‘s granting of Woods’ Second MTC.
Maryea makes two interrelated arguments in her challenge to the district court‘s exclusion of the above-referenced sixty days. First, she contends that the court erred in not assessing the reasonableness of the application of the Second MTC as to her Speedy Trial clock. Second, she asserts that the court erred by requiring severance from her co-defendant as a pre-condition for analyzing the reasonableness of the continuance as it applied to her. We address each argument separately.
a. Application of a Reasonableness Requirement to the Co-Defendant Clause
Maryea claims that the district court erred in failing to consider “the reasonableness, vel non, of the delay [resulting from the granting of the Second MTC] as it applied to [her] situation.” She first argues that the Supreme Court‘s decision in Bloate v. United States, 559 U.S. 196, 130 S. Ct. 1345, 176 L. Ed. 2d 54 (2010), supports reading a reasonableness requirement into the Co-Defendant Clause bеcause, in that decision, the Supreme Court suggested that the subsections of
Maryea maintains that Woods’ Sеcond MTC was not reasonable as to her since the continuance only gave him more time to achieve his plea deal with the government, undermining her defense strategy and resulting in her being stranded as the “lone defendant to be tried for a conspiracy that originally named fifteen co-defendants.” She likens her case to that of United States v. Hall, 181 F.3d 1057, 1062 (9th Cir. 1999), in which the Ninth Circuit held that a defendant suffered prejudice under the Speedy Trial Act when the district court granted a continuance to the government for the “primary purpose” of allowing the only other co-defendant in the case to “pursue plea negotiations.”
The government contends that the district court did not err when it excluded from Maryea‘s Speedy Trial clock the period resulting from the grant of the Second MTC following its determination that Woods was entitled to a continuance due to ongoing plea negotiations and a pending state court matter. That is because the only way that the court could honor Woods’ need for a continuance and Maryea‘s right to a speedy trial was to grant Maryea a severance so that she could be tried ahead of Woods. Since the district court expressly afforded Maryea the option of a severance and she expressly declined to file a motion to sever due to her trial strategy to be tried аlongside Woods, the district court‘s extension of the delay to Maryea was reasonable as the only way to secure Woods’ interest and allow the defendant to pursue her strategy. The government cites to the Tenth Circuit‘s recent decision in United States v. James, 418 Fed. Appx. 751, 754 (10th Cir. 2011), to support its proposition that a “[d]efendant cannot have the benefit of his trial strategy and then argue that the delay resulting from that strategy was unreasonable.”
When a Speedy Trial Act violation is alleged by a defendant, a trial court follows a two-step process. United States v. Staula, 80 F.3d 596, 600 (1st Cir. 1996). First, it calculates and determines the aggregate time elapsed awaiting trial. Id. In this case, the parties do not challenge the district court‘s Speedy Trial calculations with respect to the aggregate time elapsed between the Superseding Indictment and Maryea‘s trial. Second, the Court determines how many days are properly excluded from that ultimate sum. Id. Maryea does not contest the reasonableness of the
Maryea is correct that the case law in this Circuit has not addressed head on whether the Co-Defendant Clause as a general matter is subject to a reasonableness limitation,2 and we decline to do so here. However, the court agrees with the government that, under the facts of this particular case, the district court did not err when it denied Maryea‘s motion to dismiss. In line with the principles outlined in the Supreme Court‘s decision in Bloate as well as the reasoning of our sister circuits, the Court will assume without deciding, for the purposes of this case, that a reasonableness requirement applies, and that the requirement may be met through a factors-based assessment. See Bloate, 130 S. Ct. 1345 (holding that time excluded from a Speedy Trial clock for pretrial motion preparation is not automatically excluded under
In considering the significance of a defendant‘s failure to petition for severance in assessing reasonableness, it is important to be clear about the language and stated purpose of the Co-Defendant Clause itself, which allows for exclusions of a “reasonable period of delay when the defendant is joined for trial with a codefendant as to whom the time for trial has not run and no motion for severance has been granted.”
To the extent that Maryea alleges prejudice or unreasonableness under the totality of the circumstances resulting from her co-defendant having reached a plea agreement with the government as a result of ongoing negotiations prior to trial—made possible, at least in part, by the continuances granted by the district court—we cannot agree that such a delay goes against the text, legislative history, and purpose of the Speedy Trial Act. This is because the “utility of a joint trial [wa]s particularly compelling here, as the defendants were charged with a single conspiracy so that the government could be expected to ‘recite a single factual history, put on a single array of evidence, and call a single group of witnesses.‘” Franklin, 148 F.3d at 457. In a case heavily relied on by Maryea, the Third Circuit stated that “[t]he Legislative history of section
Maryea‘s second Speedy Trial Act argument is that the district court erred in requiring her to either request a severance or forfeit her Speedy Trial rights. This is because, Maryea claims, Speedy Trial Act rights may not be waived by a co-defendant‘s failure to request a severance based on the Supreme Court‘s decision in Zedner v. United States, 547 U.S. 489, 126 S. Ct. 1976, 164 L. Ed. 2d 749 (2006), the rule of a majority of sister circuits, and the text, legislative history, and purpose of the Act. See Mitchell, 723 F.2d at 1047.
In Zedner, the Supreme Court held that, since the Speedy Trial Act was designed not only to protect defendants but also the public interest, defense continuance requests could not be based merely on a defendant‘s waiver of his rights under the Act. Id. at 501. Rather, the granting of a continuance must “fit within one of the specific exclusions set out in subsection (h).” Id. at 500. To the extent the consideration of a failure to seek a severance in a factor-based reasonableness determination might be considered a “waiver,” it does not constitute a prospective waiver of Speedy Trial Act rights of the kind at issue in Zedner. Firstly, Zedner involved a blanket prospective waiver “for all time” of a defendant‘s rights under the Speedy Trial Act; this case does not. See Zedner, 547 U.S. at 492-93. Such a broad waiver was deemed ineffective by the Supreme Court because it found that the breadth of the waiver by definition did not “fit within one of the specific exclusions set out in subsection (h).” Id. at 500. In the facts before us, the exclusion fits within the Co-Defendant Clause, and we have found the application of the exclusion as to Maryea reasonable. The Supreme Court in Zedner also found the prospective nature of the waiver ineffective, distinguishing it from retrospective waivers and stating that “there is no reason to think that Congress wanted to treat prospective and retrospective waivers similarly.” Id. at 502. Retrospective waivers, the Court reasoned, do not рose a comparable danger because the prosecution and the court cannot know until the trial actually starts or the guilty plea is actually entered whether the defendant will forego moving to dismiss. As a consequence, the prosecution and the court retain a strong incentive to make sure that the trial begins on time.
Id. The “waiver” at issue in this case is not a prospective waiver but is better characterized as retrospective since Maryea could either assert her right to a speedy trial by moving to sever or challenge an alleged denial of her Speedy Trial Act rights following the denial of a motion to sever based on unreasonableness. Maryea still remained in control of the 70-day
To conclude, we hold that the district court did not err in denying Maryea‘s motion to dismiss for lack of a speedy trial since the delay caused by Woods’ Second MTC was reasonable. The court thus affirms the district court‘s finding that no Speedy Trial violation occurred since, applying the properly excluded days from Woods’ Second MTC, Maryea‘s Speedy Trial clock did not run in excess of the requisite seventy days.
2. Mental Competency Determinations
The competency standard for standing trial involves an inquiry into whether a defendant has “a rational as well as factual understanding of the proceedings against” him or her, and whether the defendant “has sufficient present ability to consult his lawyer with a reasonable degree of rational understanding.” Indiana v. Edwards, 554 U.S. 164, 170 (2008) (citing Drope v. Missouri, 420 U.S. 162, 171 (1975); Dusky v. United States, 362 U.S. 402, 402 (1960)). Pursuant to
The court reviews the district court‘s decision not to hold a competency hearing or order a psychiatric examination for abuse of discretion, affirming the district court‘s decision as long as there was a sufficient evidentiary basis to support its decision. United States v. Sánchez-Ramirez, 570 F.3d 75, 80 (1st Cir. 2009) (standard of review of decision not to hold a competency hearing); Curtis, 520 F.2d at 1304 (standard of review of decision not to order psychiatric examination). To chal-
Mаryea argues the district court violated her due process and statutory rights by failing to order a re-evaluation of her competency to stand trial after the injuries she suffered in the January 14th car accident. Specifically, Maryea asserts that the district court erred because the accident wrought a “significant change in circumstances” warranting an evidentiary hearing on her mental competency.
Maryea points to our decision in Johnson to support her argument stating that this case, like Johnson, involves a defendant in a criminal proceeding who was subjected to a physical injury worthy of creating a “change of circumstances.” In Johnson, this court found that a competency hearing was warranted when the defendant suffered a blow to the head on the morning of the first day of trial and also lost consciousness and vomited during trial. See 249 F.3d at 23, 28. In this case, Maryea cites to the following which, she claims, created sufficient doubt as to her mental competency after the accident that should have triggered the ordering of a mental competency hearing: (1) statements she made during the January 18, 2011 Status Conference that her pain was “breaking through” her medication and that she was “damaged,” “broken,” and rendered incapable of participating in her own defense;3 (2) her breakdown on the sixth day of trial when she received her medications late; (3) her “rambling, incoherent and inconsistent” testimony following thе court‘s recess and questioning of Maryea on that sixth day following her receipt of her medication; (4) her erratic behavior on the seventh day of trial when, in response to the court‘s question concerning how she was feeling, she stated that she was “celestial” and objected to her own counsel while attempting to address the court directly and through a subsequent pro se motion for a mistrial; and (5) Dr. Drogin‘s testimony as to the nature of Maryea‘s mental diagnosis as “bipolar with psychotic features,” and which provided the court with descriptions of the disorder that she was exhibiting at trial. Based on these incidents, Maryea argues that sufficient doubt was raised as to her competency, and “only a trained expert could have accurately assessed her competency to continue.”
The government rejects these arguments, contending that the district court was not required to order a second competency evaluation for Maryea. First, the government argues that Maryea‘s post-accident behavior was not materially different from her pre-trial behavior, particularly with respect to her speech patterns, unusual use of vocabulary, disagreements with her defense counsel and filing of pro se motions. Second, the government asserts that the district court was on notice as to Maryea‘s bipolar disorder аnd physical pain, and sufficiently reviewed the issue of the impact of physical pain on her psychological state on multiple occasions, namely during: (1) Maryea‘s motions for bail; (2) its order for a mental competency review; (3) its order for a medical examination following the accident; and (4) its direct evaluations and colloquies with Maryea on January 24 and 25, when it ordered additional delays to accommodate her need
Finally, the government distinguishes this case from Johnson, noting that the district court in this case did not continue the trial following the defendant‘s injury. Rather, the court stopped the proceedings and only continued when Maryea had received her medication, had been treated, and the court was convinced that she was competent. The government likens this case instead to United States v. Sánchez-Ramirez where the defendant was found competent to stand trial prior to its commencement, then suffered a breakdown before closing arguments due to his failure to take prescribed medications. See 570 F.3d at 79. In Sánchez-Ramirez, this court found no abuse of discretion when the district court did not conduct another competency hearing since the court relied on the fact that the defendant had already been found competent by experts, a defense motion for a competency hearing was not renewed—suggesting that the reasons that gave rise to the motion were temporary—and the district court was able to rely on its own observations of the defendant. Id. at 80-81.
The court agrees with the government that there was no abuse of discretion here. A close look at the record indicates that the district court had a sufficient evidentiary basis to support its decision not to order a second mental competency evaluation.
Maryea was originally found competent to stand trial, and the district court‘s competency determination was neither objected to nor appealed. The district court‘s order for a medical examination and subsequent questioning of Maryea following the accident was thorough, and she made clear and coherent statements about her desire and ability to move forward with the trial. Maryea‘s behavior following the accident as well as her behavior subsequent to receipt of her medication on January 25 was not demonstrably different than her behavior prior to the accident. Additionally, the psychologist‘s testimony regarding her bipolar disorder, while revealing details about certain aspects of her psychological condition, did not contradict the competency report‘s conclusions that, with adequate treatment and medication, Maryea‘s experience of physical pain would not interfere with her competency.
First, while the record does not end with the district court‘s initial competency determination, it is critical to note that that the initial competency evaluation ordered by the court on September 13, 2010, explicitly requested a “medical and psychological evaluation to determine her competency to stand trial, including an assessment of whether, and [] the extent to which her physical pain impacts that competency.” It is thus clear that the district court was aware and sensitive to the fact, early on in the proceedings, that Maryea‘s physical pain could impact her mental state. The district court‘s finding of competency relied on the psychiatric report submitted by Dr. Drukteinis on November 10, 2010, and after the court ordered the parties to request any relief based on said report and found Maryea competent to stand trial, neither party objected nor appealed that determination.
Second, within days of the accident, the district court granted Maryea‘s motion to
undergo an independent medical examination as soon as possible (preferably within the next 24 hours, if feasible) to further evaluate and diagnose any injuries she may have sustained in the recent automobile accident and to determine whether the continuing effects of those injuries, if any, will prevent her from meaningfully participating in the ongoing criminal trial and assisting in her defense, including observing the evidence and communicating with her counsel. A report by the doctor who conducts the medical examination shall be filed with this court as soon as possible....
The district court also ordered that an MRI be conducted. Additionally, it appears from the record that Maryea‘s pain was acutely experienced due to failure to take her medications, and upon hearing of said pain, the court ordered a recess until her medications took effect. During the Status Conference conducted following Maryea‘s taking of the medication, the court addressed the issue of her pain and engaged in a colloquy with her to affirm her ability to respond to questions intelligently. Not only did Maryea indicate her desire to proceed, but she demonstrated her ability to follow the court‘s line of questioning, to understand said questioning, to converse and interact with her attorney, and to provide coherent responses regarding her rights. See, e.g., Cody v. United States, 249 F.3d 47, 53 n. 5 (1st Cir. 2001) (stating that the court‘s observation of the defendant‘s “appearance and demeanor as he answered questions throughout the colloquy” supported the court‘s competency determination) (citing United States v. Savinon-Acosta, 232 F.3d 265, 269 (1st Cir. 2000) (“Courts have commonly relied on the defendant‘s own assurance ... that the defendant‘s mind is clear. Further, the defendant‘s own performance in the course of a colloquy may confirm ... his assurances.“) (citation omitted)). In addition, following the accident, Defense counsel did not file a motion for a competency hearing, suggesting that the issues which gave rise to any competency concern were temporary in nature. See Sánchez-Ramirez, 570 F.3d at 81.
Third, it does not appear from the record that, following Maryea‘s receipt of her proper medications, her behavior in court as it related to her defense was any different from her behavior prior to the accident. Specifically, transcripts from Maryea‘s pre-trial hearings reveal that Maryea complained about her neck and back pain while also using unusual vocabulary in her oral and written statements to the court. In fact, the psychiatric report explicitly noted Maryea‘s evasiveness, tendency to speak in generalities, and her variable moods. However, the report nevertheless stated that it “would be a very unusual circumstance that, with an individual‘s mental disorder under reasonable control, the mere presence of pain would make them not competent to stand trial.” That Maryea‘s post-medication behavior appears consistent with her behavior prior to the accident is another factor supporting the conclusion that there was no abuse of discretion in the court‘s decision not to order a second competency evaluation.
Finally, the district court did not err in failing to “diagnose” Maryea‘s courtroom behavior as identical to those characteristics of bipolar disorder flagged in the psychiatrist‘s evaluations of Maryea. As we just stated, following Maryea‘s medication for her extreme pain, the record does not show that Maryea conducted herself in a manner distinct from her behavior before the accident. Additionally, the psychiatrist‘s evaluation of Maryea did not contradict the court‘s later determination of Mar-
To conclude, this court finds that the district court had a sufficient evidentiary basis when it failed to sua sponte order a second competency evaluation. The facts of this case and the trial court‘s response to Maryea were almost identical to the facts and court‘s response in Sánchez-Ramirez, where no abuse of discretion was found by this court when a defendant had been originally found competent, an expert report confirmed that competency, no motion for a competency hearing was renewed following the change of circumstances, and the district court judge made observations on the record that there were no signs of mental impairment. Sánchez-Ramirez, 570 F.3d at 81.
3. Prejudicial Variance
To sustain a conviction for conspiracy, the evidence must show that: (1) a conspiracy existed; (2) the defendant had knowledge of the conspiracy; and (3) the defendant knowingly and voluntarily participatеd in the conspiracy. United States v. Dellosantos, 649 F.3d 109, 116 (1st Cir. 2011). In proving the third element, the evidence must establish that the defendant both intended to join the conspiracy charged and intended to effectuate the objects of that conspiracy. Id.
A prejudicial variance occurs when “(1) the facts proved at trial differ from those alleged in the indictment; and (2) the error affects the defendant‘s substantive rights.... A claim that the Government‘s proof varied impermissibly from the charges contained in the indictment is essentially a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence.” United States v. Dunbar, 553 F.3d 48, 61 (1st Cir. 2009) (citation omitted). In assessing a claim of prejudicial variance, the court first examines “the evidence—direct and circumstantial—as well as all plausible inferences drawn therefrom, in the light most favorable to the verdict, and determine[s] whether a rational fact finder could conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the charged crime.” United States v. Niemi, 579 F.3d 123, 127 (1st Cir. 2009) (quoting United States v. Wyatt, 561 F.3d 49, 54 (1st Cir. 2009)). Factors relevant to the inquiry in the context of conspiracy charges include: “whether the alleged conspirators shared a common purpose, whether their actions demonstrated interdependency, and the extent to which participants overlapped during the life of the alleged conspiracy.” United States v. Balthazard, 360 F.3d 309, 315 (1st Cir. 2004). The government need not prove that the defendant had “knowledge of every other participant, or of the details of the conspiracy, ... but knowledge of the broader conspiracy‘s existence is critical.” United States v. Franco-Santiago, 681 F.3d 1, 9 (1st Cir. 2012) (citations and quotation marks omitted). A defendant cannot succeed with a sufficiency challenge “as long as a plausible reading of the record supports the jury‘s implied finding that [said defendant] knowingly participated in the charged conspiracy.” United States v. Pérez-Ruiz, 353 F.3d 1, 7 (1st Cir. 2003).
If the court finds that the evidence is not sufficient to permit a jury to find a defendant‘s express or tacit agreement to the charged conspiracy, it then looks to whether the evidence was sufficient to permit a jury, under a proper set
Since Maryea preserved this issue through her objections at trial, de novo review is appropriate. United States v. DeCicco, 439 F.3d 36, 43-44 (1st Cir. 2006).
Maryea asserts that, because nearly all of the evidence introduced at trial pertained to the Muder rather than the Woods conspiracy, there was an impermissible variance between the charge in the Superseding Indictment and the evidenсe introduced at trial. Therefore, Maryea claims, her conviction was not supported by sufficient evidence and the district court erred in denying her Rule 29 motion for judgment of acquittal.
In support of her argument, Maryea cites to this court‘s decision in Dellosantos. In that case, the two defendants convicted at trial had been part of an eighteen-defendant superseding indictment that charged all defendants with joining an overarching conspiracy to distribute both cocaine and marijuana in Maine. Dellosantos, 649 F.3d at 110-11. On appeal, this court found that there was insufficient evidence to support the finding of a single conspiracy, and instead found two separate conspiracies: a Massachusetts-based conspiracy to distribute cocaine only, and a Maine-based conspiracy to distribute both cocaine and marijuana. Id. at 119. Here, Maryea maintains, the government submitted evidence of a single, overarching conspiracy, headed by Muder, to smuggle controlled substances into RCHOC, but the government did not present sufficient evidence that Maryea knowingly and voluntarily joined the separate and distinct charged conspiracy involving Woods, Durham, and the smuggling of Suboxone.
Maryea goes on to assert that she was unfairly prejudiced by this variance in two ways: (1) inadequate notice of the charges against her; and (2) prejudicial “evidentiary spillover.” Regarding notice, Maryea claims that, since the Superseding Indictment named only Maryea and Woods, it put her on notice of “the smaller, less sophisticated Woods conspiracy, when the government actually put Maryea on trial for the larger, more complex Muder conspiracy.” With respect to “evidentiary spillover,” Maryea contends that she was prejudiced by the transference of guilt to her from evidence incriminating defendants who participated in another conspiracy in which she was not involved. Specifically, Maryea asserts that all of the evidence introduced at trial concerned the Muder conspiracy, and the only evidence relating to the Woods conspiracy was Durham‘s testimony and three calls between Durham and Woods in July 2009.
The government maintains that the evidence presented at trial supported the jury‘s verdict that she was part of the conspiracy charged in the Superseding Indictment. Specifically, it contends that there was no variance since there was “ample evidence to permit the jury to conclude that, as charged in [said] indictment, from April 2009 to September 20, 2009, there was an ongoing conspiracy to smuggle controlled substances into the Rockingham Jail, which the defendant joined with a full understanding of the overall criminal оbjective.” The government states that an agreement in the conspiracy was reached when Durham contacted Maryea as instructed by Woods to get her assistance in continuing to smuggle Suboxone into the
The government further argues that this case is distinguishable from Dellosantos since Maryea knew about Woods’ agreement with Durham to distribute drugs in the jail and decided to join the endeavor, combining it with her ongoing efforts to smuggle other controlled substances into the jail for Muder. Thus, unlike the defendants in Dellosantos—defendants who were found to be indifferent to the drug distribution in the first conspiracy and did not even know that the conspiracy existed for most of the relevant time period—Maryea had direct contact with Durham concerning the Suboxone smuggling and participated in the agreement between Woods and Muder to smuggle said Suboxone into RCHOC.
In the alternative, the government argues that, if the court finds that a variance existed, it was not prejudicial to Maryea. This is because thе Woods conspiracy was similar to the broader conspiracy charged “insofar as it involved the defendant agreeing with Woods and others to possess with intent to distribute illegal drugs, including Suboxone and Oxycodone.” Maryea had notice, according to the government, since the Superseding Indictment charged her with reaching an agreement that ran until September 20, 2009, the day that Knowles was arrested for dropping Suboxone and Oxycodone at the jail. Further, the Superseding Indictment identified not only Suboxone, but also Oxycodone and other drugs involved in the conspiracy. The government maintains that Maryea demonstrated her notice at trial when she identified her defense theory as one in which she intended to blame Muder by showing that she was either under duress or did not have the requisite mental state due to her desire to placate him.
Finally, the government rejects Maryea‘s arguments regarding “evidentiary spillover” since “the bulk of the government‘s case related to the August-September 2009 time frame rather than the April-July time frame.” Specifically, the government contends that, even if two conspiracies were proven—one between Woods and Durham and one between Maryea, Woods, Muder and others—Maryea was not prejudiced by the admission of evidence about the “April through July conspiracy” since it was clear on the record that Maryea did not know about Durham‘s smuggling arrangement with Woods at that time. Therefore, the government argues, Maryea cannot claim that she was convicted because of the admission of “incompetent proof about the April-July conspiracy involving Woods and Durham, since it was obvious to the jury that the defendant‘s first dealings with Woods and Durham were not until later.”
In this case, in order to find that a single conspiracy was charged, it must have been possible for the jury to “infer from the acts and statements of the witnesses a single ongoing ‘agreement’ that embraced [Maryea] and other co-conspirators.” United States v. Jones, 674 F.3d 88, 92 (1st Cir. 2012). We find that it was more than possible for the jury to so infer.
First, the evidence shows that the activities that took place between Maryea, Woods and Durham were in fact linked to the Muder conspiracy‘s larger operation of smuggling controlled substances into RCHOC. Co-conspirators Knowles, Noo-
This evidence, coupled with the actual conspiracy charged in the Superseding Indictment, is sufficient for a jury to infer a single conspiracy involving the smuggling of controlled substances into RCHOC. The conspiracy charged extended between April 2009 and September 20, 2009, included Maryea‘s agreement with Woods and others—namely, “other persons both known and unknown to the grand jury“—to possess with intent to distribute and to unlawfully distribute Suboxone as well as Oxycodone, Oxycontin, Lorazepam, and Ativan. We therefore find that a common goal can be discerned between the Muder and Woods conspiracies. Under our law, the common goal requirement has “wide breadth,” and may be easily found here where both conspiracies involved possession with intent to distribute and distribution of controlled substances into RCHOC. See United States v. Sánchez-Badillo, 540 F.3d 24, 29 (1st Cir. 2008) (citation omitted).
Second, Maryea herself embodies the overlap among the activities’ participants. Even if she did not participate at the beginning of Woods and Durham‘s Suboxone-smuggling conspiracy, she joined it later to combine their efforts with the efforts of the Muder narcotics-smuggling operation. See United States v. Bello-Pérez, 977 F.2d 664, 668 (1st Cir. 1992) (to determine whether a defendant participated in the conspiracy, it is not necessary for the jury to find that the alleged co-conspirators joined the conspiracy at the same timе or shared knowledge beyond a tacit understanding that their illicit agreement existed, and it is further not required that all participants knew each co-conspirator or that each co-conspirator participated at the same time in furtherance of the criminal venture; rather, what is essential is that the criminal goal or overall plan “have persisted without fun-
Third, there was an interdependence among the participants of the Woods and Muder conspiracies. “Establishing interdependence among the participants requires determining whether the activities of one aspect of the scheme are necessary or advantageous to the success of another aspect of the scheme.” Sánchez-Badillo, 540 F.3d at 29 (quoting United States v. Portela, 167 F.3d 687, 695 (1st Cir. 1999)). This interdependence “makes it reasonable to speak of a tacit understanding between [a core conspirator] and others upon whose unlawful acts” his success depends. Id. (quoting United States v. Glenn, 828 F.2d 855, 858 (1st Cir. 1987)). Based on the evidence presented at trial—Durham‘s testimony, the recorded telephone conversations, and the Suboxone found with other controlled substances in the slugs seized upon Knowles and Noonan‘s arrests—a jury could rationally infer that Woods’ drug-smuggling operation was orchestrated through the same means аs the Muder operation and that Woods’ Suboxone supply depended, at least in part, upon Maryea‘s successful procurement and distribution of the substance to RCHOC through Muder‘s channels. See United States v. Soto-Beníquez, 356 F.3d 1, 19 (1st Cir. 2003) (interdependency may be shown where “the success of an individual‘s own drug transactions depends on the health and success of the drug trafficking network that supplies him“).4
Having found that a jury could have reasonably concluded that the Durham-Maryea-Woods activities shared a common purpose with Muder‘s drug-smuggling operation, had the requisite degree of interdependency, and were a portion or component of Muder‘s larger conspiracy, we cannot agree with Maryea‘s argument that a variance existed with respect to the conspiracy charged and the conspiracy proven.
III. Conclusion
We conclude that the district court did not err in denying Maryea‘s motion to dismiss on Speedy Trial Act grounds, nor did the district court commit an abuse of discretion by not ordering a second mental health evaluation of Maryea‘s competency. We further conclude that the government‘s proof at trial did not establish an impermissible variance that would warrant reversal of Maryea‘s conviction. Accordingly, the judgment of the district court as to Maryea is affirmed.
Affirmed.