Samuel Gunning and Angela Gunning appeal their convictions for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. To avoid confusion between the Gunnings, who were married between their indictment and trial, this opinion refers to them as Sam and Angela. Both defendants contend that the indictment was not sufficient to charge the firearm offense, that the evidence does not support the conspiracy convictions, and that the evidence was insufficient as to thе firearm count. Angela also challenges two of the district court’s sentencing findings.
For the reasons that follow, we affirm the convictions and Angela’s sentence.
I. FACTS
In October 1991, Robert Utley was cooperating with investigations of his prior drug trafficking associates. On October 4, Mr. Utley called Sam, whom he had known since 1988, in an attempt to set up a drug transaction. Between October 11 and October 15, Mr. Utley and Sam had a number of telephonic discussions about the purchase from Mr. Utley of one-half kilogram of cocaine. Sam wanted Timmie and Tommie Eichen to buy the cocaine from Mr. Utley so Sam could buy some cocaine from the Eichens and later sell it. Sam told Mr. Utley that he had discussed the purchase of the half-kilogram of cocaine with the Eichens, but Sam was unsure whether the Eichens could get the money. Sam and Mr. Utley discussed both quantity and price.
During one telephone conversation with Sam, Mr. Utley heard noises in the background. Sam stated that Angela was fixing supper. Sam and the Eichens discussed the cocaine purchase at Sam’s and Angela’s house; Angela was present in the same room during these discussions. Sam once asked Angela to find Mr. Utley’s phone number.
Sam told the Eichens that if they did not buy the cocaine, he would buy it and then *1479 sell it to the Eichens at a higher price. He told the Eichens that he wanted only two ounces, but that Mr. Utley would not break the half-kilogram into smaller quantities. Sam and the Eichens then agreed to offer Mr. Utley $10,000.00 for half a kilogram of cocaine, and a meeting was established. Sam told Mr. Utley that he wanted two and one-half ounces of the half-kilogram to be packaged separately for him; the Eichens planned to give the two and one-half ounces of cocaine to Sam for arranging the deal with Mr. Utley. Tommie Eichen also discussed the transaction’s details over the telephone with Mr. Utley, and confirmed the sale of half a kilogram of cocaine for $10,000.00, with two and one-half ounces to be packaged separately for Sam.
On the day of the drug deal, the Eichens met with Sam at Angela’s and Sam’s house and discussed the drug deal in Sam’s kitchen for twenty minutes. When Sam asked the Eichens if they would be carrying guns, Tommie Eichen asked Sam whether he would be carrying a gun; Sam said he would. Sam told the Eichens to bring a. gun in case Mr. Utley tried to rob them or something went wrong with the deal. The Eichens agreed to carry a gun. If Mr. Utley tried to rob them, they were to show Mr. Utley the gun, take their cash, and run.
They also discussed Sam’s role in the plan: Sam was to follow the Eichens to a Holiday Inn (the site of the drug transaction) and act as surveillance. Angela was present the entire time the details of the transaction were being discussed in the kitchen.
Later that day, the Eichens met with Sam and Angela at Sam’s house, where some people were to wait for Sam to return with the cocaine. Sam intended to sell a portion of his two and one-half ounces to them.
Sam and Angela followed the Eichens toward the Holiday Inn in Angela’s car. The Gunnings drove to the gas station across the street from the Holiday Inn. The plan called for Sam or the Eichens to flash their headlights if something went wrong with the deal; they were to meet after the drug transaction to give Sam the separate package containing his two and one-half ounces of cocaine.
The Eichens parked next to Mr. Utley’s vehicle at the Holiday Inn, entered the Ut-ley car, and gave Mr. Utley the cash. The Eichens and Mr. Utley then went to the trunk of Mr. Utley’s car. When Mr. Utley opened the trunk and pulled out the sack of cocaine, law enforcement agents arrived, arrested the Eichens, and took custody of the cocaine. The cocaine was in two packages, one weighing 68.8 grams (approximately two and one-half ounces) and onе weighing 434.8 grams.
While the Eichens met with Mr. Utley, Sam and Angela were parked between two semi-trailers at a gas station across the street, unable to see the activities taking place in the Holiday Inn parking lot. A state trooper arrested them in the gas station parking lot. Sam got out of the vehicle immediately, but Angela held onto her purse and would not exit the car. After she eventually got out of the car and was informed of her constitutional rights, she told the trooper that a gun was in her purse. The trooper found the gun in a bag inside Angеla’s purse along with a loaded magazine clip.
Sam, Angela, and the Eichens were charged with conspiracy to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(6) and 846 (Count I), and carrying or aiding and abetting the carrying of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2 and 924(e) (Count II).
The Eichens pleaded guilty and cooperated with the government by testifying at the Gunnings’ trial. Neither Sam nor Angela testified at trial, but portions of Angela’s testimony at Sam’s pretrial detention hearing were admitted into evidenсe. In that prior testimony, Angela said she knew the Eichens were going to the Holiday Inn to meet someone, but she and Sam were just going for a ride. Angela testified that she knew that she had a gun and ammunition in her purse, and that she had been told to put the gun, which was registered to Tommie Eichen, in her purse. The jury re *1480 turned a verdict of guilty on both counts as to Sam and Angela.
The district court sentenced Sam to eighty-six months on Count I and sixty months on Count II, to be served consecutively. The district court sentenced Angela to eighty-four months on Count I and sixty months on Count II, to bе served consecutively. Both defendants filed a timely notice of appeal.
II. THE CONSPIRACY CHARGE
Both Gunnings contend that the evidence was insufficient to establish that they were members of a conspiracy. Arguments based on sufficiency of the evidence face a heavy burden. The conviction must be affirmed if any rational trier of fact could have found the Gunnings guilty of the crime after viewing all the evidence in the light most favorable to the government.
United States v. Burrell,
A. Single Conspiracy
A conspiracy is an agreement to commit a crime.
United States v. Aquilla,
The Gunnings contend that the evidence established two separate conspiracies: one involving the Eichens to purchase a half-kilogram of cocaine; and another conspiracy involving the Gunnings’ purchase of two and one-half ounces of cocaine. Sam argues that because he never said he would purchase more than two and one-half ounces of cocaine, there was no common goal among the conspirators to possess more than 500 grams. The court disagrees.
The government presented more than sufficient evidence to allow a reasonable juror to conclude that the Gunnings conspired with the Eichens to possess more than 500 grams of cocaine with the intent to distribute. Sam wanted but a few ounces, but he had to broker a half-kilogram deal to obtain that. He discussed a half-kilogram deal with Mr. Utley several times in the week before the deal, and told Mr. Utley he was discussing it with the Ei-chens. Indeed, the evidence indicates he did more than discuss; he cajoled the Ei-chens by telling them that he would buy it if they didn’t, and the Eichens then would have to pay a higher price. He explained to the Eichens his wish for the smaller quantity, and that Mr. Utley would sell no less than a half-kilogram.
On the day of the transaction, Sam met with the Eichens, helped plan the participants’ roles, and told the Eichens to take a gun in case the deal went sour. Sam followed the Eichens to the Holiday Inn, where he and the Eichens expected the Eichens to buy a half-kilogram of cocaine, of which Sam would receive a рart.
This evidence demonstrates an agreement toward a common goal, not multiple agreements constituting ends unto themselves.
See United States v. Paiz,
B. Sufficiency of Evidence of Defendants as Conspirators
Sam notes that the testimony against him was presented by the Eichens and Mr. Utley—drug dealers and convicted felons. All testified in furtherance of de
*1481
sired downward departures at sentencing. Sam argues that allowing a conviction to stand on the basis of testimony of such people derogates the system. Their testimоny was not, however, unbelievable on its face; accordingly, such arguments are for the trier of fact and not a reviewing court.
United States v. Van Wyhe,
Further, Sam’s argument ignores that he and Angela were arrested very near the site of the Holiday Inn. Presence alone is not sufficient to prove conspiracy,
United States v. Burrell,
Sam also suggests that hе could not be a conspirator because he was a mere buyer, and evidence of a mere buyer-seller relationship is not sufficient to establish a conspiracy conviction.
United States v. Haddad,
The evidence of Angela’s participation, аlthough weaker than the evidence as to Sam, likewise was sufficient to support her conviction. The record contains no evidence from which Angela's agreement or participation could be inferred until shortly before the transaction. Before that time, the government’s proof showed only her presence while Sam discussed the transaction with others, but that presence supports an inference of her knowledge of what Sam was doing. .Armed with that knowledge, and with a handgun, Angela then travelled, with Sam at the wheel of her car, to the scene of the transaction. The jury could have found that Sam told the Eichens he would have a gun. No gun was found on his person; Angela’s presence with possession of a gun supports an inference that Angela had thrown her lot with Sam. Angela’s involvement exceeded mere presence,
United States v. Brigham,
A reasonable jury could have found that both Angela and Sam knowingly joined the conspiracy charged in the indictment. The evidence on the conspiracy count was sufficient.
III. THE GUN CHARGE
Sam and Angela each contend that the indictment was insufficient to charge them with, and the evidence insufficient to convict them of, carrying a firearm within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2 and 924(c). Section 924(c)(1) provides in part:
Whoever, during and in relation to any crime of violence or drug trafficking crime ... for which he may be prosecuted in a cоurt of the United States, uses or carries a firearm, shall, in addition to the punishment provided for such crime of violence or drug trafficking crime, be sentenced to' imprisonment for five years.
18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1).
A. Sufficiency of the Indictment
Count I of the indictment alleged in part that, “On October 18, 1991, defendant *1482 Tommie Eichen was found to be carrying one .380 ammunition cartridge in his pocket, defendant Timmie Eichen was found to be carrying a loaded Colt .380 semi-automatic pistol in his front waistband.” Count II charged that all four conspirators “knowingly carried a firearm-during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime being Count- 1 above." The district court instructed the jury that:
In determining whether the Defendant used or carried a firearm, you may consider all of the factors received in evidence in the case including the nature of the underlying drug trafficking crime charged, the proximity of the Defendant to the firearm, the usefulness of the firearm to the crime charged, and the circumstances surrounding the presence of the firearm.
The Gunnings contend that because the only gun mentioned in the indictment was in Timmie Eiehen’s possession, and because the Gunnings wеre not in a position to exercise control over that firearm, it was plain error for the court to allow evidence of the gun found in Angela’s purse, and that the district court impermissibly broadened the indictment.
The government contends that the indictment was not amended because Count II charged that the Gunnings knowingly carried a “firearm” during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and the use of the term “firearm” in Count II is not limited to the gun mentioned in Count I and found in Timmie Eichen’s possession. Both the Gunnings and the government agree that the approрriate standard for review of this issue is plain error: a mistake so serious that but for it the Gunnings probably would have been acquitted.
United States v. Leichtnam,
The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution provides, in part, 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....” It is the grand jury’s exclusive prerogative finally to determine the charges; once it has done so neither. a prosecutor nor a judge can change the charging part of the indictment.
United States v. Leichtnam,
where a “complex set of facts” is presented to the jury during the trial which is distinctly different from the set of facts set forth in the charging instrument ... [or] the crime charged in the indictment must be “materially different or substantially altered at trial, [so that] it is impossible to know whether the grand jury would have indicted for the crime actually proved.”
United States v. Mosley,
The Gunnings cite
United States v. Le-ichtnam,
The
Leichtnam
court noted, however, that “the government could easily have drawn up [the defendant’s] indictment to charge him simply with- having used or carried a ‘firearm’.”
*1483 The indictment was drawn in accordance with Leichtnam, and was neither broadened nor impermissibly amended.
B. Sufficiency of Evidence on the Gun Charge
The court must consider the evidence in the light most favorable to the government; the verdict will not be overturned unless no rational juror could find that each essential element was proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Jackson v. Virginia,
The Gunnings contend that because their car was located in an area where they could not observe the drug transaction, they could not have'used the gun to facilitate the drug transaction. They claim the gun was in Angela’s purse merely to protect them while they were on the road.
Sam and Angela cite several cases for the proposition that mere possession of a firearm is insufficient for conviction under § 924(c).
United States v. Matthews,
Angela plainly “carried” the firearm that was found in her purse. The cases she cites establish that one “carries” a firearm within the meaning of § 924(c) when the firearm is within her reach during commission of the drug offense.
United States v. Feliz-Cordero,
The government also was requirеd to prove that the firearms were carried “during and in relation to” the drug offense. To meet this burden, the government was required to demonstrate a relation or connection between the transaction and the possession of the firearm.
United States v. Villarreal,
There was sufficient evidence to prove that the Gunnings violated 18 U.S.C. § 924(c). .
IV. ANGELA’S SENTENCING
Angela contends that the district erred in refusing to reduce her offense level for her role in the offense and in increasing her offense level for obstruction of justice.
*1484 A. Role in the Offense
U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2 provides a range of adjustments for a defendant whose role in the offense of conviction mаkes her substantially less culpable than the average participant. Under the version of the guidelines applicable in 1991 and 1992, a four-level reduction in offense level is given to a “minimal” participant, a two-level reduction for a “minor” participant, and a three-level reduction for those falling in between. U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2. Any determination under § 3B1.2 is heavily dependent upon the facts of the case.
United States v. Bigelow,
The downward adjustment for a minimal participant should be given infrequently.
United States v. Scroggins,
Angela maintains that her role was either minimal or minor bеcause she was “substantially less culpable than the average defendant.” She notes the absence of evidence that she participated in any of the planning, or talked on the phone to anyone, or was present at the “live” discussions for any reason other than her residence in the house.
We review the district court’s findings under U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2 under the clearly erroneous standard.
United States v. Gutierrez, et al.,
The record before the sentencing court was not limited to the evidence presented at trial. Sam had provided the government with an immunized pretrial proffer that was submitted at Angela’s sentencing. In the proffer, Sam said that he told Angela on the day of the transaction that he was going to assist the Eichens in buying cocaine, and that Angela had agreed to join him. He also said that Angela was fully aware that he placed a weapon in her purse before they left their residence.
The district court found that Angela had lied to the magistrate during Sam’s detention hearing when she testified that she did not know where she and Sam were going in her car and that she knew nothing about the drug deal. The district court also found that Angela was more than a minimal or minor participant because the jury found that she was guilty of the conspiracy, and because Sam’s proffer indicated that she knew about the drug transactiоn, accompanied Sam for surveillance, and carried a gun and loaded magazine clip in her purse. As Angela acknowledges, the extent of her knowledge and participation comes down to a swearing contest between Angela and Sam. Where there are two permissible views of the evidence, the fact-finder’s choice between them cannot be clearly erroneous.
Anderson v. City of Bessemer City,
The district court determined that Angela had knowledge of the cocaine purchase; that she was present during discussiоns
*1485
about the drug transaction; and that she knowingly went to the drug transaction with a .45 semi-automatic pistol and ammunition in her purse. It is true that unlike Sam, Angela did not plan the transaction, and unlike the Eichens, she did not take possession of the cocaine. Nonetheless, she brought a firearm to the scene and, like the defendant denied a reduction for his role in the offense in
United States v. Johnson,
B. Obstruction of Justice
Under the version of the sentencing guidelines in effect in 1991 and 1992, § 3C1.1 provided for a two-level enhancement of the offense level if the defendant “willfully obstructed or impeded, or attempted to obstruct or impede, the administration of justice during the investigation, prosecution, or sentencing” of the offense of conviction. The district court concluded that Angela had provided materially false information to the magistrate judge when she testified at Sam’s detention hearing. At that hearing, Angela swore that she did not know that a drug deal was occurring, and that she had not been told where she and Sam were going in her car on the evening of the offense. Based on Sam’s pretrial proffer to the prosecution, the district court concluded that Angela had lied.
Angela argues that her statements under oath at Sam’s detention hearing, even if false, did not impede the investigation, were not material, and were merely a denial of guilt. A district court’s determination that an obstruction of justice enhancement was warranted will оnly be disturbed if clear error is shown.
United States v. Jackson,
Angela claims that the statements, if false, were not material because they did not tend to influence or affect the issue of whether Sam should be detained. She claims that her testimony went only to her role in the crime, and had nothing to do with whether Sam should be detained.
“Material” is defined as “evidence, fact, statement or information that, if believed, would tend to influence or affect the issue under determination.” U.S.S.G. § 3C1.1, Application Note 5. Many factors are taken into account in a detention hearing, including the nature of the circumstances of the offense charged, 18 U.SiC. § 3142(g)(1), and the weight of the evidence against the accused. 18 U.S.C. § 3142(g)(2). Angela’s false testimony could have affected or influenced the magistrate judge’s decision. For example, Angela did not testify to the real purpose of the Gunnings’ presence at the scene, that being surveillance or counter-surveillance. Instead, she testified that they went to the gas station to buy сigarettes, and were parked in back of the gas station for some unknown reason. This false statement could have influenced the magistrate judge's determination with respect to Sam’s detention. The district court’s determination that Angela’s false statements were material was not clearly erroneous.
Angela also maintains that she did not obstruct justice, but merely denied her guilt. To support her position, she cites
United States v. Fiala,
The district court did not err in enhancing Angela’s offense level for obstruction of justice.
*1486 V. CONCLUSION
The indictment properly set forth the offenses with which the defendants were charged; the evidence was sufficient to support the findings of guilt; and the district court committed no sentencing errors. Accordingly, the judgments of the district court are Affirmed.
