Filed: Feb. 14, 2001
Latest Update: Mar. 02, 2020
Summary: UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT No. 00-10529 Summary Calendar UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus DOMINICK NIGEL TUTT, Defendant-Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas (4:99-CR-270-1-A) February 14, 2001 Before HIGGINBOTHAM, WIENER, and BARKSDALE, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:* On multiple grounds, Dominick Nigel Tutt challenges his conviction and sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Tutt en
Summary: UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT No. 00-10529 Summary Calendar UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus DOMINICK NIGEL TUTT, Defendant-Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas (4:99-CR-270-1-A) February 14, 2001 Before HIGGINBOTHAM, WIENER, and BARKSDALE, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:* On multiple grounds, Dominick Nigel Tutt challenges his conviction and sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Tutt ent..
More
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
No. 00-10529
Summary Calendar
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
versus
DOMINICK NIGEL TUTT,
Defendant-Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Northern District of Texas
(4:99-CR-270-1-A)
February 14, 2001
Before HIGGINBOTHAM, WIENER, and BARKSDALE, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:*
On multiple grounds, Dominick Nigel Tutt challenges his
conviction and sentence for being a felon in possession of a
firearm. Tutt entered a conditional guilty plea, reserving the
right to appeal the denial of his motion to suppress.
Concerning that motion, Tutt contends the district court erred
by not suppressing statements he made to an attorney and an
investigator representing Clyde Jones, Jr., in whose residence
firearms were found. Tutt maintains the statements were subject to
the attorney-client privilege under the common or joint defense
exception to the rule that the privilege may be waived by making
disclosures to third parties. See In re Auclair,
961 F.2d 65, 69
*
Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that
this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except
under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4.
(5th Cir. 1992) (“Because the privilege protects only confidential
communications, the presence of a third person ... eliminates the
intent for confidentiality on which the privilege rests. The
privilege is not, however, waived if a privileged communication is
shared with a third person who has a common legal interest with
respect to the subject matter of the communication.” (emphasis
added)). Tutt has failed to show the district court clearly erred
in finding Tutt and Jones were not pursuing a joint defense. See
id. (In fact, Tutt’s testimony at Jones’ trial that he (Tutt)
owned the guns in Jones’ apartment led to Jones’ acquittal and
later to Tutt’s indictment.)
Next, Tutt maintains his disclosures to the attorney and the
investigator were inadmissible hearsay. A statement is not hearsay
if it "is offered against a party and is (A) the party's own
statement...." FED. R. EVID. 801(d)(2); see United States v. Dixon,
132 F.3d 192, 198 (5th Cir. 1997) (discussing party admissions),
cert. denied,
523 U.S. 1096 (1998). Furthermore, Tutt asserts the
statements were not voluntarily made because he was not informed
they could be used against him and because there was no showing he
believed them to be true. This contention relies on the rule that
a statement is not hearsay if the party has manifested an adoption
or belief in its truth. FED. R. EVID. 801(d)(2)(B). This
alternative hearsay exception does not preclude the admission of
evidence under a separate exception.
Tutt claims also the Government should have been collaterally
estopped from using the testimony in his case because it had
2
asserted in Jones' trial that the evidence was inadmissible
hearsay. In that trial, the Government merely asserted that the
statements where inadmissible hearsay when offered against Jones.
Because this is not inconsistent with asserting the statements were
not hearsay when offered against Tutt, the district court did not
err.
Regarding his sentence, Tutt asserts the district court erred
in holding his prior conviction for theft of a vehicle should be
considered a “crime of violence”. United States v. Galvan-
Rodriguez held that a conviction for unauthorized use of a motor
vehicle was a conviction for a crime of violence.
169 F.3d 217,
218-20 (5th Cir.), cert. denied,
528 U.S. 837 (1999). In the case
at hand, the district court reasoned that, if unauthorized use of
a motor vehicle is a crime of violence, then theft of a motor
vehicle is even more so. Considering Tutt’s prior conviction a
crime of violence affected the computation of his base offense
level under U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(a)(4)(A). Tutt has failed to show
that the district court erred in applying U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(a).
Finally, Tutt claims the district court erred in departing
upward from the guideline range based upon prior criminal conduct
for which he had not been convicted. Tutt maintains the court's
findings lack an adequate evidentiary basis. This contention is
without merit; probation officer reviewed the arrest records and
police reports, which provided enough detail to enable the officer
to determine it was probable Tutt had committed the offenses. Tutt
offered no evidence to rebut the information in the presentence
3
investigation report. Therefore, without further inquiry or
explanation, the district court was free to adopt that information
as its findings. E.g., United States v. Vital,
68 F.3d 114, 120
(5th Cir. 1995).
AFFIRMED
4