FILED
United States Court of Appeals
PUBLISH Tenth Circuit
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS October 18, 2011
Elisabeth A. Shumaker
TENTH CIRCUIT Clerk of Court
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v. No. 10-2263
ARMANDO MARRUFO,
Defendant - Appellant.
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW MEXICO
(D.C. NO. 10-CR-00405-BB-1)
Gregory J. Garvey, Assistant Federal Public Defender, Office of the Federal Public
Defender for the District of New Mexico, Las Cruces, New Mexico, appearing for
Appellant.
Andrea W. Hattan, Assistant United States Attorney (Kenneth J. Gonzales, United States
Attorney, with her on the brief), Office of the United States Attorney for the District of
New Mexico, Las Cruces, New Mexico, appearing for Appellee.
Before GORSUCH, HOLLOWAY, and MATHESON, Circuit Judges.
MATHESON, Circuit Judge.
In separate prosecutions arising from the same event, Defendant-Appellant
Armando Marrufo was convicted in federal court of being a felon in possession of a
firearm and in state court of tampering with evidence by hiding the same firearm.
Section 2K2.1(b)(6) of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines adds four offense levels to a
sentence calculation when the defendant used or possessed a firearm in connection with
another felony offense. Mr. Marrufo argues on appeal that the federal district court
should not have applied section 2K2.1(b)(6) to him because his possession of the firearm
did not facilitate his tampering with the firearm. Exercising jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C.
§ 1291 and 18 U.S.C. § 3742(a)(2), we conclude that his firearm possession did facilitate
his tampering and therefore affirm his sentence.
I. BACKGROUND
On January 16, 2009, Mr. Marrufo participated in a violent altercation in Tularosa,
New Mexico. The police responders observed Mr. Marrufo leaving the scene. They also
noticed an individual lying motionless on his back, bleeding profusely from gunshot
wounds. Emergency personnel declared the victim dead. Officers searching the area
found a semi-automatic .380 caliber Hi-Point pistol, six spent shell casings (five of which
were .380 caliber), a live .380 caliber round, and a magazine designed for .380 caliber
ammunition. Further investigation revealed a second shooting victim, who told police
officers that Mr. Marrufo had shot him and the other victim with a “380 gun.”
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Police did not apprehend Mr. Marrufo immediately after the incident, but he
turned himself in to United States Marshals on February 2, 2009, and admitted that he
possessed a firearm on January 16, 2009.
Mr. Marrufo was charged in state court with seven crimes arising out of the
January 16, 2009 incident: (1) second degree murder;1 (2) aggravated battery with a
deadly weapon;2 (3) and (4) two counts of aggravated assault with firearm
enhancements;3 (5) and (6) two counts of tampering with evidence4—one for hiding the
firearm and another for changing clothes to avoid being recognized; 5 and (7) possession
of a firearm by a felon.6 A jury acquitted Mr. Marrufo of all charges except for the two
tampering-with-evidence offenses and the felon-in-possession charge. His conviction
for tampering with the firearm is a felony under New Mexico law. N.M. Stat. Ann. § 30-
22-5.
1
N.M. Stat. Ann. §§ 30-2-1 and 31-18-16.
2
N.M. Stat. Ann. §§ 30-3-5(C) and 31-18-16.
3
N.M. Stat. Ann. §§ 30-3-2(A) and 31-18-16.
4
Under New Mexico law, tampering with evidence is defined as “destroying,
changing, hiding, placing or fabricating any physical evidence with intent to prevent the
apprehension, prosecution or conviction of any person or to throw suspicion of the
commission of a crime upon another.” N.M. Stat. Ann. § 30-22-5.
5
The record indicates that after hiding the firearm, Mr. Marrufo went to a friend’s
house and changed clothes to avoid matching the description of the shooter in the
altercation.
6
N.M. Stat. Ann. § 30-7-16.
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Mr. Marrufo was also charged in federal court with one count of possession of a
firearm by a convicted felon under 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2), to which he
pled guilty. At the sentencing hearing, the district court determined Mr. Marrufo’s
offense level to be 21 and his criminal history category to be 6, and sentenced him to 96
months of imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release. In imposing this
sentence, the district court applied section 2K2.1(b)(6), which increases the base offense
level by four when a defendant uses or possesses a firearm “in connection with another
felony offense.” The court concluded that Mr. Marrufo possessed a firearm in connection
with the New Mexico state tampering-with-evidence offense, which was based on his
hiding the firearm.
II. DISCUSSION
A. Issue and Standard of Review
Mr. Marrufo claims that the district court should not have applied section
2K2.1(b)(6) because his possession of the firearm did not facilitate the commission of
another felony offense. “We review the factual findings underlying a district court’s
sentencing determination for clear error and review the underlying legal conclusions de
novo. We give due deference to the district court’s application of the Sentencing
Guidelines to the facts.” United States v. Hooks, 551 F.3d 1205, 1216-17 (10th Cir.
2009) (quotations and brackets omitted).
B. Legal Background
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Section 2K2.1(b)(6) states in relevant part: “If the defendant used or possessed
any firearm or ammunition in connection with another felony offense; or possessed or
transferred any firearm or ammunition with knowledge, intent, or reason to believe that it
would be used or possessed in connection with another felony offense, increase [the base
offense] by 4 levels.” (Italics added.)
Application Note 14, titled “In Connection With,” addresses the applicability of
section 2K2.1(b)(6). Application Note 14(A) states that section 2K2.1(b)(6) applies “if
the firearm or ammunition facilitated, or had the potential of facilitating, another felony
offense.” U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(6) cmt. n.14(A).
Application Note 14(C) clarifies what offenses qualify as “another felony
offense.” It states that “another felony offense” means “any federal, state, or local
offense, other than the explosive or firearms possession or trafficking offense, punishable
by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, regardless of whether a criminal charge
was brought, or a conviction obtained.” U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(6) cmt. n.14(C).
C. Application
Section 2K2.1(b)(6) contains three elements: the defendant must (1) use or
possess a firearm (2) in connection with (3) another felony offense. There is no dispute
that Mr. Marrufo possessed a firearm and that he committed the felony offense of
tampering with evidence. Thus, we are concerned only with whether Mr. Marrufo’s
possession of the firearm was “in connection with” his tampering-with-evidence offense.
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“We interpret the Sentencing Guidelines according to accepted rules of statutory
construction.” United States v. Nacchio, 573 F.3d 1062, 1066 (10th Cir. 2009). We must
follow language that is clear and unambiguous except where the language leads to an
absurd result contrary to legislative intent. United States v. Plotts, 347 F.3d 873, 876
(10th Cir. 2003). When a term is not defined in the Guidelines, we give it its plain
meaning. See United States v. Bruce, 78 F.3d 1506, 1510 (10th Cir. 1996).
According to Application Note 14(A), “in connection with” means to “facilitate.”
U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(6) cmt. n.14(A). The plain and commonly understood meaning of
“facilitate” is to make easier. United States v. Gandy, 36 F.3d 912, 914 (10th Cir. 1994)
(recognizing that “facilitate” means “to make easier”); Black’s Law Dictionary 668 (9th
ed. 2009) (“[t]o make the commission of a crime easier”).
Applying the plain meaning of “facilitate,” we conclude that Mr. Marrufo’s
possession of the firearm was “in connection with” the other felony offense—tampering
with evidence. Possessing physical evidence makes it easier to tamper with it. Under
New Mexico law, tampering with evidence is “destroying, changing, hiding, placing or
fabricating any physical evidence with intent to prevent the apprehension, prosecution or
conviction of any person or to throw suspicion of the commission of a crime upon
another.” N.M. Stat. Ann. § 30-22-5. Under this definition, it would be harder for a
defendant to commit the crime of tampering with evidence as a principal if he did not
physically possess the evidence. Thus, Mr. Marrufo’s possession of the firearm clearly
facilitated his hiding the firearm.
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We also note that Mr. Marrufo’s possession of the firearm was not the result of
accident or coincidence. In Smith v. United States, 508 U.S. 223 (1993), on which
Application Note 14(A) is based, U.S.S.G. app. C amend. 691, the Supreme Court
interpreted the term “in relation to.” Id. at 238. It stated: “the gun at least must facilitate,
or have the potential of facilitating, the [other] offense” and “its presence or involvement
cannot be the result of accident or coincidence.” Id. (quotations and brackets omitted);
see also United States v. Taylor, 413 F.3d 1146, 1154 (10th Cir. 2005); United States v.
Constantine, 263 F.3d 1122, 1126 (10th Cir. 2001).
Mr. Marrufo’s possession of the Hi-Point pistol was no accident or coincidence.
Instead, his possession of the firearm was integral to his tampering with evidence.
Indeed, Mr. Marrufo’s possession of the firearm was the reason he tampered with it.
Accordingly, possessing the firearm facilitated tampering with the firearm.
Mr. Marrufo argues that the firearm must be used to facilitate a “separate, active
offense.” Aplt. Br. at 10. This argument fails for two reasons. First, section 2K2.1(b)(6)
does not contain this language. See U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(6) (“If the defendant used or
possessed any firearm or ammunition in connection with another felony offense . . . .”
(emphasis added)).
Second, even if section 2K2.1(b)(6) requires the other offense to be a separate and
active crime, Mr. Marrufo’s tampering with the firearm would satisfy that requirement—
his tampering was a separate and active offense. The Seventh Circuit explained a similar
circumstance in United States v. Wise, 556 F.3d 629 (7th Cir. 2009). In that case, the
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district court applied section 2K2.1(b)(6) when the defendant was guilty of being a felon
in possession and also committed the state felony of reckless endangerment of a child by
placing a firearm on a windowsill within the reach of children. Id. at 631. The court
stated:
There are many ways in which a felon can possess a firearm. In this case,
Wise would have been a felon in possession even had he possessed the gun
in a more responsible way—say, if he had kept it unloaded in a locked
cabinet, or if he had kept it unloaded with a trigger lock. More than likely,
though, responsible possession would not have endangered the lives of
children. And, of course, there are ways in which children can be
endangered, other than by having people leaving loaded guns lying around.
Children can be carelessly allowed to fall out of open third-story windows
or be allowed access to harmful chemicals. Also, notably, children’s lives
can be endangered by persons who are not felons but who leave loaded
guns within reach.
Id. at 632.
As in Wise, Mr. Marrufo could have possessed the firearm without committing
another crime, or he could have committed another felony without possessing the firearm.
In fact, Mr. Marrufo did the latter when he committed his second count of tampering with
evidence—changing clothes to avoid recognition—after he disposed of the firearm.
Additionally, his tampering with the evidence was an active offense—he acted to hide the
gun. Therefore, we reject his “separate, active offense” argument.
We also reject as irrelevant and inapplicable Mr. Marrufo’s contention that his
purpose in hiding the firearm was not to facilitate a separate crime. See Aplt. Br. at 10-11
(“In this case, Mr. Marrufo’s purpose in hiding the firearm was to prevent his
apprehension, prosecution or conviction for the crime he had already committed: being a
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convicted felon in possession of a firearm. His purpose was clearly not to facilitate some
other, separate crime.”). Section 2K2.1(b)(6) does not have an intent requirement and is
not concerned with the defendant’s purpose or motivation for committing “another felony
offense.” Moreover, Mr. Marrufo’s argument is backwards. Section 2K2.1(b)(6) refers
to possession as facilitating the other felony—here, the tampering offense—not the other
way around. We are concerned only with whether his firearm possession facilitated his
tampering, which it did.
Finally, reinforcing this analysis is our obligation to defer to the district court’s
application of section 2K2.1(b)(6) to the facts. See Hooks, 551 F.3d at 1216-17. In this
case, the district court determined that Mr. Marrufo’s possession of the firearm was “in
connection with” the tampering offense. Implicit in this finding is the conclusion that
possession of the firearm “facilitated” or made easier the tampering with the firearm. We
agree and affirm Mr. Marrufo’s sentence.7
D. CONCLUSION
Because Mr. Marrufo possessed the firearm in connection with his other felony
offense of tampering with evidence, the district court correctly applied section
2K2.1(b)(6) in sentencing Mr. Marrufo. We affirm.
7
Mr. Marrufo also argues that section 2K2.1(b)(6) is ambiguous and that we
should apply the rule of lenity to interpret the ambiguity in his favor. See United States v.
Manatau, 647 F.3d 1048, 1056 (10th Cir. 2011). In light of Application Note 14(A) and
the plain meaning of “facilitate,” we see no ambiguity in section 2K2.1(b)(6) as applied
to this case. Thus, we need not apply the rule of lenity. See United States v. Husted, 545
F.3d 1240, 1244 n.6 (10th Cir. 2008).
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