United States v. Wren, Jimmy D. ( 2004 )


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  •                              In the
    United States Court of Appeals
    For the Seventh Circuit
    ____________
    Nos. 03-2199 & 03-2232
    UNITED STATES     OF AMERICA,
    Plaintiff-Appellee,
    v.
    JIMMY DOYLE WREN and CHARLES YARBOR,
    Defendants-Appellants.
    ____________
    Appeals from the United States District Court
    for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.
    No. 02 CR 163-3,4—Charles P. Kocoras, Chief Judge.
    ____________
    ARGUED FEBRUARY 27, 2004—DECIDED APRIL 14, 2004
    ____________
    Before EASTERBROOK, MANION, and EVANS, Circuit
    Judges.
    EVANS, Circuit Judge. Jimmy Doyle Wren, Charles
    Yarbor, and two codefendants were charged with conspiring
    to unlawfully transport firearms in interstate commerce, in
    violation of 
    18 U.S.C. § 371
    . A jury trial on the charges
    resulted in guilty verdicts, and Wren and Yarbor were both
    sentenced to terms of 60 months. Their appeals have been
    consolidated for our consideration.
    2                                   Nos. 03-2199 & 03-2232
    We review the evidence in the light most favorable to the
    government, and doing so reveals that Yarbor and code-
    fendants Louis Rowe and Julius Sangster conspired to
    obtain firearms from Wren, a federally licensed firearms
    dealer in Mississippi, and transport them to Chicago for
    resale at a profit. They obtained the firearms by using false
    identification and several female straw purchasers.
    Sangster, who had entered a plea of guilty, agreed to
    cooperate with the government. He testified at trial that
    Yarbor and Rowe told him about their activities and asked
    if he was interested in joining them in exchange for a share
    of the profits. He was, and in May 1996 the three went to
    Mississippi. Yarbor brought along crack cocaine, which he
    sold in Mississippi. The three then met Wren at a hospital
    parking lot in Grenada, Mississippi, a town on I-55 (a direct
    route from downtown Chicago) about 80 miles south of
    Memphis, Tennessee. Rowe told Wren that Sangster was
    his brother, who had just been released from prison, and
    that Sangster would soon be taking over for Rowe because
    Rowe was about to go to jail himself. Wren provided blank
    Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) forms 4473, which the
    men filled out using false information. Later that day they
    again met with Wren at the parking lot. At this time Wren
    delivered an SKS rifle and a 2.9mm handgun. Yarbor
    wrapped the guns in duct tape and concealed them under
    the back bumper of the car. Yarbor, Rowe, and Sangster
    drove the guns to Chicago, where Yarbor sold them to a
    member of the Gangster Disciples street gang.
    After this trip Rowe was incarcerated, and Sangster and
    Yarbor began to make the trips to Mississippi to obtain the
    guns. In general, they followed the same procedure as be-
    fore. Because Sangster was a convicted felon he could not
    fill out the ATF forms using his own name. He used an
    alias—Johnny Ray Hall—or he had various women fill out
    the forms for him. The forms were presented to Wren, who
    did not ask for identification. From May 1996 until January
    Nos. 03-2199 & 03-2232                                     3
    1997, Sangster made 9 trips to Mississippi and obtained
    between 70 to 80 guns from Wren. Yarbor accompanied
    Sangster on six of the nine trips.
    During the summer of 1996, Sangster asked Yarbor to
    make another trip and Yarbor declined, explaining that he
    planned to go into a different business—selling drugs in
    Chicago. But, Yarbor said, he would go to Mississippi “when
    he got the chance.” He did not make any more trips, but he
    did help Sangster find purchasers for the guns.
    In August or September of 1996, Wren received an ATF
    “tracer” indicating that a gun purchased by Melinda Parker,
    one of the women working with the conspiracy, was recov-
    ered in connection with a murder investigation in Florida.
    Wren told Sangster and Yarbor about the tracer and
    suggested that they direct Parker to report her gun stolen.
    The tracer did not stop their activities, however; Wren
    continued to supply guns to Sangster until Sangster and
    Rowe had a falling out over past gun sales and Sangster
    stopped making trips to Mississippi. His last trip was in
    November 1996.
    Two of the other women who were straw purchasers—
    Paulette Hayes and Rosie Ammus—testified at trial. They
    acknowledged that they never paid for or received any
    firearms themselves. Hayes said she filled out ATF forms
    and that Wren never asked her for identification. Ammus
    said she bought guns for Rowe and Sangster (they could not
    legally buy them themselves because they had criminal
    records).
    In April 1997, Chicago police officers raided Rowe’s
    residence. Despite the raid, Rowe, now out of jail, continued
    to buy guns from Wren and resell them in Chicago until
    August 1997, when his residence was raided a second time.
    The officers notified agents of the ATF about the raids. An
    ATF agent traced the guns and learned that 28 of them had
    traveled in interstate commerce and that 21 had come from
    a store owned by Wren.
    4                                  Nos. 03-2199 & 03-2232
    Both Yarbor and Wren made statements to ATF agents.
    Yarbor told the agent about the trips to Mississippi, about
    selling crack cocaine in Mississippi, and purchasing guns to
    bring back to Chicago. He described the guns purchased on
    the trips, the prices paid, and the people in Chicago to
    whom the guns were sold. He admitting knowing that
    Sangster and Rowe were convicted felons who could not
    legally purchase firearms. He claimed that he stopped
    making trips in July 1996.
    Wren made a statement to Tina Sherrow, an ATF agent,
    in April 1998 after she executed a warrant to search his
    business, the delightfully named “J.W.’s Second
    Amendment Sporting Goods Store.” In the statement, Wren
    said he sold firearms to his codefendants but that he
    stopped selling to them when he learned that some of the
    guns were used in criminal offenses. Wren also traveled to
    Chicago in February 2002, pursuant to a grand jury sub-
    poena. In preparation for his grand jury testimony he was
    given a written cooperation agreement, which he signed,
    and a grand jury statement prepared by an assistant
    United States attorney (AUSA). He was allowed to make
    any changes he wished to the statement before he signed it.
    The next day he read the statement to the grand jury after
    he was advised of his right to remain silent, to have a
    lawyer present, and of the ramifications of committing
    perjury.
    Wren and Yarbor raise several issues on appeal. Wren
    contends that “venue and jurisdiction” were improper in the
    Northern District of Illinois, that he was promised immu-
    nity for his testimony before the grand jury, and that his
    statement was involuntary. He also contends that his
    sentence was improperly enhanced on the basis that the
    offense involved more than 50 firearms, that he had reason
    to know that the firearms would be used in another crim-
    inal offense, and that he obstructed justice by committing
    perjury at trial. He also says it was error for the district
    Nos. 03-2199 & 03-2232                                       5
    court not to depart downward from the sentencing guide-
    lines in his case. Yarbor contends that the statute of
    limitations expired before he was indicted, that the district
    court improperly refused to instruct the jury on his theory
    that he withdrew from the conspiracy or that the conspiracy
    terminated before February 13, 1997, which would mean
    that the statute of limitations had run. He also argues that
    it was error for the district court to conclude that he had
    two felony drug convictions prior to the commission of the
    present offense and to find that certain firearms involved in
    the offense were semiautomatic assault rifles within the
    meaning of the United States sentencing guidelines.
    We turn first to Wren’s contention that “venue and jur-
    isdiction” were improper in the Northern District of Illinois.
    As to jurisdiction, federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction
    over offenses against the United States, 
    18 U.S.C. § 3231
    ,
    which means, of course, that they in fact have jurisdiction.
    But federal criminal prosecutions must be brought in the
    district in which the offense was committed. Fed. R. Crim.
    P. 18; United States v. Pearson, 
    340 F.3d 459
     (7th Cir.
    2003). We review claims of improper venue only to deter-
    mine “whether the government proved by a preponderance
    of the evidence that the crimes occurred in the district
    charged, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to
    the government.” United States v. Ochoa, 
    229 F.3d 631
    , 636
    (7th Cir. 2000). When a crime is committed in more than
    one district, venue is proper in any district in which any
    part of the crime was committed. 
    18 U.S.C. § 3237
    (a). In a
    conspiracy case, venue is proper in any district where at
    least one overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy oc-
    curred. It is not necessary that the conspiracy was formed
    in the district, that the defendant himself carried out an
    overt act in the district, or even that the defendant entered
    the district. What is necessary is that one of the conspira-
    tors carried out an overt act in the district. United States v.
    Rodriguez-Moreno, 
    526 U.S. 275
     (1999).
    6                                    Nos. 03-2199 & 03-2232
    As our recitation of the evidence reveals, the Northern
    District of Illinois was the site of a number of overt acts.
    Sangster, Yarbor, and Rowe transported firearms supplied
    by Wren to Chicago and resold them in Chicago. In Chicago,
    Rowe was found in possession of one of the firearms
    obtained from Wren. Wren does not seriously contend—nor
    could he—that the evidence was not sufficient to sustain a
    finding that he was a member of the conspiracy. Accord-
    ingly, venue was proper in the Northern District of Illinois.
    We turn next to Wren’s contention that he should have
    prevailed on his motion to suppress statements for which he
    claims he was granted immunity. In connection with a
    motion to suppress, we review questions of law de novo and
    questions of fact for clear error. United States v. Peters, 
    153 F.3d 445
     (7th Cir. 1998). We will conclude that a district
    court’s factual finding is clearly erroneous only if we are left
    with the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has
    been made. See United States v. Quinn, 
    83 F.3d 917
    , 921
    (7th Cir.1996). Generally speaking, a cooperation-immunity
    agreement is contractual in nature and subject to contract
    law standards. The language of the contract is to be read as
    a whole and given a reasonable interpretation. United
    States v. Hartmann, 
    958 F.2d 774
     (7th Cir. 1992).
    The first bit of evidence, then, on the issue of whether
    Wren was granted immunity is his cooperation agreement,
    in which we find the following statement:
    At this time, no promises have been made to you, nor
    have any agreements been reached with you by the ATF
    regarding what sentence you may receive for your
    participation in the illegal firearms purchases and sales
    scheme, or what charges will be filed against you by the
    United States.
    . . . You have agreed to cooperate because you have
    been informed that the extent and nature of your
    Nos. 03-2199 & 03-2232                                     7
    cooperation will be made known to the judge who will
    sentence you, and that your cooperation will also be
    considered by the United States Attorney’s Office in its
    decision as to what charges to file against you for your
    involvement in the illegal firearms purchases and sales
    scheme.
    One cannot read these statements without concluding that
    the threat of prosecution remained. Second, we have Wren’s
    statement to the grand jury which shows that before he
    testified he was advised of his right to remain silent and to
    consult with an attorney.
    Wren nevertheless says he had a phone conversation in
    which the investigating agent told him no charges would be
    brought against him. His son and a friend filed affidavits
    saying they were present during this conversation. Wren
    also claims he did not read the cooperation agreement
    before signing it.
    At trial, however, Special Agent Sherrow testified that
    Wren was never promised immunity and that Wren read,
    signed, and initialed the cooperation agreement and that he
    was alert and responsive when he did so. We cannot find
    that Wren was granted immunity for his statements.
    On appeal, Wren raises an issue that his grand jury
    testimony was involuntary because he was medicated and
    incapable of understanding what was happening. This issue
    was not developed in the district court, and therefore our
    review is limited to a determination whether there is plain
    error. United States v. Brumley, 
    217 F.3d 905
     (7th Cir.
    2000). The transcript of the grand jury proceedings does not
    show that Wren was incoherent or that he did not under-
    stand the nature of his testimony. The court reporter
    testified that Wren seemed alert and responsive when he
    testified. Thus, Wren is miles away from demonstrating
    that he is the victim of plain error.
    8                                   Nos. 03-2199 & 03-2232
    Wren also raises objections to three findings of the dis-
    trict court, which form the bases of enhancements to his
    sentence: (1) that the offense involved 50 firearms; (2) that
    he had reason to know that the firearms he supplied would
    be used in other criminal offenses; and (3) that he ob-
    structed justice by committing perjury at trial.
    We review the district court’s factual determinations at
    sentencing for clear error. United States v. Griffin, 
    310 F.3d 1017
     (7th Cir. 2002). A factual finding is clearly erroneous
    only if, after considering all the evidence, we are left with
    a firm conviction that a mistake has been made. United
    States v. Messino, 
    55 F.3d 1241
     (7th Cir. 1995). A district
    court’s choice between two permissible inferences from the
    evidence cannot be clearly erroneous. United States v.
    Wyatt, 
    102 F.3d 241
     (7th Cir. 1996). We lack authority to
    review a refusal to depart from the guideline range unless
    it is clear that the judge believed he lacked the authority to
    depart. United States v. Aron, 
    328 F.3d 938
     (7th Cir. 2003).
    Under U.S.S.G. §2K2.1(b)(1), a sentence is enhanced by 6
    levels if the offense involves between 25 and 99 firearms. At
    trial the parties stipulated to the accuracy of two gov-
    ernment summary charts showing that Wren supplied 50
    firearms to Rowe and Sangster directly or through straw
    purchasers. Nevertheless, Wren argues that he could only
    be held responsible for 21 firearms because that is the
    number recovered in connection with criminal activity. The
    argument cannot be sustained. The guideline does not re-
    quire that the guns be recovered in criminal activity for the
    enhancement to apply.
    Wren also argues that it was error to find that he knew or
    had reason to know that the firearms would be possessed in
    connection with a felony. U.S.S.G. §2K2.1(b)(5) provides for
    a 4-level enhancement for such a transfer. Making what
    sounds like an argument that he “didn’t know the gun was
    loaded,” Wren says he did not know the guns would be used
    Nos. 03-2199 & 03-2232                                     9
    in criminal activity. The evidence at trial was sufficient to
    show that he did. The inference is easily drawn from the
    sheer number and type of firearms that he supplied. The
    circumstances under which he sold the guns also show that
    he had reason to know the sales were not on the up and up.
    Besides all that, his grand jury testimony was that he knew
    the straw purchasers were buying guns for Sangster
    because they never selected or inspected the guns they
    bought, nor did they pay for them. Also, the women were
    buying more guns than they reasonably could need. We
    cannot find clear error in the district court finding on this
    enhancement.
    Wren says he did not commit perjury at trial and his
    sentence should not have been enhanced under U.S.S.G.
    §3C1.1. In that regard, we uphold an obstruction enhance-
    ment so long “as the district court made an independent
    finding of obstruction that encompasses all of perjury’s
    factual predicates.” Griffin at 1023-24. And we afford great
    deference to the sentencing judge’s determination that the
    enhancement is appropriate. United States v. Lanzotti, 
    205 F.3d 951
     (7th Cir. 2000). Wren testified at trial that he
    didn’t know that the sale of the firearms in question was
    illegal until the ATF agent told him so. He also said that as
    soon as he received tracers from ATF he stopped selling the
    guns. But the investigating agent testified that Wren con-
    tinued to sell firearms after he received tracers. Wren also
    said that an AUSA gave him a new statement to sign just
    5 minutes prior to his testimony at the grand jury and told
    him just to sign it. He also testified that he was promised
    immunity. Again the investigating agent testified that only
    one statement was ever prepared by the AUSA, that it was
    signed the day before Wren testified before the grand jury,
    and that there was no promise of immunity.
    Chief Judge Kocoras succinctly summarized the situation,
    saying:
    10                                    Nos. 03-2199 & 03-2232
    But I listened to all of this evidence, quite frankly,
    and aside from the clash in testimony, which is not—
    you could not square it up; someone was not telling it
    right—a lot of the things that I think Mr. Wren said,
    and I do not mean to be so harsh and direct about it,
    but I found inherently implausible.
    . . . And I cannot help but, therefore, conclude, with or
    without the competing testimony, that it did not happen
    the way he said it happened.
    The judge also said he did not think that Wren was “forced
    to say things that he didn’t willingly say and volunteer.” We
    also cannot say that these findings are insufficient or
    otherwise in error.
    Finally, we lack jurisdiction to review Wren’s contention
    that he should have been granted a downward departure
    based on his physical condition, so long as Chief Judge
    Kocoras was aware that he had the discretion to depart
    downward. The judge, it is clear, was well aware of his
    discretion and in fact stated that “in appropriate cases I
    have done that [depart downward].”
    We turn now to the issues raised by Yarbor. He claims
    that the indictment against him for conspiracy to transport
    illegally acquired firearms through interstate commerce
    was not returned within the 5-year statute of limitations.
    For that reason, he says, his motion for judgment of ac-
    quittal should have been granted.
    Although we review de novo the question whether the
    statute of limitations has run, see United States v.
    Anderson, 
    188 F.3d 886
    , 888 (7th Cir. 1999), the question
    whether the district court properly found that there was
    sufficient evidence to show that a defendant committed the
    offense within the relevant time period is one that receives
    the highly deferential review reserved for evidentiary
    challenges to criminal convictions, see United States v.
    Richardson, 
    208 F.3d 626
    , 631 (7th Cir. 2000); United
    Nos. 03-2199 & 03-2232                                      11
    States v. Griffin, 
    150 F.3d 778
    , 784 (7th Cir. 1998); United
    States v. Barnes, 
    230 F.3d 311
     (7th Cir. 2000).
    In order to prove a conspiracy, the prosecution must prove
    that the conspiracy existed and that each defendant was a
    member at some point in the 5 years preceding the date of
    the indictment. United States v. Read, 
    658 F.2d 1225
     (7th
    Cir. 1981). The statute of limitations does not begin to run
    until the offense expires or from the last act in furtherance
    of the conspiracy. United States v. Yashar, 
    166 F.3d 873
    (7th Cir. 1999). Also, the government need not prove any
    overt acts of a particular defendant within the limitations
    period but must show that the conspiracy existed into the
    limitations period and that the defendant did not withdraw
    from the conspiracy prior to that time. In fact, a defendant’s
    membership in the conspiracy is presumed to continue
    unless he withdraws from the conspiracy by the affirmative
    act of confessing to the police or by clear communication to
    coconspirators that he is withdrawing. United States v.
    Maloney, 
    71 F.3d 645
     (7th Cir. 1995). Simply ceasing to
    participate even for extended periods of time is not suffi-
    cient to show withdrawal. United States v. Bafia, 
    949 F.2d 1465
     (7th Cir. 1991).
    The indictment in this case was returned on February 13,
    2002. Yarbor sees two reasons why that date is outside the
    statute of limitations. First, he claims that three of the four
    coconspirators had withdrawn from the conspiracy or were
    incapacitated by as early as November 1996 and at least no
    later than January 1997. Second, he says that evidence at
    trial established that he withdrew from the conspiracy as
    early as July 1996 but no later than October 1996.
    The evidence relevant to the issue included Sangster’s
    testimony that after Rowe was released from prison he
    continued to make trips to Mississippi to purchase guns.
    His trips continued at least until April 3, 1997, when he
    purchased a Bryco 9mm in the name of Paulette Hayes. A
    12                                  Nos. 03-2199 & 03-2232
    few days before Rowe’s house was searched in August 1997,
    he showed Sangster a shotgun he had purchased from
    Wren. There is evidence that the conspiracy continued until
    August, which would mean that the indictment was timely.
    There was no real evidence of any affirmative act on
    Yarbor’s part to withdraw from the conspiracy. Although
    Sangster testified that in the summer of 1996 Yarbor said
    he was going to stop making trips to Mississippi in order to
    concentrate on selling drugs, he also testified that Yarbor
    said he would go to Mississippi with Sangster when he had
    a chance to. Yarbor’s statement about changing careers is
    not sufficient to show that he left gunrunning behind. In
    addition, he says that an argument he had with Sangster,
    which his brother Tony Yarbor overheard, shows he with-
    drew. But Tony Yarbor did not know what the subject of the
    argument was, and in any case an argument is not suffi-
    cient evidence of withdrawal. There is evidence to support
    a finding that the conspiracy extended into the limitations
    period and that Yarbor did not affirmatively withdraw from
    the conspiracy. His motion for judgment of acquittal on this
    ground was properly denied.
    A related issue Yarbor raises involves the district court’s
    refusal to instruct the jury on his theories of defense that
    the conspiracy terminated or that he withdrew from it more
    than 5 years before the indictment was returned. When
    there was a proper objection at trial, as there was here, we
    review the refusal to give a tendered theory of defense
    instruction de novo. United States v. Mutoc, 
    2003 WL 22746676
     (7th Cir. Nov. 21, 2003).
    A defendant is entitled to a theory of defense instruction
    if (1) he proposes a correct statement of the law; (2) his
    theory is supported by the evidence; (3) the theory of
    defense is not part of the charge; and (4) the failure to
    include an instruction of the defendant’s theory would deny
    him a fair trial. United States v. Swanquist, 
    161 F.3d 1064
    ,
    Nos. 03-2199 & 03-2232                                      13
    1075 (7th Cir. 1998). A “ ‘mere scintilla’ of evidence support-
    ing a defendant’s theory . . . is not sufficient to warrant a
    defense instruction.” United States v. Buchmeier, 
    255 F.3d 415
    , 427 (7th Cir. 2001). Specifically, a defendant is entitled
    to a withdrawal instruction only if the evidence could
    sustain the claim. United States v. Nava-Salazar, 
    30 F.3d 788
     (7th Cir. 1994).
    Our review of the record convinces us that the refusal to
    give the instructions was proper. The conspiracy continued
    until August 1997 when Rowe’s house was searched by
    the Chicago police department. There is no evidence that
    Yarbor took affirmative steps to withdraw from the con-
    spiracy. His not taking actions in furtherance of the con-
    spiracy is not the same as taking affirmative action to
    withdraw.
    Yarbor also appeals from two determinations made at his
    sentencing hearing. He contends that the district court
    erred in finding that he committed the present offense after
    sustaining two felony convictions for drug offenses and in
    finding that the firearms involved were semiautomatic
    assault weapons. We review a sentencing court’s factual
    findings for clear error; questions of law are reviewed de
    novo. United States v. Bruder, 
    945 F.2d 167
     (7th Cir. 1991).
    Section 2K2.1(a)(1) of the United States sentencing
    guidelines provides for an enhancement in a defendant’s
    base offense level if “the offense involved a firearm de-
    scribed in . . . 
    18 U.S.C. § 921
    (a)(30), and the defendant
    committed any part of the instant offense subsequent to
    sustaining at least two felony convictions for either a crime
    of violence or a controlled substance offense[.]” Yarbor
    claims that the government failed to prove that the weap-
    ons involved in the present offense were semiautomatic
    assault weapons as defined by 
    18 U.S.C. § 921
    (a)(30)(B).
    Section 921(a)(30) provides:
    14                                   Nos. 03-2199 & 03-2232
    The term “semiautomatic assault weapon” means—
    ...
    (B) a semiautomatic rifle that has an ability to
    accept a detachable magazine and has at least 2
    of—
    (i) a folding or telescoping stock;
    (ii) a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously
    beneath the action of the weapon;
    (iii) a bayonet mount;
    (iv) a flash suppressor or threaded barrel de-
    signed to accommodate a flash suppressor; and
    (v) a grenade launcher[.]
    Yarbor claims the weapon at issue did not meet two of these
    characteristics—(i) and (ii). However, it was virtually
    undisputed that the weapon had a folding stock. The only
    real issue was whether the pistol grip protruded conspicu-
    ously beneath the action of the weapon. Yarbor says that
    United States v. Spinner, 
    152 F.3d 950
     (D.C. Cir. 1998), and
    United States v. Meadows, 
    91 F.3d 851
     (7th Cir. 1996),
    establish that, without guidance from expert witnesses,
    juries are not qualified to make determinations as to what
    statutory features exist on any particular firearm. There
    was no expert testimony here so, the argument goes, there
    can be no finding about whether the pistol grip protruded
    conspicuously beneath the weapon. The problem with the
    argument is that Spinner and Meadows are distinguishable.
    In both cases, the issue was one for trial where, of course,
    the burden on the government is to prove the nature of the
    gun beyond a reasonable doubt. Here, it was not necessary
    to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the gun was
    semiautomatic. The issue came up at sentencing where the
    burden of proof is a preponderance of the evidence. Harris
    v. United States, 
    536 U.S. 545
     (2002); United States v.
    Nos. 03-2199 & 03-2232                                    15
    Merritt, 
    2004 WL 549475
     (7th Cir. Mar. 22, 2004). Further-
    more, the issue does not seem to require any particular
    expertise. The discussion about this feature of the gun at
    sentencing shows that Chief Judge Kocoras found the
    argument that the pistol grip did not protrude conspicu-
    ously to be almost frivolous. In making his factual finding
    he had an opportunity to see the gun and found that the
    pistol grip extended conspicuously. Looking at the gun, the
    judge stated in no uncertain terms that it was conspicuous.
    We have no basis in the record before us to say that the
    finding is clearly erroneous.
    Yarbor also argues that even if the gun is a semiauto-
    matic assault rifle pursuant to 
    18 U.S.C. § 921
    (a)(30)(B),
    it is excluded under 
    18 U.S.C. § 922
    (v)(3)(B)(ii) in that
    it “has been rendered permanently inoperable” or under
    subsection (C) in that it “cannot accept a detachable mag-
    azine that holds more than 5 rounds of ammunition[.]”
    On the first exception, Chief Judge Kocoras said there was
    a presumption that the gun was operable and no one had
    shown him that it wasn’t. On the second exception, Special
    Agent Sherrow testified, “The magazine that came with the
    weapon did have a capacity to carry more than five rounds.”
    The finding that the exceptions did not apply is not clearly
    erroneous.
    As to the requirement that Yarbor have been convicted of
    two prior felony drug charges, we note that he was con-
    victed of such charges on April 18, 1997. That means that
    the guideline would apply to the present case if the conspir-
    acy continued past that date. The issue, then, involves the
    same facts we have been discussing. How long did this
    conspiracy continue? We have said that there was evidence
    from which to conclude that it continued until August 1997
    when Rowe’s house was searched. It therefore was not error
    for Chief Judge Kocoras to find by a preponderance of the
    evidence that Yarbor had two prior felony drug convictions.
    Similarly, relying on our previous discussion, we find that
    16                                Nos. 03-2199 & 03-2232
    it was not error for the judge to find that Yarbor did not
    withdraw from the conspiracy prior to the drug convictions.
    Accordingly, the application of U.S.S.G. §2K2.1 to Yarbor’s
    sentence was not error.
    The judgments of conviction and the sentences of Jimmy
    Doyle Wren and Charles Yarbor are AFFIRMED.
    A true Copy:
    Teste:
    ________________________________
    Clerk of the United States Court of
    Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
    USCA-02-C-0072—4-14-04