Carter

BACKGROUND

I. Factual Background

A. August 1, 2002, Commerce Robbery

The day before the Commerce robbery, Derrick O’Neal contacted Carter and several others to ask if they wanted to rob a bank. O’Neal and Edward Warren had chosen the bank because it was close to the freeway and did not have security barriers inside. Carter agreed to rob the bank and agreed to meet the following morning. On the morning of the robbery, O’Neal, Warren, Eric Washington, Joseph Alexander, and Edward Hector met at the home of Warren’s mother. O’Neal testified that Carter was a few hours late to the meeting because he was trying to get a gun and needed to drop his girlfriend off somewhere. They planned each person’s role in the robbery and left for the bank. Carter’s role was to “grab the money” from the teller because “he was quick.”

Alexander, Carter, Washington, and Hector entered the bank. O’Neal and Warren remained outside as lookouts. Washington stayed in the lobby area, Alexander walked through the bank to watch the back doors, and Carter and Hector went to the teller counter. When Janet Guizar, a finan- UNITED STATES v. CARTER 3827 cial services consultant at the bank, saw…