Armstrong-Davila

United States v. Armstrong-Davila

Good Law
201 F. App'x 551
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitSeptember 15, 2006No. 05-50767California299 words

Opinion

Lead Opinion

MEMORANDUM **

Eduardo Armstrong-Davila appeals from his bench-trial conviction for bringing an illegal alien into the United States for financial gain in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1324 (a)(2)(B)(ii).

Armstrong-Davila contends that he is not liable under an aider and abettor theory- because the Government did not expressly make this charge in the indictment. However, this court has held, in United States v. Gaskins, that “all indictments for substantive offenses must be read as if the alternative provided by 18 U.S.C. § 2 were embodied in the indictment.” 849 F.2d 454, 459 (9th Cir.1988) (internal quotation omitted).

Armstrong-Davila also contends that there is insufficient evidence to convict him under an aider and abettor theory. We conclude, after viewing the testimony of Martha Cruz-Martinez in the light most favorable to the Government, that a reasonable factfinder could have found that Armstrong-Davila specifically intended to aid and abet an alien-smuggling scheme. See Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319 , 99 S.Ct. 2781 , 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979).

Armstrong-Davila finally contends that the district court abused its discretion by admitting Cruz-Martinez’s testimony. We…

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