California Court of Appeal Jan 12, 2015 No. D064469Unpublished
Filed 1/12/15 P. v. Beltran CA4/1 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.
COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
DIVISION ONE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
THE PEOPLE, D064469
Plaintiff and Respondent,
v. (Super. Ct. No. SCS251538)
ULYSES SANDOVAL BELTRAN,
Defendant and Appellant.
APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of San Diego County, Edward P.
Allard, III, Judge. Affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded with directions.
Patricia J. Ulibarri, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and
Appellant.
Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Julie L. Garland, Assistant Attorney General,
Barry Carlton and Warren J. Williams, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and
Respondent.
A jury convicted Ulyses Sandoval Beltran of kidnapping for purposes of ransom,
reward, or extortion (Pen. Code,1 § 209, subd. (a); count 1), assault with a firearm (§ 245,
inflicted great bodily injury with respect to counts 5, 6, and 7 (§ 12022.8), and allegations
pursuant to the "One-Strike" law as to counts 5, 6 and 7 (§ 667.61). The court sentenced
defendant to 50 years to life in prison plus 40 years plus life, consisting of 25-year-to-life
indeterminate terms on counts 5 and 6, life with parole for count 1, forty years in prison
for the enhancements on counts 1, 5 and 6, and stayed sentences on counts 3, 4 and 7. It
ordered defendant to register as a sex offender and to pay various fees and fines.
Defendant contends: (1) the evidence is insufficient to support his count 1
conviction for kidnapping for extortion; (2) the trial court violated his Sixth and
Fourteenth Amendment rights to due process and a fair trial by failing to instruct on the
lesser included offense of felony false imprisonment or alternatively, the court violated
those rights by misinstructing the jury on an element of the kidnapping for extortion
offense; (3) his multiple one-strike sentences violate former section 667.61, subdivision
(g); and (4) the cumulative effect of these errors requires reversal of the judgment.
Defendant also requests that this court independently review the sealed transcript of an in
1 Statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise specified. For ease of reference, we call the kidnapping offense under section 209, subdivision (a) aggravated kidnapping or kidnapping for extortion, recognizing there are other means to commit the offense. 2
camera hearing and sealed documents to determine whether the trial court correctly
withheld documents or materials relating to the victim's application for a visa. We agree
with defendant in part, and conclude the evidence is insufficient to support his count 1
conviction for aggravated kidnapping. In all other respects, we affirm the judgment.
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
Guadalupe M. first met defendant in 1999 at a dance hall and eventually had
intercourse with him twice, once the morning after they met and defendant insisted on
having intercourse with her while she was intoxicated, and a month and a half later, when
they had intercourse a second time. In 2001, defendant and Guadalupe were at a social
event and defendant forced her into a car and drove to a location where he unsuccessfully
tried to have intercourse with her again. Eventually Guadalupe developed a relationship
with defendant's cousin, Jesus S,. When defendant found out, he called her from Mexico,
accused her of "whoring" around, and threatened her with payback.
In November 2000, Guadalupe was convicted of possessing drugs for sale and
deported. She returned to the United States and lived with Jesus S. for a time, giving
birth to Jesus S.'s son in 2002. Jesus S. had a very good friend and coworker who
Guadalupe knew by the name Chilacas.2 In 2002, Jesus S. went to prison. Eventually
Guadalupe began living with her brother Giovanni and Marisela R. in a San Ysidro
apartment.
2 The parties also refer to this individual as Chilapas. 3
In the early morning hours of October 18, 2004, Jesus S.'s brother Jorge and
defendant came to Guadalupe's apartment. R. let them in and told Guadalupe that her
brother-in-law was asking for her. When Guadalupe came out, Jorge S. told her that his
cousin, defendant, wanted to talk to her. Guadalupe was surprised and scared, because
defendant had warned her he was coming back. Defendant told Guadalupe he wanted to
talk outside. When she refused, he took out a gun, grabbed her, and forced her out of the
house. He forced her into a vehicle with two other men and they drove away while
defendant pressed the gun to Guadalupe's head.
They took Guadalupe into a house where other men were present. Defendant
asked Guadalupe about Chilacas; he told her that Chilacas owed him money and she had
to know about him. When Guadalupe denied knowing about Chilacas, defendant hit her
in the face. Guadalupe's hands and feet were tied and defendant ordered someone to
bring pliers to pull out her fingernails. Defendant tried to pull on her nails while she
begged him not to. Defendant told one of the men to put Guadalupe into a bedroom, and
kept asking her about Chilacas. Defendant cut away the tape binding Guadalupe and he
and the other man frightened her with their weapons.
Defendant told the other men to leave the room, removed Guadalupe's clothing,
and raped and sodomized her. He left the room with his gun. Defendant eventually
returned to the room and fell asleep resting on Guadalupe's legs. When he awoke, he
took Guadalupe into the kitchen where the other men were present. Defendant told
Guadalupe to clean the kitchen and ordered the men to get food from the grocery store.
When they returned, defendant had her cook for the men. She complied. At some point,
4
defendant left the kitchen and was somewhere else in the house. Afterwards, defendant
took Guadalupe back into the same bedroom and left, but returned to the room where he
raped and sodomized her again. Defendant then got up and left the room, and Guadalupe
found some clothing to change into and showered. Defendant returned and at his
instruction, Guadalupe telephoned her brother and told him she was fine and would be
taken home soon. Defendant told two men to take Guadalupe home and asked her to
forgive him. He told her he did not want to harm her and not to call the police. The men
dropped Guadalupe off near her house, and after she walked there, she called police.
The prosecutor argued to the jury as to the count 1 offense: "For count 1, the
kidnapping for ransom or reward, the elements are that [defendant] kidnapped or
abducted or seized or confined or carried away another person. In this case, we heard
[defendant] kidnapped Guadalupe by taking her by force from the house. He did it for
ransom3 . . . or extortion or to get some money or something valuable. [¶] In this case,
the information was about Chila[c]as. He is trying to get the money from her and he
keeps trying and trying even after they start to torture her and he is not getting it. So all
of those three elements are met." The trial court instructed the jury as to this offense in
part as follows: "So the defendant is charged in count 1 with kidnapping for the purpose
of ransom or reward or extortion that resulted in bodily harm in violation of Penal Code
section 209[, subdivision (a)]. To prove the defendant is guilty of this crime, the People
3 At this point, the transcript reads: "He did it for ransom. We regard [sic] or extortion or to get some money or something valuable." The reporter's transcript most likely reflects a transcription error. 5
must prove that: [¶] One, the defendant kidnapped or abducted or seized or confined or
concealed or carried away or invited [sic] or enticed or decoyed any person; [¶] Two,
the defendant held or detained the other person; [¶] Three, the defendant did so for
ransom or for reward or for extortion to get money or something valuable; [¶] Four, the
other person did not consent to being kidnapped or abducted or seized or confined or
concealed or carried away or invited biased or at the code [sic]. The defendant did.
[sic]4; [¶] And five, the defendant did not actually and reasonably believe that the other
person consented to being kidnapped or abducted, seized or confined or concealed or
carried away or it invited [sic] or enticed or decoyed. [¶] In order to consent, a person
must act freely and voluntarily and know the nature of the act."
DISCUSSION
I. The Evidence is Insufficient to Support The Aggravated Kidnapping Conviction
Defendant contends no reasonable trier of fact could find that kidnapping someone
for information is legally sufficient to prove he kidnapped Guadalupe "for ransom,
reward, or to commit extortion or to exact from another person any money and valuable
thing . . . ." As we explain, we agree.
A. Standard of Review
In determining the sufficiency of the evidence to support a conviction, "the
relevant question is whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the
prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime
4 The written instruction here reads: ". . . or inveigled, or enticed, or decoyed . . . ." Presumably, this was another transcription error. 6
beyond a reasonable doubt." (Jackson v. Virginia (1979) 443 U.S. 307, 319.) "[T]he
court must review the whole record in the light most favorable to the judgment below to
determine whether it discloses substantial evidence—that is, evidence which is
reasonable, credible, and of solid value—such that a reasonable trier of fact could find the
defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt." (People v. Johnson (1980) 26 Cal.3d 557,
578.) In our search for substantial evidence, we look at the entirety of the evidence,
including defendant's conduct both before and after the criminal act.
B. Analysis
Section 209, subdivision (a) provides in part: "Any person who . . . kidnaps . . .
another person . . . with intent to hold or detain, or who holds or detains, that person for
ransom, reward or to commit extortion or to exact from another person any money or
valuable thing . . . shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for life without
possibility of parole in cases in which any person subjected to any such act suffers death
or bodily harm . . . ." "Because the statute is phrased in the disjunctive, it describes four
different types of aggravated kidnapping: (1) for ransom; (2) for reward; (3) to commit
extortion; and (4) to exact from another person any money or valuable thing." (People v.
Ibrahim (1993) 19 Cal.App.4th 1692, 1696.) Unlike the first three types of kidnapping,
the fourth requires the "money or valuable thing" be obtained from a third party. (Id. at
pp. 1696-1697.) In general, each of the forms of aggravated kidnapping shares the single
primary element, that is the deprivation of a person's liberty in order to obtain a financial
gain. (People v. Ordonez (1991) 226 Cal.App.3d 1207, 1227; see People v. Greenberger
(1997) 58 Cal.App.4th 298, 367.)
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Defendant points out there is no evidence that any ransom was demanded for
Guadalupe's release, or that he acted with any expectation of reward. He maintains there
is no evidence of any communication to outside parties or a secondary victim. He argues
Guadalupe's testimony does not reflect he obtained her consent through force or fear so
as to take her personal property. Defendant also points out there was no secondary victim
for the purpose of exacting money or valuables from another person within the meaning
of section 209, subdivision (a). Defendant argues the prosecutor's theory that he
kidnapped Guadalupe to get money from her is without any evidentiary support.
The People do not argue that the evidence supports the count 1 aggravated
kidnapping on the theories of ransom, reward or to exact money or other valuable thing
from another person within the meaning of section 209, subdivision (a). Rather, as
defendant points out, the People's sole argument on appeal is that section 209,
subdivision (a) is met because the evidence shows defendant "transported Guadalupe
from her house at gunpoint with the intent to extort a 'valuable thing' from her" (italics
added), namely, Chilacas's whereabouts.5
The People's argument conflates two different theories of aggravated kidnapping.
As stated, one theory under the statute requires that the People prove the defendant took
Guadalupe in order to extract money or some valuable thing from a third party. (People
5 This theory differs from the prosecutor's argument at trial that defendant was "trying to get the money from [Guadalupe] . . . ." Had the evidence shown that defendant sought to obtain money from Guadalupe with her consent by use of force or fear, we would uphold defendant's aggravated kidnapping conviction on a theory of extortion. There is no such evidence in the record. 8
v. Ibrahim, supra, 19 Cal.App.4th at pp. 1696, 1697.) But this case, as the People
implicitly concede, does not involve a third party victim. A separate theory is extortion,
which is "the obtaining of property from another, with his consent, . . . induced by a
wrongful use of force or fear . . . ." (§ 518.) Courts uniformly conclude that kidnapping
for extortion does not require that the person being extorted be someone other than the
kidnap victim. (See People v. Kozlowski (2002) 96 Cal.App.4th 853, 870 [citing cases].)
However, extortion does require that the defendant kidnap the victim with the intent of
obtaining property with consent. Thus, in People v. Superior Court (Deardorf) (1986)
183 Cal.App.3d 509, proof that the defendants held a victim at gunpoint, forced him to
drive and then forced him to put up his car as bond for a debt was sufficient to sustain the
kidnapping for extortion offense. (Id. at pp. 513-514.) In People v. Kozlowski, supra, 96
Cal.App.4th 853, the Court of Appeal held that a personal identification number (PIN)
associated with an automated teller machine card constitutes property for purposes of
kidnapping for extortion. In reaching this conclusion, the court reasoned that the term
"property" should be broadly interpreted for purposes of extortion. (Id. at pp. 865-866.)
"The term is all-embracing, including every intangible benefit and prerogative susceptible
of possession or disposition." (Id. at p. 866.) The Kozlowski court reasoned that a PIN
code, a number that operates as a means of account access, is intangible property because
the code is exclusively possessed and allows the possessor to access funds in a related
bank account. (Kozlowski, at p. 867.)
These and other authorities recognize that property for purposes of extortion need
not be some tangible item, and that convictions have been upheld where defendants
9
extorted intangible property. (People v. Kozlowski, supra, 96 Cal.App.4th at pp. 867-
868, citing People v. Cadman (1881) 57 Cal. 562, 564 [right to take and prosecute appeal
is assumed to be property within the meaning of the extortion statute]; People v. Baker
(1978) 88 Cal.App.3d 115, 119 [right to file an administrative protest with the Alcoholic
Beverage Control Board is property for purposes of extortion]; see also People v. Fisher
(2013) 216 Cal.App.4th 212, 217 [term "property" for extortion statute includes a
business owner's right to determine whom to employ in his or her business].) These
cases indicate that intangible property can have inherent value without connection to a
physical thing.
But nothing in these cases suggests that mere information about the location of a
debtor can reasonably be categorized as intangible property subject to extortion. In
People v. Kozlowski, supra, 96 Cal.App.4th 853, the court expansively defined the term
"property" by holding that a PIN code constituted property. There, the "property" had
value because of its secrecy, security, and ability to exclude others from using it, similar
to such things as trade secrets, confidential business information, or intellectual property.
In contrast, a person's location is valueless whether it is secret or disclosed. We decline
to extend the section 209, subdivision (a) offense of kidnapping for extortion beyond the
understanding of "property" within the meaning of the above cited cases.
In this case, the sole evidence supporting the count 1 offense was Guadalupe's
testimony that after taking her at gunpoint from her house, defendant asked her
repeatedly about her knowledge of where Chilacas was because Chilacas owed defendant
money, and that she "had to know" his location. Though we are entitled to draw
10
reasonable inferences on our substantial evidence review, we cannot say a reasonable
trier of fact could infer that defendant kidnapped Guadalupe for ransom, reward, to extort
property, or to exact from a third person money or a valuable thing. In sum, the evidence
is insufficient to support the jury's verdict on the count 1 offense.
Given our conclusion that the count 1 kidnapping offense is unsupported by the
evidence, we need not decide defendant's claims of instructional error related to that
offense, including instructions on lesser included offenses.
II. One-Strike Life Sentences
The trial court sentenced defendant to consecutive life sentences on the count 5
and 6 forcible rapes offenses, reasoning that the count 6 offense "was not committed in
close temporal and spatial proximity to the offenses in counts 5 and 7." The court
reasoned: "After committing the offenses charged in counts 5 and 7 in one of the
bedrooms of the house where the victim was taken and held against her will by the
defendant and others, the defendant left the bedroom while the victim remained in the
bedroom. [¶] Some short time thereafter, the defendant ordered the victim to cook for
the victim and the others in the house. After cooking, as ordered, [Guadalupe] cleaned up
for these men as ordered. [¶] Once this was completed, the defendant took the victim,
once again, against her will, to another separate bedroom in the house, where he
committed count 6. [¶] As a result, the offenses in count 6 occurred on a separate
occasion than the offenses charged in counts 5 and 7. Accordingly, a separate custodial
term from counts 5 and 7 may be imposed as to count 6."
11
Defendant contends his multiple one-strike sentences violated former section
667.61, subdivision (g) because the forcible rape and forcible sodomy offenses of counts
5, 6 and 7 were committed in close temporal and spatial proximity to each other, though
the "events played out over several hours." He maintains the sentence is unauthorized
under People v. Jones (2001) 25 Cal.4th 98 (Jones) and People v. Fuller (2006) 135
Cal.App.4th 1336 (Fuller).
Section 667.61, also known as the "One Strike" law, provides for indeterminate
terms of 25 or 15 years to life for certain forcible sex offenses committed under
7 Defense counsel referred to Brady v. Maryland (1963) 373 U.S. 83 (Brady), but acknowledged that Brady did not strictly apply to the situation. The trial court observed that the circumstances did not implicate Brady because the immigration records were not in the People's possession, and thus the People had no obligation to produce them to the defense. Defense counsel was aware that in 2004, Guadalupe had obtained information about a U-visa from a police detective who had recommended she go through the process to remain in the U.S., that Guadalupe had made efforts to obtain such a visa via an organization called Casa Cornelia, that district attorney investigators had engaged in discussions with her concerning the status of her efforts, and that Guadalupe was denied such a visa in 2004 when she first made her application. Counsel sought to impeach Guadalupe with her motives in claiming she was a crime victim with regard to defendant. 15
DISPOSITION
The judgment of conviction for kidnap for extortion (count 1) is reversed. The
matter is remanded to the superior court with directions to enter a judgment of acquittal
as to count 1, vacate the 10-year firearm use enhancement on count 1, and for
resentencing as necessary in accordance with this opinion. In all other respects, the
judgment is affirmed. The court shall thereafter prepare an amended abstract of judgment
and forward a certified copy to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
O'ROURKE, J.
WE CONCUR:
McCONNELL, P. J.
AARON, J.
16
AI Brief
AI-generated · verify before citing
Holding. The court held that the evidence was insufficient to support a conviction for kidnapping for extortion because kidnapping a victim to obtain information about a third party's location does not constitute kidnapping for ransom, reward, or extortion of property.
Issues
Whether the evidence was sufficient to support a conviction for kidnapping for extortion under Penal Code section 209, subdivision (a).
Whether the trial court erred in imposing multiple 'One-Strike' sentences for sex offenses committed against a single victim.
Whether the trial court properly withheld sealed documents regarding the victim's visa application.
Disposition. Affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded.
Quotations verified verbatim against the opinion
“nothing in these cases suggests that mere information about the location of a debtor can reasonably be categorized as intangible property subject to extortion.”
“We conclude there is substantial evidence to support the trial court's finding that the rapes did not occur on a single occasion”