United States v. Peter Lam , 515 F. App'x 691 ( 2013 )


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  •                                                                            FILED
    NOT FOR PUBLICATION                                APR 18 2013
    MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS                       U .S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS
    FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,                        No. 12-50080
    Plaintiff - Appellee,              D.C. No. 2:07-cr-00449-PSG-6
    v.
    MEMORANDUM *
    PETER XUONG LAM, AKA Kiet,
    Defendant - Appellant.
    Appeal from the United States District Court
    for the Central District of California
    Philip S. Gutierrez, District Judge, Presiding
    Argued and Submitted April 9, 2013
    Pasadena, California
    Before: FERNANDEZ, RAWLINSON, and BYBEE, Circuit Judges.
    Appellant Peter Xuong Lam was convicted of three counts of selling
    illegally imported fish, in violation of 
    18 U.S.C. § 545
    ; introducing misbranded
    fish into interstate commerce with intent to defraud, in violation of 
    21 U.S.C. §§ 331
    (a), (c); and conspiracy to commit these offenses, in violation of 18
    *
    This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent
    except as provided by 9th Cir. R. 36-3.
    U.S.C.§ 371. Lam was sentenced to 41 months imprisonment and ordered to forfeit
    267,570 pounds of fish and $12.58 million. Lam appeals the forfeiture order,
    arguing that it violates the Excessive Fines Clause of the Eighth Amendment. We
    have jurisdiction under 
    28 U.S.C. § 1291
    . Because the district court granted the
    forfeiture order without addressing Lam’s constitutional claim, we vacate the order
    and remand to the district court to determine whether the forfeiture order violates
    the Eighth Amendment.
    A forfeiture is excessive under the Eighth Amendment if it is “grossly
    disproportional to the gravity of a defendant’s offense.” United States v.
    Bajakajian, 
    524 U.S. 321
    , 334 (1998). If a “plaintiff makes a prima facie showing
    that the forfeiture may be excessive, the district court must make a determination,
    based upon appropriate findings,” as to whether the fine is constitutional. United
    States v. Busher, 
    817 F.2d 1409
    , 1415 (9th Cir. 1987). Indeed, the district court
    “has the constitutional responsibility to assure that a forfeiture proceeding . . . does
    not inflict excessive punishment in violation of the eighth amendment.” United
    States v. Littlefield, 
    821 F.2d 1365
    , 1368 (9th Cir. 1987). Thus, where a district
    court has failed to make a finding with regard to the Eighth Amendment, we have
    remanded, see Busher, 817 F.3d at 1416, so that “the district court [could] conduct
    the fact-intensive inquiry necessary to determine the issue of excessiveness,”
    2
    Wright v. Riveland, 
    219 F.3d 905
    , 918–19 (9th Cir. 2000); see also United States v.
    Mackby, 
    261 F.3d 821
    , 830 (9th Cir. 2001).
    Here, Lam raised the Eighth Amendment issue before the district court, but
    the district court granted the forfeiture order without addressing whether it was
    constitutional. Accordingly, we vacate the order and remand to the district court for
    consideration of whether the forfeiture order was unconstitutionally excessive, in
    violation of the Eighth Amendment. See Busher, 
    817 F.2d at
    1415–16; Wright, 
    219 F.3d at
    918–19; Mackby, 
    261 F.3d at 830
    .
    VACATED and REMANDED.
    3