T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

T he pa ne l una ni m ous l yc onc l ude s thi s c a s e i s s ui t abl e f orde c i s i on ** w ith o u t o r a l a r g u m e n t. See F ed. R . A pp . P . 34 (a )( 2). NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T UN I T E D S T AT E S OF AME R I C A, P l ai nt i ff

- A pp el l ee , v. LO REN BA LTH A ZO R, D e f

e n d a n t - A p p e lla n t. N o. 10- 50073 D . C . N o. 8: 07 -c r- 00 27 3-D O C -3 ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e C e n tr a l D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia D a vi d O . C a rt e r , D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng S ubm i tt e d M a r c h 9, 2012 ** P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: P R E G E R S O N , G O U L D , an dT A L L M A N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. L o r e n B a lth a z o r( “B a lth a z o r ” ) w a s c o n v ic te do f o n e c o u n t o f

c o n s p ir a c yto com m i tw i re fr aud i n v i ol at i on of 18 U . S . C . § 3 71 , and sevent ee n cou nt s of w i re f r au dan da id in g a n dab e ttin g w ir e f r au din v io la tio n o f

1 8 U .S .C . § § 1 3 4 3 a n d2 . 

# FI LED AU G 10 2012 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

T h e d is tr ic t c o u rt d e n ie dB a lth a z o r ’s m o tio n f o raju d g m e n t o f

a c q u itta l p u r s u a n t to F ed eral R u l e o f C ri m i n al P ro ced u re 2 9 m ad e atth e cl o se o f th e g o v ern m en t ’ s case i n chi ef . O n app ea l , B al thazor cl ai m s thatthe evi dence w as i nsuffi ci entt o con vi ct h im , a n dth u s th a t th e d is tr ic t c o u rt e rr e db yd e n y in g h is m o tio n f o ra c q u itta l. W e h a v e ju r is d ic tio n u n d e r2 8 U .S .C . § 1 2 9 1 , a n dw e a f f irm . W e r e v ie w c h a lle n g e s to th e s u f f ic ie n c yo f

th e e v id e n c e d e n o v o . U ni ted States v . Sul l i v an , 52 2 F . 3d 96 7, 97 4 (9th C i r. 20 08 ). T here i s s uffi ci entevi dence to s u p p o rt ac o n v ic tio n if , “a f te rv ie w in g th e e v id e n c e in th e lig h t m o s t f a v o r ab le to th e p r o s e c u tio n , any r a t i ona l tr i e rof f a c tc oul d ha ve f

ound the e s s e nt i a l e l e m e nt s of the cr i m e bey on d a re as on abl e dou bt . ” J a c k s o n v . V ir g in ia , 443 U . S . 307, 319 ( 1 9 7 9 ) . W e g e n e r a llyr e v ie w ad is tr ic t c o u rt’s d e n ia l o f aR u le 2 9 m o tio n f

o rp la in e rr orort o pr e ve ntam i s c a rr i a ge of j us t i c e w he r e , a s he r e , the m ot i on i s not r e n e w e da t th e e n do f

th e tr ia l. U

n ite d S ta tes v . A lv a r ez - V

a le n z u e la , 231 F . 3d 1 1 9 8 , 1 2 0 0 - 0 1 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 0 ) . B e c au s e w e f in ds u f f ic ie n t e v id e n c e s u p p o rts B a lth a z o r ’s c o n v ic tio n u n d e re ith e rp la in e rr o ro rd e n o v o r e v ie w , o u ra n a ly s is is n o t a f f e c te db ya n ap p lic a tio n o f o n e s ta n d a r dv e r s u s th e o th e r . Se e i d. S u f f ic ie n t e v id e n c e s u p p o rts B a lth a z o r ’s c o n v ic tio n f o rc o n s p ir a c yto c o m m it w ir e f

r au d . Se e Sul l i v an , 522 F . 3d a t976. “ T he a gr e e m e ntne e d notbe e xpl i c i t ; i ti s s uf

f i c i e nti f the c ons pi r a t or s kne w orha d r e a s on t o know of the s c ope3

of the c ons pi r a c ya nd tha tthe i row n be ne f i t s de pe nde d on the s uc c e s s of the venture. ” I

d. ( c ita tio n a n din te rn a l q u o ta tio n m a rk s o m itte d ) . T h e s p e c if ic in te n t to defr aud can al so be es t abl i shed by ci rc um st ant i al evi dence and m aybe i nferre d f r o m m is r e p r e s e n ta tio n s m a d e b yth e d e f e n d a n t. I d. at97 4. E vi dence attri al e s tab lis h e dth a t B a lth a z o ra c te da s a“f a c ilita to r ” f

o rth e f r au d u le n t h ig h y ie ld in v e s tm e n t p r o g r a m , w a s in s tru m e n ta l in in tr o d u c in g th e in v e s tm e n t p r o g r a m to th e u n d e r c o v e ra g e n ts , an dm a d e n u m e r o u s m is r e p r e s e n ta tio n s in a n e f f o rt to p e r s u a d e th e u n d e r c o v e ra g e n ts to in v e s t in th e f r au d u le n t in v e s tm e n t p r o g r a m . F rom thi s e vi dence, a r ea sonabl e j ury c ou l d fi nd beyond a r ea sonabl e dou btthat B a l tha z ora gr e e d t o j oi n the c ons pi r a c ya nd pos s e s s e d the s pe c i f i c i nt e ntt o de f

r aud o th e r s . S uf f i c i e nte vi de nc e a l s o s upport s B a l tha z or ’ s c onvi c t i on f orw i r e f r aud a nd a i di ng a nd abe tt i ng w i r e f r aud. T he gove rnm e ntpr e s e nt e d e vi de nc e tha tB a l tha z or m ad e m at eri al l y fal se rep resen t at i o n s t o co n v i n ce p o t en t i al i n v est o rs t o i n v est m i l l i ons of

dol l a r s , boa s t e d tha tthe pot e nt i a l i nve s t or s c oul d m a ke outr a ge ous re turns i n a m att erof w ee ks w i th n o ri sk t o p ri nci pal , and t ol d p ot ent i al i nv es t ors thatw arni ng s abo utthe fr audu l entnature of hi gh yi el d i nv es tm entprog ram s w er e m a d e u p b yth e g o v e rn m e n t to k e e p th e in v e s tm e n t p r o g r a m s s e c r e t. See U ni ted States v. G re en , 5 9 2 F .3 d1 0 5 7 , 1 0 6 4 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 1 0 ) ; U ni te d State s v . G as ki ns , 8494

F . 2d 454, 459 ( 9th C i r . 1988) . A cc ordi ng l y, there w as suff i ci entevi dence for ara t i on al j ury t o con vi ct B a lth a z o r . AF F I R ME D.