Opinion ID: 1405979
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: Warren argues that the government's case was too weak to support the jury's finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The denial of Warren's Rule 29 motion for judgment of acquittal is reviewed de novo. United States v. Bolivar, 532 F.3d 599, 603 (7th Cir.2008), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 129 S.Ct. 962, 173 L.Ed.2d 154 (2009). In challenging the sufficiency of the evidence, Warren bears a heavy, indeed, nearly insurmountable, burden. See Moore, 572 F.3d at 337. A defendant challenging the sufficiency of the evidence must convince us that even `after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, no rational trier of fact could have found him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.' Id. (quoting United States v. Woods, 556 F.3d 616, 621 (7th Cir.2009)). Such a challenge leads to a reversal `only if the record is devoid of evidence from which a reasonable jury could find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.' Id. (quoting United States v. Farris, 532 F.3d 615, 618 (7th Cir.2008)). Warren asserts that the evidence was insufficient to support a guilty finding because no evidence established that he ever visited the Tower Bank, no eye-witness identified him as one of the robbers, and no physical evidence linked him to the robbery. As we stated in Moore, however, [a] verdict may be rational even if it relies solely on circumstantial evidence. Id. Though the evidence against Warren was circumstantial, it was more than sufficient to support his bank robbery conviction. We highlight some of the most damaging evidence against him: The GPS device led the police to 4217 Darby Drive within ten minutes of the bank robbery; the area was flooded with officers; and no one was seen coming from or going into the house until the homeowner arrived. Inside the house, officers found three African-American men who fit the description of the robbers given by eyewitnesses. Warren was one of them. But Kenyatta didn't know Warren, and Warren had no permission to be there. The officers also found other evidence in the house that was traced to the bank robbery including cash, bait money, a gun, and clothes like those worn by the robbers. Gloves like the ones worn by the robbers were found in the car parked in the garage. Warren's DNA was found on one of them. On top of that, $20 of bait money was found on Warren's person. Warren argues that he was convicted solely because he is African-American and socialized with a bank robber or robbers. He asserts that a more rational view of the evidence is that one of the three bank robbers had left the Darby Drive house, taking a third of the loot with him. This argument, like that made by Moore, is implausible. See Moore, 572 F.3d at 339. When would the third robber have escaped from the Darby Drive house, undetected by police? Warren would have had to have been in the house when the police arrived; he offers no explanation for how he could have snuck into the house, undetected, after it was surrounded by police. Nor does he offer any explanation whatsoever for his presence in the house. And Warren fit a description of one of the robbers. Unfortunately, he offered no evidence at trial to support the alternate view of the evidence he posits, except that about one-third of the stolen money was never recovered. Sorting the facts and inferences is a task for the jury. That the jury concluded Warren was involved in the robbery is not irrational. The circumstantial evidence in this case supports a finding of guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.