Opinion ID: 2976177
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Buffin

Text: Buffin’s claim for lack of sufficiency of evidence is similarly without merit. The evidence showed that Buffin was a sales manager for a large segment of the Access investor pool. He personally told many investors that the “profits” from their investments were tax-free because Access was a church, and that their principal was guaranteed. Buffin embezzled thousands of dollars of new investor funds, reporting none of that money on his income taxes. Buffin acknowledged to a FBI agent that he realized in 2001 that Access “went bad” but that Marcusse was good at “dangling a carrot” in front of you. Notwithstanding this realization, Buffin continued to receive new investment funds and convert them to his and his co-defendants’ use. Like Besser, Buffin too received a letter from a bank closing his account for suspicious activity. Nonetheless, he opened a new account and continued shuffling investors’ funds. Buffin also participated in the two-day seminar in May 2001, at which defendants falsely reassured investors that Access was earning large profits and that their principal 21 was safe. Taken together, the evidence was thus sufficient for the jury to find Buffin guilty beyond a reasonable doubt on all counts.