Opinion ID: 359526
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Sufficiency of the evidence under the conspiracy to export count.

Text: 32 There was ample evidence that Davis knew that Hill intended to use a sawed-off shotgun. But only a sawed-off shotgun with a barrel less than 18 inches long is proscribed by the Munitions List, and it is much less clear that Davis ever knew that Fielden had shortened the barrel to under 18 inches. The undisputed evidence was that Davis never saw the gun. Fielden testified that in his first meeting with Davis, he told Davis that he was going to use a shotgun but he did not recall telling Davis what type of shotgun. Fielden testified that at a later meeting he told Davis he was going to use a 12 gauge sawed off shotgun with a sawed off pistol grip, and Davis thought that that would work. On cross-examination Fielden said that when he told Davis he had cut the shotgun down in size he indicated the length of the gun with his hands. In his testimony Fielden did not communicate to the jury in any manner the length he had indicated to Davis through his hand gesture he neither recreated the gesture for the jury nor orally described the distance indicated by the gesture. 33 This failure was not, however, reversible error. Davis moved for a judgment of acquittal at the close of the government's case but did not renew the motion after presenting his defense. See Fed.R.Crim.P. 29; U. S. v. Perez,526 F.2d 859, 863-64 (CA5), Cert. denied, 429 U.S. 846, 97 S.Ct. 129, 50 L.Ed.2d 118 (1976); Wright, Federal Practice & Procedure: Criminal § 463, 246-47. There is no manifest miscarriage of justice here requiring reversal; See e. g., Fitzpatrick v. U. S., 410 F.2d 513 (CA5, 1969). Had the alleged insufficiency of the evidence been specifically pointed out to the court by a motion made at the close of the evidence the court could have permitted the government to reopen and put Fielden back on the stand to testify concerning what, if anything, he communicated to Davis about barrel length. Indeed one of the salutary purposes of the motion for judgment of acquittal is to give the court the opportunity to correct error at the time and on the spot. 34