Opinion ID: 2718562
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Young - Sufficiency of the Evidence

Text: Young argues on appeal that the district court erred in denying his motion for acquittal under Rule 29 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure because the government did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he participated in the conspiracy. In other words, he argues that the government failed to prove that he “agreed with any conspirator to commit a crime beyond the crime of engaging in a drug transaction.” On appeal, Young submits that “the government proved only a buyer-seller relationship between himself and Ramone Mockabee, and … the government’s proof regarding Gary Davis established only that he acted as an aider and abettor to Young’s drug transactions.” He also 52 Nos. 11-2267, 11-2288, 11-2535 & 11-2687 claims that the evidence showed only that he and Belmar “discussed converting powder into crack cocaine, but did not discuss engaging in any drug transactions or agreeing to commit any crime.” The government responds that Young waived the right to challenge the sufficiency of the evidence based upon a buyer-seller argument. “Although a motion for judgment of acquittal need not spell out the particular basis for the challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence, when such a motion raises specific arguments, any claims not presented in the motion are waived.” United States v. Moore, 363 F.3d 631, 637 (7th Cir. 2004). In making his Rule 29 motion at trial, Young’s counsel specifically argued that “there is an absence of evidence in regard to any connection or nexus with Mr. Young and any of the co-conspirators as it relates to carrying out any type of agreement.” As we know, “[a] drug sale is itself an agreement: a buyer and seller come together, agree on terms, and exchange money or commodities at the settled rate.” Brown, 726 F.3d at 998. However, a conspiracy “is the extra act of agreeing to commit a crime.” Id. at 997. A “conspiracy to traffic drugs requires an agreement to advance further distribution.” Id. at 998. While Young has refined his arguments on appeal, as we might expect a defendant to do, his challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence as to conspiracy at trial encompassed his finer-tuned argument that the government proved merely that he had a buyer-seller relationship with Mockabee. In essence, Young argued that the government failed to prove that he agreed to further distribute drugs. We find no waiver here. Nos. 11-2267, 11-2288, 11-2535 & 11-2687 53 Moreover, the government presented sufficient evidence to establish that Young conspired to distribute crack cocaine. To convict him of conspiracy, the government had to prove that “(1) two or more people agreed to commit an unlawful act, and (2) the defendant knowingly and intentionally joined the agreement.” Johnson, 592 F.3d at 754. The government need not prove the specific individuals with whom Young conspired. See, e.g., United States v. Avila, 557 F.3d 809, 816 (7th Cir. 2009). The indictment charged that Young and his nineteen co-defendants “knowingly conspir[ed] together and with diverse other persons, known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to distribute controlled substances.” Young Dkt. 177, 2 (emphasis added). Although the indictment alleged that Young “distributed powder cocaine for Mockabee,” most of the evidence that the government presented against Young at trial focused on Young’s interactions with Gary Davis (one of the original twenty defendants) and Earnest French (not one of the original twenty defendants). Young admits in his reply brief that “a rational jury could find that he conspired with French to distribute crack cocaine.” Young seems to think that he cannot be convicted of conspiracy if all that the government can prove is his conspiracy with French. He argues that his conspiracy with French “is not the crime for which [he] was charged in the superseding indictment.” This argument ignores the plain language of the indictment, which alleges that Young conspired “with diverse other persons” to distribute crack cocaine. The government only needed to prove that Young engaged in a conspiracy with one other person (not every person identified in the indictment) in order for a jury to convict him. 54 Nos. 11-2267, 11-2288, 11-2535 & 11-2687 And we reject Young’s argument that proof of a conspiracy based on the transactions with French would amount to a fatal variance between the conspiracy alleged in the indictment and the government’s proof at trial. This claim, which was first asserted in Young’s reply brief on appeal, was raised far too late and was therefore waived. See, e.g., United States v. Kennedy, 726 F.3d 968, 974 n.3 (7th Cir. 2013). Even if the claim was not waived, however, it still fails. A conspiracy variance claim is treated as a sufficiency of the evidence claim. United States v. Stevenson, 656 F.3d 747, 752 (7th Cir. 2011). To overturn his conspiracy conviction because of a variance, Young would have to show from the evidence “both that he did not conspire with each defendant and that he was prejudiced by being tried with defendants who were not his coconspirators.” Id. at 753 (quoting United States v. Townsend, 924 F.2d 1385, 1390 (7th Cir. 1991)). But he has failed to demonstrate that he did not conspire with each defendant. As shown below, there was sufficient evidence that he conspired with codefendant Davis; thus we do not reach the prejudice prong. Besides, evidence that Young conspired with French to distribute crack cocaine fits well within the larger conspiracy charged in the indictment. The government presented evidence that Young was on the same side of drug transactions as Davis, and thus engaged in a conspiracy to distribute crack with him. “There is sufficient evidence to establish a conspiracy … where the jury finds credible a government witness who shows that the alleged coconspirators were ‘on the same side of the transaction.’” United States v. Johnson, 437 F.3d 665, 675 (7th Cir. 2006) (quoting United States v. Smith, 393 F.3d 717, 720 (7th Cir. 2004)); see also United States v. Rea, 621 F.3d 595, 608 (7th Cir. 2010) (“[W]e have held that a conspiracy exists when the Nos. 11-2267, 11-2288, 11-2535 & 11-2687 55 defendant and a co-conspirator were on the ‘same side of the transaction.’” (quoting Johnson, 437 F.3d at 675). Davis testified at trial that he had made many car trips with Young from Indianapolis to Columbus, Indiana between October 2008 and January 2010. Davis stated that he and Young took these trips as often as “once a week.” App. Dkt. 70-2, 40. On these trips, Davis agreed to carry crack for Young on his person—most often in his underwear, and in exchange, Young compensated Davis with “enough [crack] to smoke.” Id. Upon arrival in Columbus, Davis would give the cocaine back to Young, and Young would get out of the car and meet either a man named “Frenchy” or a woman named “Brook.” Id. at 44-50. (These names obviously correspond to the aforementioned government witness Earnest French and Brooke Taggart.) After his meetings with “Frenchy” and “Brook,” Young would return with a “wad of money.” Id. at 46. Assuming that the jury found Davis’s testimony credible—and we must do so at this stage if at all reasonably possible, see Brown, 726 F.3d at 1005—Davis’s testimony presents clear evidence that Young was on the same side of a drug transaction with his co-defendant. And Davis’s testimony was corroborated by the January 8, 2010 interdiction stop of Young and Davis, during which officers recovered about one ounce of cocaine from Davis’s underwear. Therefore, we find sufficient evidence that Young conspired with Davis to distribute crack cocaine. Moreover, the government has evidence from Young’s conversation with Belmar that Young took part in a conspiracy to distribute crack with both Belmar (an original codefendant) and another unnamed party. At trial, the government presented a recorded conversation of Young appar56 Nos. 11-2267, 11-2288, 11-2535 & 11-2687 ently asking Belmar for advice about how to cook some troublesome powder cocaine into crack. Young said that he had a “person” who “owe[d]” him and “ha[d] some software, [but] it won’t get hard when you cook it.” App. Dkt. 78-2, 144-45, 147. In response, Belmar advised Young to “melt it down,” “pour the water off,” “throw soda on it,” and “keep stirring it up.” Id. at 145. This conversation presents evidence that Belmar was advising Young on his business, which is one of the factors used to distinguish a conspiracy to distribute drugs from a mere buyer-seller relationship. See, e.g., Johnson, 592 F.3d at 756. The conversation also presents evidence that Young had sold drugs on credit to another unnamed party. According to Detective Clark’s testimony, Young’s statement that his “person” with the troublesome powder cocaine “owe[d]” him indicated that Young had previously given that person cocaine “on consignment,” and that that person owed Young “money on the back end.” App. Dkt. 78-2, 148. Sale on credit or consignment is another one of the factors used to distinguish a conspiracy to distribute drugs from a mere buyer-seller relationship. Id. Accordingly, we conclude that the government presented sufficient evidence that Young conspired to distribute controlled substances, and the district court did not err in denying Young’s motion for judgment of acquittal.