Opinion ID: 75947
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: evidence of the count 1 conspiracy

Text: 9 Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979), teaches that evidence is sufficient to support a criminal conviction if, after viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the government, any rational trier of fact could have found the elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. The Government alleged only one conspiracy, set forth in Count 1 of the superseding indictment. Construed in accordance with Jackson, the evidence presented at trial shows that the Appellants sold a plethora of narcotics and committed numerous acts of violence in furtherance of a massive drug conspiracy. 10 Beginning in the mid-1990s, a group of teenagers and young adults known as the John Doe gang trafficked drugs in Liberty City, an impoverished area of northwest Miami. A spin-off of a defunct group called the Lynch Mob, the John Does ran about a half-dozen drug holes. A drug hole referred to a street location where the John Doe dealers would peddle their illicit drugs. 2 Although the gang started with no more than six or so members, membership grew to approximately fifty people at its peak. 3 11 The John Does conducted their drug operations methodically, and were well organized with a hierarchy of members. From top to bottom, Defendant Corey Smith was the leader of the gang, and Defendant Latravis Gallashaw was second-in-command. Gallashaw supervised lieutenants in the organization, who were responsible for the daily operations of a drug hole. Part of the daily operations consisted of maintaining an inventory of drugs based on street demand, and accounting for money and leftover drugs at the end of a shift. Beneath each lieutenant were table men, bombmen or servers, lookouts or watchouts, and gunmen or enforcers. The duties of each of these underlings were as follows: table men packaged drugs, bombmen or servers sold drugs, lookouts or watchouts alerted gang members of police or unknown people or vehicles, and gunmen or enforcers protected the drug holes. 4 12 To facilitate their operations, the organization maintained a variety of firearms. They used violence and threats of violence against rival drug dealers. Sometimes, higher-ranking members would even threaten or assault their own subordinates. Under a sophisticated system of role assignments and weaponry, the John Doe organization sold cocaine, cocaine base (also known as crack), 5 and marijuana continuously throughout the day and night from about 1994 until the Defendants' arrests in late 1998 and early 1999. 13 In terms of revenues, during the early stages of the organization's drug business, a hole would generate about $2500 in a day. 6 As the organization expanded its territory, the amount generated on a Friday night could reach $10,000. 7 At its peak, drug sales of cocaine alone reached five to seven kilograms per week at an estimated price of $16,000 per kilogram. 8 As a testament to the organization's drug trade savvy, one co-conspirator testified that sales typically increased during the first of the month. He also noted that the most he ever made was $23,000 in a single 12-hour shift. 9 Not surprisingly, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) put the John Doe gang out of business, it seized over $185,000 in cash from Smith's residence. 10 14 The FBI began its operations in September 1997. Obtaining court approval, the FBI intercepted numerous telephone communications 11 of various John Doe members 12 . Building their case piece by piece, agents developed significant evidence of the organization's production and sale of marijuana, cocaine, and crack. From time to time, agents raided the drug holes, arrested dealers, and seized substantial amounts of drugs, drug paraphernalia, and cash. 13 15 At the conclusion of the FBI's operations, numerous arrests were made and charges filed. From its extensive investigation, the Government was able to determine the roles of each of the Defendants. Again, Smith was the leader, and Gallashaw stood next in command. 14 Stokes and Godfrey were lieutenants and gunmen. Allen was a bombman. Major was a lieutenant and then a table man. Among the other individuals involved, but not parties to this appeal, were: Jeffrey Bullard, a table man; John Goodine, a server; Eric Mitchell, a lieutenant; and Charles Clark, a watchout who later became a server. 15 The trial testimony of these four individuals became a significant portion of the Government's case against the Defendants. 16 The investigation also revealed that the John Does were extremely capable and, oftentimes, ruthless in furthering their drug trade. To expand their criminal operations, the John Does muscled out rival drug dealers and took over their street locations. As the organization gained notoriety and their acts of violence escalated, they met with little resistance from other dealers in the neighborhood. On several occasions, however, the gang found it necessary to carry out its threats of violence and mayhem. 17 Leon Hadley was known in the neighborhood as a long-time drug dealer. Hadley had been dealing drugs since the Appellants were children. Hadley made the mistake of continuing to treat the Appellants as kids as they grew older. In 1995, Mark Roundtree, an affiliate of Smith, got into an argument with Hadley. The argument culminated into a shooting with Hadley suffering a bullet wound to his leg. Fearing retaliation, Roundtree and Smith got together with a third individual to finish off Hadley. Armed with a multitude of firearms, including assault rifles, these three individuals got into a car, drove to a location where Hadley frequented, and shot him multiple times. With Hadley apparently still struggling to hold onto life, Smith fired several more shots at him until he was dead. This murder gained Smith a reputation for being tough and precipitated the formation of the ruthless John Doe organization with Smith at its head. 16 18 It was not long before the John Doe organization became a feared presence in the community. In 1996, Dominique Johnson was a rival drug dealer who engaged Smith in a heated argument over territory. After tempers had seemingly cooled off, Smith and Roshard Ward sought out Johnson, cursed him, and fired multiple shots, killing him. Two people witnessed this murder, including Cynthia Brown. Brown stepped forward, and identified Smith and Ward to police as the shooters. Demetrius Jones, another John Doe member, also witnessed the murder, but did not go to police. With Brown's eyewitness account, the state arrested Smith and charged him with the murder of Johnson. 17 19 With his trial date approaching, Peggy King, a long-time associate of Smith, asked Jones to say he saw the shooting and that someone other than Smith committed the crime. Jones agreed, but with the eyewitness testimony of Brown, Smith's then-attorney advised, the Jones' alibi would matter little. Smith hatched a plan to kill Brown, which came to fruition on the eve of his murder trial. On July 23, 1997, Brown was found dead in a hotel room. Without a witness to testify about the Johnson murder, the state dropped the charges against Smith. 18 20 Having committed murder, the John Does were becoming increasingly bold and ruthless. James Jackson purchased a gun from Octavius Williams, nicknamed Bean, and Lamar Newsome, nicknamed Bally. Jackson used the gun to rob Peggy King. Upon realizing Peggy King's connection to the gang, Jackson returned the stolen goods and apologized to Smith for failing to recognize her affiliation. Dissatisfied, Smith sent Gallashaw to confront Jackson about the robbery. Gallashaw met with Jackson, argued about the robbery for a short time, and then shot him five times. Jackson survived, but Smith was not done handling the robbery incident. Knowing that Williams and Newsome had supplied Jackson with the firearm to rob Peggy King, Smith viewed them as a threat to the organization's power. So, Smith ordered them killed. Julius Stevens and Jean Henry carried out the order, riddling the vehicle in which Williams and Newsome occupied with bullets fired from high-powered assault rifles. They were both struck multiple times and killed instantly. 19 21 Melvin Lipscomb was a repeat customer of John Doe dealers. While at one of the drug holes, Lipscomb began complaining about the quality of drugs that he purchased. Allen responded by telling him to shut up and to leave immediately. Lipscomb did not heed the warning and continued to complain. So, Godfrey walked up to Lipscomb and, without warning, shot him several times. Injured, Lipscomb fled, but Godfrey caught up to him and shot him dead. 20 22 Smith and the John Does knew no loyalty when it came to their drug trade. Calvin Cook was one of Smith's best friends growing up. Now older, Smith supplied Cook with drugs to sell, but Cook refused to hand over any of the proceeds. Smith sensed that Cook was taking advantage of their childhood friendship, and put a contract out for his murder. Xavier Roberts, a younger John Doe member, agreed to kill Cook. In 1996, possessing an arsenal of weapons, including the military style AK-47 assault rifle, Roberts, Jones, and Nathaniel Urser set out to shoot and kill Cook. They found Cook outside of his house and fired multiple shots at him in a drive-by shooting. Seeing Cook injured but still alive, Jones exited the vehicle and shot Cook several times, killing him. 21 23 Marlon Benneby was a server who sold his own drugs in addition to those he obtained from the gang. Eventually, the organization discovered Benneby's side dealings and sought to put an end to it. Godfrey and Gallashaw set out to discipline Benneby by beating him. When they found Benneby, Gallashaw tried to pistol whip him, but the gun discharged and Benneby was shot in the face. He later died while in the hospital. 22 24 Like Benneby, Anthony Fail was a disloyal member of the organization. Disguising himself and using a gun, Fail robbed the hole for which he was the assigned lieutenant. The gang soon discovered Fail's charade, which sent him running from the gang. Fail and various members of the gang waged war against each other, exchanging gunfire upon their every encounter. On one occasion, John Doe members saw what they thought was the vehicle owned by Fail with someone in it. The members fired numerous times at the vehicle, killing its occupant instantly. Only, Fail was not inside the vehicle; his girlfriend, Angel Wilson, suffered the fate intended for Fail. 23 25 The evidence of the Count 1 conspiracy is overwhelming. Without a doubt, the evidence uncovered a massive drug conspiracy whose members simply beat or killed anyone who got in their way. The sufficiency of the evidence, however, does not resolve the multitude of sentencing issues that arose at trial. See infra Part IV. 26