Opinion ID: 757707
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: 8 Bell contends that the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction for conspiracy. Sufficiency of the evidence presents a question of law which we review de novo. United States v. Wilson, 107 F.3d 774, 778 (10th Cir.1997). We will affirm if the evidence and reasonable inferences drawn therefrom, viewed in the light most favorable to the government, would allow a reasonable jury to find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. United States v. Johnson, 130 F.3d 1420, 1428 (10th Cir.1997), petition for cert. filed, (U.S. Apr. 1, 1998) (No. 97-8558). In examining the evidence, we consider the collective inferences drawn from the evidence as a whole, and we will not overturn a conviction unless no reasonable jury could have reached the disputed verdict. Id. 9 To find a defendant guilty of conspiracy in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846, the jury must find, beyond a reasonable doubt, (1) an agreement with another person to violate the law, (2) knowledge of the essential objectives of the conspiracy, (3) knowing and voluntary involvement, and (4) interdependence among the alleged conspirators. United States v. Carter, 130 F.3d 1432, 1439 (10th Cir.1997), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 118 S.Ct. 1856, 140 L.Ed.2d 1104 (1998). 10 Bell argues that the evidence merely shows a buyer-seller relationship. We disagree. In this case, the record contains ample evidence for a rational trier of fact to find each of the essential elements of conspiracy beyond a reasonable doubt. Thus, although there is no direct evidence of an agreement, a jury may infer an agreement constituting a conspiracy  'from the acts of the parties and other circumstantial evidence indicating concert of action for the accomplishment of a common purpose.'  Id. (quoting United States v. Johnson, 42 F.3d 1312, 1319 (10th Cir.1994)). Here, the uncontroverted evidence showed that Bell brought in twelve ounces of crack cocaine to an apartment where E.T. and Nino, two of his alleged coconspirators, were waiting. Once Bell arrived, the three men split up the crack cocaine and packaged the drug in bags suitable for street sale. In fact, Nino did purchase amounts for street sale, and, moreover, on at least two occasions, Bell fronted him crack cocaine on credit. 11 Given the strong circumstantial evidence, the jury could have reasonably inferred that Bell, E. T., and Nino had agreed to distribute crack cocaine. Based on the same evidence, a reasonable jury could infer that Bell had knowledge of the essential objectives of the conspiracy. Id. at 1440 (noting that a jury may infer a defendant's guilty knowledge and voluntary participation from the surrounding circumstances). Moreover, since a jury may presume a defendant who acts in furtherance of the objective of the conspiracy is a knowing participant in that conspiracy, id., we conclude there was sufficient evidence to satisfy the third element. 12 Finally, [i]nterdependence exists where each coconspirator's activities constitute essential and integral steps toward the realization of a common, illicit goal. Id. Here, the jury reasonably could have inferred that 1) through March, April, and part of May 1995, Bell was the primary courier who brought crack cocaine from California to Oklahoma; later, he was the person who arranged pick-ups for other couriers; 2) E.T. assisted Bell in arranging the deliveries and further distributions; and 3) Nino assisted both Bell and E.T. by purchasing the crack cocaine on a wholesale basis from them and then selling it on the street. Thus, the jury reasonably could have inferred that E.T. and Nino were dependent on Bell to smuggle the crack cocaine in and Bell was dependent on them to assist in the distribution process once it arrived. Accordingly, we conclude that there was sufficient evidence to support Bell's conviction for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846.