Opinion ID: 497072
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: 15 Appellants contend that no evidence connected them to the marijuana, nothing showed their dominion or control over it, and no evidence established their knowing participation in any crime. In addition, appellants assert that insufficient independent evidence of a conspiracy existed to justify admission of co-conspirator statements. In particular, appellants assert that mere presence, flight, association with people of ill repute, and making of false statements do not establish a conspiracy. They rely principally on United States v. Pintado, 715 F.2d 1501 (11th Cir.1983). 16 The government contends that there can be no dispute that there was in existence in the early hours of November 5, 1985 a conspiracy to offload marijuana, that trucks had been readied to carry the marijuana, and a radio had been purchased for communication. There was ample proof of the arrival of a boat and the fact that nearly 15 tons of marijuana had been offloaded, that the trucks were fully loaded at the site of the rendezvous and that at least three different voices had been heard by the officers who were some 200 yards away from the vehicles. There was thus ample evidence to establish the existence of a conspiracy and the overt acts. The question remains: was there sufficient evidence to tie the appellants to these conspiracies? 17 Immediately after the discovery, a deputy sheriff in a helicopter flew over the area which he estimated would be within the range that persons might traverse the swampy land after 6:00 a.m., and other police officers began searching the entire area on foot. No one other than the four persons arrested was seen by the helicopter pilot during his search. Two trucks had been parked together at a motel parking lot, at which time a truck registered to defendant Daniels was identified next to them. The trucks then rendezvoused at the offloading site. They had been loaded with marijuana and were about to leave the area when they were surprised by the police. 18 Aimaro was seen hitching a ride one quarter mile from the site, with his trousers wet either to his knees or to his hips. He was without transportation, a long way from his residence, and he had stated to the person who picked him up that he was willing to go wherever the driver was going. He later changed this statement to say that he wanted to go to Ft. Myers. His various statements were inconsistent with his location and the information that someone using his name had reserved a room for four at a nearby motel. When he was questioned after having been given his Miranda rights, his gym bag was searched, and the equipment therein was partially identical and partially compatible with that found in the knapsack at the scene of the offloading. Finally, he was a close friend and associate of appellant Reinertsen. This evidence was applicable to Aimaro and Reinertsen and also to Bell except that there is no evidence that Bell was already employed or that he was a close friend of Reinertsen's. 19 The government distinguishes United States v. Pintado, 715 F.2d 1501 (11th Cir.1983) (conviction of appellant reversed since the only evidence of Pintado's participation in the conspiracy was his presence inside a closet in a house in the yard of which the police had found large quantities of marijuana), by noting that appellants here were apprehended far from home, in the early morning hours, without a vehicle, not far from recently abandoned trucks of marijuana; their numbers (counting co-defendant Daniels) corresponded exactly with the reservation at the San Carlos Inn; and two of them gave false exculpatory statements. Gov.Br. at 29 20 This is not a mere presence case. It is not disputed that mere presence, standing alone, is not sufficient to convict a person of a conspiracy and presence and association with others at the time of the commission of an offense is not sufficient to convict such person. However, presence and association are factors to be considered with other evidence in evaluating the totality of the circumstances by which a jury can determine whether a defendant is guilty. United States v. Blasco, 702 F.2d 1315 (11th Cir.1983). We consider the circumstances under which these appellants were found much more like those in Blasco than in Pintado, where this Court stated: We reach a contrary conclusion [to Blasco ] here. The government provided no evidentiary basis other than appellant's presence in the house, hiding in the closet, from which an inference of conspiratorial participation could be drawn. 715 F.2d at 1505. 21 Here, the essential facts are undisputed: the arresting officers heard the sounds of motor vehicles at 6:00 in the morning in a wooded area adjacent to a swamp; they heard at least three different voices at the time they heard the engines of the motor vehicles being turned off; they immediately sent for a helicopter to search the area and several of the officers started searching on foot, as well. At about the proper time that it would take for him to get to the road after the offloaders were surprised, Aimaro was seen hitchhiking, willing to go anywhere the automobile driver wished to take him, and the other appellants were seen walking out of the woods some three miles away from the offloading point in exactly the length of time estimated to have been required for them to have walked in the sand and water to the private property on which they were apprehended. At that point, they gave inconsistent stories as to their purpose for being there, and the four of them all together equaled the exact number of persons for whom the jury could find Aimaro had reserved rooms at a nearby motel. We conclude that, as stated in Blasco: 22 Viewing the total circumstances recited above in the light most favorable to the Government, Glasser v. United States, 315 U.S. 60, 62 S.Ct. 457, 86 L.Ed. 680 (1942), we conclude that the jury properly could have found beyond a reasonable doubt that these appellants were not present for some innocuous reason, but were a part of the overall and well orchestrated conspiracy to offload marijuana. The circumstantial evidence adduced at trial was sufficient to convict on both counts.... 23 702 F.2d at 1332.