Opinion ID: 655893
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: telecommunication convictions

Text: 40 Jose argues that there was insufficient evidence to convict him of two counts of using a telephone to facilitate a drug trafficking crime because the government failed to prove the existence of the predicate conspiracy. We already have resolved this issue. In addition, Jose contends that there was insufficient evidence that his intercepted conversations facilitated the goals of the conspiracy. Count 38 concerned a conversation between himself and another individual about death threats against the Castaneda family during which he explained how he had once resolved such a problem. Count 60 involved an intercepted call between Jose and Uriel in which Uriel discussed the recent drug arrest of Angulo-Lopez and the need for Jose to calm Gonzalez-Castro down since Angulo-Lopez might decide to talk. (19 RT at 138) The jury could reasonably infer that both calls concerned Jose's affirmative attempts to avert or resolve problems that could hinder the drug operation. We affirm these convictions.