Opinion ID: 3001192
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Pre-arrest Factual History

Text: Mark Mannie worked as a paper deliveryman by day and at a Wendy’s restaurant by night. The government alleges that he was also a low-ranking member of the Black P Stones street gang. His co-defendant and longtime friend, Aaron Patterson, was convicted of double murder and sentenced to death in 1989, only to be pardoned by Governor George Ryan in 2003 after it was revealed that his convictions rested on perjured testimony coerced by the government. Upon his release, Patterson emerged as a vocal community activist,1 though the government maintains that he also operated as a highranking member of the Black P Stones gang. Another individual, Mario Maldonado, was a member of the Latin Kings gang and a known drug dealer with a criminal record. After being arrested for possession with intent to distribute marijuana and rock cocaine, Maldonado agreed to cooperate with the authorities in their investigation of Patterson in exchange for having his charges dropped. Mannie played what was essentially a bit role in a series of transactions between Patterson and Maldonado involving the sale of marijuana, heroin, and firearms. Specifically, Patterson sold or arranged for the sale of heroin and/or marijuana to Maldonado on nine occasions between April 3, 2004 and August 5, 2004. Each deal was recorded, videotaped, and/or viewed by law enforcement 1 He worked on issues involving police brutality and prosecutorial misconduct, coordinated voter registration efforts, and advocated for greater job opportunities for African-Americans. No. 06-1353 3 officials. At nearly each of the first several meetings, Patterson indicated his desire to buy guns from Maldonado. That exchange ultimately took place on August 5, 2004. Early that day, Patterson and Maldonado discussed bringing a second driver so that they would not have guns on them as they drove in Patterson’s car to get drugs as a part of their exchange. Patterson called Mannie and asked him to meet him at a CITGO gas station. Mannie claims that Patterson asked him to pick up some “replicas.” Regardless, Mannie met Patterson and Maldonado at the gas station. The deal was for him to exchange, on behalf of Patterson, marijuana for the guns. It is unclear whether Mannie had the marijuana before he arrived at the gas station or whether one of Patterson’s associates gave it to him at the gas station. In any case, the drugs were wrapped up, and Mannie asserts that he did not know that the package contained marijuana. Mannie then drove and followed Maldonado to his apartment, where they then exchanged the marijuana for the guns. Mannie maintains that he thought that the guns were only replicas, though video surveillance at Maldonado’s apartment indicates that Mannie knew that the guns were not fake. As Mannie left Maldonado’s apartment, he was arrested.