Opinion ID: 469800
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Appellant John E. Zullo4

Text: 30 Zullo was convicted of conspiracy to import marijuana in violation of 21 U.S.C. Secs. 952(a), 960 and 963, conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent to distribute in violation of 21 U.S.C. Sec. 846, and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute in violation of 21 U.S.C. Sec. 841(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. Sec. 2. He was sentenced to a forty-two months term of imprisonment and a special parole term of three years. 31 Appellant complains that the district court committed reversible error in refusing to instruct the jury as follows: 32 Unless at least two persons agree as to the joint objective, there is no conspiracy. If one of the persons merely pretends to agree or feigns agreement, there is no conspiracy. If one defendant cooperates with others solely to deceive them and with the goal of stealing from them or otherwise frustrating their purposes, there is no true agreement and the conspiracy has not been proved. 33 Appellant argues that the trial court erred because (1) defendants are entitled to instructions on any defense theory for which there is foundation in the record; and (2) the only agreement found here with respect to appellant was an agreement to hijack the marijuana from other codefendants and to frustrate the object of the charged conspiracy. 34 A criminal defendant is entitled to a jury instruction on any theory providing a legal defense to the charge against him, assuming there is evidence in the record supporting it. United States v. Creamer, 555 F.2d 612, 616 (7th Cir.1977). However, it is not error for the court to refuse a request to instruct as to a defendant's theory of the case where facts making up the theory, if believed, will not defeat the factual theory of the prosecution. United States v. Lewis, 592 F.2d 1282, 1285 (5th Cir.1979); United States v. Leach, 427 F.2d 1107, 1110 (1st Cir.1970). Such is the case here. 35 Government witnesses testified that several of the codefendants here arranged for the shipment of approximately 45,000 pounds of marijuana from Santa Marta, Colombia to the United States. The marijuana was due to arrive on mother ships from which it was supposed to be off-loaded into smaller boats for shipment to Maine, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Upon arrival on shore, the marijuana would be transferred to a house owned by one Paul Guidetti (Guidetti), a large marijuana distributor working for accomplice-witness Paul Frappier. Codefendant Salvatore Michael Caruana (Caruana) was to arrange for transportation of the marijuana from the boats to the house. Appellants John and Jerry Zullo would oversee the off-loading and follow the marijuana to Guidetti's house. Caruana was to receive a portion of the marijuana once it was secured at the house. 36 Evidence at trial established that, contrary to plans, Caruana hijacked and transported the 15,000 pounds of the Rhode Island shipment with the assistance of John and Jerry Zullo to a house in Worcester, Massachusetts belonging to one Arnold Katz (Katz), the operator of a drug distribution network. Subsequently, other codefendants were notified of the Katz stash house, visited it, inspected the marijuana, and agreed with Caruana to remove approximately 8,000 pounds to the originally agreed Guidetti house. Katz distributed the remaining 7,000 pounds of marijuana for Caruana and collected approximately $4,500,000 for the latter. The removed 8,000 pounds were distributed by Guidetti on Frappier's behalf. 37 Even if jurors had believed Zullo's claim that he hijacked 15,000 pounds of marijuana to frustrate the original conspiracy, appellant's contention fails. The alleged hijacking did not change the nature of Zullo's involvement; it changed only the facts as to where and by whom the marijuana was distributed. Zullo's theory would not have defeated the government's claim that he participated in a scheme to import, possess, and distribute marijuana. Thus, the district court properly refused to instruct the jury as proposed by Zullo. Zullo's convictions stand.