Opinion ID: 2759190
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: Defendants Buchnik and Figueroa contend that there was insufficient evidence at trial that the payments made to Saglimbeni and Artech constituted “kickbacks” for work awarded to the other Defendants. See United States v. Yaron, No. S2 10 Cr. 363(GBD), 2012 WL 2477646 (S.D.N.Y. June 28, 2012). Figueroa also challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his conviction for participating in the wire fraud conspiracy. “We review de novo a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence and affirm if the evidence, when viewed in its totality and in the light most favorable to the government, would permit any rational jury to find the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.” United States v. Yannotti, 541 F.3d 112, 120 (2d Cir. 2008) (internal quotation marks omitted). “A defendant challenging the sufficiency of the evidence bears a heavy burden, because the reviewing court is required to draw all permissible inferences in favor of the government and resolve all issues of credibility in favor of the jury verdict.” United States v. Kozeny, 667 F.3d 122, 139 (2d Cir. 2011). We conclude that the evidence introduced at trial was sufficient to support the convictions. There was evidence that, inter alia, payments were made in exchange for the awarding of air monitoring and asbestos abatement contracts and that payments were directed to Saglimbeni’s company (Artech) in a manner calculated to conceal their sources. The Government’s evidence also included Figueroa’s recorded statements that Saglimbeni “was writing them req[uisitions], so they could write him checks” and that the conspiracy should be hidden from law enforcement officials. Joint App’x 1046, 1049-50. Viewing this evidence in its totality and in the light most favorable to the Government, a rational jury could have found beyond a reasonable doubt that the payments to Saglimbeni and Artech were kickbacks and that Figueroa was a knowing participant in the conspiracy and benefitted from it.