Opinion ID: 770855
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Motion for Judgment of Acquittal/New Trial

Text: 9 Galati asks this court to reverse his conviction, claiming that the district judge erroneously denied his motion for judgment of acquittal and for a new trial pursuant to Rule 29(c) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. Specifically, Galati argues that the evidence presented against him was insufficient to support his conviction. We review a district court's denial of a motion for judgment of acquittal and for a new trial deferentially and will reverse the lower court only upon a showing that the court abused its discretion. We affirm the district court's ruling as long as any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. United States v. Hach, 162 F.3d 937, 942 (7th Cir. 1998). Additionally, evidence and inferences drawn from it are viewed in a light most favorable to the government. See United States v. DuPrey, 895 F.2d 303, 310 (7th Cir. 1989). 10 In assessing the sufficiency of the evidence, the court will not re-weigh the evidence or judge the credibility of witnesses. As long as there is a reasonable basis in the record for the jury's verdict, it must stand. See Dallis v. Don Cunningham & Assocs., 11 F.3d 713, 715 (7th Cir. 1993). Galati contends that without an in-court identification, the jury's verdict cannot be supported by the circumstantial evidence provided. He is incorrect. First of all, it is well established that a jury's verdict may rest solely upon circumstantial evidence. United States v. Robinson, 177 F.3d 643, 648 (7th Cir. 1998); United States v. Todosijevic, 161 F.3d 479, 483 (7th Cir. 1998); United States v. Stockheimer, 157 F.3d 1082, 1087 (7th Cir. 1998). Standing alone, the circumstantial evidence the government presented in this case provides ample support for the jury's finding of guilt. Yet, the circumstantial evidence does not stand alone here. The government offered both direct evidence (in the form of the out-of-court identification by the bank tellers) and circumstantial evidence at trial. 11 While neither bank teller was able to identify Galati in court, they both picked him out of a photo array as the robber. The out-of-court identification took place within a week or so of the robbery, and so in that sense, the out-of- court identification is likely to be more reliable than the in-court identification (or failure to make an in-court identification) which occurred a year after the robbery. In addition, there is a tremendous amount of evidence placing Galati at each robbery. First, Lucki testified that he drove Galati to both LaSalle and First Chicago, on the same date and at the same time that the robberies occurred. He let Galati out of the car, and after ten to fifteen minutes, Galati returned with cash. Even though Lucki's lack of knowledge about the unlawful purpose of these trips to the bank seems questionable, the fact that Lucki could present receipts and photographs corroborating his story and a lack of motive on Lucki's part to lie suggest his truthfulness. 12 Second, the police matched palm prints found at LaSalle just after the robbery to Galati's prints. Galati did not have an account at LaSalle Bank and therefore, it is likely that he had no legitimate reason to visit the bank. Third, the tattoos of the robber in the surveillance tape matched Galati's. Fourth, Sims, the MacFrugal's salesperson, identified Galati as the man she saw trying on and purchasing a hat that resembled the one worn by the robber later that day. 13 Although this evidence is probably enough to support the jury's guilty verdict, there is even more evidence linking Galati to the robberies. The Citibank surveillance tapes show Galati cashing in small denomination bills for travelers' checks. During his stay at several area hotels, he paid in cash and moved around three times in a week. The police also linked clothes found in Galati's possession to the clothes that both Batilo and Fudala said the robber wore and that the surveillance tapes showed the robber wearing. As such, there is more than enough evidence to justify the jury's guilty verdict. Reversal is warranted 'only when the record is devoid of any evidence, regardless of how it is weighed, from which a jury could find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.' United States v. Hall and Walker, 212 F.3d 1016, 1024 (7th Cir. 2000) (citing United States v. Garcia, 35 F.3d 1125, 1128 (7th Cir. 1994)). In light of the high burden the law places on defendants seeking reversal of a conviction and the substantial evidence presented by the government, we must reject Galati's argument that there was insufficient evidence to sustain his conviction. 14