Opinion ID: 744508
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: 14 Goins, Harmon, and Jackson contend that the evidence was insufficient to sustain their convictions. When reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence, we view all evidence, whether circumstantial or direct, in the light most favorable to the Government with all reasonable inferences to be made in support of the jury's verdict. United States v. Salazar, 958 F.2d 1285, 1290-91 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 506 U.S. 863, 113 S.Ct. 185, 121 L.Ed.2d 129 (1992). The evidence is sufficient to support a conviction if a rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Id. The evidence need not exclude every reasonable hypothesis of innocence or be completely inconsistent with every conclusion except guilt, so long as a reasonable trier of fact could find that the evidence established guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. United States v. Faulkner, 17 F.3d 745, 768 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 513 U.S. 870, 115 S.Ct. 193, 130 L.Ed.2d 125 (1994). 15 To establish a conspiracy offense under 21 U.S.C. § 846, the Government must establish: 1) the existence of an agreement between two or more persons; 2) the defendant's knowledge of the agreement; and 3) the defendant's voluntary participation in the conspiracy. United States v. Brown, 29 F.3d 953, 958 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 513 U.S. 1021, 115 S.Ct. 587, 130 L.Ed.2d 501 (1994). To sustain a conviction for the possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute, the Government must establish the 1) knowing; 2) possession of a controlled substance; 3) with the intent to distribute it. Id. 16 Goins, Harmon, and Jackson argue that the evidence demonstrated only their mere presence at the apartment, and thus, the evidence was insufficient to establish their knowing participation in either the conspiracy or the substantive offense. 17 We begin with examining the evidence implicating Goins. On the day of the instant offense, several officers set up surveillance of an auto detailing shop and observed an exchange between Goins and another individual. Upon leaving, the individual was stopped, and approximately $20,000 in cash and a semi-automatic pistol were recovered from hidden compartments in the vehicle. 18 Later that night, the officers began surveillance of Thomas's apartment. After Harmon's and Thomas's departure, Goins walked out of the apartment several times and would glance at his watch and then look around the apartment complex, apparently awaiting the return of Harmon and Thomas, both of whom, unbeknownst to Goins, had been arrested. Goins subsequently walked to a pay phone near the apartment and was arrested on outstanding warrants. The police found $4,800 in cash on Goins's person. Additionally, when an officer made inquiries regarding drugs in the apartment, Goins made an incriminating statement to the effect that because the police already knew of the drug activity, they need not ask him. 19 The above evidence, when examined in light of the cocaine and drug paraphernalia found in the apartment, would allow the jury to conclude that Goins purchased one kilogram of cocaine from the unidentified individual at the detail shop 2 and brought it to Thomas's apartment to cook it. The evidence of Goins's actions after Harmon's and Thomas's departure would also allow the jury to conclude that Goins anxiously awaited their return. We are confident that the evidence of Goins's behavior, his incriminating statement to the police, and the evidence found on Goins's person and in the apartment demonstrate more than Goins's mere presence at the crime scene. The evidence is sufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Goins was a knowing member of the drug conspiracy and that he possessed with intent to distribute the cocaine found in the apartment. 20 As for Harmon, the evidence demonstrated that he was already in the apartment at the time the police began surveillance at 10:00 p.m., and he left about an hour and a half later. Harmon was then arrested, and a search of his person revealed a loaded handgun. Recognizing that for drug dealers, firearms are tools of the trade, this Court has explained that possession of a gun is highly probative in proving criminal intent. United States v. Martinez, 808 F.2d 1050, 1057 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 481 U.S. 1032, 107 S.Ct. 1962, 95 L.Ed.2d 533 (1987). Also, when questioned by the officer, Harmon denied having just left the apartment; instead, he claimed that he was just in the area riding around. This patently false statement is circumstantial evidence of Harmon's guilty knowledge. United States v. Richardson, 848 F.2d 509, 513 (5th Cir.1988). Also, the evidence of Goins's behavior in awaiting Harmon's return implicates Harmon in the conspiracy. Viewed in the light most favorable to the Government, this evidence, together with the evidence regarding the amount of time and number of people involved in the cooking process, is sufficient to sustain Harmon's convictions. 21 Finally, we examine the evidence implicating Jackson. At the time the police entered the apartment Jackson was the only remaining responsible adult, and the water was on in the kitchen. The officers also noticed the pungent odor of the recently cooked cocaine and the cocaine and drug paraphernalia that was visible as soon as one entered the apartment. Additionally, Jackson never left the apartment during the time that the jury could infer the nearly three kilograms of crack cookies were being cooked. This evidence shows Jackson's knowledge of the crack laboratory and also indicates that the cooking process, which required several participants, was ongoing. As the Government points out, Jackson's codefendants left him alone in the apartment with a small fortune in cocaine. Although Jackson argues that he was merely present in the apartment, we have explained that [t]he implicit rationale behind the 'mere presence' argument is the theory that there may often be innocent parties who on occasion unwittingly associate with guilty parties at the scene of their criminal activity. United States v. Martinez-Moncivais, 14 F.3d 1030, 1034 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 513 U.S. 816, 115 S.Ct. 72, 130 L.Ed.2d 27 (1994). Here, the crime scene does not support Jackson's defense of unwitting association with his codefendants. Certainly, the jury was entitled to reject such a defense. The evidence was sufficient to sustain Jackson's convictions.