Opinion ID: 3001171
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Williams’ Appeal

Text: Challenging the sufficiency of the evidence on appeal is a “daunting task.” United States v. McCaffrey, 181 F.3d 854, 856 (7th Cir. 1999). The question is not whether this Court considers the evidence insufficient to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Instead, this Court will affirm a conviction if “any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.” United States v. Griffin, 150 F.3d 778, Nos. 07-1182, 07-1190 & 07-1191 9 784 (7th Cir. 1998) (quoting Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319 (1979)). To be irrational, a verdict must not rest on any “evidence, regardless of how it is weighed, from which the trier of fact could find guilt.” Id. (citing United States v. Grier, 866 F.2d 908, 923 (7th Cir. 1989)). An appeal does not lend itself well to challenging the credibility of witnesses, United States v. Alcantar, 83 F.3d 185, 189 (7th Cir. 1996), as this Court construes all evidence in the light most favorable to the government, defers to the jury in assessing credibility, and resolves all conflicts in the evidence in favor of the government. Griffin, 150 F.3d at 784-85. The jury convicted Williams of conspiring to possess and conspiring to distribute crack cocaine and two counts of distributing crack. Williams argues that insufficient evidence supports the jury’s verdicts. First, Williams argues that the government’s witnesses were “incredible as a matter of law” because, he alleges, they were drug users during the relevant times forming the basis for their testimony. Second, Williams argues that the evidence surrounding the controlled buys was equivocal at best and does not corroborate the witnesses. He argues that the recordings are of poor quality, the witnesses who identified his voice on the tapes were not credible, and that there is no solid evidence that he said he would send his brother, Bailey.
At trial, the government brought in thirteen lay witnesses, most of whom had damning things to say about Williams. To parry the blow of their testimony, Williams asks this Court to deem the testimony of the witnesses who testified against him incredible as a matter of law. Williams argues that the government’s lay witnesses should not be believed because they were drug users at 10 Nos. 07-1182, 07-1190 & 07-1191 the time of the investigation and had ulterior motives aside from fulfilling their civic duties. This is a tall order, which we decline to fill. Though undoubtedly not pillars of society, the government’s witnesses were not unbelievable as a matter of law by virtue of their drug use. A witness’s testimony is incredible as a matter of law if it is “physically impossible for the witness to [have] observe[d] that which he claims occurred, or impossible under the laws of nature for the occurrence to have taken place at all.” United States v. Hunter, 145 F.3d 946, 949-50 (7th Cir. 1998) (quoting United States v. Saulter, 60 F.3d 170, 275 (7th Cir. 1995)). Even if the witness testifies as to a period during which he was under the influence of drugs, a jury is entitled to believe the witness and can discount the testimony as it sees fit. See United States v. Blackman, 950 F.2d 420, 424 (7th Cir. 1991) (holding that just because a witness was a drug user, the jury could believe him). Because he cannot point to any suspended laws of nature, Williams argues that the government’s witnesses were unbelievable as a matter of law because they were drug users during the relevant period of the investigation. Bethel, for example, smoked marijuana the morning of the August 29, 2002 controlled buy. John T. Williams, who testified that Bailey would always wait in the car while Williams was inside purchasing crack, testified that he smoked marijuana everyday during the relevant period. Most of the other witnesses’ testimony was, unfortunately, a variation on a theme. Because these witnesses’ drug use coincided with the period forming the basis of their testimony, Williams asks this Court to exclude it. It is probably true that witnesses who were stoned during the relevant parts of the investigation did not have all their wits about them, making their memories Nos. 07-1182, 07-1190 & 07-1191 11 fuzzy when they took the stand. This could, in turn, lessen the credence that is owed to their version of events. But it is for the jury to evaluate the credibility of the witnesses, including any cloudiness brought on by their drug use. United States v. Wilson, 31 F.3d 510, 514 (7th Cir. 1994) (stating that this Court will uphold conviction “even if the evidence is ‘totally uncorroborated and comes from an admitted liar, convicted felon, large-scale drug dealing, paid government informant’ ” (quoting United States v. Davis, 15 F.3d 1393, 1398 (7th Cir. 1994))). A prophylactic rule that drug-using witnesses are per se unbelievable would derail most drug prosecutions which frequently involve, of necessity, the testimony of drug users. These witnesses’ shortcomings must be accounted for through cross-examination, not an exclusionary rule. Accordingly, we will not upset the jury’s decision to credit their testimony. For similar reasons, that a witness has cooperated in exchange for a shortened prison sentence or, in Bethel’s case, money, does not change the outcome. Although the use of informants is “an unattractive business,” United States v. Kaminski, 703 F.2d 1004, 1010 (7th Cir. 1983), it is far from an upstart; “[c]ourts have countenanced the use of informers from time immemorial.” United States v. Dennis, 183 F.2d 201, 224 (2d Cir. 1950) (Hand, J.). Unveiling criminal operations in which the participants have a strong incentive to conceal their efforts often requires coopting those who had once engaged in the same sordid business. Id. Motivating these informants requires consideration, such as a shortened sentence or cash. In some circumstances, a trial court should issue a cautionary instruction with respect to an informant’s testimony. See United States v. Cook, 102 F.3d 249, 254-55 (7th Cir. 1996) (Ripple, J., concurring) (collecting cases). But this is not that case. Several witnesses detailed their involvement with Williams in the crack trade. One wit12 Nos. 07-1182, 07-1190 & 07-1191 ness, Bethel, produced recordings that memorialized some of these transactions. Further, the attorneys for all three defendants pointed out the carrots motivating the witnesses on cross-examination. Thus, neither the drug use nor the use of incentives (whether viewed in isolation or in tandem) justifies excluding the testimony as incredible.
After concluding that the witnesses’ testimony was not incredible as a matter of law, Williams’ conspiracy conviction must stand. A drug conspiracy requires an “agreement between two or more persons to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base, the defendants’ knowledge of the agreement, and their intention to join it.” United States v. Billops, 43 F.3d 281, 284 (7th Cir. 1994). But the nub of a conspiracy is an agreement, and the government can prove the agreement by showing “an understanding— explicit or implicit—among co-conspirators to work together to commit te offense.” United States v. Bustamante, 493 F.3d 879, 884 (7th Cir. 2007) (quoting United States v. Curtis, 324 F.3d 501, 505 (7th Cir. 2003)). Evidence of a conspiracy depends on the criminal endeavor. In a crack conspiracy, the evidence involves efforts to move crack down the supply chain from the distributor to the market (through buying, selling, finding buyers, distribution) or providing support to the operation through force, financing, or concealment. Thus, although no overt act is required under 21 U.S.C. § 846, see United States v. Shabani, 513 U.S. 10, 11 (1994), this Court has credited the purchase of large quantities of drugs, cooperation in the distribution of drugs, regular or standardized dealings, sales on credit, and prolonged cooperation. See Bustamante, 493 F.3d at 884-85 (collecting cases). In proving its case, the government can rely on both direct and circumstantial evidence. Nos. 07-1182, 07-1190 & 07-1191 13 Aside from questioning the reliability of the government’s witnesses, Williams points to little that would undermine his conviction. He questions the quality of the government’s audiotapes and points to a lack of corroboration of Williams’ involvement with Bailey. But, as discussed more fully above, the evidence of his guilt is overwhelming. Several witnesses discussed aspects of Williams’ ascendancy and involvement in the Peoria crack market. From 1996 to 2003, Williams ran the Black Disciples’ crack operation in Peoria. Multiple witnesses testified as to their personal involvement in drug transactions with Williams, often for large amounts of crack from distributors like Mickle and Thompson. Bethel also testified that he had purchased crack from Williams and Alexander on August 13, 2002. This evidence is sufficient to establish an agreement between Williams and Alexander and Williams and Bailey to distribute crack.
Similarly, sufficient evidence supports Williams’ conviction for the August 13, 2002 and August 29, 2002 sales. To prove a violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), the government must show that the defendant knowingly and intentionally distributed crack and that the defendant knew that the substance was crack. United States v. Johnson, 127 F.3d 625, 628 (7th Cir. 1997). And “distribution” consists of the “transfer of possession from one person to another.” Id. In addition, whoever “causes an act to be done which if directly performed by him or another would be an offense against the United States, is punishable as a principal.” 18 U.S.C. § 2(b) (2006). The evidence at trial supports Williams’ convictions. First, Bethel testified that he purchased twenty-four grams of crack directly from Williams on August 13, 2002 14 Nos. 07-1182, 07-1190 & 07-1191 after calling Alexander to set up a sale of “zip,” which Bethel testified was a street name for crack. Audio recordings of the sale corroborated Bethel’s testimony regarding the conversation with Alexander and the subsequent sale by Williams and Alexander. At trial, the government would also present photos of the transacted substance, which Bethel had turned over to the police. Second, Bethel testified that he purchased fifty-three grams of crack from Bailey on August 29, 2002 after placing an order with Williams over the phone. Again, audio recordings corroborate Bethel’s testimony regarding his conversations with Williams. As Williams had promised, Bailey soon arrived. When Bailey had trouble getting Bethel the agreed-upon amount, Bailey’s and Williams’ phone records confirm that the two were in constant contact. Ultimately, after several calls to Williams, Bailey delivered two ounces of crack to Bethel. At trial, the government presented pictures of the distributed substance, which Bethel had turned over to the police. In short, Bethel ordered crack from Williams and received it from Bailey, as Williams had promised. This is sufficient to show that Williams “cause[d]” the distribution of crack to Bethel for purposes of 21 U.S.C. § 841 and 18 U.S.C. § 2. The evidence from the controlled buys is thus sufficient to support Williams’ distribution convictions.
Finally, Williams challenges his sentence, arguing that it is “excessive,” but the jury’s verdict forecloses this argument. The district court rejected the PSR’s findings that would have resulted in life in prison. It even varied from the advisory Guidelines range requiring thirty years in prison down to twenty. Given how central Williams was to a decade-long drug conspiracy, a sentence that is Nos. 07-1182, 07-1190 & 07-1191 15 ten years below the advisory Guidelines range is not “excessive.”