Opinion ID: 1400392
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Crack Cocaine Convictions

Text: With respect to the crack cocaine that was found in the vehicle, Nolen was convicted of (1) conspiracy to possess crack cocaine with the intent to distribute, and (2) possession of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute. Nolen asserts that the jury lacked sufficient evidence to convict him of either of these charges. In making this argument, Nolen principally relies on the notion that because the jury found Clark not guilty of the same crack cocaine charges, it must have determined that Blair was not a credible witness. And in the absence of Blair's testimony, Nolen asserts, there was no evidence tying him to the crack cocaine. Nolen's argument is unavailing. [C]redibility findings are well-nigh unreviewable, so long as the findings are not internally inconsistent.... United States v. Jones, 254 F.3d 692, 695 (8th Cir.2001). And in this case, Blair's testimony in relation to the crack cocaine widely differed with respect to Clark and Nolen, thereby extinguishing any possible internal inconsistencies in the jury's findings. In this regard, Blair tied Clark to the crack cocaine only by way of his testimony that she was present when it was purchased and that she helped Nolen place it in the vehicle. With respect to Nolen, however, Blair further asserted that Nolen was to help him distribute the crack cocaine and that Nolen was going to profit from this distribution. As such, given the considerable differences in the testimony with respect to Clark and Nolen vis-a-vis the crack cocaine, there is no basis on which to conclude the jury's findings were somehow internally inconsistent, and we therefore reject Nolen's argument. Furthermore, even if the jury's verdicts were inconsistent, [i]nconsistency in a verdict is not a sufficient reason for setting it aside. Harris v. Rivera, 454 U.S. 339, 345, 102 S.Ct. 460, 70 L.Ed.2d 530 (1981). The Supreme Court has so held with respect to inconsistency between verdicts on separate charges against one defendant, Dunn v. United States, 284 U.S. 390, 52 S.Ct. 189, 76 L.Ed. 356 (1932), and also with respect to verdicts that treat codefendants in a joint trial inconsistently, United States v. Dotterweich, 320 U.S. 277, 279, 64 S.Ct. 134, 135, 88 L.Ed. 48 (1943). Id. (footnote omitted).