Opinion ID: 569213
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Edwards' challenge to his conspiracy conviction

Text: 53 Jackie Edwards, according to the Government's brief, occupied the position of wholesaler and procurer in the conspiratorial chain. In his individual brief Edwards challenges this characterization, claiming that the evidence was insufficient to convict him as a member of the Cole heroin conspiracy. We evaluate a sufficiency of the evidence challenge by viewing all inferences that reasonably can be drawn in a light most favorable to the Government. United States v. Durrive, 902 F.2d 1221, 1224 (7th Cir.1990). Edwards claims that the only evidence produced by the Government concerned one sale of heroin by Edwards to Cole. In order for Edwards to be guilty of the substantive count of conspiracy based on his single sale of heroin to Cole, it must be shown that Edwards knew of the existence of and scope of the conspiracy. As stated in Townsend, evidence of a buyer-seller relationship, standing alone, is insufficient to support a conspiracy conviction.    The buy-sell transaction is simply not probative of an agreement to join together to accomplish a criminal objective beyond that already being accomplished by the transaction. 924 F.2d at 1394, discussing United States v. Ford, 324 F.2d 950, 952 (7th Cir.1963); e.g., United States v. Kimmons, 917 F.2d 1011, 1016 (7th Cir.1990) ([t]he relationship of buyer and seller absent any prior or contemporaneous understanding beyond the mere sales agreement does not prove a conspiracy); United States v. Baker, 905 F.2d 1100, 1106 (7th Cir.1990), certiorari denied, --- U.S. ----, 111 S.Ct. 206, 112 L.Ed.2d 167. 54 While Townsend describes the case in which a buyer-seller relationship, standing alone, would not support a conspiracy conviction, 924 F.2d at 1394, Edwards' challenge to his conviction on the basis of the existence of a single drug transaction is unavailing, for the Government showed that Edwards' role was not so limited as claimed, at least as it relates to the last two months of the conspiracy. The Government produced substantial evidence, Durrive, 902 F.2d at 1229, sufficient to support his conviction. A defendant's continuous involvement with a conspiracy raises an inference that he was aware of and involved in a conspiracy to a greater degree than a single, claimed transaction. United States v. Sergio, 934 F.2d 875, 879 (7th Cir.1991). 55 Here the Government introduced evidence that Edwards' role in the conspiracy predated the single sale of heroin to Cole (Tr. 1392-1394). Additionally, the Government introduced into evidence several recorded telephone conversations during which Cole discussed his personal and business heroin needs with Edwards. As noted previously, telephone records are frequently and properly used as corroborating circumstantial evidence to establish the existence of a conspiracy. United States v. Noble, 754 F.2d 1324, 1329-1330 (1985) (citations omitted). Edwards and Cole discussed both the quantities and quality of heroin supplied (Telephone Tr. 3274, 3333, 3334, 3398, 3480). Other telephone conversations between members of the Cole organization made it clear that Edwards knew that various individuals were members of the Cole organization (Telephone Tr. 840, 2865, 4208). Recorded calls also revealed that after Cole had rejected Edwards as a procurer on account of the poor quality of the heroin, Edwards persisted, calling Cole in an attempt to sell more heroin to him (Telephone Tr. 4151, 4208, 4607). Finally, the in-court testimony by two witnesses demonstrated that Edwards was seen with Cole on ten to twenty occasions over a two-year period (Tr. 75-76, 289-290), that heroin was found at Jackie Edwards' residence after he was arrested (Tr. 722) along with other drug paraphernalia and that he kept a loaded weapon near his bedside (Tr. 740-748). This evidence was probative of Edwards' conspiracy, for juries must often infer the existence and scope of a conspiracy from circumstantial evidence. United States v. Paiz, 905 F.2d 1014, 1019 (7th Cir.1990).