Opinion ID: 797018
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Influencing the Testimony of Shreve

Text: 1 Section 1512 prohibits any party from improperly interfering with information provided by another to investigators or the courts. To prove that Craft attempted to illegally influence the testimony of another, the government must establish two elements: first, that Craft knowingly engaged in corrupt persuasion and second, that the acts of corrupt persuasion were intended to influence the testimony of another in an official proceeding or during the course of an official investigation. Arthur Andersen LLP v. United States, 544 U.S. 696, 705, 125 S.Ct. 2129, 161 L.Ed.2d 1008 (2005). Craft alleges the government failed to prove either element. 2 To convict a defendant of knowingly engaging in corrupt persuasion, a jury must determine that the defendant acted with consciousness of wrongdoing. Id. at 706, 125 S.Ct. 2129; see also United States v. Pennington, 168 F.3d 1060, 1066 (8th Cir. 1999) (holding that [t]he ambiguous term `corruptly persuades' includes `attempting to persuade someone to provide false information to federal investigators') (quoting United States v. Farrell, 126 F.3d 484, 488 (3d Cir.1997)). 3 At trial, Shreve testified that Craft made several subtle threats against his job. The government substantiated Shreve's testimony with recorded conversations in which Craft insisted that Shreve tell investigators that he could not remember specific events and advising Shreve to mislead investigators. Craft insists that the testimonial evidence and recordings merely show that he was advising Shreve of the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. 4 The jury rejected this argument. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the government, we cannot say that the evidence weighs heavily enough against the verdict that a miscarriage of justice may have occurred. Rodriguez, 812 F.2d at 417. We hold that the government produced sufficient evidence to prove that Craft acted with consciousness of wrongdoing and intended to influence Shreve's testimony.