Opinion ID: 775760
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Carnes

Text: 96 In addition to attacking the sufficiency of the evidence in general terms, Carnes argues that it is impossible to tell whether the jury's verdict rested on sufficient evidence because (1) the jury's verdict acquitting him of extorting Defoe implies that the jury also found he did not conspire to extort Defoe; (2) there was insufficient evidence for the jury to convict Carnes of extorting certain contractors; and (3) without a special verdict sheet, it is unclear whether the jury found Carnes guilty of conspiring to extort a contractor with respect to whom the government offered sufficient evidence. 97 Carnes' argument is fallacious in several respects. First, the jury's decision to acquit Carnes on the substantive Defoe count does not indicate that it found he did not conspire to extort Defoe because the elements of the two crimes are different. Cf. United States v. Slocum, 695 F.2d 650, 656 (2d Cir. 1982) (holding that because conspiracy to sell unregistered securities to the public employing fraudulent means and the parallel substantive offense had different elements, district court did not err by refusing to charge that acquittal on conspiracy count required acquittal on substantive counts). 98 Second, Carnes' contention that we must reverse because it is impossible to determine from the jury's verdict which contractors Carnes agreed to extort rests on an erroneous reading of Richardson v. United States, 526 U.S. 813, 143 L. Ed. 2d 985, 119 S. Ct. 1707 (1999) and United States v. Garcia, 907 F.2d 380 (2d Cir. 1990). In Richardson, the Supreme Court found that each of the violations constituting a continuing series of violations necessary for conviction of a continuing criminal enterprise based on drug offenses was an element of the prohibited crime, id. 526 U.S. at 818-20, 119 S. Ct. 1707, and therefore held that the jury must unanimously agree on each of the predicate violations, id. at 824, 119 S. Ct. 1707. Because the identity of the targets of a Hobbs Act conspiracy is not an element of that conspiracy, see 18 U.S.C. 371, 1951; cf. United States v. Mucciante, 21 F.3d 1228, 1234-35 (2d Cir. 1994) (holding that identity of victim is not an essential element of 18 U.S.C. 479, which forbids knowingly passing fraudulent government bonds), Richardson is inapposite. 99 Carnes' reliance on Garcia also is misplaced. The Hobbs Act indicates that extortion can be accomplished through the wrongful use of actual or threatened force, violence, or fear, or under color of official right. 18 U.S.C. 1951(b)(2). In Garcia, the government proceeded on two theories: that defendants attempted to create fear in their victim and that they extorted money under color of official right. At trial, defendants argued that there was insufficient proof that corporate officials feared an economic loss from the defendants and asked that this theory of guilt be withdrawn from the jury. Garcia, 907 F.2d at 381. We agreed with the defendants that there was no proof the victims feared economic loss, found that defendants preserved their right to appeal by their motion to withhold the fear theory from the jury's consideration, and vacated because we were unable to determine whether the jury based their conviction on a theory for which there was sufficient evidence. Id. at 382-85. Because the government did not argue that the jury could convict Carnes on one of two (or more) theories, Garcia has no application to Carnes' situation. Moreover, the Supreme Court effectively overruled Garcia in Griffin v. United States, 502 U.S. 46, 57 n.2, 116 L. Ed. 2d 371, 112 S. Ct. 466 (1991). 100 Carnes also argues that his conviction must be reversed because it was the result of a compromise verdict. We reject this contention as contrary to the established law of this circuit. See United States v. Green, 523 F.2d 229, 235-36 (2d Cir. 1975).