Opinion ID: 1059089
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: Milteer also asserts that the Commonwealth's evidence was insufficient to show he knew these tapes delivered to him were not made in compliance with the statutory requirements. In view of our disposition of the CD charge above, we only consider the sufficiency argument with regard to the videocassette charge. As an initial matter, the Commonwealth contends that Milteer's claim regarding the sufficiency of the evidence was procedurally defaulted in the trial court. The Commonwealth asserts that Milteer only alleged that the evidence failed to prove his intent to sell or distribute the videocassettes, not that he did not know the videocassettes he possessed were illegal reproductions. The Court of Appeals agreed with the Commonwealth and determined that at trial Milteer only argued the Commonwealth's failure to prove he had the intent to distribute or sell these items. Milteer v. Commonwealth, Rec. No. 0939-02-1, slip op. at 7, 2003 WE 21264053at  (June 3, 2003). We disagree with the Court of Appeals on this point. The record shows that, in support of his motion to strike, Milteer argued at trial that [t]he Commonwealth has not proven ... that my client [acted] knowingly or with the intent to sell or distribute these items. (Emphasis added). This argument, based on the alternate grounds of both knowledge and intent, is sufficient to preserve the issue for appeal. Having determined Milteer's sufficiency claim is not procedurally defaulted, we address the merits. Applying well-established principles of appellate review, we will consider the evidence and all reasonable inferences fairly deducible therefrom in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth, the prevailing party below. Dowden v. Commonwealth, 260 Va. 459, 461, 536 S.E.2d 437, 438 (2000). The evidence presented at trial proved that Milteer accepted, paid for, and transported two packages known by police officers to contain pirated CDs and videocassettes. When the police stopped Milteer they discovered, in addition to the delivered packages, an additional 183 CDs and 72 videocassettes, all but four of which were pirated and mislabeled. Milteer had a price list in his wallet titled the Underground Wholesale Price List. At trial, Franklin police officer Richard Harvey (Harvey) testified that he had previously seen Milteer selling CDs, clothing and jewelry from the back of his truck in the City of Franklin. After his arrest, Milteer admitted to Harvey that he sold items from the back of his truck throughout Franklin and the area of North Carolina where he lived. Milteer admitted, and the underground price list found in his wallet reflected, that the CDs and videocassettes would sell for between $3.00 and $5.00  prices significantly lower than those at retail stores. The evidence also showed that some of the videocassettes in Milteer's possession were copies of a movie that had opened in theaters the weekend prior to his arrest. The trial court could reasonably infer that these videocassettes were therefore unavailable for purchase at a retail store and therefore unavailable for sale to the public. In sum, there was more than sufficient evidence to prove that Milteer knowingly possessed illegal reproduction videocassettes for sale. The trial court did not err in finding the evidence sufficient to convict Milteer of the videocassette charge.