Opinion ID: 777955
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Evidence of Dixon's prior experience as a drug dealer

Text: 33 The evidence presented to the jury concerning Dixon's involvement in the November 30 buy operation was sufficient to support a finding beyond a reasonable doubt that Dixon had sold drugs to Jones, who then sold them to Undercover Officer Crawford (Undercover Crawford). The jury, therefore, had evidence before it showing that Dixon was an experienced drug dealer and from which it could infer that Dixon knew the weight of the drugs found in the car on December 8, 1977. 34 At trial, Officer McGeown testified that John Jones and Larry Dixon were involved with the drug sale that occurred at the Reid Avenue social club on November 30, 1977. In addition, McGeown testified that the police stopped Dixon on December 8 because he made a sale of narcotics on November 30th. McGeown also testified that Undercover Crawford had informed McGeown that he had made a buy from John Doe John, Little John, and John Doe Larry at the social club on November 30. Other evidence concerning the drug sale included Undercover Crawford's Buy Report covering the events of November 30, see Tr. 732 (March 30, 1982) (entering the Buy Report into evidence), and the tape recording of the transmissions from the undercover officer to the backup team, see, e.g., Tr. 1037 (April 1, 1982), 1470-73 (April 6, 1982) (tape played for jury). Finally, when reviewing the narcotics envelope recovered during the drug sale at the social club on November 30, Officer McGeown testified that the drugs in the envelope came from the buy in which Dixon was involved. 4 35 The evidence relating to the November 30 buy operation, although seemingly irrelevant to the charges against Dixon for possessing heroin on December 8, was presented as part of Dixon's defense strategy to attack the credibility of the police who stopped his car on December 8. Dixon's defense focused intently on the November 30 incident because there happened to be a tape recording of some of what happened that day. Dixon sought to convince the jury that Undercover Crawford's account of the November 30 sale in his Buy Report and in his affidavit for a search warrant based on that sale, as well as the accounts of the November 30 sale presented in the testimony of the various police officers who appeared as witnesses during the trial, were contradicted by a few statements captured on the tape recording. Dixon contended this evidence showed the entire police operation against him was a frame and supported his explanation that the drugs found in his car on December 8 had been planted there by corrupt police. See, e.g., Tr. 1536 (April 7, 1982) (It is a darn lie from the beginning, from November 30.). 36 The Government summarized this evidence pertaining to November 30 in its closing argument and contended that, in fact, the evidence supported the prosecution's theory that Dixon was a heroin dealer. The Government argued: 37 I thought we were trying a case of December 8th, 1977, but in turn we wound up trying a case involving Dixon on November 30th, 1977, also. 38 I don't have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Dixon committed a sale on November 30, 1977, and you don't have to reach a verdict as to that. But I submit to you that thanks to all the evidence [Dixon's attorney] Mr. Beldock helped bring out and all these things in evidence, I have proven to you beyond a reasonable doubt that Dixon did participate in a sale of heroin in November 30, 1977, and the evidence shows that Dixon is a supplier, a seller and a transporter of heroin. 39 Tr. 1583 (April 7, 1982). 40 Concerning Dixon's argument that the tape supported his theory of a police frame-up, the Government continued: 41 Well, if any[thing], this tape proves beyond almost any doubt as to what I said about Dixon at the beginning of my summation, that the evidence shows that he's a supplier and a seller of heroin. How do I know that from the tape? You must realize, of course, that this tape is made after the fact .... By after the fact, I mean it is not a conversation between the undercover police officer and John Jones or Littlejohn or Dixon, it is a conversation where [Undercover Crawford] is already out, completed the sale and he is radioing the team. But you can take it as truth because if we believe Mr. Beldock and this is some sort of frame, then he would have been talking about something else on the tape, like Larry came in and nothing happened. Now if that was on the tape you might have a point that maybe something was up here. But there is nothing like that on the tape. What does it say .... 42 The deal went down. It means it happened. 43 Larry came in and re-up[p]ed while I was there. They went into the bathroom. Now if you listen to Mr. Beldock, he would have us believe that if this was so, it means that Larry went in and got maybe some drugs for himself and that's what the re-up means. If you believe that. But that's not what it means. It means that Larry came in and supplied Jones with heroin so that Jones could sell the heroin to the undercover police officer. That's what re-up means. He has it in his buy report later on. 44 Tr. 1589-90 (April 7, 1982). 45 The Government noted that Undercover Crawford wrote in the Buy Report that while he was in the social club, someone came in and told Jones that police had been spotted outside. 46 Now [Undercover Crawford is] there with Jones and he tells us that he was talking to Jones .... He says, undersigned and J.D., meaning Jones, continuing to talk and J.D. asked if I had known Larry. Undersigned said that he might know Larry so I started to describe Larry and that's when an older man came into the location and went up to Littlejohn and the old man told him something which he said he couldn't hear and then Littlejohn came back to the undersigned and said that his man would be down in a minute because he believed that the man was around. 47 Tr. 1591 (April 7, 1982). 48 Thus, the Government argued that Undercover Crawford's Buy Report was not contradicted by the tape, but in fact confirmed by it. The tape captured Undercover Crawford radioing the backup team as soon as he left the social club that he believed they'd been seen. The Government continued: 49 Now, ... he said on the tape, Hey, they think you might be out there because they sent a guy down to tell John to wait and as soon as you all clear out or something he was going to make a run down here. He has that in his report. This wasn't something he thought up on the tape and then didn't include in his report, it's right here. Tr. 1591 (April 7, 1982). 50 The Government recounted for the jury what, according to Undercover Crawford's Buy Report, happened in the social club after the man reported to Jones that the police might be outside. 51 So he waited, he said we continued to talk and a few minutes later after the man, or whoever was looking out probably figured they had cleared out Larry comes down.... 52 Larry comes in, goes into the bathroom with Littlejohn and Littlejohn had told the undercover before that he didn't have any stuff on him. They come out of the bathroom, Larry leaves and Littlejohn sells the heroin to the undercover police officer for $200. 53 So Larry is acting in concert with Littlejohn in making a sale. Now, if this was supposed to be the frame to get Larry Dixon ..., why is this the sale case[?] Why isn't it Larry came, Littlejohn introduced me to Larry, I asked Larry if he had any stuff, Larry said he did. Larry took out the heroin, I gave him $200 and Larry gave me the heroin, case closed. 54 Why is [it] Larry comes in, goes into the bathroom with Littlejohn, comes out and then Littlejohn [h]as the stuff[?] Does the undercover say anything about seeing Larry with anything? 55 Now, you can infer, anyone I think that has any common sense can pick up on what really happened here. But why make the case like that? Why not open and shut[?] Make it open and shut that I talked to Larry, Larry did it? Why? Because that is the way it really happened. 56 Tr. 1591-94 (April 7, 1982). 57 The Government further argued that the evidence that Dixon carried a driver's license listing an alias, drove a car registered in someone else's name, and refused to make the sale directly to Undercover Crawford on November 30 supported a conclusion that Dixon was a professional drug dealer. The Government stated: 58 Now, you can also infer that the evidence might show he is a heroin seller and a supplier. The evidence doesn't show that Dixon is stupid. He is a slick, cunning fellow as you can see by the fact of the car he drives is a different registration, a different license, and in fact, even about the sale on November 30 when he came in, he was going to supply Littlejohn with the narcotics so Little John could sell it to the undercover; but he wasn't going to talk or sell it himself to the undercover because he was too slick and too above, and by above Littlejohn he is Littlejohn's — one of Littlejohn's suppliers. He wasn't going to talk or sell any narcotics to Crawford because he didn't know Crawford. He knew Littlejohn. That's why they went in the bathroom, so Crawford couldn't see anything. 59 Tr. 1614 (April 7, 1982). 60 Due to Dixon's defense strategy of trying to show that he was framed by the police beginning with the November 30 sale, evidence was presented to the jury from which it could conclude that Dixon was Jones's heroin supplier on November 30, 1977. This evidence showed that Dixon had prior experience as a drug dealer and provides a sufficient basis for a rational trier of fact to infer that Dixon knew the weight of the heroin he had hidden under his car seat on December 8, 1977. See People v. Garcia, 86 N.Y.2d 27, 30, 652 N.E.2d 925, 927, 629 N.Y.S.2d 179, 181 (1995); People v. Hardy, 226 A.D.2d 652, 653, 641 N.Y.S.2d 366, 368 (2d Dep't 1996); People v. Juwara, 163 Misc.2d 311, 315, 620 N.Y.S.2d 909, 911 (N.Y.Sup.Ct.1994).