Opinion ID: 2997552
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: Melendez does not deny that he was a large-scale marijuana supplier to Torbellin and Vilmer, among others. InNo. 03-1659 5 stead, Melendez denies that he was engaged in a conspiracy to distribute marijuana. He argues that the government demonstrated, at most, a buyer-seller relationship between himself and Vilmer or Torbellin. Sufficiency of the evidence challenges rarely succeed because we owe great deference to the jury’s verdict. See United States v. Hicks, 368 F.3d 801, 804-05 (7th Cir. 2004). We consider all evidence in the light most favorable to the government. Id. Hence, a jury’s verdict will be upheld if any “rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.” Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319 (1979). To prove a conspiracy to distribute marijuana under 21 U.S.C. § 846, the government had to show that a conspiracy existed and that Melendez knowingly joined it with the intent to further its goals. Unlike a buyer-seller agreement, a conspiracy usually involves “a prolonged and actively pursued course of sales coupled with the seller’s knowledge of and a shared stake in the buyer’s illegal venture.” United States v. Contreras, 249 F.3d 595, 599 (7th Cir. 2001) (internal quotations omitted). Circumstantial evidence, such as whether there was a level of mutual trust, standardized dealings, sales on credit (“fronting”), transactions in large quantities (i.e., greater than could be used for personal consumption), and whether the seller was aware of the buyer’s resale objectives, may be used to prove the conspiracy existed. See id.; United States v. Rivera, 273 F.3d 751, 755 (7th Cir. 2001); United States v. Pagan, 196 F.3d 884, 889 (7th Cir. 1999). However, any one factor standing alone would be insufficient to prove a conspiracy on the behalf of the seller. Rivera, 273 F.3d at 755 (citing cases). But where there are adequate indicia of a “concrete, interlocking interest beyond individual buy-sell transactions,” we should not disturb the factfinder’s inference that a buyer-seller relationship developed in a cooperative—i.e., conspiratorial—venture. Id. (citing Contreras, 249 F.3d at 599). 6 No. 03-1659 The evidence in this case amply supports the jury’s verdict. Throughout the 1990s, Melendez indisputably served as one of Torbellin’s suppliers. Torbellin, in turn, supplied Vilmer, sometimes fronting the drugs without payment. Moreover, Melendez made at least one (temporarily) unsuccessful attempt to become Vilmer’s direct supplier. And following the estrangement of Torbellin and Vilmer, Melendez did indeed directly supply Vilmer with massive amounts of marijuana, partially on credit, through the course of three transactions. At least eight co-defendants gave testimony, supported by documentary evidence (including phone records, calling card records, hotel receipts, vehicle rental records, and tape-recorded conversations), that identified Melendez as a supplier and manager in the conspiracy. In short, it is impossible to say that no rational trier of fact could have found that a conspiracy existed and that Melendez knowingly joined it with the intent of furthering its goals.