Opinion ID: 1974831
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: trial counsel's other alleged errors

Text: Webster makes a number of other complaints against his trial attorney. All of them fail for the same reason that his principal contention fails; given the match between the suspect's description and Webster's appearance, these alleged errors would not have affected the result. We have considered each of Webster's arguments [17] and comment briefly on three of them.
Webster claims that his counsel was ineffective in failing to present an alibi defense or to request an instruction on alibi. None of the defense witnesses, however, claimed to know where Webster was at the time of the sale; he had left the boarding house earlier. Although it might perhaps be inferred from Webster's own testimony that he was en route to his own house at the time, the site of the sale was not out of his way. Moreover, as we have noted above, Webster's estimates of the time were quite soft. Assuming, arguendo, that Webster's own testimony suggested the possibility of an alibi and could be stretched to provide the basis for an alibi instruction [18] and this assumption is questionabletrial counsel was not constitutionally ineffective in failing to try to stretch the record that far. Moreover, the jurors were instructed that the prosecution must prove Webster's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and it is difficult to discern, on these facts, how the plot would have been advanced by an additional instruction that the government must prove that Webster was on the scene when he sold cocaine to Officer Quander.
The DEA-7 chemist's report was admitted in evidence. It contained a brief written summary of the incident leading to the recovery of the drugs. Describing this summary as a neat condensation of the government's whole case against the defendant, see United States v. Ware, 247 F.2d 698, 700 (7th Cir.1957), Webster quite reasonably faults trial counsel for not moving to redact from the report a hearsay description of the buy. The government points out, however, that the summary of which Webster now complains reads as follows: [illegible] 12-6-89 Wednesday at approx [illegible] officer purchased the above listed item from the above listed location from the above named defendant the [illegible] placed [illegible] 221 [illegible]. Whatever this condensation may have condensed, it was not the weapon of choice in the prosecution's arsenal, namely, the match between the suspect described by Quander and the appearance and speech of Webster when arrested by Delpo. The jurors knew from the testimony that police arrested Webster because they claimed that he participated in the sale. The material of which Webster complains added nothing to their knowledge, and therefore did Webster no damage.
The trial judge instructed the jury that distribution of cocaine is a general intent crime. Webster contends that his attorney was ineffective for not objecting to the instruction. The instruction was correct; only a general intent is required for the offense of distribution. United States v. Manganellis, 864 F.2d 528, 539 (7th Cir.1988); State v. Kidder, 302 A.2d 320, 321 (Me.1973); Criminal Jury Instructions for the District of Columbia, No. 4.33 (3d ed. 1978). Possession of cocaine with intent to distribute it (PWID) requires a specific intent, United States v. Cebian, 774 F.2d 446, 447 (11th Cir.1985); Criminal Jury Instructions for the District of Columbia, No. 4.32 (3d ed. 1978), but Webster was not charged with PWID. Accordingly, trial counsel was not ineffective because he failed to object, and Webster was not prejudiced.