Opinion ID: 715789
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Reconciling United States v. Jackson

Text: 56 The government argues that requiring specific unanimity as to predicate offenses would conflict with United States v. Jackson, 879 F.2d 85 (3d Cir.1989), which held that, in a CCE prosecution, unanimous agreement is not required as to the identity of the five or more underlings supervised, organized, or managed by the defendant. See also United States v. Canino, 949 F.2d 928, 946 (7th Cir.1991) (criticizing the apparent inconsistency between Jackson and Echeverri ). However, a proper understanding of congressional intent shows that Echeverri and Jackson are quite consistent. 57 In Jackson, we considered whether, in a CCE prosecution, unanimous agreement is required as to the identity of the five or more underlings supervised, organized, or managed by the defendant. We concluded that the primary concern of the five or more persons requirement is that the organization in which the defendant played a leadership role was sufficiently large to warrant ... enhanced punishment, and held that unanimity on the specific identity of the underlings is not required. Id. at 88. 58 Jackson 's holding is consistent with our holding here for two reasons. First, unlike the continuing series requirement, the five-person requirement has a historical analogue in the law of conspiracy, which generally has not required the jury to unanimously agree on the identity of the defendant's co-conspirators. See United States v. Harris, 959 F.2d 246, 256 & n. 13 (D.C.Cir.) (stating this proposition and citing cases), cert. denied, 506 U.S. 932, 113 S.Ct. 362, 121 L.Ed.2d 275, and cert. denied sub nom. Smith v. United States, 506 U.S. 932, 113 S.Ct. 362, 121 L.Ed.2d 275, and cert. denied sub nom. Palmer v. United States, 506 U.S. 933, 113 S.Ct. 364, 121 L.Ed.2d 277 (1992). 15 Second, unlike the wide array of potential CCE predicate offenses, acting in concert with one group of five people is no more or less blameworthy than acting in concert with another group of five. Id. at 256-57. Thus, two of three reasons that lead us to conclude from its silence that Congress meant to require unanimity as to specific predicate offenses--historical precedent and possible constitutional problems--cause us to read congressional silence as to the five-person requirement quite differently.