Opinion ID: 697259
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: 34 McDonough also argues that the evidence was insufficient to convict him on the extortion counts. In particular, he claims that the evidence did not establish that O'Connor and Petro paid him kickbacks because of his ability to control public officials. He also maintains that the evidence did not establish that he was aware of any such motivation. 35 An appellant challenging the sufficiency of the evidence bears a very heavy burden. United States v. Rivera, 971 F.2d 876, 890 (2d Cir.1992) (citation and internal quotations omitted). We review the sufficiency of the evidence in the light most favorable to the government, United States v. Amato, 15 F.3d 230, 235 (2d Cir.1994), and draw all reasonable inferences in the government's favor. Glasser v. United States, 315 U.S. 60, 80, 62 S.Ct. 457, 469, 86 L.Ed. 680 (1942); United States v. Torres, 901 F.2d 205, 216 (2d Cir.), cert. denied sub nom. Cruz v. United States, 498 U.S. 906, 111 S.Ct. 273, 112 L.Ed.2d 229 (1990). The conviction must stand if any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime established beyond a reasonable doubt. United States v. Moore, 54 F.3d 92, 100 (2d Cir.1995). 36 Considered in the light most favorable to the government, the evidence was clearly sufficient to convict defendant on the extortion charges. Count Four charged defendant with extortion of kickbacks from the O'Connor Agency on insurance contracts for the Town of Brunswick. O'Connor, who was one of the government's principal witnesses at trial, testified that he believed that McDonough controlled the insurance account for the Town of Brunswick and could broker that piece of business ... with any agency that he thought was capable of performing the job. He also said that if the payments were not made, McDonough would most likely take [the business] to another agency where he would receive the commission on it. He further testified that he believed that McDonough had the power to determine who would write the town's insurance policies because [h]e was the Democratic Chairman and was very, very close with Romeo Naples, the Brunswick Supervisor and Vice-Chair of the Rensselaer County Democratic Committee. 37 The government also submitted evidence that O'Connor's payments to McDonough amounted to nearly $100,000, for which McDonough performed almost no work. O'Connor's former business partner, Kim Julian-Brown, testified that she argued with O'Connor about these payments and McDonough's lack of work. O'Connor told her that if the payments were not made, McDonough would take the business away. O'Connor also told her that McDonough was in turn kicking back part of the commission money to Romeo Naples. Based upon this evidence, a rational juror could conclude that O'Connor believed that McDonough was able to control or influence public officials in the Town of Brunswick, and that this belief, at least in part, motivated the O'Connor Agency to pay kickbacks. Cf. Margiotta, 688 F.2d at 131-33. 38 Turning to Counts Ten and Eleven regarding Petro's payments of nearly $500,000 to Collar City, the evidence was also sufficient to show that Petro paid the money because he believed McDonough had the power to control and influence Rensselaer County public officials. Petro testified that if he had not made the payments, defendants just wouldn't place [Rensselaer County's insurance] business with us, we wouldn't write it.... I believe they would have taken the business to another agent. He further testified, I assume because of [defendant's] position with the party that he was able to determine where the insurance would be written. 39 Although Petro characterized his state of mind regarding McDonough's influence as an assumption, this does not render the evidence legally insufficient. The jury clearly could infer that Petro would not have paid defendant almost half a million dollars for performing virtually no insurance work unless he believed McDonough had the power to place insurance contracts. Cf. McCormick v. United States, 500 U.S. 257, 270, 111 S.Ct. 1807, 1815, 114 L.Ed.2d 307 (1991) ([M]atters of intent are for the jury to consider.). 40 McDonough argues that the jury improperly failed to credit parts of O'Connor's and Petro's testimony, which suggested that sharing commissions was a longstanding and customary industry practice and that Petro split fees with other insurance agents. Even if fee splitting were customary on non-municipal accounts, there was no persuasive evidence that either O'Connor or Petro customarily split fees on municipal insurance accounts. To do so, without McDonough's rendering insurance services, would have been unlawful. N.Y. Ins. Law Sec. 2128 (McKinney's). 41 Moreover, the government submitted evidence that O'Connor and Petro filed false and misleading disclosure documents, destroyed authentic documents and lied to newspapers and the public about the nature of their relationship with McDonough. Based upon this evidence, the jury could conclude that the payments were not innocently motivated. See Margiotta, 688 F.2d at 135. 42 In any event, the government was not required to show that the transactions had no valid purpose. The jury was only required to conclude that the payments were partially motivated by the victims' belief that McDonough would use his control or influence over public officials to award insurance business for the Town of Brunswick and Rensselaer County. See United States v. Coyne, 4 F.3d 100, 113 (2d Cir.1993), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 114 S.Ct. 929, 127 L.Ed.2d 221 (1994); United States v. Biaggi, 909 F.2d 662, 683 (2d Cir.1990), cert. denied, 499 U.S. 904, 111 S.Ct. 1102, 113 L.Ed.2d 213 (1991). As noted above, the evidence was sufficient for this purpose. 43 As to McDonough's awareness of the motives underlying the payments, the jury could infer such awareness without the benefit of direct testimony. Cf. United States v. Friedman, 854 F.2d 535, 554 (2d Cir.1988), cert. denied, 490 U.S. 1004, 109 S.Ct. 1637, 104 L.Ed.2d 153 (1989). As discussed above, the government produced evidence that McDonough received substantial payments from the O'Connor Agency and the R.J. Carignan Agency without rendering services and that these agencies were designated as Brokers of Record for the Town of Brunswick and Rensselaer County respectively. The government also presented evidence of McDonough's efforts to cover up the transactions when they began to come to light. This evidence was more than sufficient to permit a rational juror to find that McDonough was aware of the motives behind the payments.