Opinion ID: 553323
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Sweeton

Text: 56 Sweeton's case presents more difficulty than does Gonzalez's or Roundy's. Sweeton also argues that RICO's pattern element has not been proven by the government. He alleges that the prosecution has linked him, by means of Sweeton's wallet being found at the scene of the Sylvania ripoff and other testimony concerning the shooting, to only that incident. Sweeton contends that no other evidence has been offered sufficient to show his involvement or agreement to other acts, particularly predicate crimes, committed by the LeQuire group. Sweeton presents his agreement, if any, as one to join a single objective conspiracy and thus within the Carter exception. Sweeton further challenges the government's level of proof regarding the second of the predicate acts he was specifically charged with; that of travelling from Florida to Georgia in connection with the Sylvania importation. Sweeton argues that the only proof put in evidence regarding his travel, a government agent's testimony that four people got off a Lear Jet rented by LeQuire which flew from Florida to Georgia on the day of the Sylvania unloading, is insufficient to support a Travel Act violation. 57 We agree with Sweeton's characterization that he was involved in a single objective conspiracy as defined in Carter. If the Carter language and holding is to mean anything, it must apply in a case of this sort. It may be in fact true that Sweeton knew of, and agreed to, a conspiracy with an overall objective of violating RICO, i.e., the LeQuire enterprise's entire drug smuggling activities. However, it simply cannot be said that the government has proven such a wide agreement as this. The government's evidence shows only a more limited agreement on Sweeton's part. Its evidence, that of Sweeton's wallet at the site of the shooting, his story to the GBI agent regarding the shooting, while in the hospital, and the testimony of other conspirators that they had heard of Sweeton being shot, is accurately characterized by Sweeton's brief: He is not heard of prior to his appearance in Georgia on May 23, 1983 and, once he is shot and almost killed on May 23, Sweeton is neither seen nor heard about again. (Sweeton Brief at 48). Equally important as what the government did prove through its witnesses, is what it was unable to prove. In response to the prosecutor's own questions, no witness could remember seeing Sweeton, or hearing of his name, prior to the news that something had gone wrong at Sylvania. In contrast to the other defendants, he is not seen, or known of, at or around LeQuire's home or Maierhoffer's fixed base operation. A defendant must be convicted on the basis of his own proven conduct, association is not enough. RICO does not punish mere association with conspirators or knowledge of illegal activity; its proscriptions are directed against conduct, not status. Elliott, 571 F.2d at 903. The government has simply not presented sufficient evidence concerning Sweeton's agreement to the overall conspiracy. It is not enough, as the government seeks to do, to argue that LeQuire closely ran his own operations and that, thus anyone involved in one importation would hear of, know of, and hence have agreed to the enterprise's other activities. 21 In Sweeton's case, evidence to support this sort of theory is simply lacking. 58 Given that the government has not proven an agreement to join a conspiracy with an overall RICO objective, we must analyze Sweeton's case under the single objective conspiracy rule of Carter: proof of agreement to personally commit two predicate acts is needed. Because we find that the government has satisfactorily met this standard by proving Sweeton's personal participation in two predicate crimes, we nevertheless find that Sweeton's conviction is supported by sufficient evidence to meet the pattern requirement. 22 As noted above, Sweeton has conceded that the evidence is adequate to show his agreement to one predicate offense: the May 23rd importation at Sylvania. The other predicate act charged to Sweeton is his travel from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Savannah, Georgia, on May 23rd to participate in the Sylvania importation. Sweeton argues that the government's proof of this act is insufficient to prove his commission of the predicate act of traveling. The government relies upon the testimony of DEA Agent Parks as to the fact that six individuals got on a Lear jet rented by LeQuire in Fort Lauderdale the day of May 23rd and four got off in Savannah, Georgia. We find, however, that the whole of the evidence will support charging Sweeton with a Travel Act violation under 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1952. 59 In weighing the evidence, we begin by remarking that by appellant Sweeton's own admission he traveled in interstate commerce prior to the Sylvania load. Sweeton's story in the hospital to GBI Agent Stone was that he had come from Fort Lauderdale the day before. The jury could properly conclude that Sweeton was telling the truth to Agent Stone when he said he traveled from Florida to Georgia, even if it did not believe the rest of his story as to why he was at the Plantation Park Airport. Even assuming, arguendo, that Sweeton may have had other, not unlawful, reasons for his travel, for Sec. 1952 the evidence need only show that the unlawful purpose was one of the purposes of travel, not necessarily the sole or dominant purpose. United States v. Schultz, 855 F.2d 1217 (6th Cir.1988). Furthermore, Agent Park's testimony regarding the Lear jet flight and its passengers is useful to prove travel, despite that fact that the exact identities of the passengers is not known. Evidence in quality similar to this was sufficient for a Travel Act conviction in United States v. Puntillo, 440 F.2d 540 (7th Cir.1971), where the fact that defendant was seen in Chicago driving an automobile with Wisconsin license plates and that he lived in Wisconsin was enough to infer travel in or about the time of the indictment. Id. See also United States v. Peacock, 761 F.2d 1313 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 847, 106 S.Ct. 139, 88 L.Ed.2d 114 (1985) (Travel properly inferred where facts showed barrels containing contraband chemical were found in Nevada, plant producing this chemical did business only in California, and a truck bearing imprints of barrels could be traced to defendant.). 60 The evidence is clear in this case that Sweeton was a member of the load crew and that a Lear jet was apparently used to transport some or all of the load crew members from Florida to Georgia. In total, and particularly in light of Sweeton's own admission of travel, there is sufficient evidence to show his personal participation in two predicate acts necessary to fulfill the pattern requirement.