Opinion ID: 4562342
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Sufficiency of the Evidence Against Issa Doreh

Text: Defendant Issa Doreh challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support the jury’s verdict that he was guilty of Counts One (conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2339A(a)), Two (conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2339B(a)(1)), Three (conspiracy to launder monetary instruments in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(2)(A) and (h)), and Five (providing or aiding and abetting the provision of material support to a foreign terrorist organization in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2339B(a)(1) and (2)). We review de novo whether sufficient evidence supports a conviction, asking whether, “viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.” United States v. Chung, 659 F.3d 815, 823 (9th Cir. 2011). To prove Count One, the prosecution was required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that: (1) Doreh entered into a conspiracy; (2) the objective of the conspiracy was to provide material support or resources; and (3) he knew and intended that the provision of such material support or resources would be used in preparing for, or in carrying out, a conspiracy to kill persons in a foreign country (18 U.S.C. § 956) or a conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction outside of the United States (18 U.S.C. § 2332a(b)). 52 UNITED STATES V. MOALIN 18 U.S.C. § 2339A(a); see United States v. Hassan, 742 F.3d 104, 112 (4th Cir. 2014). To prove Count Two, the prosecution had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Doreh entered into a conspiracy to provide material support or resources to al-Shabaab, knowing that al-Shabaab was a designated terrorist organization or that it engaged in terrorist activity. See 18 U.S.C. § 2339B(a)(1). To prove Count Three, the prosecution had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Doreh entered into an agreement to transfer funds with an “intent to promote the carrying on of specified unlawful activity,” namely, the provision of material support to foreign terrorists and a foreign terrorist organization, with intent to promote a conspiracy to kill persons in a foreign country. Id. § 1956(a)(2)(A) and (h). Finally, to prove Count Five, the government had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Doreh either knowingly provided material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization or that he “knowingly and intentionally aided” in the commission of that offense. 18 U.S.C. §§ 2, 2339B(a)(1). None of the three conspiracy counts required the prosecution to prove that Doreh committed an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy. See id. §§ 2339A, 2339B(a)(1); Whitfield v. United States, 543 U.S. 209, 219 (2005); United States v. Stewart, 590 F.3d 93, 114–16 (2d Cir. 2009). The prosecution also did not have to prove that Doreh “kn[ew] all the conspirators, participated in the conspiracy from its beginning, participated in all its enterprises, or [knew] all its details.” United States v. Torralba-Mendia, 784 F.3d 652, 664 (9th Cir. 2015) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, a rational jury could conclude beyond a UNITED STATES V. MOALIN 53 reasonable doubt that the elements of Counts One, Two, Three, and Five were satisfied. Doreh maintains that the government could not prove that “Shikhalow”—the person identified on the calls with Moalin—was actually Aden Hashi Ayrow, the important alShabaab figure. The call transcripts introduced by the government reflect calls between Moalin and Shikhalow from December 21, 2007, to April 25, 2008. It can be inferred from Moalin’s conversations with Shikhalow and others that “Shikhalow” was a code name for Ayrow. On December 30, 2007, an unidentified man asked Moalin whether “Aden Ayrow” was the leader of “these youth”; “alShabaab” means “the youth” in Arabic. Moalin replied that while Aden Ayrow had superiors, he was “involved in it extensively.” On January 3, 2008, Moalin spoke to Shikhalow and then told an unidentified man on a call beginning about half an hour later that “right now, when . . . you were calling me . . . I was talking to the man who is in charge of the youth.” Later, on January 20, 2008, Shikhalow told Moalin that “we, the Shabaab, have a political section, a military section and a missionary section.” Further, on February 17, 2008, an acquaintance of Moalin’s told Moalin he had “heard that . . . [Moalin’s] friend, Aden Hashi Ayrow, [was] in Dhusa Mareeb . . . and [was] taking part in the fighting . . . and [was] pleading for support. . . .” The transcripts also indicate that Doreh was aware of Shikhalow’s identity as Aden Ayrow. Ayrow died in a U.S. missile strike on May 1, 2008. That same day, Moalin learned from an acquaintance that “the house where Shikhalow . . . used to stay” was targeted. Moalin then learned from another acquaintance that a missile was dropped on a house “thought to be inhabited by the main man.” Moalin then called M. Mohamud and told him that 54 UNITED STATES V. MOALIN “mainly the news is that even Majadhub is among [the people who are gone].” “Majadhub” was another name for Shikhalow. Lastly, Moalin called Doreh and told him: “[T]hat man is gone . . . . That news is highly reliable—that he is gone. . . . [T]he people whom he was working with reported that news.” Doreh responded: “You mean Aden?” Moalin replied: “Yes.” Further, a rational juror could conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Doreh was aware of Shikhalow’s involvement with violent activity. On December 21, 2007, Moalin discussed with Shikhalow the money Shikhalow needed for the remainder of the month. Moalin told Shikhalow that he would talk to “the Saleban clan cleric whom you talked to, by the name of Sheikh Issa, who is a very dear man.” (Issa is Doreh’s first name, and Moalin addressed him directly as “Sheikh Issa.”) Minutes after talking to Shikhalow, Moalin called Doreh and told him that the “cleric whom you spoke with the other day” had just called and requested money. Moalin told Doreh that the money was “need[ed] for our forces stationed” in the “places where the fighting are [sic] going on.” A few months later, on April 21, 2008, Doreh told Moalin and another man that “whoever fights against the aggressive non-Muslims . . . will be victorious” and that “today there is no better cause for a person . . . than to be martyr for his country, land and religion.” When Doreh learned of “Aden’s” death, he told Moalin that the “question is not how he died but the important thing is what he died for[:] . . . the religion of Islam . . . .” While the transcripts do not include direct conversations between Doreh and Shikhalow, they describe Doreh’s involvement with Moalin and others in transferring funds from San Diego to Shikhalow’s organization in Somalia, UNITED STATES V. MOALIN 55 sometimes using names Doreh knew were invented. The funds were transferred by Shidaal Express, the hawala where Doreh worked. The transactions at issue, totaling $10,900, took place in January, February, April, July, and August of 2008. As described above, Moalin informed Shikhalow on December 21, 2007, that Moalin would handle the sending of funds to Shikhalow “with the . . . cleric whom you talked to, by the name of Sheikh Issa.” On that call, Shikhalow told Moalin that he needed $3,160 for the remainder of the month. Minutes later, Moalin called Doreh and told him that “[t]he cleric whom you spoke with the other day” had stated that “an amount of . . . $3600.00 . . . is needed” for the “forces stationed around” “where the fighting are [sic] going on.” Moalin also told Doreh that he had been told that “the most we spend for any one place is $4000.00.” Moalin called Doreh again on December 28, 2007, telling him that “[t]he men requested that we throw something to them for this month” and asking if Sheikh Mohamed had fallen behind schedule. Doreh told Moalin that he would speak with Sheikh Mohamed about the issue if he saw Sheikh Mohamed that day. Moalin called Sheikh Mohamed later on December 28, 2007, and received Sheikh Mohamed’s promise that he would “complete the task, which pertains to the men, tomorrow. . . .” On January 1, 2008, Shidaal Express transferred two installments of $1,950 (totaling $3,900) to “yusuf mohamed ali.” On January 3, 2008, Shikhalow told Moalin: “[W]e received the three.” Moalin and Shikhalow had a long discussion on the morning of January 20, 2008. Later that day, 21 Moalin told 21 The second transcript is dated January 21 (Universal Time Coordinated), but it was still the afternoon of January 20 in San Diego. 56 UNITED STATES V. MOALIN an acquaintance: “[T]he gentlemen [sic] called me this morning. . . . [W]e had a heated debate. He said . . . [‘]We will use what you give us for bullets and drinking-water for the people. So, don’t hold back anything.’” On February 3, 2008, Moalin asked Shikhalow for news. In response, Shikhalow told Moalin: “You are running late with the stuff. Send some and something will happen.” On February 9, 2008, Doreh called Moalin and told him: “We have sent it.” When Moalin asked whether it was “the one for the youth . . . I mean the orphans or was [sic] the other,” Doreh told Moalin it was “the Dhunkaal one . . . [y]es, two.” The Shidaal Express Transaction Records note two transfers totaling $2,000 sent on February 13, 2008, from “dhunkaal warfaa” to “YUSUF MOHAMED ALI.” On February 14, 2008, Moalin spoke to Shikhalow and asked him whether he had “receive[d] Dhunkaal’s stuff” in “two pieces” with the name of “Yusuf Mohamed Ali” listed as the receiver. Shikhalow asked if the amount was $2,000, and Moalin confirmed the amount was correct. On April 23, 2008, Moalin called Sheikh Mohamed and asked: “Did Dhunkaal go?” Upon hearing that “Dhunkaal left,” Moalin asked Sheikh Mohamed for details about “where . . . Dhunkaal [went],” and whether “it went to the same name” for the “one whom it is addressed to.” Nine minutes after this conversation began, Moalin spoke to Doreh and asked him multiple questions about “the name that you used for Dhunkaal” and “the name of the sender,” explaining that he had just spoken to Sheikh Mohamed and thought “you used the wrong name.” Doreh told Moalin: “He told me the sender is the same as the name of [sic] previous person.” On another call a few minutes later, Doreh, Moalin, and Abdirizak, the manager of Shidaal Express, went over the details of the sender, receiver, and location of receipt. Doreh told Moalin: “I made Abdiweli Ahmed as the person UNITED STATES V. MOALIN 57 sending it”; “the man who is receiving the money” was “Dhunkaal Mohamed Yusuf”; and the location “we sent it to [was] Bakara.” When Moalin asked to change to location to Dhuusa Mareeb, Doreh told Moalin: “Then it will be changed. . . . It is settled. We will transfer it there.” Moalin learned from Shikhalow on April 25, 2008, that Shikhalow had received $1,900. Moalin called Sheikh Mohamed less than an hour later and asked “how many stones” they had sent to “Majadhub.” After learning that “three stones” had been sent, Moalin told Sheikh Mohamed that Shikhalow had received “[t]wo stones minus one.” Sheikh Mohamed told Moalin: “It was sent in installments. That is what they did.” Later on April 25, 2008, Moalin called Abdirizak and asked whether “[t]hat issue with [] Dhunkaal” had been sent in two installments. Abdirizak confirmed that there were two installments: “[O]ne was for 19 and the other for 11.” Abdirizak noted that the second installment was “still outstanding,” that the recipient was “Mohamed Yusuf Dhunkaal,” that the sender was “Sahra Warsame,” and that the location was “Dhusa Mareeb.” The Shidaal Express Transaction Records note a transfer of $1,900 on April 23, 2008, from “abdiwali ahmed” to “DUNKAAL MOHAMED YUSUF” as well as a transfer of $1,100 on April 25, 2008, from “Zahra warsame” to “mohamed yusuf dunkaal”; both transfers record a receiver city of “DHUUSAMAREEB.” After Ayrow’s death, Moalin told an acquaintance on May 8, 2008: “If the man that we used to deal with is gone— I mean—that the assistance and the work that we were performing—we want it not to stop.” Moalin appears to have been asking the acquaintance to connect him to someone else so that Moalin could continue supporting al-Shabaab: “So now that man is gone we want to have contact with another 58 UNITED STATES V. MOALIN man God willing. So we can continue the assistance as before.” On July 11, 2008, Moalin made contact, apparently for the first time, with Omar Mataan. After learning that the man on the phone was Mataan, Moalin told him: “Man, our contact got interrupted. You know that I had contact with the scholar, don’t you? . . . After the man left the scene, the whole contact was interrupted, you know?” Mataan told Moalin that he would be in Dhusa Mareeb until “the Friday after next Friday,” or July 25, 2008. Moalin then told Mataan: “It will come under the name of the account we used before, which was Dhunkaal. . . . [A]nd I will write your name as it is: Omar Mataan.” On July 18, 2008, Moalin told an unidentified man that Omar Mataan was “one of the guys in the region and one of the youth.” On July 22, 2008, Moalin told Mataan: “[W]e threw two cartons addressed to . . . your name, Omar Mataan. . . . I sent it to Dhusa Mareeb.” The next day, Moalin told Doreh: “[A]sk your friend if the stuff reached the children.” Doreh replied: “I personally checked the whole thing. . . . That money had [sic] exchanged hand.” After a segment of the conversation unintelligible to the interpreter, Moalin told Doreh: “No, we are talking about something else now, about the youngsters; . . . there were two cartons that I allocated for them. . . .” Doreh responded throughout with “yes” and finally told Moalin that the two of them should meet. On July 24, 2008, Mataan reported to Moalin that he had “received the stuff” and that it was “1, 6 eh 5, 0.” Moalin told Mataan: “It should have been two cartons. . . . I understood that you received 1, 6, 5, 0 and still short of 3, 5, 0.” The Shidaal Express Transaction Records note a transfer of $1,650 on July 23, 2008, from “Kulan Muhumed” to “Omer Mataan” with a receiver city of “DHUUSAMAREEB,” and a further transfer of $350 on UNITED STATES V. MOALIN 59 August 5, 2008, from “Hashi mohamed” to “Omer matan” with a receiver city of “DHUUSAMAREEB.” Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, a reasonable jury could have concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that Doreh entered into an agreement to provide material support, knowing the support would be used in preparing for, or in carrying out, a conspiracy to kill persons in a foreign country, see 18 U.S.C. § 2339A; that he entered into an agreement to provide material support to alShabaab, knowing that al-Shabaab was tied to terrorism, see id. § 2339B(a)(1); that he entered into an agreement to transfer funds with an intent to promote the provision of material support to foreign terrorists and a foreign terrorist organization, intending to promote a conspiracy to kill persons in a foreign country; see id. § 1956(a)(2)(A) and (h); and that he knowingly aided in the provision of material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, see id. §§ 2, 2339B(a)(1). We therefore affirm Doreh’s convictions.