Opinion ID: 536265
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Entrapment and the Hobbs Act charges.

Text: 28 With regard to the Hobbs Act charges, we are satisfied from our review of the record that Mr. Alston failed to come forward with more than a scintilla of evidence that the Government's conduct created a risk that the offense was committed by a person other than one ready to commit it. Mr. Alston agreed to accept money (1) in exchange for his influence with the McIntosh County Commission in securing approval for Agent Carter's proposed club, and (2) suggested, without request by Agent Carter, that he could keep Carter informed of local and federal law enforcement operations in McIntosh County so that Carter could transact drug deals at the club without fear of detection and/or prosecution. As was stated in Andrews, Evidence of predisposition may also include the readiness or eagerness of the defendant to deal in the proposed transaction [citation omitted] ... or post-crime statements ... Andrews, 765 F.2d at 1499. Likewise, with regard to inducement, we agree with the district court's statement that the level of deceitfulness in this case is almost rather mild. The tape-recorded conversation between Alston and Carter at their initial meeting revealed that Carter did not refuse or discourage Carter, but instead took an active role in setting the price at which his help could be purchased. 29