Opinion ID: 3044861
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Law of Entrapment

Text: The entrapment defense involves two separate elements: (1) Government inducement of the crime, and (2) lack of predisposition on the part of the defendant. United States v. Mathews, 485 U.S. 58, 63 (1988); United States v. Costales, 5 F.3d 480, 487 (11th Cir. 1993) (emphasis added). The defendant bears an initial burden of production to show that the first element, Government inducement, is met. United States v. Ventura, 936 F.2d 1228, 1230 (11th Cir. 1991) (emphasis added). Once the defendant makes this initial showing, the burden shifts to the Government to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was predisposed to commit the crime. Id.; see also United States v. Brown, 43 F.3d 618, 623 (11th Cir. 1995). 27 Cius, and Gustama by adoption, state that “what is at issue is the error in the trial court’s supplemental jury instruction.” (Reply Brief at 10). Furthermore, at oral argument, Cius’s counsel admitted, that even if not in the context of this case, the instruction was an accurate statement of the law, to which the Appellants did not object. 31 Case: 12-13474 Date Filed: 02/14/2014 Page: 32 of 58 To show Government inducement, a defendant may produce any evidence sufficient to raise a jury issue “that the [G]overnment’s conduct created a substantial risk that the offense would be committed by a person other than one ready to commit it.” United States v. Andrews, 765 F.2d 1491, 1499 (11th Cir. 1985) (quoting United States v. Dickens, 524 F.2d 441, 444 (5th Cir. 1975)). Again, this is merely a burden of production. A defendant has no burden of proof at any point during a criminal trial. See In re Winship, 397 U.S. 358, 364 (1970) (“the Due Process Clause protects the accused against conviction except upon proof beyond a reasonable doubt of every fact necessary to constitute the crime with which he is charged.”). Moreover, “[t]his burden [of production] is light because a defendant is generally entitled to put a recognized defense to the jury where sufficient evidence exists for a reasonable jury to find in [his] favor.” Brown, 43 F.3d at 623 (citing Matthews, 485 U.S. at 63). The “predisposition inquiry is a purely subjective one which asks the jury to consider the defendant’s readiness and willingness to engage in the charged crime absent any contact with the [G]overnment’s officers or agents.” Id. at 624. This element “focuses upon whether the defendant was an ‘unwary innocent’ or, instead an ‘unwary criminal’ who readily availed himself of the opportunity to perpetrate the crime.” Matthews, 485 U.S. at 63. This Court has rejected the notion that the predisposition analysis is one that occurs against a backdrop of fixed, enumerated 32 Case: 12-13474 Date Filed: 02/14/2014 Page: 33 of 58 factors; instead, it has held that it is necessarily a fact-intensive, subjective inquiry into a defendant’s state of mind. See Brown, 43 F.3d at 625. However, as we explained in Brown, several general principles guide the exercise: The Government need not produce evidence of predisposition prior to its investigation. Aibejeris, 28 F.3d at 99. Predisposition may be demonstrated simply by a defendant's ready commission of the charged crime. Jacobson, 503 U.S. at [550], 112 S.Ct. at 1541; Andrews, 765 F.2d at 1499. A predisposition finding is also supported by evidence that the defendant was given opportunities to back out of illegal transactions but failed to do so. Ventura, 936 F.2d at 1231, 1232. Post-crime statements will support a jury's rejection of an entrapment defense. Andrews, 765 F.2d at 1499. Existence of prior related offenses is relevant, but not dispositive. Id. at 1500. Evidence of legal activity combined with evidence of certain non-criminal tendencies, standing alone, cannot support a conviction. See Jacobson, 503 U.S. at [550], 112 S.Ct. at 1543. Finally, the fact-intensive nature of the entrapment defense often makes jury consideration of demeanor and credibility evidence a pivotal factor. See Ventura, 936 F.2d at 1230. Id.