Opinion ID: 775727
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Derry Evans's Conviction for Conspiracy to Launder Money

Text: 52 Derry Evans also argues that the government failed to offer sufficient evidence that he conspired to launder money. To convict Derry of conspiracy to launder money, the government must establish that he knowingly joined a conspiracy to launder money and that one of the conspirators committed an overt act in furtherance of that conspiracy. United States v. Hildebrand, 152 F.3d 756, 762 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 525 U.S. 1033 (1998). At base, there must exist an agreement to achieve an illegal purpose. United States v. Agofsky, 20 F.3d 866, 870 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 513 U.S. 909 (1994). 53 Derry is correct that the government has not produced sufficient evidence of a conspiracy to launder money with his co-defendants. However, the charge under the indictment was not limited to conspiracy among the defendants. Rather, count 44 of the indictment charged that all of the defendants did unlawfully and knowingly combine, conspire, confederate and agree together and with each other, and with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury to launder money in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956. (Emphasis added). And the government has produced evidence regarding a conspiracy to launder money between Derry and his prostitutes. Eleana Garcia, one of Derry's prostitutes, testified that she wired money to Derry on several occasions (using aliases) and gave money to Derry from her prostitution earnings, and that he used that money to buy the Mercury Topaz and to pay for their travel expenses. She also testified that when she worked for escort agencies, she had to pay those agencies a fee out of the proceeds of prostitution. Those agencies promoted prostitution activities. These joint activities necessarily presuppose an agreement between Derry and Ms. Garcia regarding the handling of the proceeds of prostitution. Therefore, viewing all of the evidence in the light most favorable to the government, there was sufficient evidence to convict Derry of conspiring to launder money.