Opinion ID: 1913911
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Entrapment as a Matter of Law

Text: Overby also challenges the jury's factual conclusion that entrapment did not occur. Our standard of review of this issue is as follows: ... we do not weigh such evidence, nor do we judge the credibility of witnesses; instead, we look only to the evidence most favorable to the verdict and the reasonable inferences therefrom to see if there is substantial evidence to warrant a conviction. State v. Rehling, 426 N.W.2d 6, 7 (N.D. 1988); Weisz, supra, at 464; State v. Kluck, 340 N.W.2d 446, 447 (N.D.1983); State v. Manke, 328 N.W.2d 799, 805 (N.D. 1982). Overby contends that the jury did not consider that Nelson had a criminal record. As we have stated above, the jury was aware of felony theft charges pending against Nelson. Other evidence relating to Nelson's past was properly withheld by the court. Overby contends that the jury did not properly consider that Nelson placed undue pressure upon him to sell the cocaine by playing to his sympathies and exploiting his friendship. The mere fact that an acquaintance persuaded Overby to make the sale does not establish entrapment. Weisz, supra ; State v. Flamm, 338 N.W.2d 826 (N.D.1983), [informant met defendant one month before volunteering his services as a drug informant, not per se entrapment]; State v. Boushee, 284 N.W.2d 423 (N.D.1979) [wife of defendant's friend, not per se entrapment]; Commonwealth v. Lebo, 405 Pa.Super. 316, 592 A.2d 353 (1991) [casual acquaintance, frequenting same establishments, never seeing each other socially, only seeing defendant three times a year, not entrapment]. Those cases which have held that exploiting a friendship was indicative of entrapment all involve more than just a mere friendship. See e.g., People v. Crawford, 121 Mich.App. 306, 328 N.W.2d 377 (1982) [defendant worked with informant, knew of informant's son's death, obtained valium for informant out of sympathy in informant's attempt to cope with son's death]; People v. Ramon, 86 Mich.App. 113, 272 N.W.2d 124 (1978) [informant was defendant's cousin]; People v. Soper, 57 Mich. App. 677, 226 N.W.2d 691 (1975) [informant was a childhood friend and claimed addiction]; People v. Turner, 210 N.W.2d 336 (Mich.1973) [knew informant for three years, informant promised financial benefits to defendant in his business, story of informant's addicted girlfriend]. Similar circumstances are not present in this case. In considering an entrapment defense, we have previously rejected claims of undue psychological pressure in inducing one to sell illegal drugs. Kluck, supra [fact that informant was a friend of defendant, that informant stressed that defendant owed him a favor, and that informant's friend desperately needed the drugs, was not per se entrapment]; Flamm, supra [psychological pressure by repeatedly calling and asking for drugs is not per se entrapment]; State v. Hoffman, 291 N.W.2d 430 (N.D.1980) [befriending defendant, using drugs in defendant's presence, and other dirty tricks do not constitute entrapment if not outrageous and unacceptableit is a technique to gain acceptance in the drug culture]. The jury was correct in determining that the type of psychological pressure in this case was not so contrary to public policy as to warrant entrapment. Overby also contends that the jury did not properly consider that neither Nelson nor the law enforcement agency knew that Overby had been dealing drugs in the past. However, the evidence suggests that both Nelson and the law enforcement agency had some basis of suspecting that Overby would sell Nelson illegal drugs. Nelson testified that although he did not personally see Overby sell cocaine in the past, it was common knowledgethe word was out to everybodythat he would. This is a sufficient basis for the undercover operation which targeted Overby. The jury properly considered the elements of entrapment.