Opinion ID: 692303
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Duarte's Possession with Intent to Distribute Conviction

Text: 23 Duarte argues that the district court erred in refusing to grant his motion for acquittal on Count V, possession of 100 grams or more of heroin with intent to distribute on or about July 15, 1993. Duarte argues that the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to support the jury's verdict because he did not actually or constructively possess the heroin on the date charged in the indictment. We disagree. 24 We review the denial of a motion for acquittal under the same standard as insufficiency of the evidence. All of the evidence must be viewed in the light most favorable to the government, giving it the benefit of all reasonable inferences. United States v. Pace, 922 F.2d 451, 452 (8th Cir.1990). Our review of the evidence is limited to determining whether the district court correctly answered the threshold question: Was evidence sufficient to support a guilty verdict produced at trial, so that the jury should be called upon to weigh the evidence and reach a verdict? Id. 25 The government requested and the jury was instructed that Duarte could be held vicariously liable pursuant to Pinkerton v. United States, 328 U.S. 640, 647, 66 S.Ct. 1180, 1184, 90 L.Ed. 1489 (1946). It is well settled that: 26 [u]nder Pinkerton, each member of a conspiracy may be held criminally liable for any substantive crime committed by a co-conspirator in the course and furtherance of the conspiracy, even though those members did not participate in or agree to the specific criminal act. 27 United States v. Lucas, 932 F.2d 1210, 1220 (8th Cir.) (internal quotations and citations omitted), cert. denied, 502 U.S. 929, 112 S.Ct. 349, 116 L.Ed.2d 288 (1991). No evidence was presented at trial that Duarte ever attempted to affirmatively withdraw from the conspiracy; accordingly, he was still a member of the conspiracy. Possession with intent to distribute heroin is obviously a substantive crime committed in the course of and in furtherance of a conspiracy to distribute heroin. Thus, the remaining question under Pinkerton is whether any member of the conspiracy possessed heroin with the intent to distribute it on the date of the indictment; whether Duarte actually or constructively possessed the heroin on the date charged in the indictment becomes irrelevant. At trial, overwhelming evidence was presented that Escobar and Vizcarra actually possessed over 300 grams of heroin with the intent to distribute it on July 15, 1993, the date charged in the indictment. Because Escobar and Vizcarra were Duarte's coconspirators, this is sufficient evidence to sustain Duarte's conviction for possession with intent to distribute heroin. Accordingly, the district court properly refused to grant Duarte's motion for acquittal.