Opinion ID: 380201
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Jewell Instruction

Text: 19 At trial, the court gave an instruction regarding a defendant's deliberate ignorance of certain facts, known as a Jewell instruction. See United States v. Jewell, 532 F.2d 697 (9th Cir. 1976). Appellant contends that the instruction should not have been given under the facts of this case. 20 Appellant is correct in asserting that the Jewell instruction is appropriate only in those cases where the defendant claims a lack of knowledge and there are facts that point in the direction of deliberate ignorance. See United States v. Murrieta-Bejarano, 552 F.2d 1323, 1325 (9th Cir. 1977). A comparison of the facts in Jewell with the facts testified to at appellant's trial demonstrate that the giving of the instruction was based upon sufficient evidence to point to deliberate ignorance by the appellant of the true contents of the plastic container. Therefore, the giving of the instruction was proper. 21 AFFIRMED.