Opinion ID: 474122
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Lowery.

Text: 63 Appellant James Wayne Lowery was convicted of violating Secs. 1962(c) and (d). Lowery argues that his convictions should be reversed because no witness positively identified him as being the person involved in the Bedami drug organization. Lowery contends that witness Raul Fernandez, who was able to connect him with the organization, identified someone else at trial when asked to find Lowery in the courtroom. 64 Lowery's argument is unpersuasive. The record does clearly reflect that when Fernandez was asked to identify Lowery's father he instead identified Lowery's father's attorney, but the record does not show that Fernandez pointed out the wrong person when asked to identify Lowery. In addressing this very point on Lowery's motion for judgment of acquittal, the trial court stated: 65 While I was not called upon to have the record at that time manifest the identification of Mr. James Lowery by Mr. Raul Fernandez, my note reflects and my recollection is that by gesture and by pointing in connection with the reference made in the transcript that he pointed out Mr. James Lowery or the younger Mr. Lowery. 66 It's a question for the jury, of course, as to whether my observation was correct in that respect. 67 Since we have no definite notation of the identification or misidentification of Lowery in the transcript and it is impossible to judge from Fernandez's testimony whether he correctly pointed out Lowery, we will give deference to the observations of the trial court and the ability of the jury to determine whether the identification was correct. 68 In addition, it is clear from the testimony of other witnesses that the Wayne Lowery that they knew as being a participant in the organization was the James Wayne Lowery who was a defendant in this case. When we view the evidence in the proper light we conclude that it was more than sufficient to support the Secs. 1962(c) and (d) convictions of Lowery. 69