Opinion ID: 744066
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Standards of Proof for Conspiracy

Text: 11 Appellant argues first that the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to show either that a conspiracy existed or that he intended to sell narcotics to Besho. A defendant seeking to overturn a conviction on the grounds that the evidence was insufficient bears a heavy burden. United States v. Russo, 74 F.3d 1383, 1395 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 117 S.Ct. 293, 136 L.Ed.2d 213 (1996); United States v. Wallace, 59 F.3d 333, 338 (2d Cir.1995). A conviction challenged on sufficiency grounds will be affirmed if, viewing all the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, a reviewing court finds that any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2789, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); United States v. Pitre, 960 F.2d 1112, 1120 (2d Cir.1992). A reviewing court must view the evidence as a whole, see United States v. Casamento, 887 F.2d 1141, 1156 (2d Cir.1989), and give deference to the jury's resolution of the credibility of witnesses where there is conflicting testimony. See United States v. Pelaes, 790 F.2d 254, 259 (2d Cir.1986). Further, the government's proof need not exclude every possible hypothesis of innocence. United States v. Friedman, 998 F.2d 53, 59 (2d Cir.1993) (internal quotations omitted). 12 In order to prove a conspiracy, the government must show that two or more persons agreed to participate in a joint venture intended to commit an unlawful act. See United States v. Martino, 664 F.2d 860, 876 (2d Cir.1981). Because a conspiracy requires the participation of at least two culpable co-conspirators, United States v. Hendrickson, 26 F.3d 321, 333 (2d Cir.1994), it follows that [a] person who enters into such [a conspiratorial] agreement while acting as an agent of the government, either directly or as a confidential informant, lacks the criminal intent necessary to render him a bona fide co-conspirator. United States v. Vazquez, 113 F.3d 383, 387 (2d Cir.1997). 13 The existence of--and a particular defendant's participation in--a conspiracy may be established entirely by circumstantial evidence. See United States v. Gordon, 987 F.2d 902, 907 (2d Cir.1993). Moreover, the conspiratorial agreement itself may be established by proof of a tacit understanding among the participants, rather than by proof of an explicit agreement, see id. at 906, and the absence of an actual sale or seizure of narcotics does not render insufficient the proof of a conspiracy to distribute it, see United States v. Sureff, 15 F.3d 225, 228-29 (2d Cir.1994) (upholding conspiracy conviction where cocaine never explicitly mentioned, no drugs seized, and no direct testimony as to drug transactions). 14 An individual defendant's membership in a conspiracy may not be established simply by his presence at the scene of a crime, nor by the fact he knows that a crime is being committed. Instead, membership requires proof of purposeful behavior aimed at furthering the goals of the conspiracy. See United States v. Torres, 901 F.2d 205, 220 (2d Cir.1990). Once the existence of a conspiracy has been shown, it does not take overwhelming proof to link additional defendants to it. See Casamento, 887 F.2d at 1156. 15