Opinion ID: 1363108
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: Ball next argues the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to establish a conviction, attacking the credibility of the government's witnesses and the lack of physical evidence linking Ball to the drugs and firearms. We review de novo the sufficiency of the evidence supporting a criminal conviction. United States v. Spears, 469 F.3d 1166, 1169 (8th Cir.2006) (en banc), petition for cert. filed (U.S. Mar. 2, 2007) (No. 06-9864). A conviction can rest alone on the uncorroborated testimony of co-conspirators. See United States v. McAtee, 481 F.3d 1099, 1104-05 (8th Cir.2007) (concluding an accomplice's testimony is sufficient to support a conviction if the testimony is not incredible or facially insubstantial). The test for rejecting evidence as incredible is extraordinarily stringent and is often said to bar reliance only on testimony asserting facts that are physically impossible. Id. at 1105 (quoting United States v. Crenshaw, 359 F.3d 977, 988 (8th Cir. 2004)). The trial testimonies of Fujan, Harris, and Calovich were corroborated by (1) Ball's appearance at the scheduled drug delivery meeting with Harris, (2) Ball's possession of a police scanner and methamphetamine at the time of his arrest, and (3) firearms, methamphetamine, MSM, and drug distribution paraphernalia recovered from Ball's residence. The testimonies of law enforcement officers and other physical evidence further corroborated the co-conspirators' testimonies. We conclude there was sufficient evidence to support the jury's verdicts.