Opinion ID: 548450
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Conspiracy to Aid and Abet

Text: 6 In assessing the sufficiency of the evidence, we must determine whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, 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) (emphasis in original). Count two of the indictment charged Bosch and his son with conspiracy to aid and abet the possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and conspiracy to aid and abet the distribution of cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. Secs. 841 and 846 and 18 U.S.C. Sec. 2. Bosch argues that because the undercover IRS agent never possessed or distributed cocaine, no crime of possession or distribution of cocaine occurred. A defendant cannot be convicted of aiding and abetting absent proof that the underlying offense was committed. United States v. Powell, 806 F.2d 1421, 1424 (9th Cir.1986). Therefore, according to Bosch, it was legally impossible for the Boschs to conspire to aid and abet a nonexistent offense. 7 We have rejected the doctrine of legal impossibility as a defense to a charge of conspiracy. United States v. Everett, 692 F.2d 596, 599 (9th Cir.1982), cert. denied, 460 U.S. 1051, 103 S.Ct. 1498, 75 L.Ed.2d 930 (1983). In United States v. Rueter, 536 F.2d 296 (9th Cir.1976), the defendants were convicted of conspiring to buy drugs from an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent. The defendants argued that because DEA policy is against actually providing drugs to buyers in deals such as this one, they could not have possessed it and are entitled to an absolute defense of impossibility. Id. at 298. We disagreed, however, finding that the defendants were convicted of conspiring to violate the law. The conspiracy was complete when the conspirators had agreed to commit the offense and one of them had done an overt act in furtherance of the agreement. The accomplishment of the conspiracy's goal is immaterial to the crime. Id. Similarly here, Bosch agreed to aid and abet the possession and distribution of cocaine and overtly acted in furtherance of that agreement. Sufficient evidence existed to support his conspiracy conviction.