Opinion ID: 752090
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: 35 Charles challenges the jury verdict finding him guilty of possession of cocaine with the intent to sell on December 15, 1995 (Count 7). Charles claims that he was attempting to steal the $1,200 from Slade on that date rather than purchase and sell cocaine base. In support of his claim, Charles points out that the police never found any drugs on his person, in his car, or at 862 Parham on December 15, 1995. He also contends that Slade's multiple failed attempts to organize a drug transaction bolster his argument that he only agreed to sell the drugs in order to abscond with Slade's money. The government responds with evidence that Charles, after spotting the surveillance vehicle on the way back from Nashville, handed the drugs to his companions before the police arrested him. 36 When reviewing a defendant's claim that a jury verdict is not supported by the evidence, the relevant question is 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. United States v. Lloyd, 10 F.3d 1197, 1210 (6th Cir.1993) (quoting Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2789, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979)). If the evidence is such that a rational fact finder must conclude that a reasonable doubt is raised, this court is obligated to grant an acquittal motion. Id. In order to appeal a jury's verdict based on the sufficiency of the evidence presented during trial, the defendant must make a motion in the district court for a judgment of acquittal under Rule 29 of the Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure. The Sixth Circuit has held that failure to make this motion constitutes a waiver of any objection to the sufficiency of the evidence. United States v. Nesbitt, 90 F.3d 164 (6th Cir.1996). We concluded that if a defendant fails to move for a judgment of acquittal in the district court, this court will not reverse absent a miscarriage of justice. Id. We also have held that circumstantial evidence alone is sufficient to sustain a conviction and such evidence need not remove every reasonable hypothesis except that of guilt. United States v. Peters, 15 F.3d 540, 544 (6th Cir.1994) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). 37 In the instant case, Charles failed to move for an acquittal pursuant to Rule 29 at the close of the government's case. We may therefore disturb the jury's verdict only if it constituted a miscarriage of justice. To sustain the charge of possession with intent to distribute, the government was required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that on December 15, 1995 Charles (1) knowingly; (2) possessed a controlled substance; (3) with intent to distribute. United States v. Peters, 15 F.3d 540, 543 (6th Cir.1994). Moreover, there is a strong presumption in favor of sustaining a jury conviction. Id. 38 Considering the totality of the evidence, it appears that the government offered enough circumstantial evidence to sustain the jury conviction in this case. Slade participated in the November 22, 1995 drug transaction and positively identified Charles as the seller. This earlier transaction provided evidence that Charles had access to cocaine base. There is no reason to doubt that Charles could have obtained more cocaine base in order to fulfill his obligation to Slade on December 15, 1995. Charles also admitted to possessing the drugs on several occasions. Charles offers no reasons to doubt the genuineness of his own assertions. Charles was not an innocent passerby who stumbled across a drug transaction. See Peters, 15 F.3d at 544 (holding that merely being present when a search warrant is executed is not enough to convict a party of possession with intent to distribute and stating that reversal would have been less likely if the government had offered evidence of prior drug transactions). Moreover, the message on the pager warning Charles that he was under surveillance supports the government's argument that Charles disposed of the drugs prior to his arrest. All of these factors lead us to conclude that no miscarriage of justice has occurred. Accordingly, after a careful consideration of the record, we affirm the jury's verdict finding Charles guilty of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base on December 15, 1997. 39