Opinion ID: 706005
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: defendant's course of conduct theory

Text: 45 Defendant's argument essentially is that the judge erred in his supplemental instruction to the jury. She contends that the jury should have been instructed that they should treat the separate drug transactions as having occurred under a single course of conduct so as to mandate a determination that entrapment as to the earliest of the transactions necessitates a finding of entrapment as to the later transactions, as well. 46 The issues presented in this case have been squarely addressed by the Second and the Ninth Circuit (as well as by the Sixth Circuit, albeit in an unpublished opinion). 47 In United States v. Khubani, 791 F.2d 260 (2d Cir.1986), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 851, 107 S.Ct. 180, 93 L.Ed.2d 115 (1986), the defendant was charged with, and tried on, two counts of bribing an IRS agent. (A third count of conspiracy was dismissed before trial.) The bribery charges stemmed from incidents occurring on October 21 and November 14, 1983. 48 At trial, Khubani asserted the defense of entrapment. The district judge charged the jury on entrapment, but did not give Khubani's requested instruction which stated that if entrapment were found as to the October 21, 1983 bribe (count 2), then the Government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the November 14, 1983 bribe (count 3) was not the result of the first entrapment. Id. at 263. 49 After two hours of deliberations, the jury sent the court a note which read, If we find Kubani [sic] not guilty because of entrapment on Count # 2, do we have to find him not guilty on Count # 3? Id. After discussing the matter with the attorneys, the district judge responded to the note as follows: 50 I think I tried to explain to you in my charge that you have to consider each count separately and if you deal with count 2 then you go into count 3 and you consider the facts and the circumstances that you regard were relevant to that count and then make your determination. They have to be dealt with in that way. 51