Opinion ID: 2648112
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: A grand jury charged Harold Wells and two others, all three officers of the Tulsa Police Department, with multiple offenses relating to the performance of their official duties. Following trial, a jury convicted Wells on two counts of violating federal drug laws and two counts of theft of government funds. 1 The other two defendants were acquitted on all counts. On appeal, Wells raises the following four challenges to his convictions: (1) the district court erred in ruling he had no expectation of privacy while conducting a consent-based search of a motel room outside the presence of the room’s occupant; (2) the drug convictions are not supported by sufficient evidence; (3) the district court erred in excluding, as hearsay, certain audio recordings contained on a key fob; and (4) the district court erred when it denied his motion for a mistrial after a government witness testified about the possibility he had previously negotiated a plea deal with the government. Exercising jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291, this court affirms. 1 The jury found Wells guilty of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841, 846; one count of conspiracy to steal public funds, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371; one count of theft of more than $1000 of public funds, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2, 641; and one count of use of a communication facility to facilitate the commission of a drug felony, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 843(b). The jury also found Wells guilty of one count of carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), but the district court granted Wells’s motion for judgment of acquittal as to that count. -2-