Opinion ID: 787907
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: 44 O'Connor argues that the evidence was insufficient to support her convictions because her conduct did not deprive the owners of income, the mailing element was not satisfied, and the government failed to prove that the conspiracy existed within the statute of limitations. 45 We review de novo a claim of insufficient evidence. United States v. Odom, 329 F.3d 1032, 1034 (9th Cir.2003). Sufficient evidence supports a conviction if, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the claim beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979). 46 To prove a conspiracy under 18 U.S.C. § 371, the government must establish (1) an agreement to engage in criminal activity, (2) one or more overt acts taken to implement the agreement, and (3) the requisite intent to commit the substantive crime. United States v. Johnson, 297 F.3d 845, 868 (9th Cir.2002). The agreement need not be explicit; it is sufficient if the conspirators knew or had reason to know of the scope of the conspiracy and that their own benefits depended on the success of the venture. United States v. Romero, 282 F.3d 683, 687 (9th Cir.2002). After a conspiracy is established, proof of the defendant's connection to the conspiracy must be shown beyond a reasonable doubt, but the connection can be slight. Johnson, 297 F.3d at 868. 47 First, there was sufficient evidence of an agreement to engage in criminal activity. Office staff testified that O'Connor and Montgomery instructed them not to record complimentary uses in the computer, thereby concealing the activity from the owners. O'Connor forwarded complaints from owners to Mrs. Montgomery, who would then return the call and offer an excuse for the missing rental activity. Finally, Mrs. Montgomery omitted one-night rentals and Montgomery's and O'Connor's unauthorized uses from the owners' statements. A reasonable jury could have concluded that all three defendants worked in concert to conceal the unauthorized uses from the owners by mailing false owners' statements, and by assuring the owners that nothing was amiss with the rental program. 48 Second, an overt act occurred after the statute of limitations began to run in October 1994. Overt act nine was alleged to have occurred in January 1995, and overt act ten was alleged to have occurred in February 1995. O'Connor was convicted of the two substantive counts that paralleled these overt acts. That the indictment included overt acts performed outside the statute of limitations does not compel reversal; the district court instructed the jury that it must find an overt act that occurred after October 1994. See United States v. Fuchs, 218 F.3d 957, 961 (9th Cir.2000). 49 Finally, a reasonable jury could have found that O'Connor understood that her use of vacant units without paying rent was fraudulent, and that she used the mails to perpetrate the fraudulent activity. On at least two occasions she contacted the owner of a unit and paid rent for her stay. But when she occupied Tennis Village 42 and Tennis Village 26 while renting out her own residence, the owners' statements did not disclose the use. As noted, the jury also heard evidence that O'Connor directed office staff not to include her uses in the owners' statements. A reasonable jury could have concluded that O'Connor instructed the office personnel not to include her occupancies in order to conceal her occupancies and thereby avoid her obligation to pay rent to the owners. 50 To obtain a conviction for mail fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1341, the government must prove that the defendant (1) participated in a scheme with the intent to defraud, and (2) the scheme used or caused the use of the mails in furtherance of the scheme. Johnson, 297 F.3d at 870. The mailing element is satisfied if the government can show that the defendant knew or could reasonably foresee that the mail would be used in the ordinary course of business. Pereira, 347 U.S. at 8-9, 74 S.Ct. 358; see also United States v. Serang, 156 F.3d 910, 914 (9th Cir.1998). In general, to be in furtherance of a scheme, the charged mailing or wire transmission need not be an essential element of the scheme, just a step in the plot. United States v. Shipsey, 363 F.3d 962, 971 (9th Cir.2004) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). 51 Regarding count three, Mrs. Montgomery testified that O'Connor stayed in Tennis Village 42 from January 19 until January 22, 1995, and the calendar board showed her initials adjacent to those days. An R was listed for the unit on January 25, indicating that the unit had been cleaned after being occupied, and a housekeeper's record showed a full charge. The owner's statement did not disclose O'Connor's stay. Regarding count five, the reservation calendar showed O'Connor's initials next to Tennis Village 26 from February 8 to February 15, 1995, and an R for February 16. A housekeeper testified that Tennis Village 26 had received a full cleaning, and the owner's statement did not list O'Connor's use of the unit. A reasonable jury could have concluded that O'Connor occupied the units with the intent to defraud the owners of the rent they were due. 52 A reasonable jury could also have found beyond a reasonable doubt that the mailing element was satisfied. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, O'Connor understood that owners' statements would be mailed in the ordinary course of business, and she took measures to limit the information contained therein because she knew that owners expected to be paid for her stays. Because the success of [defendants'] venture depended upon [their] continued harmonious relations with, and good reputation among the [owners], Schmuck v. United States, 489 U.S. 705, 711-12, 109 S.Ct. 1443, 103 L.Ed.2d 734 (1989), omitting the unauthorized uses from the owners' statements furthered the ongoing scheme by avoiding inquiries from the owners about why certain occupancies generated no rent. 53 Thus, we affirm O'Connor's convictions for conspiring to commit and committing mail fraud.