Opinion ID: 475346
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: 28 Appellants Elliott, Otero, and Morra challenge the sufficiency of the evidence against them. We review the evidence against the appellants in the light most favorable to the government, drawing all reasonable inferences in favor of the jury's verdict. Glasser v. United States, 315 U.S. 60, 80, 62 S.Ct. 457, 469, 86 L.Ed. 680 (1942). 29 Appellant Elliott was convicted of conspiracy to possess marijuana and possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute. The government's evidence against Elliott consists of the testimony of coconspirator and government witness, George Cottage. Cottage testified that he had known Lem North, one of the masterminds of the scheme to import marijuana, for several years. In September 1979, North invited Cottage to meet North in Valdosta, Georgia, for the purpose of brokering the marijuana from the first importation. Cottage invited appellants Elliott and Morrell along, explaining to them the purpose of the trip. Morrell drove. The trip was unsuccessful, however, and the three returned to Florida. In November 1979, after the second importation and upon Morrell's request, Cottage accompanied Morrell and Elliott to Valdosta, Georgia, to meet Lem North again. Before they checked into their hotel rooms, Elliott, Morrell, and Cottage met with North. North offered them a sample (three fourths of a pound) of marijuana for their prospective customers. Morrell took the sample and he and Elliott went to their adjoining hotel rooms. When Cottage arrived the prospective buyers were already in the rooms. Shortly thereafter, the police entered the rooms and found Morrell, Elliott, and Cottage together with the prospective buyers and the sample of marijuana. The strong odor of marijuana burning was present in the room. The sample matched the marijuana found at the stash site. 30 Elliott argues that this evidence only demonstrates his  'mere presence' in a suspicious climate. We disagree. 31 For Elliott to be convicted of conspiracy to possess marijuana with the intent to distribute, the government was required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the existence of a conspiracy, his knowing participation in it, and his criminal intent. United States v. Cruz-Valdez, 773 F.2d 1541, 1544 (11th Cir.1985), cert. denied, --- U.S. ---, 106 S.Ct. 1272, 89 L.Ed.2d 580 (1986). For Elliott to be convicted of the possession charge, the government's burden was to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he knowingly possessed the marijuana, either actually or constructively, and that he intended to distribute it. Id. We agree with Elliott that mere presence is insufficient to establish guilt on these charges. As this court recently recognized in Cruz-Valdez, however, the evidence in these cases establishes not mere presence but presence under a particular set of circumstances. Id. at 1545. We hold that from the circumstances in this case the jury could find Elliott guilty beyond a reasonable doubt as charged. See United States v. Walker, 720 F.2d 1527, 1538 (11th Cir.1983) (the existence of a conspiracy may be proved by circumstantial evidence, including inferences from the conduct of the alleged participants), cert. denied, 465 U.S. 1108, 104 S.Ct. 1614, 80 L.Ed.2d 143 (1984). The evidence demonstrated that Elliott accompanied Morrell to Valdosta not once but on two separate occasions for the same purpose--to broker the imported marijuana. The logical inference to be drawn from this evidence is that Elliott and Morrell had agreed to broker the marijuana and were knowingly participating in that agreement. Elliott accompanied Morrell to North's hotel room where Morrell, Elliott's coconspirator, obtained a sample. Both Elliott and Morell then met their prospective buyers, who sampled the marijuana. We believe that the jury also could have reasonably inferred that Elliott together with Morrell possessed the marijuana with the intent to distribute. 32 Appellant Pintado-Otero was convicted of conspiracy to possess marijuana with the intent to distribute, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, and the unlawful carrying of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The evidence against Pintado-Otero consists of the testimony of a Florida Marine Patrol Officer, and of a coconspirator and government witness, Myra Labrador. Labrador testified that she was hired to accompany a man while he drove a motor home that was heavily loaded with marijuana. Man-and-woman combinations were needed to give the appearance of a couple vacationing in a motor home. Labrador testified that several other couples were hired to transport the marijuana in the same way. Labrador stated that she was placed in the back of a motor home with several others and taken to what was later identified as the stash site. Labrador identified appellant Pintado-Otero as one of the people in the motor home. When they arrived at the stash site, the couples were assigned different motor homes. The motor home in which Pintado-Otero was riding was followed from the stash site by the Florida Marine Patrol Officer who testified that Pintado-Otero's vehicle would not stop until it approached a roadblock. The officer directed the passengers, Pintado-Otero and her daughter, to step out of the vehicle. While he was directing the driver to step out, the officer noticed Pintado-Otero place her hand on her purse. The officer instructed Pintado-Otero not to move while he removed from Pintado-Otero's purse an automatic pistol, which was loaded and ready to fire. 33 Pintado-Otero argues that her mere presence in a vehicle transporting marijuana that was only accessible from the rear of the vehicle is insufficient to prove that she conspired to possess and possessed marijuana with the intent to distribute. Because these convictions must fall, her argument continues, so must the firearm conviction. We disagree. 34 The circumstances of Pintado-Otero's presence in the vehicle transporting a substantial quantity of marijuana demonstrate that she was part of a conspiracy to possess and possessed marijuana. Pintado-Otero was among those people taken to the stash site for the purpose of transporting large quantities of marijuana out of Florida in motor homes. Her presence was essential to the success of the ruse--to give the appearance of a couple vacationing in a motor home. She was arrested in a motor home heavily loaded down with marijuana. The strong odor of marijuana was present in the cab of the motor home. The logical inference to be drawn from this evidence is that a conspiracy to possess the marijuana with the intent to distribute existed and that Pintado-Otero knowingly participated in it. In these particular circumstances, Pintado-Otero had no more or no less control over the progression and destination of the motor home and its contents than did the driver. Consequently, they shared at least constructive possession of the marijuana. See United States v. Maspero, 496 F.2d 1354, 1359 (5th Cir.1974). We hold that the evidence is more than sufficient for the jury to have inferred beyond a reasonable doubt that Pintado-Otero engaged in a conspiracy to possess and possessed marijuana with the intent to distribute. 35 Appellant Morra was convicted of conspiracy to import marijuana, conspiracy to possess marijuana with the intent to distribute, two counts of importation, and two counts of possession. John Thomas, who piloted the Christine, which was involved in the first importation, testified for the government that he was hired by appellant Morra to import the marijuana from the Caribbean to Florida. Morra told Thomas and a man named Bart Carver that the load was 20,000 pounds. Carver secured a vessel, the Christine, and prepared it for the first importation. When it was ready, the Christine sailed for the Caribbean. The vessel developed mechanical problems, and Thomas contacted Morra and defendant Ronnie Fripp, who sent a mechanic. On Morra's instructions, Thomas sailed the Christine to the rendezvous with another ship where the Christine took on the 6,000 pounds of marijuana. When the Christine returned to Florida and arrived off the coast of Steinhatchee, Morra communicated with Thomas from a plane that circled above the vessel. Carver corroborated Thomas' testimony, adding that Morra and Fripp were partners and that Morra assured him that there would be additional loads. Patrick Harrell testified that he was hired to sit on the stash site. Harrell met Morra, who Harrell stated was at the stash site when the marijuana was unloaded by the helicopters. Harrell testified that Morra, Fripp, and North were the masterminds of the scheme to import marijuana. 36 Morra concedes that the jury could have found him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of conspiracy to import and importation of marijuana with respect to the first load. He argues that the evidence is insufficient, however, to support his conviction for possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute with respect to the first load. Morra's argument is without merit. The evidence places Morra at the stash site and shows that he, Fripp, and North were partners or the masterminds in the criminal venture, exercising control over the marijuana. The logical inference is that he along with Fripp and North possessed the marijuana with the intent to distribute. Morra also argues that the evidence is insufficient to connect him to the second importation. He contends that the government proved two conspiracies to import and two conspiracies to possess marijuana with the intent to distribute. Because he was not connected with the second importation, Morra argues that his conviction on the second importation charge, the second possession charge, and the charge of a continuing conspiracy to possess marijuana must be reversed. We disagree. The government's theory at trial was that there was one continuing conspiracy to import marijuana and one continuing conspiracy to possess marijuana with the intent to distribute. Morra and Fripp conspired to smuggle marijuana into the United States by ship and helicopter and to use Joe Reams' property as the stash site. The testimony of the witnesses demonstrated that Morra and Fripp were partners and that they and North financed the importations and distributions. We believe that this evidence is sufficient for the jury to have inferred beyond a reasonable doubt that Morra engaged in the continuing conspiracy to possess marijuana as well as the second importation and possession of marijuana.