Opinion ID: 741804
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: 39 Defendants challenge the sufficiency of the evidence to convict them on a number of charges. Our review of the sufficiency of evidence is narrow, viewing all evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict and affording the government the benefit of all reasonable inferences that can be drawn from the evidence. United States v. Smith, 104 F.3d 145, 147 (8th Cir.1997). We must affirm if any interpretation of the evidence would allow a reasonable-minded jury to find the defendants guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Id.
40 Pyatt and Atterberry challenge the evidence supporting their conviction for engaging in fraudulent bank transactions, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1005. A defendant violates § 1005 if he or she with intent to defraud ... participates or shares in or receives (directly or indirectly) any money ... through any transaction with a financial institution. The evidence showed that Pyatt and Atterberry received more than $3 million in profit from the FWMC loan sales and a sizable share of the proceeds from FNF-SD's collections on the charged-off loans. Van Brocklin received nearly $1 million in payments from these sales, and allowed FNF to purchase a portion of the FWMC portfolio when it was committed to buying the entire package, enabling FNF to resell those loans at a substantial profit. A reasonable jury could conclude that the defendants received money from the loan sales as part of an intent to defraud the bank, and we affirm these convictions.
41 Hastings, Pyatt and Atterberry challenge their convictions for bank fraud, 18 U.S.C. § 1344. To prove a violation of § 1344, the government must show that defendants knowingly executed a scheme to defraud a federally insured bank. United States v. Britton, 9 F.3d 708, 709 (8th Cir.1993). Defendants argue that the evidence was insufficient to establish their knowing participation in fraud. Pyatt and Atterberry further argue that FNF's dealings with First Federal merely reflect bona fide transactions and aggressive brokering. 42 The evidence showed that Pyatt and Atterberry covertly paid Van Brocklin more than a million dollars in three separate payments. Pyatt and Atterberry then purchased less than half of the FWMC loans though they were obligated to purchase the entire portfolio, and then made immediate and substantial profits by reselling the loans. Hastings, who was a high ranking bank officer, board member, and who worked closely with Van Brocklin, was aware of these payments. She assisted in transferring the proceeds, sent FNF a check for over $71,000 that went directly to Pyatt and Atterberry, and did not disclose these dealings to the board or OTS. Hastings was aware of the substantial profits from the charged-off loans, which Van Brocklin shared with Pyatt and Atterberry, assisted in processing those funds, and did this even while continuing to work for First Federal. A reasonable jury could have inferred that the defendants knowingly engaged in a scheme to defraud the bank, and we affirm the convictions.
43 Pyatt and Atterberry challenge their convictions, under Counts II, III, and IV, for bank bribery, 18 U.S.C. § 215. 6 The basis of these charges was the $50,000 signing bonus to Van Brocklin and the two payments of $230,000 and $750,000 from the FWMC loan closings. Defendants contend that the government failed to prove that the payments to Van Brocklin were anything other than bona fide compensation pursuant to his employment agreement with FNF. The evidence showed that Pyatt and Atterberry negotiated the loan transactions with Van Brocklin, and that their offer for the FWMC loans dropped from 81 cents to 70 cents after RTC agent Jones told Van Brocklin 70 cents was a fair price. Van Brocklin failed to inform either the bank directors or OTS of the 81 cent offer. Van Brocklin did not disclose the payments from FNF. The two checks to Van Brocklin from the FWMC loan proceeds were made out to First National Funding, Inc. rather than to him, which the government argued indicated an attempt to conceal those payments. Van Brocklin allowed FNF to buy only a portion of the FWMC portfolio, and Pyatt and Atterberry obtained quick and sizeable profits from the transactions, which they shared with Van Brocklin. This evidence would allow a reasonable jury to agree with the government's theory that Pyatt and Atterberry paid Van Brocklin in exchange for allowing them to cherry-pick the FWMC loans. The convictions are affirmed. 44
Derived Funds 45 All four defendants challenge their convictions, on multiple counts, of money laundering, 18 U.S.C. § 1956, and engaging in monetary transactions with unlawfully derived funds, 18 U.S.C. § 1957. The elements of a § 1956 violation are: (1) the defendant conducted a financial transaction which involved the proceeds of unlawful activity; (2) defendant knew that the property involved in the transaction was the proceeds of specified unlawful activity; and (3) that defendant intended to promote the carrying on of specified unlawful activity. United States v. Williams, 87 F.3d 249, 254-55 (8th Cir.1996). A conviction under § 1957 requires a showing that: (1) defendant knowingly engaged in a monetary transaction; (2) the defendant knew that the property involved derived from specified unlawful activity; and (3) the property is of a value greater than $10,000. See United States v. Hare, 49 F.3d 447, 451 (8th Cir.1995). 46 The § 1957 counts involved a number of deposits, payments, and transfers of the proceeds of the charged-off loans after the sale to FNF, the profits on the resale of the FWMC loans, and the $71,010.31 interest adjustment sent to FNF for the FWMC loans. Hastings's and Van Brocklin's § 1956 money laundering convictions stemmed from their deposit and immediate transfer of the two checks totaling $980,000 that Van Brocklin received from the FWMC loan sales, and which were the basis of the bribery convictions. In light of the evidence already summarized, the jury could reasonably have found that these transactions met the elements set forth above. 47 As noted previously, defendants contend that an effect on interstate commerce is an essential element of these crimes, rather than simply a jurisdictional requirement. If we assume, without deciding, that such an effect is an element of these crimes, there was nonetheless ample evidence to support these convictions. The smallest of these transactions involved $14,000 and the largest $1,362,142.92. Defendants' conduct involved a number of banks and individuals in three different states. A reasonable jury could find that each of these transactions had an effect on interstate commerce. 7 48 Finally, Defendants challenge the forfeiture judgments entered against them, on the basis that there was insufficient evidence for conviction on the predicate crimes. Because we find the evidence sufficient for all of the convictions, we affirm the forfeiture judgments, except as otherwise discussed below.