Opinion ID: 1424
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Sufficiency of the Evidence for the Conspiracy Count

Text: Taylor challenges his conviction, claiming that the government presented insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he conspired with Barnes, Hightower, Alexander, Armstead, and Brown to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. When assessing a sufficiency of the evidence claim, our threshold inquiry is whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. United States v. Curtis, 324 F.3d 501, 505 (7th Cir.2003) (internal citations omitted). We do not re-weigh the evidence or determine the credibility of witnesses. United States v. Longstreet, 567 F.3d 911, 918 (7th Cir.2009). To convict a defendant of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine under 21 U.S.C. § 846, the government must establish: (1) the existence of an agreement between two or more persons to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; (2) that the defendant knew of the agreement; and (3) the defendant intended to join the agreement. See United States v. Billops, 43 F.3d 281, 284 (7th Cir.1994). [M]ere association with conspirators, knowledge of a conspiracy and presence during conspiratorial discussions is not sufficient to convict a person of conspiracy. United States v. Useni, 516 F.3d 634, 646 (7th Cir.2008). Taylor argues that the government presented such limited and unreliable evidence that no reasonable juror could have found him guilty of being involved in the conspiracy beyond a reasonable doubt. Taylor claims that he was only in Fort Wayne to visit his uncle, that he had no knowledge of the plan to steal the drug shipment until the meeting at the Knights Inn on May 4, 2006, and that he was merely present for that meeting but did not participate. To support his claim of noninvolvement in the conspiracy, Taylor points to his minimal involvement in the meeting at the Knights Inn and the uncontested fact that he never spoke to the confidential informant. To counter the testimony of Hightower, Armstead, and Brown, all of whom testified that Taylor participated in planning the heist, Taylor argues that their testimony was inconsistent and therefore we should not credit it. The inconsistencies in their testimony generally relate to whether Barnes and Hightower received guns from Taylor on May 3, 2006. Armstead and Hightower testified consistently on the main issue, that Barnes received the guns from Taylor on May 3, 2006, but deviated on who retrieved the guns and where the guns were originally located. Barnes completely denied receiving guns from Taylor. Although Taylor's arguments may have been valid arguments to put before a jury, they are not enough to support a sufficiency of the evidence challenge on appeal. The government put forth evidence that Taylor actively participated in the conspiracy and even recruited other individuals to the conspiracy. Hightower testified that he saw Taylor give Barnes guns, that Taylor participated in a conversation about how three people would use two vests, and that Taylor showed up at the hotel with a.40-caliber handgun, three magazines and forty-six rounds of ammunition. Brown, who traveled to Fort Wayne at the urging of Taylor, testified that Taylor knew about the planned drug heist and traveled to Fort Wayne to participate. Armstead testified that Taylor recruited him to the conspiracy and that he knew they were traveling to Fort Wayne to participate in a drug heist. The government also presented an audiotape in which Barnes said that he had recruited an individual named MacMel, a known nickname for Taylor, and a videotape of Taylor participating in the meeting at the Knight's Inn on May 4, 2006. Although Taylor characterizes his participation at that meeting as minimal, the jurors had an adequate opportunity to assess his involvement in the meeting for themselves. Furthermore, Taylor concedes that he responded to questions and asked questions during the meeting. Taylor essentially asks us to find that the government's evidence was not credible. However, that is not the role of this Court. The government put forth sufficient evidence of Taylor's involvement in the conspiracy. It was the jury's role to assess the credibility of that evidence.