Opinion ID: 418131
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Travel Act Counts

Text: 113 Counts Four, Nine, and Ten charge Cauble with aiding and abetting or causing acts of travel in violation of Sec. 1952. Count Four alleges as a violation Foster's flight from Denton to Thomasville on March 3, 1977. Count Nine alleges the Foster-Gerdes flight from Las Vegas to Denton on July 26, 1977. Count Ten alleges a flight from Denton to Bogata, Colombia on December 12, 1976. 114 Cauble claims that Count Four is multiplicitous of the RICO predicate charging a Travel Act violation based on Foster's return flight from Thomasville to Denton. This contention is arguably waived for the reasons we have discussed above. 111 115 The contention, if not waived, is meritless. First, each act of interstate travel constitutes a separately punishable offense. 112 Second, even if this indictment in fact charged the same trip as a RICO predicate and a substantive offense, an indictment charging RICO predicates as separate offenses is not multiplicitous. 113 116 Cauble next contends that the indictment failed to charge an offense because it did not allege the conduct or omission constituting the violation of the law. The essential elements of a Travel Act violation are travel in interstate commerce, specific intent to promote, manage, establish, or carry on unlawful activity, or to distribute the proceeds of unlawful activity, and knowing and willful commission of an act in furtherance of that intent subsequent to the act of travel. Because the statute fully and unambiguously sets out the essential elements of the offense, indictments drafted substantially in its language are sufficient. 114 117 Cauble finally claims that the evidence is insufficient to support his conviction on these counts. The district judge limited the jury's consideration to aiding and abetting, for the evidence demonstrated that Cauble did not travel on any of these occasions. 118 Cauble argues that his conviction on Count Four cannot stand because there was no evidence he knew Foster was traveling to distribute marijuana proceeds or was involved in marijuana smuggling in 1977. A reasonable jury might, however, have believed the testimony of William McKesson that Foster told him or implied to him that Cauble knew about the smuggling activities. It could also have believed from the other evidence detailed above 115 that Cauble was associated with and participating in the venture and, by paying for tickets, loaning money, and allowing use of the airplane, was acting to make it succeed. Therefore, the evidence was sufficient to convict on Count Four. 119 Cauble claims that the evidence was insufficient to convict on Count Nine because he merely furnished the airplane to Foster without knowledge that it would be used for criminal purposes. 116 He suggests that his testimony that he made repeated phone calls inquiring why Foster had not returned proves that he did not know of the activity. 120 The jury, however, apparently chose not to believe Cauble's testimony. 117 It instead seems to have believed Pilot Crownover's testimony that Cauble told him to hang tight for six days. A reasonable jury might have concluded from the evidence that Cauble knew the purpose of the trip and was guilty as an aider and abettor. 121 Cauble argues that his conviction on Count Ten must be reversed because Cauble Enterprises' mere payment for a ticket, for which it was later allegedly reimbursed, is insufficient to cause an act of travel absent evidence of Cauble's knowledge of or participation in a marijuana smuggling scheme. The evidence supporting this conviction is Hawkins' testimony that Foster told him that he was going to Colombia to set up a gig, Cauble Enterprises' payment for the ticket, and its loan of $3,500 to Foster on December 10, 1976. Cauble claimed that the loan was for a vacation and that the price of the ticket was repaid. 118 Although the question is a close one, we conclude that a reasonable juror might infer from this evidence that Cauble knew the purpose of the trip.