Opinion ID: 3000920
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Sufficiency of Evidence Against Emerson

Text: Emerson argues that the district court erred in denying his motion for judgment of acquittal because the evidence was insufficient to support his conspiracy conviction. He argues that the evidence instead showed that the memNos. 05-3303 and 05-3336 7 bers of the conspiracy rejected him and that he repudiated any further interest in them when confronted by this rejection. Our review of the district court’s denial of a motion for judgment of acquittal is de novo. United States v. Romero, 469 F.3d 1139, 1151 (7th Cir. 2006). Emerson faces an uphill battle in his challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence. This is because “[w]e must determine 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.” Id. (internal quotations and citations omitted). Viewing the evidence in this light, Emerson cannot sustain his burden. To prove a conspiracy under 21 U.S.C. § 846, the government must prove “(1) two or more people agreed to commit an unlawful act[;] and (2) the defendant knowingly and intentionally joined in the agreement.” United States v. Johnson, 437 F.3d 665, 675 (7th Cir. 2006) (quoting United States v. Gardner, 238 F.3d 878, 879 (7th Cir. 2001)). The government presented sufficient evidence of Emerson’s involvement in the conspiracy. The videotape of the meeting on November 20 at the hotel in Indianapolis showed Emerson asking questions about the plans for the robbery, e.g., when the lick would take place and whether the warehouse would be open, and voicing his concerns about getting a firearm for the robbery. When Carlos asked if those present in the room constituted the team for the robbery, Ingram said that there might be one more and that he had wanted to bring his guys to the meeting to introduce them to Carlos. He did not exclude Emerson from the team, nor did Emerson exclude himself. To the contrary, Emerson said that he did not have any questions about the robbery in response to Carlos’s invitation for questions. In fact, according to Emerson, he was “used to it . . . .” 8 Nos. 05-3303 and 05-3336 Even after Emerson was benched by Ingram and not allowed to participate in the actual robbery because of the other participants’ concerns that he, Emerson, was trigger happy, he remained a member of conspiracy: he stood to receive a portion of the cocaine recovered during the robbery and did not engage in any overt act to withdraw from the conspiracy. “[W]ithdrawal requires an affirmative act on the part of the conspirator. He must either confess to authorities, or communicate to each of his conspirators that he has abandoned the conspiracy and its goals. . . . Mere inactivity is not sufficient. . . .” United States v. Maloney, 71 F.3d 645, 654-55 (7th Cir. 1995) (internal quotations and citations omitted). There is no evidence that Emerson confessed to authorities or communicated to the other members of the robbery team that he had renounced the goals of the conspiracy. That the other members of the conspiracy did not want Emerson to participate in the actual robbery is not sufficient to constitute withdrawal, particularly where Emerson was to benefit from the proceeds of the robbery. The district court did not err in denying Emerson’s motion for judgment of acquittal.