Opinion ID: 719610
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: 33 Rodriguez challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his convictions for both conspiracy to suborn perjury and conspiracy to obstruct justice. A defendant challenging a conviction on sufficiency grounds bears a heavy burden. See United States v. Jespersen, 65 F.3d 993, 998 (2d Cir.1995), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 116 S.Ct. 1571, 134 L.Ed.2d 669 (1996). The reviewing court must consider the evidence in the light most favorable to the government, crediting every inference that the jury might have drawn in favor of the government, and may overturn the conviction only if no rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Id. 34 As outlined earlier, Crespo testified at trial that Camacho and Rodriguez had sent Crespo a letter asking Crespo to testify falsely and requesting that Crespo retract his earlier statements against Defendants. Crespo testified that he interpreted the letter as containing veiled threats against him and his family. Because we are required to resolve any issue regarding Crespo's credibility in favor of the government, see id., and because a rational jury could have concluded that Camacho and Rodriguez communicated threats to Crespo, we hold that Crespo's testimony was sufficient to support the jury's finding that Rodriguez and Camacho conspired to suborn perjury and to obstruct justice by means of threat and intimidation. 35