Opinion ID: 676107
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: 7 Sanders challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his conspiracy and firearms convictions. Sanders has his work cut out for him because when reviewing such a challenge,  'we consider the evidence presented at trial in the light most favorable to the government; if we conclude that any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt, we will reject the defendant's sufficiency challenge.'  United States v. South, 28 F.3d 619, 626 (7th Cir.1994) (quoting United States v. Davis, 15 F.3d 1393, 1397 (7th Cir.1994)). 8
9 A conspiracy is a combination or confederation of two or more persons formed for the purpose of committing, by their joint acts, a criminal act. United States v. Johnson, 26 F.3d 669, 684 (7th Cir.1994); accord South, 28 F.3d at 627. To obtain a conviction for conspiracy under Sec. 846, the government must establish the existence of an agreement between two or more individuals, with the intent to commit an offense in violation of the Controlled Substance Act. United States v. Martinez, 937 F.2d 299, 303 (7th Cir.1991) (quotations omitted) (citations omitted). The government need not establish the existence of such an agreement by direct evidence; instead, a conspiratorial agreement may be proved entirely by circumstantial evidence. See Martinez, 937 F.2d at 304. 10 Sanders submits there is no evidence in the record supporting the jury's determination that there was an agreement between him and Harvey to distribute cocaine. He argues that the government presented no evidence demonstrating, for example, what roles he and Harvey played in this conspiracy, or how profits from sales of cocaine were to be split. Indeed, Sanders claims that the evidence actually demonstrates that Harvey was working against him, insofar as Harvey's testimony suggests that he may have been making unauthorized sales from Sanders' stash and then pocketing the proceeds. Therefore, Sanders claims that the record, at best, merely demonstrates the spot-dealing of two independent dealers who had no interest in the other's success, and that this is insufficient to prove the existence of, much less Sanders' participation in, a conspiracy. 11 Although we agree that the government's evidence in this case could have been better developed, we nonetheless conclude that it is sufficient to support the jury's determination that a conspiracy existed and that Sanders was part of it. Harvey testified that there was cocaine in the house when he moved in and that it belonged to Sanders. He testified that he would mix Sanders' cocaine with a cutting agent, Mannitol, which was also present at the apartment when he moved in. He also testified that he sold this cocaine mixture to customers who came to the house. Contrary to Sanders' assertions, there is nothing in Harvey's testimony suggesting that his sales were without Sanders' permission. Thus, from Harvey's testimony the jury could have reasonably inferred that Harvey was making these sales on Sanders' behalf and therefore that the two were working together to distribute Sanders' cocaine. In sum, this circumstantial evidence is sufficient to sustain the jury's conspiracy conviction. 12
13 Sanders next challenges his conviction under Sec. 924(c), arguing that the evidence is insufficient to demonstrate that he used or carried any of the firearms discovered at the Milwaukee residence at all, much less that he did so in relation to a drug trafficking offense. To prove that Sanders violated Sec. 924(c), the government had to show that he: (1) used or carried a firearm; and (2) that he used or carried the firearm during and in relation to his drug trafficking offenses. See United States v. Perez, 28 F.3d 673, 676 (7th Cir.1994); accord United States v. Villagrana, 5 F.3d 1048, 1051 (7th Cir.1993). To prove use of a firearm under Sec. 924(c), it is sufficient if the government establishes that the gun increases the likelihood of success of the drug offense as a means of protection or intimidation, ... is available to provide protection, or ... provides a heightened sense of security to a defendant. Perez, 28 F.3d at 676 (citations omitted); accord Villagrana, 5 F.3d at 1052. 14 Sanders first argues that he was not able to use or carry the firearm under Sec. 924(c) because he was in Colorado during the time of the drug trafficking offenses. Of course this is nothing more than a rehash of his alibi defense which the jury rejected. We will not revisit the jury's determination that Sanders resided at and conducted his drug offenses at the Milwaukee residence. 15 Sanders next contends that because Harvey never testified that he saw Sanders with a firearm during any of the drug transactions at the Milwaukee residence, this further underscores his claim that the government presented no evidence that he used or carried a firearm within the meaning of Sec. 924(c). Yet [t]he fact that [Sanders] never brandished, fired, or referred to the gun[ ] during the drug transaction is immaterial. United States v. Villarreal, 977 F.2d 1077, 1079 (7th Cir.1992), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 113 S.Ct. 1350, 122 L.Ed.2d 731 (1993) (quotations omitted) (citations omitted). Here a .32 semiautomatic pistol, ammunition for the same and over $9,400 in cash were found in Sanders' locked bedroom. From this evidence the jury could reasonably conclude that Sanders used the gun to protect the proceeds of his drug transactions, thus providing him with a heightened sense of security. This is enough to sustain his conviction under Sec. 924(c). See Perez, 28 F.3d at 676; accord Villagrana, 5 F.3d at 1052; Villarreal, 977 F.2d at 1079.