Opinion ID: 2649557
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Conviction for Conspiracy

Text: Morris contends that the Government failed to prove the existence of a conspiracy, or that he was a member of it. He preserved this argument through a Rule 29 motion. The elements of a conspiracy are: (1) a unity of purpose between the alleged conspirators; (2) an intent to achieve a common goal; and (3) an agreement to work together toward that goal. United States v. Gibbs, 190 F.3d 188, 197 (3d Cir. 1999). The Government can prove these three elements “entirely by circumstantial evidence.” Id. We have held that “a simple buyer-seller relationship,” which Morris contends existed in this case, “without any prior or contemporaneous understanding beyond the sales 19 Morris contends that the probable cause finding could not have relied on the police report because it was undated, and the affidavit must set forth “facts so closely related to the time of the issue of the warrant as to justify a finding of probable cause at that time.” Sgro v. United States, 287 U.S. 206, 210 (1932). The police report merely provided additional evidence tying Morris to the home. The wiretapped phone conversations, some of which occurred less than two weeks before the search, provided recent facts to justify a finding of probable cause that there would be evidence of drug activity at the home at the time of the search. 20 United States v. Helton, 314 F.3d 812 (6th Cir. 2003), on which Morris relies, is distinguishable because the only evidence in that case was that a drug dealer called the residence around three times per month. Id. at 821. In this case, the evidence tying Morris to the drug conspiracy was substantial, including the recorded calls in which Morris and Coles discussed procuring drugs. 20 agreement itself, is insufficient to establish that the buyer was a member of the seller’s conspiracy.” Id. Where the evidence of a defendant’s participation in the conspiracy is solely or primarily drug purchases or sales, we look to the surrounding circumstances to “determine whether the defendant is a mere buyer who had such limited dealings with the conspiracy that he cannot be held to be a conspirator, or whether he has knowledge of the conspiracy to the extent that his drug purchases are circumstantial evidence of his intent to join that conspiracy.” Id. at 199. Factors that courts consider in this analysis include how long the defendant was affiliated with the conspiracy, whether there was an established method of payment, the extent to which transactions were standardized, whether the actions of the defendant and members of the conspiracy demonstrated a level of mutual trust, whether the transactions involved a large amount of drugs, and whether the buyer purchased the drugs on credit. Id. Here, the Government introduced extensive evidence from which a reasonable juror could infer that Morris agreed to work with Coles’s organization with the intent to distribute large amounts of cocaine. For example, the Government introduced an intercepted phone conversation between Coles and Morris that indicated that Coles asked Morris to get a lower price from Morris’s supplier.21 Morris agreed that he would try to help his “peoples,” referring to the Coles organization. Morris App. 371. Morris also noted that the supplier had “seen what [Coles] move[s],” which the jury could infer was a reference to the amount of cocaine Coles sold. Morris App. 371. Later, Morris asked 21 Coles said, “Get that better number for me . . . for us.” Morris App. 371. 21 Coles, “[Y]ou trying to get rich ain’t you?” Morris App. 371. When Coles responded that he was “trying hard,” Morris said “I’m a try to do my best to get you there.” Morris App. 371. From this conversation alone, the jury could infer a unity of purpose to successfully sell drugs, as well as Morris’s awareness of Coles’s group and the volume of drugs that they sold. Other recorded conversations between Coles and Morris further support this inference. In another conversation, Coles asked, “when we gonna be husky?,” Morris App. 381, which the Government’s expert testified was a code word referring to having “an ample amount of cocaine.” Morris App. 498. Morris told Coles he would go to Cancun to meet with “the old man,” and would let Coles know the following week. Morris App. 381. Morris also promised Coles, “I’ll see what I can do for you . . . . I’m a try my damndest . . . .” Morris App. 382. Coles responded, “That’s why I love you. I know you’re gonna do it for me.” Morris App. 382. The jury could infer that this exchange reflected Morris’s intention to meet with his source in Mexico to secure drugs for Coles’s distribution network. In another conversation, Morris told Coles he was concerned about “jawns” that Morris gave Coles. Morris App. 388. The Government’s expert testified that a “jawn” in this context was a kilogram of cocaine. Morris App. 495. Coles responded that he had Morris “covered” concerning the “seven [Morris was] talking about.” Morris App. 388. A juror could thus infer from this conversation that Morris and Coles trusted each other and that Morris had provided seven kilograms of cocaine to Coles on credit. See United States v. Iglesias, 535 F.3d 150, 156 (3d Cir. 22 2008) (holding that evidence of a credit arrangement was sufficient evidence of an agreement to cooperate). Based on these facts, and drawing reasonable inferences in favor of the Government, Dent, 149 F.3d at 187, the jury could find that Morris regularly supplied Coles kilogram quantities of cocaine and thereby conspired with him to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. Accordingly, we will affirm his conspiracy conviction.