Opinion ID: 2972263
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Hilario Zuniga

Text: Zuniga also challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his conviction. In his appeal, the government is entitled to the presumptions regarding jury deliberations and the credibility of witnesses outlined above. Zuniga’s extremely brief argument – in which he cites only one case, Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307 (1979)(accused constitutionally protected against conviction except upon evidence establishing every element of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt) – does no more than imply that some of the government’s evidence was imperfect, and that some of its witnesses were less than credible. As noted above, the government introduced a wealth of evidence indicating Zuniga’s involvement in the Harloff Farms drug operation, including testimony by Marla Taylor, Melinda Rodriguez, and the FBI agents who seized more than $100,000 in cash from Zuniga’s trailer and his van. Zuniga’s argument of insufficiency must therefore fail on grounds similar to Abel Santiago’s. Moreover, the Court need not consider an argument as to which an appellant has not developed supporting analysis. See Hutchison v. Bell, 303 F.3d 720, 748 n.7 (6th Cir. 2002)(claims inadequately briefed are deemed waived), cert. denied, 539 U.S. 944 (2003); United States v. Layne, 192 F.3d 556, 566-67 (6th Cir. 1999)(issues presented in “perfunctory manner, unaccompanied by some effort at developed argumentation” are deemed waived), cert. denied, 529 U.S. 1029 (2000); United States v. Watkins, 179 F.3d 489, 500-01 (6th Cir. 1999)(appellant has “duty to point to the parts of the record that support his position and also to present arguments in sufficient detail to show how they support his - 12 - position”). Zuniga has given us no more than the blanket assertion that “no credible evidence was presented or in the record as to the guilt of this defendant;” as such, his claim is denied. For the foregoing reasons, the convictions of the three appellants are affirmed.