Opinion ID: 764883
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: 9 The Morenos assert that the evidence at trial was not sufficient to sustain their convictions. 2 A defendant carries a heavy burden when challenging the sufficiency of the evidence on appeal. Morrison, 153 F.3d at 49. When considering such a claim, we 10 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 we may overturn the conviction only if no rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. We defer to the jury's determination of the weight of the evidence and the credibility of the witnesses, and to the jury's choice of the competing inferences that can be drawn from the evidence. 11 Id. (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). 12 In essence, the Morenos claim that the testimony of the four cooperating witnesses at trial was contradictory, that none of these witnesses had any direct experience with the Morenos' operation because they did not work for it, and that their testimony regarding rival drug dealers sharing space and working together was incredible. However, it was plainly for the jury to assess the credibility of the witnesses and to decide whether their testimony was believable. The evidence was more than sufficient for the jury to find that Hernan and Oscar engaged in a conspiracy with many others to sell powder cocaine and crack. Pimentel testified, for example, that he observed Hernan actively involved in the sale of drugs in and around Walton and 165th Street from 1989 to 1992, and that Oscar took drugs from Apartment 6C at 1055 Walton and collected money from the sellers. Similarly, the evidence of Hernan's presence at the 1055 Walton apartment, Oscar's constant trips back and forth from 1055 Walton to replenish the dealers' supplies, Pimentel's and Silva's purchases of cocaine from Hernan and Oscar for Fon at 1055 Walton, and the drug paraphernalia seized in Apartment 6C supports the conviction for maintaining a place for distributing drugs. Finally, there was ample evidence of threats to a witness to support the convictions for conspiracy to commit witness tampering. 13 Accordingly, the Morenos' insufficient evidence claim fails.