Opinion ID: 12447
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Conspiracy (Wright and Morgan)

Text: Both Morgan and Wright challenge their conspiracy convictions on the grounds of insufficient evidence. To establish a drug conspiracy in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846, the government must 4 prove beyond a reasonable doubt that (1) an agreement existed to violate narcotics laws, (2) the defendant knew of the agreement, and (3) the defendant voluntarily participated in it. United States v. Misher, 99 F.3d 664, 667 (5th Cir. 1996) (citation omitted), petition for cert. filed, No. 96-1983 (Mar. 17, 1997)(citations omitted). The jury may infer any element of the conspiracy from circumstantial evidence. United States v. Inocencio, 40 F.3d 716, 725 (5th Cir. 1994)(citations omitted); Misher, 99 F.3d at 668 (citations omitted). Moreover, a conspiracy conviction can rest solely on the uncorroborated testimony of an accomplice if the testimony is not on its face insubstantial. United States v. Gibson, 55 F.3d 173, 181 (5th Cir. 1995) (citing United States v. Gardea Carrasco, 830 F.2d 41, 44 (5th Cir. 1987)). Melvin Ammons, John Stuart, and Johnny Robinson testified that they had an agreement to distribute crack cocaine in the Frazier Courts area. The record shows that Ammons, Stuart, and Robinson occupied one of the top rungs of the drug-dealing ladder in this area. Ammons bought cocaine in Dallas and Los Angeles for distribution in the Frazier Courts area. Stuart and Robinson sold crack from Ammons’s duplex on Frank Street. Andre Rogers was another key player who appears to have occupied an intermediate rung. Rogers employed appellant Jackson, bought crack from Ammons, Stuart, and Robinson, and sold crack to Jackson, Morgan, and Wright. The record also supports an inference that Frazier Courts was a protected territory for the distribution of crack cocaine; that 5 is, dealers in the area would not allow just anyone to sell crack cocaine in the area. Dealers were equally choosy about their clientele. Both Stuart and Rogers testified that they would not sell crack cocaine to someone they did not know. Agent Brown’s and Officer Webster’s testimony also bears this out: to make undercover purchases of crack cocaine, they had to have area residents involved in the drug scene introduce them to dealers.
The record in this case is sufficent to allow a reasonable jury to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Wright knew of and voluntarily participated in an agreement to distribute crack cocaine in the Frazier Courts area. Wright made crack cocaine purchases from several of the key members of the Frazier Courts conspiracy. During 1995, Stuart sold and “fronted” crack (i.e., allowed Wright to pay for crack with the proceeds of its sale to others) to Wright. Robinson also fronted crack to Wright. Wright twice attempted to purchase crack from Ammons “on consignment.” Ammons testified that he refused because it was “common knowledge” that Wright was “working for” Stuart.2 Wright also purchased crack from Andre Rogers. 2 Wright apparently argues that a colloquy between the district court and Stuart at the sentencing hearing shows that the district court found Stuart to be a credible witness and that because Stuart testified that Wright did not work for him in 1995, Ammons’s testimony to the contrary should have been discredited by the jury. Credibility issues are for the finder of fact and do not undermine the sufficiency of the evidence. See United States v. Davis, 61 F.3d 291, 297 (5th Cir. 1995), cert. denied sub nom. Jefferson v. United States, 116 S. Ct. 961 (1996)(citing United States v. Bailey, 444 U.S. 394, 414-15, 100 S. Ct. 624, 637 (1980)). 6 Wright did not purchase crack cocaine only for his personal use. Wright concedes that the government proved that he sold crack to Officer Webster on April 19, 1995, April 26, 1995, May 23, 1995, and July 18, 1995. The government also presented evidence that Wright distributed crack in the neighborhood.3 According to Rogers, Wright once asked Rogers to let him “have a customer.” Wright also referred Officer Webster to 2939 School Place, an apartment out of which he and his relatives Darren Choice and Shawntee Cherry sold drugs. When Officer Webster made a purchase of crack from Shawntee Cherry, Wright paged him. Officer Webster testified that Wright first asked him why he had purchased from Cherry, but then said “oh, well, it doesn’t really matter, he works for me, it’s all the same.” All these pieces of evidence, especially in light of other testimony that Frazier Courts was a protected area where only insiders could sell crack, are sufficient to support Wright’s conspiracy conviction.
The evidence of Morgan’s participation in the crackdistribution conspiracy is sufficient as well. The record demonstrates that Morgan bought crack from Ammons, Stuart, and Robinson during 1995, made two crack sales to undercover officers 3 Wright also argues that his affiliation with a gang could not be used to prove the conspiracy. This argument is frivolous. The government did not introduce evidence at trial of Wright’s affiliation with the 415 Bloods, much less did it rely on that affiliation to prove conspiracy. 7 during the same period, and was aware of at least a tacit agreement between Ammons, Stuart, and Robinson.4 In March 1995, Morgan referred Officer Webster to Andre Rogers for the purchase of crack cocaine. Ammons testified that in May 1995, Morgan approached him to buy crack cocaine. He told Ammons that he was buying the crack because Rogers was no longer at his house at 2821/2823 Carter, but his customers were “still coming down there” so Morgan “wanted to make some money.” It requires only a small and permissible inferential step to conclude that Morgan was taking over Rogers’s role in distributing cocaine in that part of Frazier Courts. On June 15, 1995, Morgan flagged Officer Webster down. Morgan told Officer Webster he was “back in power.” Officer Webster then purchased crack cocaine from Morgan. During the purchase, Officer Webster saw numerous small baggies of crack in Morgan’s car, further supporting the inference that Morgan was distributing crack in the area. The record also contains strong evidence that Morgan knew of the agreement between Stuart, Ammons, and Robinson. Stuart twice sold crack cocaine to Morgan at Ammons’s Frank Street duplex. On the first occasion, Morgan purchased approximately 7 grams of crack cocaine for $200. The next time, he purchased an ounce. Stuart testified that he tried to charge Morgan $450. Morgan apparently 4 Morgan asserts that his first sale to Webster on January 9, 1995 was not evidence of his knowing participation in any conspiracy because Ammons, Stuart, and Robinson had not yet entered into an agreement at that time. Even without this sale, the evidence is sufficient to support Morgan’s conviction. 8 had bought an ounce from Ammons for $400; Morgan protested to Stuart that “Sinky [Ammons] let me have them for 4. Stuart testified that he reduced the price to $400 “out of respect for the duplex [on Frank Street] and the business relationship we all had.” On another occasion in 1995, Morgan came to Ammons’s residence to purchase crack cocaine. When Morgan arrived, Ammons and Robinson were cooking powder cocaine into crack cocaine. Ammons instructed Robinson to tell Morgan that it would be awhile before the crack was finished. When the crack was ready, Robinson delivered it to Morgan on Carter Street. Morgan bought approximately 60 grams of crack in this transaction alone. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict, there is substantial evidence from which the jury could conclude that there was an agreement to sell crack cocaine in the Frazier Courts area and that Morgan was aware of and voluntarily participated in that agreement.