Court Opinion

ID: 9486983
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 12:05:26.292593+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:52:02.502118
License: Public Domain

BRIGHT, Senior Circuit Judge,
concurring in part and dissenting in part.
I concur in the result sustaining the conviction of defendant Roach.
I dissent from that part of the majority’s opinion sustaining the conviction of Pamela Hester. The affirmance of that conviction rests upon a flimsy evidentiary reed. In my view, affirming Hester’s conviction makes a mockery of the rule that a person cannot be found guilty of a crime absent valid proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The jury convicted Hester of aiding and abetting the knowing, intentional and unlawful possession of ephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. To prove an aiding and abetting charge, the government must establish that (1) the defendant associated with the illegal activity; (2) the defendant participated in it as something she wished to bring about; and (3) the defendant sought by her actions to make the activity succeed. United States v. Robinson, 782 F.2d 128, 130 (8th Cir.1986). The government failed to meet its burden of proof as to any of the above elements.
Pamela Hester did not participate in the one-hour and four-minute, November 30, 1992 videotaped transaction regarding the arrangements to manufacture methamphetamine. Further, Hester testified that she went to the motel on December 3 (the second meeting) after the confidential informant told her a friend, somebody she had known a long time ago, for whom she had made a bridle, would be at the motel and wanted to see her. Tr. (Vol. Ill), at 411.1 At that videotaped rendezvous, while co-defendant Roach prepared the glassware for transit, Hester spent the first five to six minutes in the bathroom, and sat on a bed outside the view of the surveillance camera watching television during four of the last six minutes. The government failed to elicit facts indicating Hester’s presence derived from her knowledge of the methamphetamine manufacturing scheme or of any intent on her part to associate with or bring about illegal conduct. Hester did attempt to conceal on her person the C-4 block. However, the significance of Hester’s possession of the blue plastic-wrapped package remains equivocal: the C-4 was not iden*740tified in her presence, nor did any testimony link her to knowledge of what the package contained. Further, the videotape does not disclose whether Hester attempted to place the C-4 down her pants on her own initiative or at Roach’s direction.2 Consequently, the evidence only establishes that Hester associated with Roach. As this court has recognized on numerous occasions, an accused’s mere association with a co-defendant or mere knowledge of the transaction is insufficient to prove an aiding and abetting offense. See, e.g., United States v. Termini, 992 F.2d 879, 882 (8th Cir.1993); United States v. Duke, 940 F.2d 1113, 1117 (8th Cir.1991).
Finally, no evidence independent of Roach’s statements about his “old lady” connected Hester to any conspiracy. The following statements are at issue:
ROACH: “My old lady was the biggest dope dealer in southern Arkansas for years and years and years and years. Her old man is doing about seven in the feds right now. She’s with me.”
UNDERCOVER: “She’s goin’ to have to....”
ROACH: “Cause she’s going to be there with me ... yea, she’s going to be working with me. It takes four experienced hands to be [inaudible] dope.... ”
Government Ex. 5, at 6:51:32-6:51:56 (emphasis in audio). When Roach made these statements, he may or may not have been referring to Hester. Moreover, the references to Roach’s “old lady” and her assisting in Roach’s drug manufacturing operation clearly constitute pure, inadmissible hearsay, as the government failed to establish that a conspiracy existed, that Hester was a member of any conspiracy, and that the declarations were made in the course and furtherance of any conspiracy. See Fed.R.Evid. 801(d)(2)(E)3; Bourjaily v. United States, 483 U.S. 171, 175, 107 S.Ct. 2775, 2778-79, 97 L.Ed.2d 144 (1987).
In Bourjaily, the Supreme Court determined that a district court may consider the hearsay statement in making its factual finding as to whether the statement is admissible under the co-conspirator exception, Rule 801(d)(2)(E). Yet Bourjaily did not resolve whether there must be some evidence independent of the hearsay statement to establish the existence of a conspiracy, that the subject of the hearsay was a member of the conspiracy and that the declarations were made in furtherance of the conspiracy. This circuit, however, has decided that issue: “It is generally agreed that ‘an otherwise inadmissible hearsay statement cannot provide the sole evidentiary support for its own admissibility.’ ” United States v. Garbett, 867 F.2d 1132, 1134 (8th Cir.1989) (quoting Bourjaily, 483 U.S. at 184, 107 S.Ct. at 2783 (Stevens, J., concurring)); but see United States v. Wood, 851 F.2d 185, 189 (8th Cir.1988) (stating in dictum that “the ‘independent evidence’ rule announced in [United States v.] Belli, 573 F.2d 1040, 1044 (8th Cir.1978) ] has now been abrogated by ... *741Bourjaily v. United States, [483] U.S. [171, 183-84], 107 S.Ct. 2775, 2783....”).4
Other circuit courts of appeals addressing the issue consistently have held, similar to Garbett, that some independent evidence is necessary for the statement properly to fall within the purview of the co-conspirator exception. See, e.g., United States v. Clark, 18 F.3d 1337, 1341-42 (6th Cir.1994); United States v. Sepulveda, 15 F.3d 1161, 1182 (1st Cir.1993); United States v. Byrom, 910 F.2d 725, 736 (11th Cir.1990); United States v. Daly, 842 .F.2d 1380, 1386 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 821, 109 S.Ct. 66, 102 L.Ed.2d 43 (1988); United States v. Zambrana, 841 F.2d 1320, 1343-46 (7th Cir.1988); United States v. Silverman, 861 F.2d 571, 577-78 (9th Cir.1988); United States v. Martinez, 825 F.2d 1451, 1453 (10th Cir.1987). See also United States v. Gambino, 926 F.2d 1355, 1361 n. 5 (3d Cir.) (although not reaching the issue, the court recognized that every court of appeals that has decided the question has required some independent evidence), cert. denied, — U.S.-, 112 S.Ct. 415, 116 L.Ed.2d 436, 501 U.S. 1206, 111 S.Ct. 2800, 115 L.Ed.2d 973 (1991).
I now turn to the application of the current test under Rule 801(d)(2)(E). A review of the facts in Bourjaily, and the Court’s analysis, is instructive:
In May 1984, Clarence Greathouse, an informant working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), arranged to sell a kilogram of cocaine to Angelo Lonardo. Lonardo agreed that he would find individuals to distribute the drug. When the sale became imminent, Lonardo stated in a tape-recorded telephone conversation that he had a ‘gentleman friend’ who had some questions to ask about the cocaine. In a subsequent telephone call, Greathouse spoke to the ‘friend’ about the quality of the drug and the price. Greathouse then spoke again with Lonardo, and the two arranged the details of the purchase. They agreed that the sale would take place in a designated hotel parking lot, and Lo-nardo would transfer the drug from Great-house’s car to the ‘friend,’ who would be waiting in the parking lot in his own car. Greathouse proceeded with the transaction as planned, and FBI agents arrested Lo-nardo and petitioner immediately after Lo-nardo placed a kilogram of cocaine into petitioner’s car in the hotel parking lot. In petitioner’s car, the agents found over $20,000 in cash.
.... Each one of Lonardo’s statements may itself be unreliable, but taken as a whole, the entire conversation between Lo-nardo and Greathouse was corroborated by independent evidence. The friend, who turned out to be petitioner, showed up at the prearranged spot at the prearranged time. He picked up the cocaine, and a significant sum of money was found in his car. On these facts, the trial court concluded, in our view correctly, that the Government had established the existence of a conspiracy and petitioner’s participation in it.
Bourjaily, 483 U.S. at 173-74, 180-81, 107 S.Ct. at 2777-78, 2781-82 (emphasis added).
Although this case and Bourjaily bear certain facial similarities — both involved drugs, the “co-conspirators” failed to mention the defendants by name, and each defendant showed up at a prearranged place at a prearranged time accompanied by the “co-conspirator” — the case against Hester contains no independent evidence corroborating the existence of a conspiracy in which Hester took part. As the majority observed, only the following facts exist in support of Hester’s conviction: “Hester was identified by Roach as an active participant in the ‘cooking’ scheme; and she, by her own actions, promoted the scheme when she attended the meeting and later tried to hide the C-4 explosive in her jeans to remove it from the motel room.” Ante at 737 (internal citation omitted). Yet without proof that Hester knew the contents of the blue plastic-wrapped package to be an explosive device or *742that its contents were to be used in connection with a methamphetamine manufacturing scheme, no intent can be inferred. Similarly, Hester’s presence at the motel, absent knowledge of the drug scheme or the purpose of the meeting, is of minuscule probative value. Under the test expounded in Bourjaily, the facts cited by the majority, independent of the hearsay statements, are insufficient to corroborate Roach’s statements, thereby rendering those statements inadmissible under the co-conspirator exception to the hearsay rule.
Because the district court erroneously admitted Roach’s statements about his “old lady,” I turn next to whether allowing the inadmissible hearsay into evidence resulted in reversible error.
Without Roach’s statements mentioning his “old lady” and stating she would be assisting Roach in the manufacturing endeavor, which impermissibly give rise to the inference that the statements referred in fact to Hester, the evidence established only that Hester associated with Roach — evidence insufficient to support a conviction. And as demonstrated by the verdicts, the jury ascertained this distinction when it acquitted co-defendant Hall, who like Hester, had not attended the first meeting and merely accompanied Roach to the motel for the second. The evidence failed to establish that Hall had any knowledge of the illegal activity, and thus could not support an aiding and abetting charge. Similarly, absent the clearly inadmissible hearsay from which the jury must have inferred Hester’s knowing participation in the drug operation, a reasonable jury could not have found her guilty. Compare Termini, 992 F.2d at 881-82 (return of funds and collection report that, unbeknownst to defendant, disguised the illegal payouts held insufficient to support conviction for aiding and abetting a money laundering scheme) and United States v. Weston, 4 F.3d 672, 674-75 (8th Cir.1993) (possession alone of methylamine held insufficient to support conviction of possession with intent to manufacture methamphetamine) with United States v. Gaines, 969 F.2d 692, 694-96, 698 (8th Cir.1992) (reciting substantial independent evidence held sufficient to support conviction for aiding and abetting the attempted possession of heroin) and Duke, 940 F.2d at 1117-18 (reciting circumstantial evidence deemed sufficient to support conviction for aiding and abetting the attempt to possess with intent to distribute cocaine).
No person ought to be put in prison absent valid proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Because the government only established that Hester associated with Roach, and otherwise obtained the conviction upon inadmissible hearsay, I would reverse her conviction.

. In fact, one of the undercover officers, Arkansas State Police Officer Steve Clemmons, testified that Roach believed "his old lady” knew Clem-mons, that he had recently bought a saddle or bridle from her. Tr. (Vol. II), at 28£, 293.

. Undercover Arkansas State Police Officer Steve Clemmons testified as follows regarding the C-4:
A. When I first gave it to Mr. Roach, he handed it to Ms. Hester and then she attempted to put it down in the front of her pants to conceal it, and her belt buckle was too large or something and she gave it back to Mr. Roach.
Q. Did he make any statement when he took it back from her?
A. Yes, sir, he said — When we [sic] gave it to her he stated that he could stand the chem charge but he didn't want that.
Tr. (Vol. II), at 284-85.
The videotape of the December 3 meeting does not depict any visual image of Hester’s short-term possession of the C-4. Further, though I have reviewed the videotape numerous times, I am unable to discern, unlike the majority, ante at 737, whether Hester stated she could not "hold” or "hide” the C-4 without a belt buckle. Following is my understanding of the conversation at issue:
Hester: “Can't hold nothing without my belt buckle.”
Government Ex. 6, at 4:44:18.
Roach: “You can’t carry that thing in [inaudible]...."
Hester: "It won't go down my pants without my belt buckle....”
Id. at 4:48:07-4:48:16.

. Fed.R.Evid. 801(d)(2)(E), the co-conspirator exception to the hearsay rule, provides that:
A statement is not hearsay if— ... The statement is offered against a party and is ... a statement by a coconspirator of a party during the course and in furtherance of the conspiracy-

. Wood's citation to Bourjaily, however, for the proposition that the district court no longer need consider independent evidence in evaluating the admissibility of a hearsay statement, pertains to the Court's discussion under the Confrontation Clause and the lack of necessity of inquiry into the reliability of such statements. That issue differs from the initial consideration of whether evidence exists to support a factual finding of a conspiracy.