Court Opinion

ID: 9474326
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 04:54:07.862205+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:44:01.271017
License: Public Domain

CUDAHY, Circuit Judge,
dissenting in part.
Despite the existence of some circumstantial evidence and the occurrence of a similar transaction involving cocaine, I think the evidence to sustain Count II is insufficient. There was a telephone call using evasive language, in which Giangros-so spoke to Lenny Kucala, gave an address and talked money. Immediately thereafter money was wired to Giangrosso and Kuca-la telephoned to confirm receipt. The following day a one pound package with a Florida return address was delivered to Terry Kucala. Terry waited nervously outside his house for a considerable period of time before the package arrived. All this amounts to highly suspicious circumstances, which might indicate a drug transaction, but it is clearly insufficient to prove that the delivered box contained cocaine.
The majority relies heavily on the “pattern” consisting of one other proven sale of cocaine under similar circumstances in September. This makes for a close case, but I cannot accept the single additional transaction as establishing a “pattern” sufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the box delivered in August contained cocaine.
The majority also relies on United States v. Roman, 728 F.2d 846, 859 (7th Cir.1984), for the proposition that the identity of a delivered substance may be shown by circumstantial evidence. However, in Roman, there were two witnesses who observed five or ten deliveries of LSD, each including 1,000 to 4,000 dosage units. Although no chemical analysis was performed, two witnesses testified to the identity of the substance as LSD. This is a far fetch from the delivery of a package of unknown content by mail under the suspicious circumstances of this case.
Apparently the five-year probation sentence would be unaffected by the disposition of Count II. Nonetheless, I respectfully dissent as to this count.