Archive | sufficiency

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016

A Rare Sufficiency Win, On Transaction Structuring Counts

United States v. Taylor, No. 14-360-cr (March 2, 2016) (Droney, with by Pooler and Lohier)

The Circuit affirmed a cocaine conspiracy conviction over a constructive amendment claim, but vacated a conviction for transaction structuring on sufficiency grounds, holding that no rational juror could have found the requisite intent to evade currency reporting requirements just from the handful of suspicious transactions introduced at trial.

Taylor, a leader of the Buffalo chapter of the Afro Dogs Motorcycle Club, was charged with a conspiracy involving 5+ kilograms of cocaine — 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A) quantity — and several counts of transaction structuring. The jury found him guilty of conspiracy, but indicated on the special verdict form that the conspiracy involved only 500+ grams of cocaine — 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(B) quantity. On appeal, Taylor argued that “this conviction, based on an amount of cocaine less than that charged in the indictment, constituted …

Posted by Daniel Habib
Categories: sufficiency

Posted By Daniel Habib
Categories: sufficiency

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Saturday, November 17th, 2012

On Bank

United States v. Gyanbaah, No. 10-2441-cr (2d Cir. November 8, 2012) (Winter, Lynch, Carney, CJJ)

The appellant here was part of a group that, for more than three years, stole names and other identifying information, then used it to file thousands of fraudulent tax returns in those victims’ names. The group expected that about half of the refunds would be approved; having sought $2.2 million in refunds, they actually received more than $500,000. When they received a refund check, one of the fraudsters would forge the payee’s signature and endorse the check over to a group member, who would deposit the check into a controlled bank account and withdraw the money.

Gyanbaah, the particular appellant here, was linked to deposits at three different banks and nearly seventy fraudulent tax returns. A jury convicted him of five counts, including, in relevant part, one count of bank fraud and one …

Posted by Steve Statsinger
Categories: bank fraud, intent, sufficiency, Uncategorized

Posted By Steve Statsinger
Categories: bank fraud, intent, sufficiency, Uncategorized

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Sunday, June 3rd, 2012

Fleeced Hampton

United States v. Litwok, No. 10-1985-cr (2d Cir. April 30, 2012) (Livingson, Lohier, CJJ, Koeltl, DJ)

An Eastern District jury convicted defendant Evelyn Litwok of one count of mail fraud, and three counts of tax evasion – for the years 1995, 1996 and 1997. The circuit found the evidence legally insufficient to support the conviction for the 1996 and 1997 tax evasions, and also found that the mail fraud and the 1995 tax evasion counts were improperly joined. The court remanded for a new trial on those counts.

Background

Litwok seems to have spent a good part of the mid-1990’s involved in financial shenanigans in and around East Hampton. The mail fraud conviction arose from her involvement in a scheme to defraud an insurance company by making false claims for property damage and related losses at her two East Hampton homes. The tax evasion charges arose from private equity …

Posted by Steve Statsinger
Categories: misjoinder, sufficiency, tax evasion, Uncategorized

Posted By Steve Statsinger
Categories: misjoinder, sufficiency, tax evasion, Uncategorized

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Sunday, March 20th, 2011

Down for the Count

United States v. Desnoyers, No. 10-0447-cr (2d Cir. March 14, 2011) (Jacobs, Wesley, Chin, CJJ)

Mark Desnoyers was convicted of, inter alia, one count of conspiring to both violate the Clean Air Act (“CAA”) and to commit mail fraud, in connection with his asbestos abatement work. The district court, finding both factual and legal problems with the conviction on that count, entered a post-verdict judgment of acquittal. On the government’s appeal, the circuit reversed and reinstated the conviction.

The conviction on the conspiracy count related to asbestos abatement work in eight buildings. But, after trial, the government conceded that seven of the buildings were not subject to the CAA’s asbestos removal regulations. As for the eighth, the evidence was equivocal. The issue – whether that building contained enough asbestos to qualify – was not proven directly at trial because no witness actually took measurements there. Rather, the only evidence was …

Posted by Steve Statsinger
Categories: sufficiency, Uncategorized

Posted By Steve Statsinger
Categories: sufficiency, Uncategorized

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Friday, August 13th, 2010

Coach Bagged

United States v. Broxmeyer, No. 09-1457-cr (2d Cir. August 3, 2010) (Jacobs, Miner, Wesley, CJJ)

Todd Broxmeyer, was a field hockey coach for teenage girls in upstate New York and elsewhere. For many years he engaged in sexual relationships with some of them , relationships that sometimes also involved the exchange of photographs. Eventually the axe fell, and he was tried and convicted of five count s- four relating to child pornography and one of aiding and abetting the transportation of a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in sexual activity. On appeal, he successfully challenged the legal sufficiency of the evidence as to three of the counts of conviction. The court reversed those counts and remanded the case for resentencing on the other two.

A. Production of Child Pornography

In 2007, Broxmeyer began a sexual relationship with A.W., who was then seventeen years old. The relationship …

Posted by Steve Statsinger
Categories: child pornography, sufficiency, transportation, Uncategorized

Posted By Steve Statsinger
Categories: child pornography, sufficiency, transportation, Uncategorized

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Monday, June 21st, 2010

Ordinary People

United States v. Heras, No.09-3150-cr (2d Cir. June 18, 2010) (Raggi, Lynch, Wallace, CJJ)

On this government appeal, the circuit vacated a district court order granting a Rule 29 motion that misconstrued the “ordinary consequences” rule and remanded the case for reinstatement of the verdict.

Background

Defendant Heras was arrested in the parking lot of a Queens hotel, after dropping off the target of a controlled cocaine delivery. When the agents told him what was going on, he said that “[w]hatever happened” in the hotel “has to do with [the target]. That has nothing to do with me.” He first told the agents that he had taken the target there to meet a woman, but then admitted that he knew the target was a drug dealer who had gone to the hotel to pick up drugs. He also admitted that he expected the target to compensate him, as he had …

Posted by Steve Statsinger
Categories: sufficiency, Uncategorized

Posted By Steve Statsinger
Categories: sufficiency, Uncategorized

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Sunday, May 9th, 2010

Package Deal

United States v. Torres, No. 09-1771-cr (2d Cir. May 5, 2010)(Kearse, Hall, CJJ, Rakoff, DJ)

Every once in a while, when the judge and jury refuse to acquit an innocent defendant, the circuit steps in and sets things right. This is such a case. Finding that the evidence was insufficient to establish that Torres knew that there were drugs in some UPS packages that he went to great lengths to pick up, the court reversed the conviction and remanded for entry of a judgment of acquittal.

Background

On April 30, 2008, a UPS deliveryman attempted to deliver two large “high value” packages to “Jose Torrez” at an address in Yonkers. Two men intercepted the driver near that address and asked for the packages. The driver asked for identification, but because it showed an address in Brooklyn, he would not release the packages.

The men were persistent. They followed the truck …

Posted by Steve Statsinger
Categories: sufficiency, Uncategorized

Posted By Steve Statsinger
Categories: sufficiency, Uncategorized

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Sunday, May 10th, 2009

The Pursuit of Happy Ness

United States v. Ness, No. 05-4401-cr (2d Cir. May 8, 2009) (Winter, Calabresi, Pooler, CJJ)

Samuel Ness was convicted of money laundering offenses in connection with his armored car business, which received and distributed millions of dollars in narcotics proceeds. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. On his first appeal, the circuit affirmed. He then sought certiorari in the wake of Regalado Cuellar v. United States, 128 S.Ct. 1994 (2008), and the Supreme Court vacated the affirmance and remanded the case for further consideration. This time, the circuit found that the evidence was insufficient and reversed the conviction.

Cuellar held that, for transportation money laundering offenses, the government must prove that the defendant’s purpose, “in whole or in part, was to conceal the nature, location, source, ownership or control of the funds.” A showing that a defendant hid funds during transportation is not sufficient to support a conviction, …

Posted by Steve Statsinger
Categories: money laundering, sufficiency, Uncategorized

Posted By Steve Statsinger
Categories: money laundering, sufficiency, Uncategorized

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Sunday, April 26th, 2009

A Small Triumph

United States v. Hertular, No. 07-1453-cr (2d Cir. April 6, 2009) (Straub, Raggi, CJJ, Session, DJ)

Robert Hertular was convicted after a jury trial of running a large-scale cocaine importation ring, obstruction of justice, and misdemeanor assault of a federal officer under 18 U.S.C. § 111. He was sentenced to 400 months’ imprisonment on the drug counts, 120 months concurrent on the obstruction, and 12 months concurrent on the assault. On appeal, the circuit agreed that the evidence was insufficient on the assault count. It reversed that conviction and remanded the case for resentencing.

Background

Hertular was originally arrested by local authorities in Belize, and charged with cocaine trafficking. Once released on bail, he initiated contact with a DEA agent, Vincent Williams, who was stationed in Belize, and expressed an interest in cooperating with American authorities. After two meetings in 2001, Williams told Hertular that the DEA would not use …

Posted by Steve Statsinger
Categories: assault, remedy, sufficiency, Uncategorized

Posted By Steve Statsinger
Categories: assault, remedy, sufficiency, Uncategorized

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