US v. Eric Smith

Filing

UNPUBLISHED PER CURIAM OPINION filed. Originating case number: 4:08-cr-00147-JBF-FBS-14 Copies to all parties and the district court/agency. [998592003].. [10-4381]

Appeal: 10-4381

Document: 50

Date Filed: 05/18/2011

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UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 10-4381

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v.
ERIC SMITH, a/k/a Capone, a/k/a Pone,
Defendant - Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia, at Newport News.
Jerome B. Friedman,
Senior District Judge. (4:08-cr-00147-JBF-FBS-14)

Submitted:

April 29, 2011

Decided:

May 18, 2011

Before MOTZ, KING, and AGEE, Circuit Judges.

Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

Harry D. Harmon, Jr., Norfolk, Virginia, for Appellant. Neil H.
MacBride, United States Attorney, Howard J. Zlotnick, Assistant
United States Attorney, Matthew Vaughan, Third Year Law Student,
Newport News, Virginia, for Appellee.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

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PER CURIAM:
Eric Smith was convicted by a jury of conspiracy to
possess with intent to distribute marijuana and five kilograms
or

more

of

cocaine,

in

violation

of

21

U.S.C.

§§

841(a),

(b)(1)(A), 846 (2006), and three counts of using a communication
facility to facilitate a felony drug offense, in violation of 21
U.S.C.

§ 843(b)

(2006).

The

district

court

imposed

a

life

sentence on the drug conspiracy, with three concurrent fortyeight-month

sentences

for

the

three

convictions

for

using

communication facility to facilitate a felony drug offense.
appeal,

Smith

challenges

the

sufficiency

of

the

a
On

evidence.

Specifically, he contends that the witnesses against him were
all

convicted

drug

dealers

who

testified

in

exchange

for

a

reduction in their sentences, and their biased and incredible
testimony was insufficient, as a matter of law, to support his
convictions.

We affirm.

We review de novo a district court’s denial of a Fed.
R. Crim. P. 29 motion for a judgment of acquittal.

United

States v. Green, 599 F.3d 360, 367 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 131
S. Ct. 271 (2010).

A defendant challenging the sufficiency of

the evidence “bears a heavy burden.”
110 F.3d 1064, 1067 (4th Cir. 1997).

United States v. Beidler,
A jury verdict must be

sustained “if, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable
to the prosecution, the verdict is supported by ‘substantial
2

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evidence.’”
2006).

Date Filed: 05/18/2011

United States v. Smith, 451 F.3d 209, 216 (4th Cir.

Substantial

finder

of

Page: 3 of 5

fact

evidence

could

is

“evidence

as

adequate

accept

that
and

a

reasonable

sufficient

to

support a conclusion of a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable
doubt.”

Id. (internal quotation marks omitted).

“[T]he jury,

not the reviewing court, weighs the credibility of the evidence
and resolves any conflicts in the evidence presented.”
110 F.3d at 1067 (internal quotation marks omitted).

Beidler,
“Reversal

for insufficient evidence is reserved for the rare case where
the prosecution’s failure is clear.”

Id. (internal quotation

marks omitted).
To establish Smith’s guilt under 21 U.S.C. § 846, the
evidence

must

show

that:

(1)

an

agreement

to

possess

and

distribute cocaine and marijuana existed between two or more
people;

(2)

knowingly

Smith

and

knew

voluntarily

of

the

became

conspiracy;
a

part

of

and
the

(3)

Smith

conspiracy.

United States v. Kellam, 568 F.3d 125, 139 (4th Cir.), cert.
denied, 130 S. Ct. 657 (2009).

Since a conspiracy by its nature

is clandestine and covert, a conspiracy charge is usually proven
United States v. Yearwood, 518 F.3d

by circumstantial evidence.
220,

225

conspiracy

(4th
may

Cir.

2008).

include

a

Evidence

defendant’s

tending

relationship

to

prove

with

a

other

members of the conspiracy, and the existence of a conspiracy may
be inferred from a development and collocation of circumstances.
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United States v. Burgos, 94 F.3d 849, 858 (4th Cir. 1996) (en
banc).

“Circumstantial

conspiracy

conviction

evidence

need

sufficient

not

exclude

to

every

support

a

reasonable

hypothesis of innocence, provided the summation of the evidence
permits a conclusion of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Id.

To establish Smith’s guilt under 21 U.S.C. § 843(b),
the

evidence

facility

must

(here,

show
a

that

Smith:

cellular

(1)

used

telephone);

a

communication

(2)

used

the

communication facility to facilitate the commission of a drug
offense; and (3) did so knowingly and intentionally.

21 U.S.C.

§ 843(b); United States v. Johnstone, 856 F.2d 539, 542-43 (3d
Cir. 1988).
After
evidence

was

reviewing

sufficient

the
for

record,
the

we

conclude

that

to

conclude

beyond

jury

the
a

reasonable doubt that Smith was guilty of conspiracy to possess
with intent to distribute marijuana and five kilograms or more
of cocaine, and of using a communication facility to facilitate
a felony drug offense on three occasions.

Smith’s challenge to

the credibility of the Government’s witnesses is unavailing, as
we do not review a jury’s credibility determinations on appeal.
United States v. Wilson, 484 F.3d 267, 283 (4th Cir. 2007).
Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s judgment.
We

dispense

with

oral

argument

4

because

the

facts

and

legal

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contentions are adequately presented in the materials before the
court and argument would not aid the decisional process.

AFFIRMED

5