U.S. v. Malatesta, No. 77-5032
| Court | United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (5th Circuit) |
| Writing for the Court | Before BROWN, Chief Judge, and COLEMAN, GOLDBERG, AINSWORTH, GODBOLD, CLARK, RONEY, GEE, TJOFLAT, HILL, FAY, RUBIN and VANCE; COLEMAN |
| Citation | 590 F.2d 1379 |
| Parties | UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Daniel "Danny Blue Eyes", "Billie Blue Eyes" MALATESTA, Jacquelin "Jacquelin Champlin" "Jacquelin Didonna" "Jacquelin Dodaro" "Jackie Champion", Victor Dodaro, Alias "Victor Didonna", Angelo J. Bertolotti, and Vincent Lynch, Alias "Vinnie" "Jack", Defendants-Appellants. |
| Docket Number | No. 77-5032 |
| Decision Date | 12 March 1979 |
Page 1379
v.
Daniel "Danny Blue Eyes", "Billie Blue Eyes" MALATESTA,
Jacquelin "Jacquelin Champlin" "Jacquelin Didonna"
"Jacquelin Dodaro" "Jackie Champion", Victor Dodaro, Alias
"Victor Didonna", Angelo J. Bertolotti, and Vincent Lynch,
Alias "Vinnie" "Jack", Defendants-Appellants.
Fifth Circuit.
Certiorari Denied March 19, 1979.
See 99 S.Ct. 1508.
Page 1380
Michael Brodsky, Miami, Fla., for Malatesta.
Bernard S. Yedlin, Miami, Fla. (Court-appointed), for Victor Dodaro.
Michael J. Doddo, Miami, Fla. (Court-appointed), for Jacquelin Champlin Dodaro.
Murray M. Silver, Atlanta, Ga., for Bertolotti.
Alan E. Weinstein, Miami Beach, Fla. (Court-appointed), for Lynch.
Jack V. Eskenazi, U. S. Atty., Miami, Fla., John F. Evans, Sp. Atty., U. S. Dept.
Page 1381
of Justice, Miami, Fla., Paul J. Brysh, T. George Gilinsky, Sydney M. Glazer, Attys., App. Section, Crim. Div., Washington, D. C., for plaintiff-appellee.Appeals from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Before BROWN, Chief Judge, and COLEMAN, GOLDBERG, AINSWORTH, GODBOLD, CLARK, RONEY, GEE, TJOFLAT, HILL, FAY, RUBIN and VANCE, Circuit Judges.
COLEMAN, Circuit Judge.
The panel opinion in this case is reported, United States v. Malatesta, 5 Cir. 1978, 583 F.2d 748.
During the course of that opinion it was written:
However, once the existence of a conspiracy and the defendant's participation in it are both established, slight evidence of the defendant's knowledge of the scheme may be sufficient to sustain the jury's finding that he or she was a member. E. g., United States v. Evans, 5 Cir. 1978, 572 F.2d 455, 469; United States v. Trevino, 5 Cir. 1977, 556 F.2d 1265, 1268; United States v. Barnard, 5 Cir. 1977, 553 F.2d 389, 393; United States v. Alvarez, 5 Cir. 1977, 548 F.2d 542, 544. See United States v. Dunn, 9 Cir. 1977, 564 F.2d 348, 357 n. 21.
583 F.2d at 756.
A member of the panel wrote a concurring opinion, 583 F.2d 760-765, reciting the history and the development in this Circuit of the "slight evidence rule" in conspiracy cases. Another member of the panel concurred in the view there expressed that when the sufficiency of the evidence to connect a particular defendant to a conspiracy is challenged on appeal Substantial evidence should be the test rather than the "slight evidence" discussed at length in the concurring opinion.
On the motion of a Judge of this Court, rehearing was granted to permit En banc re-evaluation of the use of the "slight evidence rule" in conspiracy cases as it has been done in this Circuit since Bradford v. United States, 5 Cir. 1969, 413 F.2d 467.
We begin with the premise that to be convicted of an unlawful conspiracy a defendant must have knowledge of the conspiracy and must intend to join, or associate himself with the objectives of, the conspiracy. Moreover, " conspiracy to commit a particular substantive offense cannot exist without At least that degree of criminal intent necessary for the substantive offense itself", Ingram v. United States, 360 U.S. 672, 678, 79 S.Ct. 1314, 1319, 3 L.Ed.2d 1503 (1959).
Since knowledge, actual participation, and criminal intent are the necessary elements of the crime of conspiracy, the government must, of course, prove each of those elements beyond a reasonable doubt, Patterson v. New York,432 U.S. 197, 204-216, 97 S.Ct. 2319, 2324-30, 53 L.Ed.2d 281 (1977); Mullaney v. Wilbur, 421 U.S. 684, 95 S.Ct. 1881, 44 L.Ed.2d 508 (1975); In re Winship, 397 U.S. 358, 364, ...
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U.S. v. Johnson, No. 82-8293
...might have been, prejudicial to the defendant. United States v. Malatesta, 583 F.2d 748, 756 (5th Cir.1978), modified on other grounds, 590 F.2d 1379 (5th Cir.) (en banc ), cert. denied, 440 U.S. 962, 99 S.Ct. 1508, 59 L.Ed.2d 777 (1979); see also United States v. Hyde, 448 F.2d 815, 838 (5......
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United States v. Young, No. TY-79-33-CR.
...(1958), the strictures of Rule 6 should be enforced without expansion. United States v. Malatesta, 583 F.2d 748, 753, modified en banc, 590 F.2d 1379 (5th Cir. 1979) ("Judicial exceptions to the broad sweep of Rule 6 should not be expanded."); In re Grand Jury Proceedings, 309 F.2d 440, 443......
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U.S. v. Diaz, No. 80-5239
...469, 86 L.Ed. 680 (1942). This standard of review applies to any criminal conviction, including conspiracies. United States v. Malatesta, 590 F.2d 1379 (5th Cir.) (en banc), cert. denied, 440 U.S. 962, 99 S.Ct. 1508, 59 L.Ed.2d 777 (1979). In determining the sufficiency of proof on a motion......
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U.S. v. Mann, No. 96-50609
...and was acquitted on all counts against him. 4 United States v. Faulkner, 17 F.3d 745, 768 (5th Cir.1994). 5 United States v. Malatesta, 590 F.2d 1379, 1381-82 (5th Cir.1979) (en 6 United States v. Cardenas, 9 F.3d 1139, 1157 (5th Cir.1993). 7 Id. (quoting United States v. Espinoza-Seanez, ......
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U.S. v. Khoury, No. 86-5175
...a common purpose and plan may be inferred from a 'development and a collocation of circumstances.' " United States v. Malatesta, 590 F.2d 1379, 1381 (5th Cir.) (quoting Glasser), cert. denied, 440 U.S. 962, 99 S.Ct. 1508, 59 L.Ed.2d 777 (1979). In United States v. Cruz-Valdez, 773 F.2d 1541......
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U.S. v. Cole, No. 82-5455
...participation in a criminal conspiracy can be inferred from a "development and collection of circumstances." United States v. Malatesta, 590 F.2d 1379, 1381 (5th Cir.1981), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 846, 100 S.Ct. 91, 62 L.Ed.2d 59 (quoting Glasser v. United States, 315 U.S. 60, 62 S.Ct. 457, ......
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U.S. v. Kopituk, No. 80-5025
...not be proved by direct evidence. It can be inferred from a "development and a collocation of circumstances." United States v. Malatesta, 590 F.2d 1379, 1381 (5th Cir.) (en banc), cert. denied, 440 U.S. 962, 99 S.Ct. 1508, 59 L.Ed.2d 777 (1979), quoting Glasser v. United States, supra, 315 ......
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U.S. v. Johnson, No. 82-8293
...might have been, prejudicial to the defendant. United States v. Malatesta, 583 F.2d 748, 756 (5th Cir.1978), modified on other grounds, 590 F.2d 1379 (5th Cir.) (en banc ), cert. denied, 440 U.S. 962, 99 S.Ct. 1508, 59 L.Ed.2d 777 (1979); see also United States v. Hyde, 448 F.2d 815, 838 (5......