Record contained sufficient evidence to support defendant’s drug distribution conviction charge arising out of allegation that defendant brokered $200,000 drug deal between drug supplier and confidential informant (CI), where record showed that: (1) defendant and CI planned drug transaction during three meetings; and (2) on day of drug exchange, drug supplier’s agent placed drugs in area of CI’s home designated by defendant. As such, record sufficiently established defendant’s constructive possession of said drugs. Moreover, record also showed that defendant aided and abetted instant drug transaction, when he encouraged and assisted supplier’s agent in distributing drugs to CI. Ct. also rejected defendant’s claim that govt. violated his due process rights when one of its police officers provided inaccurate testimony regarding circumstances surrounding failure of recording devise to record actual drug transaction; officer eventually gave accurate testimony on said subject during cross-examination, and thus defendant could not show that original testimony had affected jury’s verdict.
Federal 7th Circuit Court
Criminal Court
Reasonable Doubt