Com. v. Kennedy, Y.

Superior Court of Pennsylvania·Decided April 9, 2015·No. 1365 MDA 2013·Unpublished

Opinion

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Appellee

v.

YASIN SHARIF KENNEDY Appellant No. 1365 MDA 2013

Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence December 13, 2011 In the Court of Common Pleas of Lackawanna County Criminal Division at No(s): CP-35-CR-0000304-2011 CP-35-CR-0000306-2011

CP-35-CR-0003242-2010

BEFORE: PANELLA, J., DONOHUE, J., and MUNDY, J. MEMORANDUM BY PANELLA, J. FILED APRIL 09, 2015 Yasin Sharif Kennedy (“Kennedy”) appeals from the judgment of sentence entered on December 13, 2011, following his convictions of numerous crimes, including, of relevance to this appeal, theft by deception, conspiracy and criminal use of a communication facility.1 We affirm the convictions, but vacate the judgment of sentence and remand for re- sentencing.

Kennedy’s convictions are the result of efforts by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and the Office of the District Attorney of

Lackawanna County. These agencies were operating separate narcotics

1 18 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 3922(a)(1), 903, 7512(a).

investigations in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 2010. Both of these agencies used a confidential informant (“CI”) to engage in multiple drug transactions with Kennedy between July and November 2010, when Kennedy was arrested. The CIs consented to the interception of telephone calls with Kennedy and his companion, Allateef White (“L.A.”), to arrange the purchase of increasing quantities of heroin. The CIs also wore wires when meeting with Kennedy.

The District Attorney’s investigation began in August 2010 and involved three transactions. On August 10, 2010, the District Attorney’s CI called Jessica Peoples (“Peoples”) to ask about buying ten bags of heroin. Peoples handed the phone to L.A., and they agreed to a price of $130. N.T., 9/13/11, at 30-32. When the CI went to Peoples’ house for the transaction, both L.A. and Kennedy were present, but L.A. conducted the sale. N.T., 9/14/11, at 136-37. Two days later, the CI arranged to buy fifty bags, or a “brick,” of heroin from Kennedy and L.A. Id. at 139. The transaction again occurred at Peoples’ house. Id. at 140. In this instance, the CI arrived at Peoples’ house first, and L.A. and Kennedy later arrived at the residence together. Again, L.A. conducted the transaction and Kennedy was present. Id. at 141-42. On September 17, 2010, the CI spoke with Kennedy a number of times on the phone to arrange to purchase another brick of heroin for $300. Id. Kennedy told the CI to meet him in a particular location at a certain time. Id. As the CI and an undercover police officer waited in

the CI’s car, Kennedy approached and entered the car. Id. at 148. As they drove around, Kennedy gave the heroin to the CI; however, Kennedy produced only forty-four bags of heroin instead of the agreed-upon amount of fifty bags. Id. at 148-49. Kennedy took the CI’s money and promised to return with more heroin to make up the difference, but he never returned. Id. at 149-50.

The Attorney General’s investigation also began in August 2010 but it involved five transactions. On August 31, 2010, the Attorney General’s CI made multiple calls to Kennedy to arrange to buy two bricks of heroin for $700. Id. at 9-11. When Kennedy, who lived outside of the county, arrived in Scranton, he called the CI and arranged to meet him at a particular convenience store. As the CI waited for Kennedy, Kennedy called and told the CI to drive to a different location. Kennedy exited a vehicle being driven by an unidentified woman, entered the CI’s car, and conducted the drug transaction.2 Id. at 12-14. On September 10, 2010, after another series of phone calls, the CI arranged to buy three bricks of heroin from Kennedy for $1050. Id. at 30-31. On that date, Kennedy and L.A. picked up the CI and conducted the sale in their vehicle. In this instance, L.A. conducted the transaction with the CI while Kennedy drove the vehicle. Id. at 31-35.

During this transaction, Kennedy proposed that if the CI would buy five

2 At trial, the Commonwealth played a recording of this, and other conversations, between this CI and Kennedy to the jury.

bricks, he would “front” him an additional five bricks, which the CI could then sell and pay for later. N.T., 9/13/11, at 198. The CI discussed this possibility with Kennedy in several phone calls, and on September 27, 2010, the parties agreed to meet for this “five and five” deal. Id. at 201. On this date, Kennedy and L.A. arrived together. They instructed the CI to walk down the street. Id. When the CI was in a secluded area, Kennedy approached him on foot and gave him a quantity of loose heroin in a cigarette pack.3 Id. Pursuant to their consignment agreement, the CI paid $1750 for this heroin, which was supposed to weigh roughly ten grams. Id. The quantity of heroin was not the promised amount, so the CI and Kennedy eventually agreed that Kennedy would provide the amount that was missing from this transaction and try another “five and five” deal. Id. at 202-05.

The parties met again on October 14, 2010. Leading up to that meeting, the CI spoke with Kennedy a number of times over the phone to arrange the deal. Id. at 206. Again, the parties met in an alley on foot. Id. at 206-07. The CI gave Kennedy $1750 and Kennedy gave the CI a bag of a loose heroin. Id. at 207. While the quantity provided was larger than the last time, it was not the entire amount the parties agreed upon, and additionally, the substance was not heroin, but a counterfeit substance. Id.

at 208; N.T., 9/14/11, at 49. When later confronted over the phone,

3 In all prior transactions, the heroin in each brick was divided into fifty bags. N.T., 9/13/11, at 201.

Kennedy told the CI that he gave him an imposter substance because he thought that the CI was working with the police. N.T., 9/13/11, at 208. The CI and Kennedy agreed to meet on November 3, 2010, so that the CI could buy another five bricks of heroin for $1750 and Kennedy could give the CI everything that was owed to him from the previous transactions. Id. at 210. In preparation for that meeting, the CI made a number of phone calls to Kennedy and L.A. Id. at 209-10. On that date, Kennedy entered the CI’s vehicle, took the CI’s money and left. Id. at 210. Shortly thereafter, the police stopped Kennedy and L.A. as they entered the Pennsylvania Turnpike. N.T., 9/13/11, at 56. As the officers approached the vehicle, they observed L.A. in the driver’s seat and Kennedy in the passenger’s seat. All of the pre- recorded currency given to Kennedy that day, less fifty dollars, was recovered from Kennedy’s right shoe.4 Id. at 57-60. After being placed under arrest, Kennedy admitted to one of the arresting officers that the reason he was in Scranton was to “rip off” the CI because he suspected the CI was working with the police. N.T., 9/14/11, at 166.

Kennedy was subsequently charged with numerous crimes, including not only the crimes listed in the first paragraph of this decision, but also multiple violations of the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic

4 Another pre-recorded twenty dollar bill used that day was later found in the interior of the vehicle. N.T., 9/14/11, at 167.

Act. The charges were filed in three separate criminal informations. 5 As a result of a motion filed by the Commonwealth, all charges were joined for trial.

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