People v. Schillaci

526 N.E.2d 871, 171 Ill. App. 3d 510, 122 Ill. Dec. 478, 1988 Ill. App. LEXIS 956
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJune 30, 1988
Docket4-87-0428
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 526 N.E.2d 871 (People v. Schillaci) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Schillaci, 526 N.E.2d 871, 171 Ill. App. 3d 510, 122 Ill. Dec. 478, 1988 Ill. App. LEXIS 956 (Ill. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

JUSTICE KNECHT

delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendant Joe Schillaci was charged by indictment with two unlawful deliveries of cocaine to the State’s confidential source, Téd Dunlap (Dunlap), on October 2 and October 16,1986. Defendant’s wife, Brenda, was also charged with the October 16 delivery. Defendant admitted the deliveries and presented the affirmative defense of entrapment. Brenda denied the charge against her and was acquitted. A Livingston County jury acquitted defendant of the October 2, 1986, delivery but found defendant guilty of the October 16 delivery. Defendant was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment, fined $1,100 for the street value of the cocaine and ordered to pay an additional $5,000 discretionary fine, plus court costs. Defendant appeals the conviction, sentence and fine. We affirm the judgment of the trial court and modify the amount of the fine.

At defendant’s trial, Special Agent Gary King from the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and Deputy Sheriff Robert Brandt testified they met with Dunlap on the morning of October 2, 1986, searched him and his vehicle for narcotics, and gave him. $320 to purchase one-eighth of an ounce of cocaine from defendant. Dunlap was not carrying any drugs. King and Brandt followed Dunlap to and from defendant’s home after which Dunlap handed over a plastic bag and advised the officers he had just purchased $320 worth of cocaine from defendant. King again searched Dunlap and his vehicle and found no narcotics.

Agent King and DCI Inspector Paul Joseph Lehmann testified that on October 16, 1986, they gave Dunlap $1,150 to purchase one-half of an ounce of cocaine from defendant. Again Dunlap and his vehicle were searched for narcotics. The officers separately followed Dunlap’s truck from the meeting spot to a tavern in Pontiac.

King testified he saw defendant get into the driver’s side of Dunlap’s vehicle. The two drove around for awhile and then went to the entrance of the American Legion. King was parked about a quarter of a mile away from the building and observed a maroon Buick pull up behind Dunlap’s vehicle. Defendant exited the truck and got into the Buick. The Buick went around the truck, made a U-turn and came back alongside the truck, where it stopped briefly. After the transaction, Dunlap and the agents met and Dunlap handed them a Crown Royal bag containing a clear plastic bag filled with cocaine that Dunlap said he had just purchased from defendant. Dunlap and his vehicle were searched and no narcotics were found.

Ted Dunlap testified he had been employed for six months in 1986 by Agent King as a confidential source to seek out alleged drug dealers in the Pontiac Caterpillar plant. A job was created for him with the plant cleaning service. The State compensated Dunlap for each prosecutable case.

Defendant was employed by Caterpillar as a labor bargaining chairman. Dunlap and defendant first met at Big Dad’s Tavern in Pontiac. Dunlap testified since then he had seen defendant ingest and sell cocaine on several occasions. While at work at the plant, Dunlap asked defendant to sell him one-eighth of an ounce of cocaine and defendant agreed. The transaction took place on October 2, 1986, at defendant’s home, where the cocaine was exchanged for $320. Dunlap saw defendant put the money in a briefcase containing an inch-thick stack of money. Dunlap said he delivered the cocaine to the State agents. He did not keep for himself any of the drugs he bought on behalf of DCI.

At work and via telephone, Dunlap arranged to purchase one-half of an ounce of cocaine from defendant on October 16, 1986. The purchase price was $1,150. According to Dunlap, on October 16, he met defendant in a downtown Pontiac parking lot. Defendant insisted on driving Dunlap’s truck with Dunlap in the passenger seat. Defendant seemed nervous and expressed fear Dunlap was a government agent. When defendant threatened Dunlap, the latter offered to back out of the deal, but defendant refused and demanded the money.

Defendant drove Dunlap’s truck to the American Legion entrance, where Brenda joined them in the Buick. Defendant grabbed the $1,150 and stuffed it into his pocket saying “just wait a minute.” Dunlap testified defendant drove the Buick around the truck and tossed the cocaine, which was in a Crown Royal bag, through the truck window and drove away. Dunlap said he immediately drove to a prearranged meeting place and handed the cocaine to the State agents.

Dunlap testified he had used illegal drugs several times during the 1986 investigation to keep his cover intact even though such usage was against DCI rules. Dunlap did not report his drug use to Agent King. Dunlap admitted to taking prescription medications in quantities greater than directed by his physician.

Defendant took the stand and testified Dunlap approached him frequently in Big Dad’s and asked to buy cocaine. Dunlap told defendant he ingested cocaine intravenously and needed some “real bad.” Defendant said he told Dunlap he did not sell cocaine.

Defendant said Dunlap was especially desperate on October 1, 1986, and offered to trade defendant some prescription pills for cocaine. Dunlap was shaking and begged defendant for help. Defendant testified he reluctantly agreed to the sale. Dunlap asked defendant to divide the cocaine into two separate bags, one containing pure cocaine and one containing cut cocaine. The next day Dunlap came to defendant’s home and exchanged $270 and some pills for the two bags of cocaine. Defendant said Dunlap stuffed the smaller bag into his crotch before he left the house.

Defendant testified Dunlap attended parties and ingested drugs 8 to 10 times with defendant in his home between October 2 and October 16, 1986. Defendant refused to become Dunlap’s supplier. However, he agreed to purchase for Dunlap one-half of an ounce of cocaine to be delivered on October 16 and divided into two bags.

Defendant said he met Dunlap on October 16 in downtown Pontiac, drove around in Dunlap’s truck for awhile and eventually went to the Legion billet. Defendant testified he gave Dunlap a Crown Royal bag containing two bags of cocaine in exchange for $1,150 even though defendant suspected Dunlap might be a government agent. Dunlap put one bag in his crotch and kept the other bag visible. After both men took two snorts of cocaine, defendant drove away in his Buick.

Defendant admitted he and his wife were habitual cocaine users and addicts at the time of the sales. They had been using cocaine intravenously for two months until they started to run out of money. The couple had a two-gram-a-day habit. Defendant said he paid for drugs with money he received from the sale of his home, with his Caterpillar paycheck and with funds in a bank account. Defendant denied owning chemical scales which would have enabled him to measure, bag and sell cocaine. Defendant named Ross Konrad as his drug supplier.

Prior to trial defendant made a motion to dismiss the indictment on the grounds that the cocaine delivery was made by defendant to Dunlap, a known drug addict and dealer. During discovery, defendant requested information which would tend to negate his guilt or reduce his punishment.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
526 N.E.2d 871, 171 Ill. App. 3d 510, 122 Ill. Dec. 478, 1988 Ill. App. LEXIS 956, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-schillaci-illappct-1988.