United States v. Jones

362 F. Supp. 707, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12698
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in United States v. Jones. Read the opinion of the Court — 404 F. Supp. 529
District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania·Decided July 16, 1973·No. Crim. No. 72-265·Published

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

BRODERICK, District Judge.

This matter comes before the Court on the defendant’s motion for a new trial and/or judgment of acquittal after his conviction of possession with the intent to distribute a Schedule I narcotic drug controlled substance, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). The defendant’s original motion raised ten issues for the Court to decide, but in his brief the defendant has narrowed the issues to five: (i) did the government fail to establish possession by the defendant? (ii) did the government fail to establish the chain of custody of the seized narcotics? (iii) was it error for the government to fail to call and/or make available the informer? (iv) did the government misinform the jury as to vital information concerning the informant? and (v) was it error for the United States Attorney to argue the defendant’s narcotic addiction to the jury?

I. Did the Government Fail to Establish Possession by the Defendant ?

No. At the trial, Agent Glenn C. Brown of the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous. Drugs testified that on August 26, 1971 he met with other surveillance agents in the Philadelphia area and plans were made to attempt an undercover purchase of narcotics from the [709]*709defendant, Robert Otha Jones. Later that day, Agent Brown went into the Wanda Inn with an informant, identified as Aubrey Lewis, and another agent. Approximately fifteen minutes later, the defendant came in and told Agent Brown that he, the defendant, had approximately one and a half ounces of heroin to sell for $1800.00. The defendant assured the agent that the heroin could be cut five times, but said that he would nof personally carry the drugs, as he was “hot”, and told the agent not to follow him to his “connection.” Agent Brown told the defendant that he would have to see a sample of the heroin before he would buy it. The defendant then told Agent Brown that he would have to make a telephone call to see if he could get a sample. The defendant then left the bar and returned in approximately ten to fifteen minutes and approached Agent Brown and informed him that a sample would be arriving in about fifteen minutes. Mr. Jones again left the bar and returned a short time later and took a seat across from where Agent Brown was seated. Defendant called the informant over to him. Agent Brown observed the defendant and the informant move their hands under the table while engaged in a brief conversation. The informant then returned to Agent Brown and placed two glassine envelopes in the agent’s hands. Agent Brown then called the defendant over, and showed the defendant the two envelopes; the defendant pointed to one of the envelopes and said that envelope is ready to be cut and that the other envelope was ready for the street. Subsequently, the defendant informed the agent that there was a narcotics agent outside the inn and said that if Agent Brown wanted the deal to continue that he would have to give the informant the money and that the informant would return with the narcotics. After Agent Brown rejected use of the informer as the intermediary, the defendant gave him a telephone number and asked Brown to call him the next day to make further arrangements to purchase the narcotics.

As the Court charged the jury, the law recognizes that there are two kinds of possession — actual and constructive. A person who knowingly has direct physical control over a thing is in actual possession of it, while a person who, although not in actual possession, knowingly has both the power and the intention at a given time to exercise some dominion or control over a thing, either directly or through another person, is in constructive possession. There was ample evidence to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant constructively possessed the narcotics with the intent to distribute, and there was also sufficient evidence from which the jury could find beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant had actual possession of the narcotics with the intent to distribute. While the Government’s case would have been stronger had they called the informant as a witness, the informer’s testimony was not required to establish the defendant’s possession. Compare United States v. Crippen, 459 F.2d 1387, 1388 (3rd Cir. 1972); United States v. Raysor, 294 F.2d 563, 567 (3rd Cir. 1961).

The defendant, relying on United States v. Russo, 123 F.2d 420, 422 (3rd Cir. 1941), argues that the proof of constructive possession is fatally deficient on the ground that it is based on an inference of intent to distribute derived from an inference of possession. In the Russo case, the Court held that guilty intent cannot be implied from possession when possession is implied from an innocent business relationship alone. See United States v. Grasso, 3 Cir., 437 F.2d 317, 319-320. In Russo, the Court carefully distinguishes the line of cases wherein there was other evidence from which the jury could infer guilty knowledge or intent, apart from the implied possession. In this case, there is ample evidence from which the jury could infer Mr. Jones’ intent to dis[710]*710tribute, apart from his possession. More specifically, the testimony that the informant handed two envelopes to Agent Brown, later shown to be narcotics, after Brown’s prior conversations with the defendant on which the defendant agreed to sell narcotics, coupled with the defendant’s statements when he was shown the envelopes that one envelope was ready to be cut and that the other envelope was ready for the street, provided sufficient circumstantial evidence from which the jury could find beyond a reasonable doubt the defendant possessed narcotics with the intent to distribute.

II. Did the Government Fail to Establish the Chain of Custody of the Seized Narcotics ?

No. The defense counsel stipulated with the government that the envelopes introduced by the government at trial contained .05 grams and .81 grams of heroin, respectively. The defendant never objected to the use of these exhibits during the government’s case; and, furthermore, when the United States Attorney moved for the admission of the envelopes as government exhibits, the defense stated “There is no objection.” (N.T. 2-24). Although defense counsel mentioned the chain of custody in his motion for judgment of acquittal, he did not object to the admission into evidence. In the absence of plain error, matters not called to the attention of the trial judge cannot be subsequently raised in the post-trial stages of the proceeding. United States v. Hykel, 461 F.2d 721, 728 (3rd Cir. 1972). The purpose of Rule 51, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, is to require counsel to make known to the Court an objection to a proposed Action of the Court, and the grounds therefor, in order to assure that the trial court makes an informed decision and allows the judge and opposing counsel to take whatever corrective action is needed. United States v.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

United States v. Jones, 362 F. Supp. 707, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12698 (E.D. Pa. 1973).

362 F. Supp. 707 (United States v. Jones) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Roviaro v. United States
353 U.S. 53 (Supreme Court, 1957)
Robinson v. California
370 U.S. 660 (Supreme Court, 1962)
United States v. Calvin Clark
425 F.2d 827 (Third Circuit, 1970)
United States v. John Moore
446 F.2d 448 (Third Circuit, 1971)
United States v. Willie Robinson, Jr.
447 F.2d 1215 (D.C. Circuit, 1971)
United States v. Vincent B. Walker
449 F.2d 1171 (D.C. Circuit, 1971)
United States v. George J. Hykel
461 F.2d 721 (Third Circuit, 1972)
United States v. Raymond Moore
486 F.2d 1139 (D.C. Circuit, 1973)
United States v. Russo
123 F.2d 420 (Third Circuit, 1941)