United States v. Lopez

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The Eighth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of defendant's motion for judgment of acquittal or a new trial after she was convicted of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. The court held that a DEA agent's statement was not hearsay because it was properly admitted under Federal Rule of Evidence 702; even if the agent's statement was hearsay, the admission of the statement had slight or no influence on the outcome of the trial; the agent's testimony did not violate defendant's Sixth Amendment confrontation rights; the district court did not abuse its discretion in giving a jury instruction permitting an inference of "intent to distribute" based on drug purity; the district court did not abuse its discretion in finding that the government met its burden of proof for venue; and the evidence was sufficient to convict defendant. View "United States v. Lopez" on Justia Law