United States v. Jesus Ramon Lopez

This is an appeal by Jesus Ramon Lopez (Ramon) from a judgment of conviction, entered in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, on one count of an indictment charging him and six others with conspiracy in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846 . The object of the conspiracy was charged to be to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance (heroin) in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841 (a)(1). A jury found Lopez guilty on the one count described, after a trial before Honorable M.D. Crocker, District Judge.

The six others charged in the conspiracy count were Federico Parra Fierro (Federico), Alberto Parra Fierro (Alberto), Paz Margarita Garcia de Parra (Margarita), Camerina Parra Villa (Camerina), Enrique Lopez Beltran (Enrique), and Jose Bonifacio Garcia (Garcia). Federico and Margarita are husband and wife who lived at 1438 Eighth Street in Mendota, California. Federico and Alberto are brothers. Enrique and Camerina are husband and wife, who lived in Santa Ana, California, where appellant Ramon also lived.

The indictment was returned on September 21, 1978. Count I was the conspiracy count already described. Count II charged all the defendants except…