United States v. Alston

Susan L. Carney, Circuit Judge:

*139Defendant-appellant Merlin Alston, a former New York City police officer, appeals his 2016 convictions, following a jury trial, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (McMahon, C.J. ). Alston was found guilty of (1) conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and a quantity of the controlled substance MDMA, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(b)(1)(A), (b)(1)(C), and 846, and (2) possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking offense, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §…