United States v. Alcide W. Hernandez

THORNBERRY, Circuit Judge:

This is a direct appeal from a conviction by a jury under 18 U.S.C. § 201(d) for offering a bribe to a witness. Because we find in the record insufficient evidence to support the conviction, we reverse and remand to the district court for entry of a judgment of acquittal.

I

The facts of this case are not in dispute. In the fall of 1980, the appellant, Alcide W. Hernandez, a deputy sheriff of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, became involved in an investigation of marijuana importation. Other groups of law enforcement officers, including the Louisiana state police and…