Conviction Under Accomplice Liability Theory Reversed After a Weight of the Evidence Analysis

The Second Department reversed defendant’s conviction for criminal sale of a controlled substance under an accomplice liability theory, finding the conviction against the weight of the evidence. The officer who purchased the drugs assumed, based on circumstantial evidence, the drugs were supplied to the seller by the defendant (who was in a vehicle with the seller and a woman) but did not actually see any transaction between the defendant and the seller:

Although the officer testified that, based upon his training and experience as an undercover officer who had made over 500 buys, he believed that the codefendant received drugs from the defendant inside the vehicle, he admitted that he did not observe an exchange of money or drugs between the codefendant and the defendant. People v Curry, 2013 NY Slip Op 08455, 2nd Dept 12-18-13