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Usav.Johnny Clyde Benjamin, Jr.

CourtUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Docket No.18-13091
DecidedMay 8, 2020
JudgesUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Tags
CriminalCriminal LawCriminal ProcedureEvidenceFourth AmendmentSearch and SeizureStatutory InterpretationJuror Misconduct
Case Summary

Johnny Benjamin was convicted of distributing furanyl fentanyl in counterfeit oxycodone pills that caused a woman’s death. He challenged whether the government proved that he supplied the drugs, whether Congress had criminalized the analogue at the relevant time, the jury’s scienter instructions, an airport-bag search, and alleged juror misconduct. The Eleventh Circuit affirmed. It held that the trial evidence supported Benjamin’s role in the distribution, the controlled-substance-analogue statute applied, and the jury instructions adequately required the necessary knowledge. The court also rejected the suppression and juror-misconduct claims and found no cumulative error. The convictions therefore remained intact.

Opinion

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The Far Side
Usa V. Johnny Clyde Benjamin, Jr. — The Atlanta Gleaner