United States v. Santos-Soto, No. 11-2160 (1st Cir. 2015)
Annotate this CaseAfter a trial, Defendants, former police agents of the Puerto Rico Police, were convicted of conspiracy to injure, oppress, threaten, and intimidate persons in the town of Arecibo in the exercise of their constitutional rights (Count 1) and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (Count 2). Defendants appealed, challenging the sufficiency of the evidence supporting their convictions on Count 2 and claiming that the district court erred in denying their respective motions for acquittal. The First Circuit (1) reversed Defendant Norma Santos-Soto’s conviction on Count 2, holding that the evidence was insufficient for a reasonable jury to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that she intended that the underlying substantive offense be committed; but (2) affirmed Defendant Carlos Plaza-Santiago’s conviction on Count 2, holding that the evidence was sufficient to sustain his conviction as to that count.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.