United States Eighth Circuit

Defendants' convictions and sentences for manufacturing and distributing cable descramblers intended for unauthorized interception of cable signals and conspiracy to do so are affirmed where: 1) the government's evidence was sufficient to allow a reasonable jury to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that defendants intended that the descramblers and authorization control devices defendants manufactured and sold be used for the unauthorized interception of cable signals and that defendants therefore violated 47 U.S.C. section 553; 2) there was sufficient evidence for a jury to conclude that defendants entered a conspiratorial agreement with the illegal purpose of assisting in the unauthorized interception of cable signals; and 3) it was perfectly reasonable to infer that the majority of defendants' descramblers were in fact used to steal cable programming.

Appellate Information

• Decided 07/13/2010
• Published 07/13/2010

Judges

• Raymond E. Gruender

Court

• United States Eighth Circuit

Counsel