United States v. Chappell

The federal government (plaintiff) prosecuted Carey Gilbert Chappell (defendant) for bank robbery. Eyewitnesses described the robber as a small, dark-skinned man who covered his face with a white cloth and fled on a bicycle, making eyewitness identification impossible, and no fingerprints or physical evidence tied Chappell to the scene. Three jailhouse informants testified that Chappell described the robbery to them in detail matching the eyewitness accounts. Additional circumstantial evidence showed Chappell had asked a friend to help him rob a bank a month earlier, was seen near the bank wearing black with a white cloth on his head asking an acquaintance if he wanted to make money, was found hiding on someone's property that day, and bought a $2,500 car in cash that afternoon despite having no job, money, or car before. The jury convicted Chappell, and he challenged the sufficiency of the evidence on appeal.