United States v. Walls

Daisy Walls (defendant) signed for cocaine-laden packages tracked by DEA agents and handed them to Sharee Williams (defendant), who took them to her own residence, where agents found drugs, cash, and a handgun in her bedroom. Williams claimed the gun and drugs belonged to her roommate, Samuel Simmons, and was separately charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, alongside conspiracy charges against both women. At trial, the government sought a Pinkerton (vicarious co-conspirator) instruction, arguing that if Williams did not possess the gun herself, Simmons must have as a co-conspirator. Both women were convicted and appealed.