United States v. Stephen McFadden

PUBLISHED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 13-4349

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff - Appellee,

v.

STEPHEN DOMINICK MCFADDEN, a/k/a Stephen Domin McFadden,

Defendant - Appellant.

On Remand from the Supreme Court of the United States.
(S. Ct. No. 14-378)

Argued: March 22, 2016 Decided: May 19, 2016

Before TRAXLER, Chief Judge, and WILKINSON and KEENAN, Circuit
Judges.

Affirmed in part, vacated in part, and remanded by published
opinion. Judge Keenan wrote the opinion, in which Chief Judge
Traxler and Judge Wilkinson joined.

ARGUED: J. Lloyd Snook, III, SNOOK & HAUGHEY, P.C.,
Charlottesville, Virginia, for Appellant. Anthony Paul Giorno,
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Roanoke, Virginia, for
Appellee. ON BRIEF: Timothy J. Heaphy, United States Attorney,
Roanoke, Virginia, Ronald M. Huber, Assistant United States
Attorney, Jean B. Hudson, Assistant United States Attorney,
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Charlottesville, Virginia,
for Appellee.
BARBARA MILANO KEENAN, Circuit Judge:

In this case, which is before us for a second time, we

consider whether certain erroneous jury instructions given at

trial require us to vacate Stephen D. McFadden’s convictions.

After a jury trial, McFadden was convicted of conspiring to

distribute controlled substance analogues and of distributing

controlled substance analogues in violation of the Controlled

Substance Analogue Enforcement Act of 1986 (the Analogue Act),

21 U.S.C. §§ 802(32)(A), 813, and the Controlled Substances Act

(CSA), 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a), 846. In McFadden’s initial appeal,

we affirmed the district court’s judgment, and McFadden

petitioned the Supreme Court for certiorari. The Supreme Court

granted certiorari, concluded that the jury instructions given

at trial improperly omitted elements relating to McFadden’s

state of mind, and remanded this case for us to consider whether

the error was harmless.

On remand, we conclude that the erroneous jury instructions

constituted harmless error with respect to McFadden’s

convictions under Counts One, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine

of the superseding indictment. However, we conclude that the

error was not harmless with respect to McFadden’s convictions

under Counts Two, Three, and Four. We therefore affirm in part,

vacate in part, and remand the case for further proceedings in

the district court.

2
 I.

A.

We begin by providing an overview of the relevant federal

statutes and regulations governing controlled substances and

their analogues. The CSA prohibits the distribution of a

“controlled substance,” 21 U.S.C. § 841, and defines “controlled

substance” to mean any drug or substance included in five

schedules, Schedule I through Schedule V, established by the

CSA. 21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812(a). Distribution of controlled

substances listed on Schedule I carries strict criminal

penalties. 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(C). The Attorney General also

has the authority to add substances to or remove substances from

the CSA schedules by rule. 21 U.S.C. § 811(a). The up-to-date

schedules are codified in the Code of Federal Regulations. See

21 C.F.R. §§ 1308.11–1308.15.

Congress enacted the Analogue Act to prevent the

distribution of newly created drugs, not yet listed on the

schedules but that have similar effects on the human body. See

United States v. Klecker, 348 F.3d 69, 70 (4th Cir. 2003). The

Analogue Act defines a “controlled substance analogue” as any

substance “the chemical structure of which is substantially

similar to [that] of a controlled substance in schedule I or II”

(the chemical structure element), and “which has [an actual,

claimed, or intended] stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogenic

3
effect on the central nervous system that is substantially

similar to or greater than [that] of a controlled substance in

schedule I or II” (the physiological effect element). 21 U.S.C.

§ 802(32)(A).

Under the Analogue Act, controlled substance analogues are

treated as Schedule I controlled substances for purposes of

federal law. 21 U.S.C. § 813. The interaction between the CSA

and the Analogue Act therefore prohibits the distribution of

controlled substance analogues, even if not listed on the CSA

schedules.

B.

The facts of this case are discussed in detail in our

previous opinion in United States v. McFadden, 753 F.3d 432 (4th

Cir. 2014), and in the Supreme Court’s opinion in McFadden v.

United States, 135 S. Ct. 2298 (2015). We will recite here the

facts relevant to the issue presented on remand.

In July 2011, certain law enforcement officials (police

officers) in Charlottesville, Virginia began investigating the

distribution of synthetic stimulants commonly known as “bath

salts.” The investigation revealed that bath salts were being

sold from a video rental store owned and operated by Lois

McDaniel. Under supervision of the police officers, a

confidential informant made two controlled purchases of bath

salts at McDaniel’s video store. On August 24, 2011, the police

4
officers confronted McDaniel with evidence from their

investigation, searched the video store, and solicited

information regarding her supplier.

McDaniel agreed to cooperate with the investigation and to

assist the police in gathering evidence against her supplier,

Stephen McFadden. At the officers’ direction, McDaniel

initiated recorded telephone conversations with McFadden, who

was located in Staten Island, New York. The first of these

telephone conversations occurred on August 25, 2011. In these

recorded conversations, McFadden described the active

ingredients in the bath salts and gave instructions on how the

bath salts were to be consumed. McFadden also described the

stimulant effects of the bath salts and compared the effects to

those of cocaine or methamphetamine. During these telephone

conversations, McDaniel engaged in five separate controlled

purchases of several varieties of bath salts from McFadden.

McFadden shipped packages containing bath salts through FedEx, a

commercial courier, from Staten Island to Charlottesville.

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

seized the packages directly from FedEx. Inside these packages,

the “vials” and “baggies” containing the bath salts had been

labeled by McFadden, and some labels warned that the contents

were “not for human consumption or illegal use.” Other labels

listed chemical compounds, some of which were Schedule I

5
controlled substances, and stated that the package contents

“[did] not contain [those] compounds or analogues of [those]

compounds.”

Chemical analysis revealed that the composition of the bath

salts seized in these shipments changed over time. McFadden’s

five shipments from July 2011 through September 2011 contained

3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), 3,4-

methylenedioxymethcathinone (methylone, or MDMC), and 4-methyl-

N-ethylcathinone (4-MEC).

On October 21, 2011, the government adopted a rule adding

MDPV and methylone to Schedule I. See Schedules of Controlled

Substances: Temporary Placement of Three Synthetic Cathinones

into Schedule I, 76 Fed. Reg. 65,371, 65,371–75 (Oct. 21, 2011).

Immediately upon learning of the new rule, McFadden destroyed

his inventory of MDPV and methylone. Although McFadden ceased

distributing MDPV or methylone at this point, he continued to

send shipments containing 4-MEC until his arrest in February

2012.

A federal grand jury indicted McFadden for distributing

MDPV, methylone, and 4-MEC in violation of the CSA and the

Analogue Act. The indictment alleged that although MDPV,

methylone, and 4-MEC were not controlled substances at the time

of McFadden’s distribution, these three compounds nonetheless

qualified as controlled substance analogues by virtue of their

6
chemical structures and physiological effects. See 21 U.S.C. §

802(32)(A). The grand jury charged McFadden with one count of

conspiracy to distribute controlled substance analogues between

June 2011 and February 2012 (Count One), and eight counts of

distribution of controlled substance analogues. Three counts of

distribution corresponded with three different shipments made on

July 25, 2011 (Count Two), August 11, 2011 (Count Three), and

August 24, 2011 (Count Four), before police officers began

supervising telephone conversations between McFadden and

McDaniel on August 25, 2011. Five counts of distribution

corresponded with five different shipments made on August 26,

2011 (Count Five), September 16, 2011 (Count Six), October 27,

2011 (Count Seven), January 6, 2012 (Count Eight), and February

2, 2012 (Count Nine), after the police officers began directing

and monitoring McDaniel’s communications with McFadden.

In a motion to dismiss the indictment and in his proposed

jury instructions, McFadden argued that the government was

required to prove that he knew the substances he distributed

were controlled substance analogues under the Analogue Act.

Under McFadden’s proposed jury instruction, the government would

have been required to prove that McFadden knew that the

analogues had substantially similar chemical structures and

physiological effects as those of controlled substances.

7
 The district court denied McFadden’s motion, relying on

this Court’s opinion in United States v. Klecker, 348 F.3d 69,

71 (4th Cir. 2003) (requiring the government to prove only that

a substance had the chemical structure and physiological effects

of an analogue and that the defendant intended the substance be

consumed by humans). During the four-day trial, McFadden

presented evidence that he was not aware of the Analogue Act, or

that the CSA prohibited the distribution of controlled substance

analogues. The district court instructed the jury consistent

with the holding in Klecker, and the jury returned a guilty

verdict on all nine counts.

At his sentencing hearing, McFadden argued that he had been

careful not to sell any substances listed on the controlled

substance schedules. McFadden and the government stipulated

that McFadden had consulted the DEA website for the list of

controlled substances, and that the website did not contain any

warning at the time that controlled substance analogues also

were regulated. Further, McFadden testified that he had ceased

selling MDPV and methylone after those substances were added to

the CSA schedules, even when an undercover DEA agent attempted

to purchase them. The district court considered this testimony

and sentenced McFadden to serve a term of 33 months’

imprisonment on each count, to run concurrently.

8
 McFadden appealed, arguing in this Court that the

government should have been required to prove his knowledge of

the bath salts’ illegal status as a controlled substance

analogue. Relying on our precedent in Klecker, 348 F.3d at 72,

we affirmed the district court’s interpretation of the Analogue

Act as not requiring proof that the defendant knew that the

distributed substances were controlled substance analogues. See

United States v. McFadden, 753 F.3d 432, 436, 443–44 (4th Cir.

2014). 1

McFadden sought review of our decision by the Supreme

Court, which granted certiorari on the issue whether the

government was required to prove that he knew that the

substances he distributed were controlled substance analogues.

The Supreme Court held that a conviction under the Analogue Act

requires proof of knowledge of either the substance’s legal

status as a controlled substance or of its specific features

that make the substance a controlled substance analogue.

McFadden v. United States, 135 S. Ct. 2298, 2305 (2015).

Accordingly, the Supreme Court vacated this Court’s opinion, and

remanded the case to us to determine whether the district

1In the initial appeal, we also rejected McFadden’s
challenges to the vagueness of the Analogue Act, the district
court’s evidentiary rulings, and the sufficiency of the evidence
at trial. See United States v. McFadden, 753 F.3d 432, 436 (4th
Cir. 2014). McFadden did not seek Supreme Court review on these
other issues, so they are not before us on remand.

9
court’s erroneous jury instructions constituted harmless error.

Id. at 2307.

II.

A.

The Supreme Court has clarified the elements that the

government must prove to support a conviction for distribution

of controlled substance analogues. As discussed above, the

Analogue Act defines a “controlled substance analogue” by its

chemical structure and its actual, claimed, or intended

physiological effects. 21 U.S.C. § 802(32)(A). If intended for

human consumption, any controlled substance analogue is

regulated as a Schedule I controlled substance. Id. § 813.

Therefore, the CSA’s prohibition of knowing or intentional

distribution of controlled substances extends to controlled

substance analogues intended for human consumption. See id.

§§ 813, 841(a)(1).

The government must also satisfy one of two methods of

proof regarding the defendant’s state of mind. McFadden, 135 S.

Ct. at 2305. Under the first method of proof, the government

may establish that “a defendant knew that the substance . . . is

some controlled substance—that is, one actually listed on the

. . . schedules or treated as such by operation of the Analogue

Act—regardless of whether he knew the particular identity of the

10
substance.” Id. Under the second method, the government may

establish that “the defendant knew the specific analogue he was

dealing with, even if he did not know its legal status as an

analogue.” Id. Under this second method of proof, knowledge of

the substance’s chemical structure and physiological effects is

sufficient to support a conviction. Id.

A conviction under the Analogue Act therefore requires the

government to prove that the defendant: (1) distributed a

substance that had the chemical structure of an analogue and the

actual, intended, or claimed physiological effects of an

analogue; (2) intended that the substance be used for human

consumption; and (3) knew either the legal status of the

substance, or the chemical structure and physiological effects

of that substance. Only the third element is in dispute on

remand in this case.

At trial, the jury found that McFadden distributed

substances that qualified as controlled substance analogues, and

that he intended the substances for human consumption. The

district court instructed the jury that to convict on the

distribution counts, the jury must find:

FIRST: That the defendant knowingly and intentionally
distributed a mixture or substance that has an actual,
intended, or claimed stimulant, depressant, or
hallucinogenic effect on the central nervous system
that is substantially similar to or greater than the
stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogenic effect on the

11
 central nervous system of a controlled substance in
Schedule I or II of the Controlled Substances Act;

SECOND: That the chemical structure of the mixture or
substances is substantially similar to the chemical
structure of a controlled substance in Schedule I or
II of the Controlled Substances Act; AND

THIRD: That the defendant intended for the mixture or
substance to be consumed by humans.

By returning a guilty verdict on the distribution counts of the

superseding indictment, the jury necessarily found that McFadden

distributed a substance that had the chemical structure of an

analogue and the actual, intended, or claimed physiological

effects of an analogue, intending the substance to be consumed

by humans. The jury was not instructed to determine whether

McFadden had knowledge of the legal classification of the

substances as controlled substance analogues or of the

substances’ chemical structures and physiological effects.

The jury instructions for the conspiracy count were

essentially identical with respect to the question of McFadden’s

knowledge. In order to find McFadden guilty of conspiracy, the

jury was required to find that McFadden willingly and knowingly

joined an agreement that existed “beginning in or around June

2011, and continuing until February 15, 2012,” to accomplish the

purpose of distributing substances containing MDPV, methylone,

or 4-MEC. Conviction on the conspiracy count also required a

jury finding that MDPV, methylone, or 4-MEC have the chemical

structures and the actual, intended, or claimed physiological
12
effects of controlled substance analogues. By returning a

guilty verdict, the jury therefore necessarily found that

McFadden conspired to distribute certain substances, and that

those substances had the features of controlled substance

analogues. However, the guilty verdict did not necessarily

reflect that the jury found that McFadden knew the legal status

of those substances or that those substances had the chemical

structures and physiological effects of controlled substance

analogues.

With respect to all nine counts, therefore, the jury

instructions omitted the required element that McFadden knew

either that the bath salts were regulated as controlled

substances or that the bath salts had the features of controlled

substance analogues. Accordingly, we turn to consider whether

the failure to instruct the jury on this knowledge element

constituted harmless error.

B.

A court commits a constitutional error subject to harmless

error analysis when it omits an element of an offense from its

jury instructions. Neder v. United States, 527 U.S. 1, 8–9

(1999). To establish harmless error in such a case, the

government must show “beyond a reasonable doubt that the error

complained of did not contribute to the verdict obtained.”

Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 24 (1967); United States v.

13
Brown, 202 F.3d 691, 699 (4th Cir. 2000). The reviewing court

must “conduct a thorough examination of the record,” and if “the

court cannot conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the jury

verdict would have been the same absent the error . . .[,] it

should not find the error harmless.” Neder, 527 U.S. at 19;

Sullivan v. Louisiana, 508 U.S. 275, 279 (1993) (requiring the

reviewing court to ensure that the guilty verdict rendered at

trial was “surely unattributable to the error”).

Both the Supreme Court and this Court have held that an

erroneously omitted jury instruction may be deemed harmless

error if the omitted element is supported by overwhelming

evidence admitted at trial. 2 See Neder, 527 U.S. at 16, 18;

Brown, 202 F.3d at 700–01. In Neder, the jury found that a

taxpayer had knowingly filed false statements in a tax return by

underreporting his income by $5 million, but did not determine

whether the false statement was material to the taxpayer’s tax

liability. 527 U.S. at 16. The Supreme Court held that the

omission of this element from the jury instruction was harmless

beyond a reasonable doubt, because the taxpayer had contested

2 The government may also prove harmless error by showing
that the jury necessarily found facts that would satisfy the
omitted element, such as when the omitted element overlaps with
an element in another count of conviction. See Brown, 202 F.3d
at 699–700. However, the government does not argue that this
type of harmless error applies in this case, because the same
element was erroneously omitted in all nine counts.

14
only the classification, but not the calculated amount, of the

$5 million, and that any reasonable jury would find that $5

million in unreported income is material to tax liability. Id.

Additionally, in United States v. Davis, 202 F.3d 212 (4th

Cir. 2000), we considered the omission of a jury instruction in

a case that would have required the jury to determine whether

the defendant fired gunshots into a “dwelling.” Id. at 217. We

held that because overwhelming evidence established that the

building in question was a family residence with six occupants,

the district court’s failure to instruct on the “dwelling”

element was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Id.

On the other hand, we have held that evidence of an element

omitted from jury instructions will not be deemed overwhelming

if the defendant had “genuinely contested” the omitted element

with evidence that could have caused “disagreement among the

jurors about” the contested element. See Brown, 202 F.3d at

702. In Brown, the jury was not instructed that it must find

unanimously that the defendant had participated in specific

predicate violations before finding that he had participated in

a “continuing criminal enterprise.” Id. at 698. The government

had presented evidence of several predicate offenses through

witnesses whose credibility had been impeached and whose

testimony had been countered by other evidence. Id. at 701–02.

We held that the error was not harmless beyond a reasonable

15
doubt, because the omission of the element from the jury

instructions could have allowed the jury to return a guilty

verdict without unanimous agreement on which predicate offenses

occurred. Id. at 702.

In accord with these decisions, we must examine the record

for evidence of McFadden’s knowledge regarding either the legal

status or the relevant characteristics of the bath salts. See

McFadden, 135 S. Ct. at 2305. We consider whether the

government has met its burden of showing that overwhelming

evidence established McFadden’s knowledge on this issue,

rendering the failure to instruct the jury on that knowledge

element harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.

III.

The government argues that the evidence at trial

established McFadden’s knowledge under either method of proof

articulated by the Supreme Court. According to the government,

the evidence overwhelmingly proved that McFadden knew that the

bath salts were regulated as controlled substances, and that the

bath salts had chemical structures and physiological effects

similar to those of controlled substances.

In response, McFadden asserts that his conduct showed that

he thought that his actions were lawful, and argues that he is

entitled to a jury determination of his credibility on this

16
issue. Relying on the Seventh Circuit’s decision in United

States v. Turcotte, 405 F.3d 515, 527 (7th Cir. 2005), he also

argues that under proper instructions, the jury would have been

permitted, but would not have been required, to infer from the

evidence that he had any knowledge of the chemical structures of

the substances that he sold. We disagree with certain parts of

both parties’ arguments.

A.

We address the parties’ arguments in the context of the two

methods of proof identified by the Supreme Court for

establishing the knowledge element. The government argues that

the first method of proof was satisfied in this case, because

overwhelming evidence established that McFadden knew that the

bath salts were regulated or controlled under the CSA or the

Analogue Act. The government highlights the fact that McFadden

distributed the bath salts using packaging, prices, and names

consistent with illicit drug distribution. Further, in the

recorded telephone conversations, McFadden compared his products

to cocaine and methamphetamine. The government also argues that

McFadden’s attempts to conceal his activity and the nature of

his business showed that he was conscious of his own wrongdoing.

We disagree with the government’s argument regarding the extent

of evidence supporting this first method of proof.

17
 Although the jury could have inferred from McFadden’s

evasive behavior and the “disclaimer” labeling of the packages

and vials that he knew that the bath salts were treated as

controlled substances, McFadden, 135 S. Ct. at 2304 n.1, we

agree with McFadden that such an inference would not have been

compelled. McFadden countered the government’s evidence of his

guilty knowledge by presenting evidence that he tried to comply

with the law and intentionally avoided selling substances listed

on the CSA schedules. McFadden affixed labels to his packages

that disclaimed the inclusion of specific Schedule I substances,

and he ceased selling MDPV and methylone immediately after

learning of their listing in the CSA schedules. Thus, we

conclude that McFadden’s efforts to avoid selling substances

listed in the CSA schedules is the type of “genuinely contested”

evidence we discussed in Brown that could have caused

“disagreement among the jurors” about whether McFadden knew that

the bath salts were regulated or controlled under the CSA or the

Analogue Act. See Brown, 202 F.3d at 702.

We therefore hold that the evidence was sufficient to

permit, but not so overwhelming to compel, the jury to find that

McFadden knew that federal law regulated the bath salts as

controlled substances. Instead, the jury could have concluded

from the evidence that McFadden erroneously thought that it was

not a crime to sell MDPV, methylone, and 4-MEC. Therefore, the

18
government has not shown that overwhelming evidence established

McFadden’s knowledge under the first method of proof.

B.

The government may also prove McFadden’s knowledge by

showing that McFadden knew “the specific analogue he was dealing

with.” McFadden, 135 S. Ct. at 2305. For this second method of

proof, the government relies on McFadden’s statements in

telephone conversations recorded between August 25, 2011 and

February 1, 2012 to show that McFadden had knowledge of the

analogues’ chemical structures and physiological effects.

As we discuss below, we agree with the government that the

recorded telephone conversations overwhelmingly establish that

McFadden knew the bath salts’ chemical structures and

physiological effects. However, the first recorded telephone

conversation occurred on August 25, 2011, after McFadden’s

conduct giving rise to Count Two (July 11–25, 2011), Count Three

(July 29–August 11, 2011), and Count Four (August 10–24, 2011)

of the superseding indictment. The government does not cite,

nor were we able to find, any earlier direct evidence of

McFadden’s state of mind.

Although the jury reasonably could have inferred from

McFadden’s discussions in the August 25, 2011 phone call that he

had possessed the required knowledge before his first shipment

to Charlottesville, the evidence on this point cannot in any

19
view be termed “overwhelming.” See Brown, 202 F.3d at 701–02.

McFadden’s brother, a federal law enforcement agent, testified

at trial that McFadden began selling “aromatherapy” products

after seeing similar products for sale in plain view around

Staten Island. Based on this and the other evidence before us,

the jury reasonably could have concluded that McFadden began

selling his products before knowing their identity, chemical

structures, or physiological effects when ingested. The jury

therefore reasonably could have concluded from the evidence that

McFadden’s guilty knowledge had not been established at the time

he made the shipments corresponding with Counts Two, Three, and

Four. Accordingly, we conclude that the government has not met

its burden of establishing harmless error with respect to Counts

Two, Three, and Four.

Any reasonable uncertainty about McFadden’s knowledge,

however, evaporated with McFadden’s recorded participation in

telephone conversations that demonstrated his full knowledge of

the chemical structures and physiological effects of his

products. McFadden does not dispute the accuracy of the

recordings and transcripts admitted at trial, nor does he point

to evidence that would contradict the contents of those

20
conversations. 3 In the first recorded substantive conversation,

on August 25, 2011, McFadden discussed the composition of his

products, characterizing a mixture called “Alpha” as “the

straight chemical” and “the replacement for the MDPV.” When

asked for further details about a mixture labeled “No Speed

Limit,” McFadden represented that “Alpha mixed with the 4-MEC

gives you a No Speed Limit–like feeling, just not as intense.”

McFadden also explicitly compared these mixtures to “cocaine”

and “crystal meth.” In later conversations, McFadden discussed

distributing a “4-MEC” blend called “New Sheens,” adding “a

little extra kick” to a blend called “Hardball,” and describing

“Hardball” as a blend with “five active chemicals in it” or

“five ingredients.”

McFadden nevertheless argues that his statements to

McDaniel were mere “sales talk,” completely unconnected with any

actual knowledge he might have. McFadden, a construction

foreman and furniture salesman, asserts that he obviously lacked

the experience or training to have scientific, chemical, or

pharmacological knowledge about the products he sold. We are

3In his initial appeal, McFadden challenged the relevance
of the recordings and the transcripts, but did not challenge
their accuracy. United States v. McFadden, 753 F.3d 432, 443
(4th Cir. 2014). We held that the district court did not abuse
its discretion in admitting the recordings and transcripts,
because they were relevant to prove that McFadden intended the
bath salts to be used for human consumption. Id.

21
not persuaded by this argument, or by McFadden’s assertion that

under the holding of United States v. Turcotte, 405 F.3d 515,

527 (7th Cir. 2005), he is entitled to have the jury judge his

credibility on the knowledge issue rather than have this

question be reviewed on appeal for harmless error.

McFadden correctly states the principle from Turcotte, that

even if a defendant is proved to have had knowledge of an

analogue’s physiological effects, a jury is permitted, but is

not required, to infer that a defendant had knowledge of the

analogue’s relevant chemical similarities. See 405 F.3d at 527.

However, McFadden’s argument on this point, as well as his

contention that he was engaged in mere “sales talk,” grossly

understates the evidence of his knowledge of the substances’

chemical structures and physiological effects.

The nine recorded telephone conversations, beginning on

August 25, 2011, established McFadden’s thorough and detailed

knowledge of chemicals identified in Count One and Counts Five

through Nine, their chemical structures, their effects, and

their similarity to other controlled substances. On August 25,

2011, McFadden explicitly referenced “MDPV” and “4-MEC” by name

and described blends of different chemicals. Laboratory tests

confirmed that McFadden’s statements accurately described the

chemical composition of his products. In addition, McFadden’s

evidence that he consulted the CSA schedules on the DEA website,

22
although effective to raise a question whether he knew the bath

salts were regulated as controlled substances, demonstrated that

he had sufficient knowledge about his products’ chemical

structures to be able to compare them to the list of chemical

names on the CSA schedules. See 21 C.F.R. § 1308.11.

Therefore, the record shows far more evidence than the mere

knowledge or representation of physiological effects referenced

in Turcotte. See 405 F.3d at 527.

The telephone conversations also established that McFadden

knew the physiological effects of the products. On August 25,

2011, McFadden described the “feeling” caused by different

blends, comparing their effects to those of cocaine and

methamphetamine. The government presented evidence that

McFadden’s descriptions accurately reflected the actual

physiological effects of the blends. And, even if McFadden’s

descriptions of the physiological effects were merely “sales

talk,” the Analogue Act defines analogues to include substances

merely represented to have the relevant physiological effects.

See 21 U.S.C. § 802(32)(A)(iii).

Therefore, the recorded telephone conversations demonstrate

overwhelmingly that by August 25, 2011, McFadden knew the

chemical identities and the physiological effects of the

substances he was selling. As the Supreme Court has held, “[a]

defendant who possesses a substance with knowledge of those

23
features knows all of the facts that make his conduct illegal.”

McFadden, 135 S. Ct. at 2305. Accordingly, we conclude that

because overwhelming evidence established that McFadden knew, as

of August 25, 2011, the specific features of the substances he

was selling, the district court’s omission of the knowledge

element from the jury instructions was harmless error with

regard to McFadden’s convictions under Counts Five through Nine.

For the same reason, we affirm McFadden’s conviction under Count

One for conspiracy to distribute controlled substance analogues,

which is supported by overwhelming evidence of his state of mind

beginning with the date of those recorded telephone

conversations.

With respect to Counts Two, Three, and Four, however,

because the erroneous omission of the knowledge element from the

jury instructions was not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, we

vacate and remand those counts for further proceedings in the

district court consistent with the principles expressed in this

opinion. We also remand the convictions on Count One, and

Counts Five through Nine, to the district court for

resentencing.

IV.

For these reasons, we affirm the district court’s judgment

of conviction on Counts One, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine,

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and vacate the court’s sentence on those counts and remand for

resentencing. We vacate the district court’s judgment on Counts

Two, Three, and Four, and remand those counts for further

proceedings in the district court.

AFFIRMED IN PART,
VACATED IN PART,
AND REMANDED

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