US v. Horace Thompson, Jr.

Filing

UNPUBLISHED PER CURIAM OPINION filed. Originating case number: 1:13-cr-00290-GBL-1 Copies to all parties and the district court/agency. [999406766].. [13-4984]

Appeal: 13-4984

Doc: 32

Filed: 07/31/2014

Pg: 1 of 4

UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 13-4984

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v.
HORACE SINCLAIR THOMPSON, JR.,
Defendant - Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia, at Alexandria. Gerald Bruce Lee, District
Judge. (1:13-cr-00290-GBL-1)

Submitted:

July 25, 2014

Decided:

July 31, 2014

Before GREGORY, DUNCAN, and WYNN, Circuit Judges.

Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

John O. Iweanoge, II, THE IWEANOGE’S FIRM, P.C., Washington,
D.C., for Appellant.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney,
Michael E. Rich, G. Zachary Terwilliger, Assistant United States
Attorneys, Alexandria, Virginia, for Appellee.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

Appeal: 13-4984

Doc: 32

Filed: 07/31/2014

Pg: 2 of 4

PER CURIAM:
After a jury trial, Horace Sinclair Thompson, Jr., was
convicted

of

arson,

in

violation

of

18

U.S.C.

§§

2,

844(i)

(2012).

On appeal, Thompson challenges the sufficiency of the

evidence

supporting

his

conviction

admission of certain evidence.

and

the

district

court’s

We affirm.

The denial of a motion for a judgment of acquittal is
reviewed de novo.
(4th Cir. 2011).

United States v. Jaensch, 665 F.3d 83, 93
“We review the sufficiency of the evidence to

support a conviction by determining whether there is substantial
evidence in the record, when viewed in the light most favorable
to the government, to support the conviction.”

Id. (quoting

United States v. Madrigal–Valadez, 561 F.3d 370, 374 (4th Cir.
2009)) (internal quotation marks omitted).
analysis,

“circumstantial

evidence

is

In conducting this

treated

no

differently

than direct evidence, and may be sufficient to support a guilty
verdict

even

hypothesis

though

it

consistent

does

with

not

exclude

innocence.”

every
United

reasonable
States

v.

Jackson, 863 F.2d 1168, 1173 (4th Cir. 1989).

We can reverse a

conviction

only

based

on

insufficient

prosecution’s failure is clear.”

evidence

when

“the

Burks v. United States, 437

U.S. 1, 17 (1978).
To

support

a

conviction

for

arson

under

18

U.S.C.

§ 844(i), the government must prove that the defendant: “(1)
2

Appeal: 13-4984

Doc: 32

Filed: 07/31/2014

Pg: 3 of 4

maliciously; (2) damaged or destroyed a building, vehicle, or
other

real

or

personal

property;

(3)

by

means

of

fire

or

explosive; and (4) the building, vehicle, or personal or real
property was used in interstate or foreign commerce or in any
activity

affecting

interstate

or

foreign

commerce.”

States v. Gullett, 75 F.3d 941, 947 (4th Cir. 1996).

United
Thompson

challenges only the evidence of malicious intent.
After viewing the evidence as a whole and in the light
most favorable to the government, we conclude that there was
sufficient evidence to support the jury’s verdict.

The evidence

that the damaged business was failing financially, that Thompson
communicated frequently with the building’s owner on the night
before the fire, and that he lied to police about his burns, as
well as the manner in which the fire was started, entitled the
jury to conclude that Thompson set the fire intentionally.
Thompson

also

challenges

the

district

court’s

admission of evidence regarding the financial condition of the
damaged

business

fire.

We

review

admissibility

of

and
the

the

owner’s

district

evidence

for

insurance

court’s
abuse

of

claims

rulings

after

the

regarding

the

discretion.

States v. Cole, 631 F.3d 146, 153 (4th Cir. 2011).

United

A district

court abuses its discretion when it acts arbitrarily, see id.,
or

applies

“erroneous

legal

principles

to

the

case,”

States v. Mason, 52 F.3d 1286, 1290 (4th Cir. 1995).
3

United

Appeal: 13-4984

Doc: 32

The

Filed: 07/31/2014

challenged

Pg: 4 of 4

evidence

was

relevant

to

proving

Thompson’s motive, and raised no prejudice beyond that which was
inherent in the charges against him.

See United States v. Boyd,

53 F.3d 631, 637 (4th Cir. 1995) (holding that evidence is not
unfairly prejudicial if it does not “involve conduct any more
sensational

or

disturbing

defendant] was charged”).

than

the

crimes

with

which

[the

Therefore, the district court did not

abuse its discretion by admitting this evidence. ∗
Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the district
court.
legal
before

We dispense with oral argument because the facts and
contentions
this

court

are

adequately

and

argument

presented

would

not

in
aid

the
the

materials
decisional

process.
AFFIRMED

∗

Thompson also asserts that the challenged evidence was
inadmissible under Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b). Rule 404(b)
is inapplicable because the district court admitted the evidence
under Rule 401, not under Rule 404(b)(2), and the challenged
evidence was not character evidence under Rule 404(b)(1).

4