US v. Miquan Smith

Filing

UNPUBLISHED PER CURIAM OPINION filed. Originating case number: 5:13-cr-00044-RLV-DSC-2. Copies to all parties and the district court. [999735633]. [15-4008]

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UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 15-4008

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff – Appellee,
v.
MIQUAN LIMIK SMITH, a/k/a Mike Smith, a/k/a Limik Smith,
Defendant - Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western
District of North Carolina, at Statesville.
Richard L.
Voorhees, District Judge. (5:13-cr-00044-RLV-DSC-2)

Submitted:

July 30, 2015

Decided:

January 14, 2016

Before DUNCAN, FLOYD, and THACKER, Circuit Judges.

Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

Eric J. Foster, LAW OFFICE OF RICK FOSTER, Asheville, North
Carolina, for Appellant. Jill Westmoreland Rose, Acting United
States Attorney, Amy E. Ray, Assistant United States Attorney,
Asheville, North Carolina, for Appellee.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

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PER CURIAM:
Miquan Limik Smith appeals his convictions for conspiring
to commit an offense against the United States by committing
burglaries
§ 371

and

(2012)

possession

stealing

(Count

of

firearms,

1),

stolen

aiding

firearms,

in

and

violation
abetting

in

of

the

violation

18

U.S.C.

receipt

of

18

and

U.S.C.

§§ 922(j), 924(a)(2) (2012) (Count 2), and unlawfully possessing
one or more firearms while a convicted felon, in violation of 18
U.S.C. § 922(g) (Count 3).
district
testimony,

court
(2)

abused
the

On appeal, Smith argues that (1) the

its

discretion

evidence

was

by

admitting

insufficient

to

hearsay

sustain

his

convictions, and (3) the Government violated his due process
rights by failing to call his coconspirator to testify.

We

affirm.
First, we review the district court’s hearsay ruling for
abuse of discretion.

United States v. Gonzales-Flores, 701 F.3d

112, 117 (4th Cir. 2012).
declarant

does

not

make

“Hearsay” is any statement that the
at

the

instant

trial

that

“a

party

offers in evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted in
the statement.”

Fed. R. Evid. 801(c).

Hearsay is inadmissible

except as otherwise provided by federal rule or statute.

Fed.

R. Evid. 802.
Here, we conclude that any error in the admission of the
challenged testimony was harmless because “it appears ‘beyond a
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reasonable doubt that the error complained of did not contribute
to the verdict obtained.’”

See United States v. Lovern, 293

F.3d 695, 701 (4th Cir. 2002) (quoting Neder v. United States,
527 U.S. 1, 15 (1999)).

The complained-of statement was offered

to prove that Smith was a passenger in a car connected with one
of the burglaries.

But even without the testimony, the evidence

was more than sufficient to sustain Smith’s connection with that
burglary,

his

coconspirator,

and

the

stolen

firearms.

Therefore, this claim entitles Smith to no relief.
Nor

do

we

complained-of

find

merit

statement

Confrontation

Clause.

in

Smith’s

violates
The

his

36,

68

(2004).

nontestimonial
events,

but

as

to

it

Here,
was

apprehend

rights

Confrontation

limited to testimonial statements.
U.S.

contention

the

under

Clause’s

the

reach

is

Crawford v. Washington, 541

the

challenged

obtained
a

that

not

fleeing

to

statement

learn

suspect.

about

See

was
past

Davis v.

Washington, 547 U.S. 813, 822 (2006) (explaining that statements
are

“nontestimonial

interrogation

under

when

made

circumstances

in

the

course

objectively

of

police

indicating

that

the primary purpose of the interrogation is to enable police
assistance

to

meet

an

ongoing

emergency”).

Thus,

the

Confrontation Clause is inapplicable.
We

next

review

de

novo

the

district

court’s

denial

of

Smith’s Fed. R. Crim. P. 29 motion for judgment of acquittal.
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United States v. Smith, 451 F.3d 209, 216 (4th Cir. 2006).

We

will affirm if, when the evidence is viewed in the light most
favorable to the Government, “the conviction is supported by
substantial evidence.”
762-63

(4th

Cir.

United States v. Hickman, 626 F.3d 756,

2010)

(internal

quotation

marks

omitted).

“Substantial evidence is evidence that a reasonable finder of
fact

could

accept

as

adequate

and

sufficient

to

support

a

conclusion of a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
United

States

(internal

v.

Green,

quotation

evidentiary

599

marks

sufficiency

F.3d

360,

omitted).
“faces

a

A

367

(4th

Cir.

defendant

heavy

2015)

challenging

burden.”

United

States v. Foster, 507 F.3d 233, 245 (4th Cir. 2007).

Reversal

of a conviction on these grounds is limited to “cases where the
prosecution’s

failure

is

clear.”

Id.

at

244-45

(internal

quotation marks omitted).
To obtain a conviction under Count 1, the Government had to
show that Smith engaged in a conspiracy to violate 18 U.S.C.
§ 922(j),

which

requires

an

agreement

between

Smith

and

his

coconspirator, Johnson, to receive and possess stolen firearms,
and an overt act in furtherance of that conspiracy.
States v. Cone, 714 F.3d 197, 213 (4th Cir. 2013).

Notably, the

agreement may be inferred from circumstantial evidence.
714

F.3d

at

213.

Under

Count

2,

the

United

Government

Cone,
had

to

demonstrate that Smith aided and abetted Johnson in violating
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§ 922(j).

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Accordingly, to sustain Smith’s convictions under

both counts, a reasonable juror must be able to conclude that
Smith conspired, and aided and abetted Johnson, to knowingly
possess

stolen

commerce.

guns

that

had

been

shipped

in

interstate

See United States v. Moye, 454 F.3d 390, 395 (4th

Cir. 2006) (en banc).
Under

Count

3,

the

Government

had

to

show

that

Smith

knowingly possessed a firearm, as Smith does not contest his
convicted-felon

status.

To

prove

possession,

the

Government

need only demonstrate that Smith’s “possession was constructive,
meaning

that

dominion

and

he

exercised,

control

over

or
the

had

the

firearm.”

power

to

United

exercise,
States

v.

Wilson, 484 F.3d 267, 282 (4th Cir. 2007) (internal quotation
marks omitted).
Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the
Government, we conclude that a reasonable juror could make a
number of inferences critical to sustaining Smith’s conviction:
(1) Smith was present at the final burglary; (2) Smith threw a
duffel bag out of the car window as police pursued the car; and
(3) Smith knew that the bag contained stolen guns, which were
instantly recognizable by their distinct weight and shape.
Given these inferences, the jury could conclude, beyond a
reasonable doubt, that Smith conspired to possess a stolen gun,
and aided and abetted Johnson in possessing a stolen gun.
5

That

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Smith fled from Johnson’s car makes the jury’s interpretation of
the evidence all the more reasonable: “It cannot be doubted that
in appropriate circumstances, a consciousness of guilt may be
deduced from evidence of flight and that a jury’s finding of
guilt

may

be

supported

by

consciousness

of

guilt.”

States v. Obi, 239 F.3d 662, 665 (4th Cir. 2001).

United

Thus, we hold

that the evidence was sufficient to sustain the district court’s
judgment.
We conclude by reviewing Smith’s due process claims, which
were not raised at trial, for plain error.
Promise,

255

F.3d

150,

153

(4th

Cir.

United States v.

2001)

(en

banc).

To

satisfy this standard of review, Smith must demonstrate that an
error

(1)

occurred,

substantial rights.
(1993).
such

(2)

was

plain,

and

(3)

affected

his

United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725, 732

Even then, we may exercise our discretion to correct

errors

only

if

they

“seriously

affect

the

fairness,

integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings.”
Smith

essentially

claims

that

the

Government

Id.

engaged

in

prosecutorial misconduct by refusing to call Johnson to testify.
To

show

“(1) that
(2) that
rights

so

prosecutorial
the
such
as

misconduct,

prosecutors
conduct
to

deny

engaged

prejudiced
him

a

fair

Smith
in

the

improper

demonstrate
conduct,

defendant’s

trial.”

Alerre, 430 F.3d 681, 689 (4th Cir. 2005).
6

must

United

and

substantial
States

v.

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We find no evidence of prosecutorial misconduct on this
record.

The Government had the right to call whomever they

pleased, as did Smith.

Neither elected to call Johnson.

In

short, we see no basis for reversal.
Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s judgment.
dispense

with

contentions

are

oral

argument

adequately

because

presented

in

the
the

facts

We

and

legal

materials

before

this court and argument would not aid the decisional process.

AFFIRMED

7