United States v. Bindley

CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedOctober 13, 1998
Docket97-3250
StatusPublished

This text of United States v. Bindley (United States v. Bindley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Bindley, (10th Cir. 1998).

Opinion

F I L E D United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit PUBLISH OCT 13 1998 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS PATRICK FISHER Clerk TENTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

v. No. 97-3250

GARY JOSEPH BINDLEY,

Defendant-Appellant.

Appeal from United States District Court for the District of Kansas (D.C. No. 96-CR-400049-3)

Charles D. Dedmon, Assistant Federal Public Defender (David J. Phillips, Federal Public Defender, with him on the brief), Topeka, Kansas, for the appellant.

Randy M. Hendershot, Assistant United States Attorney (Jackie N. Williams, United States Attorney, with him on the brief), Topeka, Kansas, for the appellee.

Before EBEL, HENRY, and BRISCOE, Circuit Judges.

BRISCOE, Circuit Judge. Defendant Gary Joseph Bindley was convicted of armed bank robbery, in

violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2113(a), (d), and 2, use of a firearm during and in

relation to a crime of violence, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c)(1), and 2, and

conspiracy to commit bank robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. Bindley

challenges his convictions and sentence on appeal. We exercise jurisdiction

pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291 and affirm.

I.

Bindley, his roommate Jerry Penner, Jr., and a mutual friend Michael

Walters, drove around the outskirts of Topeka, Kansas, on the morning of June 1,

1996, looking for psychedelic mushrooms to pick and ingest. After having no

success, they stopped briefly at Walters’ house where, according to Bindley,

Bindley and Walters smoked a marijuana cigarette. When the three men left the

house in Penner’s car, Walters was carrying a .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol.

Later that morning the men drove to the Kaw Valley State Bank and, after

driving away from the Bank to devise an escape route, they returned and parked

the car approximately one block north of the Bank. Bindley took the pistol from

Walters and walked into the Bank, but he returned approximately five minutes

later and told Penner and Walters, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t do it. I punked out.”

Record V at 114.

Walters told Bindley and Penner he intended to rob the Bank because he

-2- “already had the money spent.” Id. at 115. He put on the baseball hat and flannel

shirt Bindley had been wearing and took the pistol. At Walters’ direction, Penner

drove around the block several times and parked the car in a different location.

Walters got out of the car and walked into the Bank. He approached teller Sally

Ann Hudson, handed her a plastic sack, pointed the pistol at her, and told her to

put money in the sack. Hudson cooperated and filled the sack with approximately

$5,034 in cash from her counter and drawer. Walters left the Bank, ran toward

the car where Bindley and Penner were waiting, and jumped into the front

passenger seat. The men drove to the west edge of town where they threw out the

pistol, the baseball cap, and the flannel shirt. They also threw out a rifle Penner

had been carrying in his car. The men then returned to Walters’ house where they

divided the money, with Penner and Bindley each receiving $1,000 and Walters

receiving the remainder.

Penner and Walters were indicted on three counts in connection with the

bank robbery and they pleaded guilty to two of the three counts. Bindley was

charged with the same three counts. Count 1 charged Bindley with armed bank

robbery, count 2 charged him with use of a firearm during and in relation to a

crime of violence, and count 3 charged him with conspiring with Penner and

Walters to commit bank robbery. After a jury trial, Bindley was found guilty of

all counts. He was sentenced to concurrent terms of forty-one months on the

-3- armed bank robbery and conspiracy convictions, and to a consecutive term of

sixty months on the use of a firearm conviction, for a total sentence of 101

months’ imprisonment. He was also ordered to pay $5,034 in restitution.

II.

Sufficiency of the evidence

Bindley contends the evidence at trial was insufficient to support his

convictions for armed bank robbery (Count 1) and use of a firearm (Count 2).

More specifically, he argues neither his presence at the scene of the criminal

activity, nor his knowledge of the occurrence of criminal activity, demonstrates

“he in any way knowingly acted for the purpose of aiding and abetting the

commission of” the charged offenses. Opening Br. at 11.

We review de novo the question of whether the evidence at trial was

sufficient. United States v. Ivy , 83 F.3d 1266, 1284 (10th Cir. 1996). Viewing

the evidence and the reasonable inferences therefrom in the light most favorable

to the government, we ask whether a reasonable jury could find defendant guilty

beyond a reasonable doubt. We will reverse only if we conclude no reasonable

jury could have reached the disputed verdict. Id.

Count 1 of the information charged Bindley with armed bank robbery, in

-4- violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a) and (d). 1 The jury was instructed in Instruction 8

that to convict Bindley of armed bank robbery, the government had to prove (1)

money was taken from the care, custody, or possession of the Bank; (2) the taking

was by force and violence or intimidation; (3) during the taking, employees of the

Bank were either assaulted or their lives were put in jeopardy by use of a

dangerous weapon or device; and (4) the deposits of the Bank were insured by the

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Count 2 of the information charged Bindley with use of a firearm during

and in relation to a crime of violence, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1). In

accordance with the language of the statute, the jury was instructed in Instruction

14 that to convict Bindley of this charge, the government had to prove (1) a crime

of violence was committed for which Bindley could be prosecuted in a court of

the United States; and (2) during and in relation to commission of that crime,

Bindley knowingly used a firearm.

We note Bindley does not dispute the evidence presented at trial

demonstrates Walters’ actions inside the Bank satisfied the essential elements of

Counts 1 and 2. Instead, his challenge is focused on whether the evidence

pertaining to his own conduct satisfied the necessary elements for aiding and

1 Although 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a) encompasses attempted robberies, Count 1 of the information in this case charged Bindley only with actual commission of the robbery via an aiding and abetting theory.

-5- abetting liability. The district court instructed the jury in Instruction 17 that

Bindley could be found guilty of Counts 1 and 2 as an aider and abetter if the

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