United States v. Francheck

63 F. App'x 855
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedApril 28, 2003
DocketNo. 02-5502
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 63 F. App'x 855 (United States v. Francheck) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth 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. Francheck, 63 F. App'x 855 (6th Cir. 2003).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

Defendant-appellant Albert Wayne Francheck was convicted after a non-jury trial of being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(k). He also pled guilty to two counts of possessing cocaine with intent to distribute in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). On appeal, Francheck contends that as a matter of law the evidence presented by the government was insufficient to establish that Francheck’s possession of the firearm had a substantial effect on interstate commerce as required under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). Francheck further claims that the district court erred in failing to reduce his sentence for acceptance of responsibility. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm Francheck’s conviction and sentence.

I.

On July 10, 1998, officers of the Eighteenth Judicial Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at Albert and Tabitha Francheck’s residence in Gallatin, Tennessee. The search warrant was executed after Francheck sold three grams of cocaine to an undercover officer in the garage of his residence. During the search, officers found a ROHM derringer firearm, cocaine residue and marked money, which had been used to purchase cocaine from Francheck. The serial number was no longer distinguishable on the firearm.

On March 15, 2000, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment naming Francheck as a defendant. Count One charged Francheck with being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Count Two charged Francheck with possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(k). On March 20, 2000, Francheck was released on bond.

On June 2, 2000, officers from the Eighteenth Judicial Drug Task Force arranged for a controlled drug transaction with Francheck. During that transaction, Francheck gave a police informant $5,000 in exchange for eight ounces of cocaine. The officers arrested Francheck and subsequently searched his residence. The search uncovered an additional forty grams of cocaine.

A superseding indictment was issued on July 13, 2000. In addition to the two original counts, the superseding indictment charged Francheck with two counts of possessing cocaine with intent to distribute in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1).

On June 19, 2000, while on pretrial release. Francheck absconded. The United States Marshal Service apprehended Fran-check on March 12, 2001, at a motel room [857]*857in Nashville, Tennessee. After frustrating Francheek’s attempts to block the door to his motel room, the marshals entered and discovered eight ounces of cocaine and $3,800 in cash.

In September 2001, Francheck moved to dismiss Counts One and Two of the superseding indictment arguing, among other things, that the government had no evidence that Francheck’s possession of the firearm affected or was connected to interstate commerce. Francheck claimed that “[t]he fact that the gun may have at some time in the past, prior to Mr. Fran-check’s possession, traveled across state lines is legally insufficient to prove a current interstate commerce connection.” The district court denied the motion.

On November 16, 2001, the district court held a bench trial on Counts One and Two. At trial, Francheck and the government stipulated to several facts, including Fran-check’s status as a convicted felon based on a previous conviction for possession of cocaine with intent for resale on November 17, 1995. Francheck further stipulated to admitting that he owned the firearm found at his residence and that the “firearm was not manufactured in the State of Tennessee and therefor [sic] at some point traveled in interstate commerce.” The government, however, stipulated that its “proof would not establish that the defendant Albert Wayne Francheck actually carried or transported the firearm in interstate or foreign commerce.” Francheck was convicted on both Counts One and Two. Francheck then pled guilty to Counts Three and Four.

At sentencing Francheck moved for a sentence reduction for acceptance of responsibility under § 3E1.1 of the United States Sentencing Guidelines. The district court denied Francheck’s request for a reduction for acceptance of responsibility and sentenced him to seventy-eight months imprisonment and three years supervised release. This timely appeal followed.

II.

Francheck first argues that as a matter of law the evidence is insufficient to sustain his convictions under Counts One and Two because the government failed to establish that the firearm possessed by Francheck was “in or affecting interstate commerce” as required by 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). A district court’s legal conclusions are reviewed de novo. United States v. Roberts, 223 F.3d 377, 380 (6th Cir.2000). When reviewing a motion to dismiss, where the defendant is arguing that as a matter of law the undisputed facts do not constitute the offense charged in an indictment, the court is reviewing a question of law, not fact. See, e.g., United States v. Bowman, 173 F.3d 595 (6th Cir.1999). According to Francheck, under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), evidence that at some undetermined time in the past the firearm at issue was manufactured outside of Tennessee and then transported into Tennessee is insufficient to sustain a conviction. Instead, the government must present evidence that Francheck personally possessed the firearm in a manner affecting commerce.

In United States v. Napier, 233 F.3d 394, 401 (6th Cir.2000), this court held that proof that a firearm possessed by a defendant previously traveled in interstate commerce “is sufficient to establish the interstate commerce connection” under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). Francheck argues that the Supreme Court’s opinion in Jones v. United States, 529 U.S. 848, 120 S.Ct. 1904, 146 L.Ed.2d 902 (2000), suggests a holding contrary to that set forth by this court in Napier. This court, however, directly rejected that argument in Napier, stating: “Nothing in Jones suggests that [858]*858the Supreme Court is backing off its opinion that § 1202(a), the predecessor of § 922(g)(1), required only ‘the minimal nexus that the firearm have been, at some time, in interstate commerce.’”

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Franchek v. United States
540 U.S. 921 (Supreme Court, 2003)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
63 F. App'x 855, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-francheck-ca6-2003.