United States v. Hill

CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
DecidedSeptember 21, 2021
Docket01-5004
StatusUnpublished

This text of United States v. Hill (United States v. Hill) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fourth 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. Hill, (4th Cir. 2021).

Opinion

UNPUBLISHED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,  Plaintiff-Appellee, v.  No. 01-5004 DAVID HILL, Defendant-Appellant.  Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Alexandria. Claude M. Hilton, Chief District Judge. (CR-01-191-A)

Submitted: September 24, 2003

Decided: October 15, 2003

Amended: September 21, 2021

Before WIDENER, NIEMEYER, and MICHAEL, Circuit Judges.

Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

COUNSEL

Craig W. Sampson, LAW OFFICE OF CRAIG W. SAMPSON, Rich- mond, Virginia, for Appellant. Paul J. McNulty, United States Attor- ney, Steven D. Mellin, Assistant United States Attorney, Thomas E. Booth, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Washing- ton, D.C., for Appellee. 2 UNITED STATES v. HILL Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. See Local Rule 36(c).

OPINION

PER CURIAM:

David Hill appeals his conviction of several charges arising out of the robbery of three banks in the Eastern District of Virginia. The indictment charged Hill with conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, 18 U.S.C. § 371 (2000), three counts of armed bank robbery, 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a), (d) (2000), and three counts of use of a firearm in a crime of violence, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) (2000). After a trial, the jury found Hill guilty on all counts. Hill noted a timely appeal. His counsel filed a brief pursuant to Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 744 (1967), in which he represents that there are no argu- able issues of merit in this appeal. Nonetheless, in his brief, counsel challenges the district court’s dismissal without an evidentiary hear- ing of Hill’s motion to amend, in which he asserted the transcript of the district court’s hearing regarding his refusal to comply with the grand jury subpoena was altered. Counsel also asserts the district court erred in denying Hill’s Fed. R. Crim. P. 29 motion to dismiss the charges because the Government failed to establish the banks were federally insured, an element of the crime of bank robbery. Hill filed a pro se supplemental brief that raised nine additional issues. Finding no merit to any of these claims of error, and discovering no other reversible error in our review of the record, we affirm the con- victions and sentences.

Hill asserts the district court had no evidentiary basis for denying his motion to amend judgment, styled as a motion under Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(b), and the issue should be remanded for further proceedings. The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are not the vehicle by which Hill may challenge his criminal judgment. See United States v. O’Keefe, 169 F.3d 281, 289 (5th Cir. 1999) (finding that Rule 60(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure does not provide for relief from criminal judgment). Other Circuits treat a motion pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(b) filed in a criminal case as a motion for a new UNITED STATES v. HILL 3 trial under Fed. R. Crim. P. 33. See United States v. Graciani, 61 F.3d 70, 77 (1st Cir. 1995); United States v. Taglia, 922 F.2d 413, 415 (7th Cir. 1991). Even if treated as a motion for a new trial, Hill’s motion makes only conclusory assertions that the transcript was altered. A transcript certified by a court reporter "shall be deemed prima facie a correct statement of the testimony taken and the proceedings had." 28 U.S.C. § 753(b) (2000). A defendant’s bald assertion of error is insufficient to overcome the statutory presumption that the transcript is correct. United States v. Zammiello, 432 F.2d 72, 73 (9th Cir. 1970). We find the district court did not abuse its discretion in deny- ing Hill’s motion. See United States v. Smith, 62 F.3d 641, 651 (4th Cir. 1995).

Hill next asserts that he was entitled to a new trial because the Government failed to establish the deposits of the banks he robbed were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The Government entered into evidence certificates demonstrating the deposits of each bank were insured by the FDIC. An employee from each bank testified the bank was so insured. Testimony from a bank employee that the deposits are insured by the FDIC is sufficient evi- dence from which the jury may conclude the bank was insured at the time of the robbery. See United States v. Gallop, 838 F.2d 105 (4th Cir. 1988). We find the Government introduced sufficient evidence that the banks’ deposits were federally insured.

In his pro se supplemental brief, Hill asserts: (1) the warrant issued for Hill’s arrest relied on a false statement in the affidavit; (2) Hill was extradited from Red Onion State Prison in Pound, Virginia, to Alexandria, Virginia, for trial in violation of the Extradition Act; (3) the Government failed to comply with the Interstate Agreement on Detainers Act by failing to bring Hill to trial in 180 days; and (4) the Government, the court, and the jury pool conspired to fix Hill’s guilty verdicts and sentence prior to the commencement of trial. Based on our review of the record, we find these claims to be meritless.

Hill also contends his Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment rights were violated by the grand jury proceedings and the district court’s hearing regarding his failure to comply with the grand jury subpoena. Hill has raised no meritorious issues challenging the propriety of the grand jury subpoena duces tecum requiring he provide a cheek swab 4 UNITED STATES v. HILL and head hair, the grand jury proceeding or the hearing before the dis- trict court. See United States v. R. Enterprises, Inc., 498 U.S. 292, 297 (1991); United States v. Calandra, 414 U.S. 338, 343 (1974); United States v. Dionisio, 410 U.S. 1, 9 (1972); In re Grand Jury Subpoena, 920 F.2d 235, 244 (4th Cir. 1990); Schmerber v. California, 384 U.S.

Related

Schmerber v. California
384 U.S. 757 (Supreme Court, 1966)
Anders v. California
386 U.S. 738 (Supreme Court, 1967)
United States v. Dionisio
410 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1973)
United States v. Calandra
414 U.S. 338 (Supreme Court, 1974)
United States v. R. Enterprises, Inc.
498 U.S. 292 (Supreme Court, 1991)
United States v. Graciani
61 F.3d 70 (First Circuit, 1995)
United States v. James J. Zammiello
432 F.2d 72 (Ninth Circuit, 1970)
United States v. Ishmael Gallop
838 F.2d 105 (Fourth Circuit, 1988)
United States v. Samuel Leroy Bostian
59 F.3d 474 (Fourth Circuit, 1995)
United States v. James Neal, Iii, A/K/A Sonny
78 F.3d 901 (Fourth Circuit, 1996)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
United States v. Hill, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-hill-ca4-2021.