United States v. Mark Daniel Ganley

5 F.3d 541, 1993 U.S. App. LEXIS 30322, 1993 WL 358551
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedSeptember 14, 1993
Docket92-10646
StatusPublished

This text of 5 F.3d 541 (United States v. Mark Daniel Ganley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth 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. Mark Daniel Ganley, 5 F.3d 541, 1993 U.S. App. LEXIS 30322, 1993 WL 358551 (9th Cir. 1993).

Opinion

5 F.3d 541
NOTICE: Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3 provides that dispositions other than opinions or orders designated for publication are not precedential and should not be cited except when relevant under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, or collateral estoppel.

UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Mark Daniel GANLEY, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 92-10646.

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.

Submitted Aug. 30, 1993.*
Decided Sept. 14, 1993.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, No. CR-91-071-PHX-RCB; Robert C. Bloomfield, District Judge, Presiding.

D.Ariz.

AFFIRMED IN PART, REVERSED IN PART, AND REMANDED.

Before: REAVLEY,** PREGERSON, and FERNANDEZ, Circuit Judges.

MEMORANDUM***

Mark Ganley was convicted of six counts of armed bank robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. Secs. 2 and 2113(a) and (d); one count of bank robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. Secs. 2 and 2113(a); and one count of use of a firearm in a crime of violence, in violation of 18 U.S.C. Secs. 2 and 924(c). The district court sentenced Ganley to 151 months for the robbery convictions, and imposed a consecutive 60-month for his use of a firearm. Ganley timely appealed, challenging both his convictions and his sentence. Ganley contends that the district court erred in: (1) allowing evidence of his drug habit, (2) denying his Rule 29 motion on counts 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7, (3) imposing the sentence under Sec. 924(c) consecutive to the aggregate sentence for all seven bank robbery counts, and (4) failing to consider Ganley's ability to pay restitution. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for further proceedings.

ANALYSIS

I. Evidence of Drug Use

Ganley challenges the admission of evidence of his drug use and addiction under Federal Rules of Evidence 403 and 404(b). We review evidentiary rulings for abuse of discretion. United States v. Feldman, 788 F.2d 544, 557 (9th Cir.1986), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 1067 (1987). We also review a district court's decision on balancing the probative value of evidence against its prejudicial harm for an abuse of discretion. Id.

Evidence of a defendant's drug habit is admissible to prove motive in bank robberies. See United States v. Miranda, 986 F.2d 1283, 1285 (9th Cir.) cert. denied, 113 S.Ct. 2393 (1993) (evidence of defendant's $20 to $30-a-day heroin habit properly admitted to show motive for bank robbery); United States v. Saniti, 604 F.2d 603, 604 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 969 (1979) (evidence of defendant's $250-a-day heroin and morphine habit properly admitted to show motive for bank robbery).

Because evidence of Ganley's drug habit has significant probative value, the district court did not abuse its broad discretion in finding that the probative value of the evidence outweighed the prejudicial harm. See United States v. Kinslow, 860 F.2d 963, 968 (9th Cir.1988), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 829 (1989).

II. The Rule 29 Motion for Acquittal

Ganley contends that the district court erred in denying his motion for acquittal on counts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7. Specifically, Ganley asserts that the government failed to provide any evidence that the financial institutions involved in these counts were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") or the Administrator of the National Credit Union Administration ("ANCUA").

This court will reverse a district court's denial of a motion for acquittal because of insufficient evidence if, "reviewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, [no] rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt." United States v. Bishop, 959 F.2d 820, 829 (9th Cir.1992) (quoting Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307 (1979)).

One element of federal bank robbery is that the financial institution must be insured by the FDIC or the ANCUA. 18 U.S.C. Sec. 2113(a), (f) and (h); see also United States v. Campbell, 616 F.2d 1151, 1153 (9th Cir.) cert. denied, 447 U.S. 910 (1980); United States v. Phillips, 427 F.2d 1035, 1037 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 400 U.S. 867 (1970).

We have held that sufficient evidence of FDIC insurance exists when a bank manager verifies the validity of a seven year old FDIC certificate. United States v. Washburn, 758 F.2d 1339 (9th Cir.1985). Further, we have consistently held that in the absence of an FDIC certificate, uncontroverted testimony of ranking bank officials is sufficient proof of FDIC insurance. See e.g., United States v. Corbin, 972 F.2d 271, 272 (9th Cir.1992) (unchallenged testimony of financial services representative is sufficient); Campbell, 616 F.2d at 1153 ("uncontradicted testimony of two bank employees [is] sufficient"); Phillips, 427 F.2d at 1037 (unchallenged testimony of operations manager is sufficient).

However, in United States v. James, 987 F.2d 648 (9th Cir.1993), we reversed a bank robbery conviction because of insufficient evidence. In James, no evidence whatsoever was put before the jury on whether the banks had FDIC insurance. Id. at 650. "Without any evidence on the FDIC status of the bank, no rational jury could have found beyond a reasonable doubt that the banks were insured by the FDIC." Id. (emphasis added).

In this case, employees from two banks (those involved in counts 1 and 6) testified that their respective banks were FDIC insured. Employees of the five remaining banks (counts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7) testified that their banks were "federally insured." The government contends that this testimony is sufficient evidence of FDIC insurance.1 However, even viewed in the light most favorable to the prosecution, this testimony is insufficient to support these convictions because it does not establish FDIC or ANCUA insurance, but merely "federal" insurance.

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Related

Jackson v. Virginia
443 U.S. 307 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Hughey v. United States
495 U.S. 411 (Supreme Court, 1990)
United States v. Jimmie Dale Phillips
427 F.2d 1035 (Ninth Circuit, 1970)
United States v. Stephen Michael Saniti
604 F.2d 603 (Ninth Circuit, 1979)
United States v. Harry Kenneth Campbell
616 F.2d 1151 (Ninth Circuit, 1980)
United States v. Robert Harvey Washburn
758 F.2d 1339 (Ninth Circuit, 1985)
United States v. Barry Jay Feldman
788 F.2d 544 (Ninth Circuit, 1986)
United States v. James Neal Kinslow
860 F.2d 963 (Ninth Circuit, 1988)
United States v. Leo Bishop
959 F.2d 820 (Ninth Circuit, 1992)
United States v. Kevin Carlton Corbin
972 F.2d 271 (Ninth Circuit, 1992)
United States v. Albert Miranda
986 F.2d 1283 (Ninth Circuit, 1993)
United States v. Charles Cornelius James
987 F.2d 648 (Ninth Circuit, 1993)
United States v. Richard Lee Mills
991 F.2d 609 (Ninth Circuit, 1993)

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Bluebook (online)
5 F.3d 541, 1993 U.S. App. LEXIS 30322, 1993 WL 358551, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-mark-daniel-ganley-ca9-1993.