United States v. Nam Tan Nguyen

28 F.3d 477, 1994 U.S. App. LEXIS 19729, 1994 WL 397887
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedAugust 2, 1994
Docket93-07224
StatusPublished
Cited by101 cases

This text of 28 F.3d 477 (United States v. Nam Tan Nguyen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth 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. Nam Tan Nguyen, 28 F.3d 477, 1994 U.S. App. LEXIS 19729, 1994 WL 397887 (5th Cir. 1994).

Opinion

GARWOOD, Circuit Judge:

Defendant-appellant Nam Tan Nguyen (Nguyen) was convicted of one count of using fire to commit a felony, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 844(h)(1), and of one count of attempting to destroy a building by fire, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 844(i). On appeal, Nguyen argues that the evidence is insufficient to support his convictions. Nguyen also contends that the district court committed reversible error in (1) failing to dismiss an allegedly multiplicitous third count of which he was ultimately acquitted, (2) denying his motion for a mistrial, and (3) giving an Allen charge after the jury had revealed its numerical division. The government cross-appeals, asserting that the district court erred by refusing to sentence Nguyen for one of the counts on which he was convicted. We affirm in part and vacate and remand in part.

Facts and Proceedings Below

In 1988, Nguyen opened a store in Biloxi, Mississippi, which provided for rental video tapes dubbed into the Vietnamese language. On January 19, 1990, Nguyen’s store was destroyed by arson. On July 7, 1992, a grand jury handed down a three-count indictment charging Nguyen with (1) knowingly and unlawfully using fire to commit a felony, to wit: mail fraud, which may be prosecuted in a court of the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 844(h)(1) (Count One); (2) maliciously damaging and destroying and attempting to destroy a building used in interstate commerce, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 844(i) (Count Two); and (3) for the purpose of attempting to execute a scheme and artifice to defraud, and by means of fraud to obtain money through the use of the United States Postal Service, knowingly caused to be *480 deposited in the mail a proof of loss form, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1341 (Count Three).

On March 23, 1993, Nguyen filed a motion in the trial court asserting that Counts One and Three were multiplicitous and requesting that the court dismiss Count One or, in the alternative, require the government to elect between Count One and Count Three. The court denied the motion on the first day of trial, March 29, 1993. On April 1, 1993, a jury found Nguyen guilty on Counts One and Two, but acquitted him on Count Three. The district court sentenced Nguyen to a term of imprisonment of sixty months on Count One, followed by a three-year term of supervised release. The court, however, declined to impose a sentence for Nguyen’s conviction on Count Two.

Nguyen now appeals his convictions; the government cross-appeals the district court’s refusal to impose sentence on Count Two.

Discussion

I. Sufficiency of the Evidence

In reviewing challenges to sufficiency of the evidence, this Court views the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict and affirms if a rational trier of fact could have found that the government proved all essential elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. See Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 313-15, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2786, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); see also United States v. Ruiz, 987 F.2d 243, 249 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, — U.S. —, 114 S.Ct. 163, 126 L.Ed.2d 123 (1993). All credibility determinations and reasonable inferences are to be resolved in favor of the jury’s verdict. Ruiz, 987 F.2d at 249. Where two or more counts are tried at the same time and the offense charged in one count is the predicate act charged in a second count, acquittal on the predicate count does not preclude a conviction on the second count if a rational jury could have found the defendant guilty of the predicate act. See United States v. Munoz-Fabela, 896 F.2d 908, 911 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 824, 111 S.Ct. 76, 112 L.Ed.2d 49 (1990) (concluding that “it is only the fact of the offense, and not a conviction, that is needed to establish the required predicate”). Indeed, a not guilty verdict on one count does not establish any facts favorable to the defense for the purpose of determining the sufficiency of the evidence on the counts of conviction (except if conviction — as opposed to commission — of an acquitted count is an element of a count of conviction). See United States v. Powell, 469 U.S. 57, 105 S.Ct. 471, 83 L.Ed.2d 461 (1984); United States v. Thomas, 12 F.3d 1350, 1362-63 (5th Cir.1994); United States v. Ruiz, 986 F.2d 905, 911 (5th Cir.1993).

Nguyen was convicted of violating 18 U.S.C. § 844(i) and 18 U.S.C. § 844(h)(1). We review the evidence supporting each conviction separately.

A. Section 844(i)

To convict a defendant of violating 18 U.S.C. § 844(i), the government must prove that he: (1) maliciously damaged or destroyed a building or personal property, (2) by means of fire, and (3) the building or personal property was being used in activity affecting interstate commerce. See United States v. Triplett, 922 F.2d 1174, 1177 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 500 U.S. 945, 111 S.Ct. 2245, 114 L.Ed.2d 486 (1991).

At trial, the government presented evidence that established that the business operated by Nguyen in the building in question was involved in interstate commerce, purchasing and renting videotapes from California. Sufficiency of the evidence as to the interstate commerce element of section 844(i) is not challenged. An ATF financial auditor testified that his review of Nguyen’s financial records indicated that in December 1989, one month before the fire, the business was in “total financial collapse.” Linh Vu, Nguyen’s insurance agent, testified that on the day before the fire, January 18, 1990, Nguyen went to the insurance agency to make an outstanding premium payment and questioned Vu about the extent of the fire insurance coverage on Nguyen’s store.

The government also presented testimony from Charry Kent, an employee of a poolhall located next to Nguyen’s, that between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. on January 18, 1990, Nguyen removed VCRs and boxes containing new *481 clothing from his store. She further testified that she saw Nguyen put the merchandise in his ear and drive away; he later returned, loaded more boxes into his ^ car, and drove away.

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Bluebook (online)
28 F.3d 477, 1994 U.S. App. LEXIS 19729, 1994 WL 397887, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-nam-tan-nguyen-ca5-1994.