United States v. Riggans

254 F.3d 1200, 2001 Colo. J. C.A.R. 3451, 2001 U.S. App. LEXIS 14355, 2001 WL 725992
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedJune 28, 2001
Docket00-3188
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 254 F.3d 1200 (United States v. Riggans) 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. Riggans, 254 F.3d 1200, 2001 Colo. J. C.A.R. 3451, 2001 U.S. App. LEXIS 14355, 2001 WL 725992 (10th Cir. 2001).

Opinions

PAUL J. KELLY, Jr., Circuit Judge.

Mr. Riggans was convicted of bank larceny, in violation of 18 U.S .C. § 2113(b), and was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release. On appeal, he argues that his conviction must be vacated because the jury was not instructed on all of the elements of bank larceny. In the alternative, he argues that he should be resentenced because bank larceny is not a crime of violence. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 and affirm.

Background

Wearing dark sunglasses and a baseball hat, Mr. Riggans entered a bank in Kansas City, Kansas1 and approached a teller. R. doc. 58, at 31-32. He handed a note to the teller, which stated “I want $20,000 now.” Id. at 31. Mr. Riggans told the teller to give him the money on the counter and in the teller’s drawer. Id. at 32. The teller placed the money and a dye pack in a canvas bag and handed it to Mr. Riggans. Id. at 34-36. Mr. Riggans then told the teller to step back from her station and remove money from an adjacent station. Id. at 36. The teller did as instructed and placed the money in the same canvas bag. Id. at 34-37. The teller testified that she was afraid and thought Mr. Riggans would shoot her if she did not follow his instructions. The teller assumed Mr. Riggans had a weapon, although she never actually saw one. Id. at 35-36, 48.

As Mr. Riggans exited the bank with the canvas bag, the teller yelled across the bank lobby to the security guard that she had just been robbed. Id. at 38. The guard, with gun in hand, pursued Mr. Rig-gans into the parking lot. Id. at 39; R. doc. 59, at 188. The guard ordered Mr. Riggans to stop. R. doc. 59, at 188-89. Mr. Riggans replied, “F* * * you,” and “Go ahead and shoot.” Id. The guard declined Mr. Riggans’ invitation because “[tjhere w[ere] too many people there that could have got hurt really bad....” Id. at 189. Mr. Riggans threw the canvas bag in a red Chevrolet Cavalier, entered the vehicle, and drove away. Id. at 188-89. The guard followed in his pickup truck. Id. at 190.

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Riggans’ scheme began to go up in smoke. A few blocks from the bank, a dye pack exploded and smoke began to pour from his Cavalier. Id. at 189-90. Unable to withstand the smoke, Mr. Riggans threw some of the money out the car window. Id . at 190.

Two hours later, Mr. Riggans was caught literally red handed. When FBI agents found Mr. Riggans in a bathroom in his mother’s house, an agent noticed that Mr. Riggans’ hands had been stained with red dye. Id. at 214-17. The agents discovered dye-stained money in the toilet and in a trash can, a dye pack in the toilet, and a towel that was also stained with red dye. Id. at 222-23. In other rooms in the house, agents found, among other things, a baseball hat, sunglasses, additional money stained with red dye, and the note presented to the teller. Id. at 224-26.

A red Chevrolet Cavalier was parked in the back yard and was covered with a blue tarp. R. doc. 58, at 84-85. The back of [1202]*1202the passenger seat was stained with red dye. Id. at 92; R. doc. 59, at 252-54. The stains on the seat and towel were from the same dye used in the dye packs. R. doc. 59, at 258. The robbery was recorded by bank surveillance cameras, R. doc. 58, at 40-41, and a teller identified Mr. Riggans in a photo lineup. R. doc. 59, at 164-65.

Mr. Riggans was charged with bank robbery, 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a), but convicted only of the lesser included offense of bank larceny, id. § 2113(b). R. doc. 43.

Discussion

Jury Instruction on Bank Larceny

Mr. Riggans requested that the jury be instructed on bank larceny under 18 U.S.C. § 2113(b) as a lesser included offense of bank robbery. R. doc. 29. The district court granted the request. R. doc. 59, at 285-88. Without objection from Mr. Riggans, the court instructed the jury that the elements of bank larceny were (1) the taking of property, money, or anything of value, (2) exceeding $1,000 in value, (3) in the care, custody, control, management or possession of a bank, (4) that was FDIC insured. R. doc. 44 (instruction no. 11).

In Carter v. United States, 530 U.S. 255, 259, 120 S.Ct. 2159, 147 L.Ed.2d 203 (2000), decided during the pendency of Mr. Riggans’ appeal, the Supreme Court held that bank larceny was not a lesser included offense of bank robbery. The Court premised its conclusion on the fact that bank larceny, § 2113(b), required three elements not required by bank robbery, § 2113(a): intent to steal or purloin, taking and carrying away of property, and a valuation of the property taken. Id. at 26Í, 120 S.Ct. 2159. Relying upon Carter, Mr. Riggans argues that the bank larceny instruction omitted two of these elements (intent and carrying away), that this omission was fundamental error, and that his conviction should be vacated on this basis. We disagree.

Contrary to Mr. Riggans’ contention, intent was not omitted from the jury instructions. In an instruction separate from the instruction on bank larceny, the jury was instructed that an element of bank larceny was the specific intent to do “an act which the law forbids, intending with evil motive or bad purpose either to disobey or to disregard the law....” R. doc. 44 (instruction no. 13). Viewing the instructions as a whole, there is no doubt that the jury was fairly guided on the issue of intent. United States v. Magleby, 241 F.3d 1306,1309-10 (10th Cir.2001).

The instructions failed to instruct the jury on the element of carrying away, but Mr. Riggans failed to object at trial. Accordingly, we will vacate Mr. Riggans’ conviction under Fed.R.Crim.P. 52(b) only if the district court committed plain error that we should notice. Johnson v. United States, 520 U.S. 461, 466-470, 117 S.Ct. 1544, 137 L.Ed.2d 718 (1997); United States v. Schleibaum, 130 F.3d 947, 949 (10th Cir.1997). We first ask if there is “ (1) error, (2) that is plain, and (3) that affect[s] substantial rights.” Johnson, 520 U.S. at 467, 117 S.Ct. 1544 (internal quotations and citations omitted; alteration in original). If the answer is yes, we exercise our discretion and notice the error only “if (4) the error seriously affect[s] the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings.” Id. (citation and internal quotations omitted, alteration in original).

In light of Carter, it is undisputed that the district court committed plain error by failing to instruct the jury on the element of carrying away. However, assuming without deciding that the error affected Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
254 F.3d 1200, 2001 Colo. J. C.A.R. 3451, 2001 U.S. App. LEXIS 14355, 2001 WL 725992, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-riggans-ca10-2001.