United States v. Ryan Vincent Hill

CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
DecidedApril 25, 2018
Docket17-12679
StatusUnpublished

This text of United States v. Ryan Vincent Hill (United States v. Ryan Vincent Hill) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eleventh 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. Ryan Vincent Hill, (11th Cir. 2018).

Opinion

Case: 17-12679 Date Filed: 04/25/2018 Page: 1 of 19

[DO NOT PUBLISH]

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT ________________________

No. 17-12679 Non-Argument Calendar ________________________

D.C. Docket No. 1:15-cr-00109-AT-JSA-3

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

versus

RYAN VINCENT HILL,

Defendant-Appellant.

________________________

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia ________________________

(April 25, 2018)

Before TJOFLAT, JULIE CARNES, and NEWSOM, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM: Case: 17-12679 Date Filed: 04/25/2018 Page: 2 of 19

Following an armed bank robbery, Defendant Ryan Hill was charged with

conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, armed bank robbery, and aiding and

abetting the brandishing of a firearm during a crime of violence. He pled guilty to

the two former charges and went to trial on the latter. After the jury returned a

guilty verdict, the district court sentenced him to 205 months’ imprisonment.

Defendant now raises three arguments on appeal. First, he challenges the

sufficiency of the evidence to support his conviction for aiding and abetting the

brandishing of a firearm during a crime of violence. He also challenges the district

court’s imposition of a two-level enhancement under U.S.S.G. § 2B3.1(b)(4)(B)

for the use of physical restraint on the robbery victims. Finally, he argues that the

district court clearly erred by denying him a reduction for acceptance of

responsibility. After careful review, we affirm.

I. BACKGROUND

A. Facts1

At approximately 9:30 AM on February 27, 2015, three masked men entered

a Wells Fargo Bank in Atlanta, Georgia and held it up for approximately $22,000.

The men entered the bank from the front door—the bank’s only entrance.

1 These facts are derived from those facts Defendant admitted to during his guilty plea colloquy on Counts 1 and 2, as well as those facts presented during trial on Count 3. Because the jury found Defendant guilty on Count 3, all reasonable inferences and credibility determinations are resolved in favor of the jury’s verdict. See United States v. Doe, 661 F.3d 550, 560 (11th Cir. 2011).

2 Case: 17-12679 Date Filed: 04/25/2018 Page: 3 of 19

Witnesses distinguished the robbers based on their relative statures. The biggest

robber—later identified as Kayode Adeleye—entered the bank first, immediately

jumped over the counter, and started demanding cash. The medium-sized robber—

later identified as Bruce Brown—guarded the door. The smallest robber—later

identified as Defendant—entered the bank last and immediately went behind the

counter with Adeleye. Adeleye and Brown brandished firearms during the

robbery.

Vada Faniel, a bank teller, was behind the teller counter when Adeleye came

directly toward him demanding cash. Adeleye held a gun at Faniel’s side, and

when Faniel had trouble opening the coin vault, Adeleye said “you must want to

get shot” or “you must want to die.” Other witnesses heard Adeleye say,

“Somebody is going to die today.” Witnesses believed that the robbers were

working together because they entered the bank together, their disguises were

coordinated, and they each appeared to have assigned roles.

After obtaining nearly $22,000, Adeleye, Brown, and Defendant fled the

bank in a Nissan Xterra. They drove to a nearby parking lot where Xavier Shields

was waiting with another vehicle: a Mercedes AMG that had been leased by

Defendant. Adeleye, Brown, and Defendant got into the AMG and headed to

Shields’ apartment. Law enforcement officers were eventually able to locate the

AMG through GPS tracking devices that had been placed in the stolen currency.

3 Case: 17-12679 Date Filed: 04/25/2018 Page: 4 of 19

Before arriving at Shields’ apartment, Adeleye, Brown, and Defendant discarded

the evidence, including the disguises, firearms, and stolen currency—most of

which was later recovered by law enforcement officers.

B. Procedural History

A federal grand jury charged Defendant in a superseding indictment with:

(1) conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a)

(Count 1); (2) armed bank robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2113(a), (d) and 2

(Count 2); and (3) aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm during a crime

of violence, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c)(1)(A)(ii) and 2 (Count 3).

Defendant later pled guilty without a plea agreement to Counts 1 and 2, but

proceeded to trial on Count 3.

At trial, the Government presented testimony from several witnesses,

including Defendant’s co-defendant, Adeleye. Adeleye testified that he

participated in the February 27 bank robbery with Defendant and Brown. Adeleye

explained that he and Defendant came up with an elaborate plan for the robbery

approximately two weeks ahead of time. Defendant selected the bank and figured

out possible escape routes. Together, they decided that Brown would guard the

door and Adeleye and Defendant would retrieve the money from behind the

counter. After the robbery, they planned to switch cars and then meet up at

Shields’ apartment.

4 Case: 17-12679 Date Filed: 04/25/2018 Page: 5 of 19

Adeleye stated that they had planned to rob the bank on February 26. That

day they met up at Shields’ apartment and drove to a parking lot near the bank

where they planned to switch cars after the robbery. While in the parking lot,

Defendant handed Adeleye the “Glock 40 firearm” that he was going to use in the

robbery. Brown had his own firearm. After putting on their disguises, they

proceeded to the bank. They got nervous, however, when they saw police officers

near the bank and decided to call off the robbery. They went back to Shields’

apartment and decided to attempt the robbery the next day.

They met up again the next morning, February 27, and drove together to the

switch-location near the bank. Once in the parking lot, they put on their disguises

and Defendant again provided Adeleye with the gun he was to use during the

robbery. They drove to the bank in the Nissan Xterra. Adeleye got out of the car

first, followed by Brown, and finally Defendant. Adeleye and Brown had their

guns out when Defendant entered the bank. Adeleye explained that the purpose of

having the guns out was so that the bank occupants would know it was an “actual

robbery.”

At the close of the Government’s case-in-chief, Defendant moved for

judgment of acquittal, arguing that the Government presented insufficient evidence

showing that he had advance knowledge that firearms would be brandished during

5 Case: 17-12679 Date Filed: 04/25/2018 Page: 6 of 19

the robbery. The court denied the motion. The jury found Defendant guilty on

Count 3, and specifically found that a firearm was brandished during the robbery.

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