United States v. Thaddaeus Snow

595 F. App'x 223
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
DecidedJanuary 2, 2015
Docket14-4379, 14-4387
StatusUnpublished

This text of 595 F. App'x 223 (United States v. Thaddaeus Snow) 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. Thaddaeus Snow, 595 F. App'x 223 (4th Cir. 2015).

Opinion

Affirmed by unpublished PER CURIAM opinion.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

PER CURIAM:

A jury convicted Thaddaeus Snow and William Sykes (collectively, “Appellants”) of various crimes relating to their activities in connection with a street gang known as the Nine Treys. Appellants raise several challenges to their convictions. We affirm.

Snow raises four procedural challenges to his convictions. First, Snow claims that the district court erred by failing to order a mistrial after several Government witnesses allegedly violated its sequestration order. Sequestration orders enforce Fed.R.Evid. 615, which “requires that witnesses not discuss the case among themselves or anyone else, other than the counsel for the parties.” United States v. Rhynes, 218 F.3d 310, 317 (4th Cir.2000) (en banc) (plurality op.) (emphasis and internal quotation marks omitted). “[A] trial court may employ one of three remedies when a sequestration order has been violated: sanction of the witness; instructions to the jury that they may consider the violation toward the issue of credibility; or exclusion of the witness’ testimony.” United States v. Cropp, 127 F.3d 354, 363 (4th Cir.1997); see United States v. Smith, 441 F.3d 254, 263 (4th Cir.2006) (same). Because Snow did not raise this issue below, this court reviews the district court’s decision for plain error. United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725, 732-37, 113 S.Ct. 1770, 123 L.Ed.2d 508 (1993). Although there is evidence that several witnesses had the opportunity to violate the sequestration order, Snow presents no evidence that any violations actually occurred other than two statements by witnesses on cross-examination. These statements do not plainly indicate that any witnesses discussed the case after the district court issued its sequestration order or that any violations that may have occurred were sufficiently severe to require mistrial. Accordingly, we find that the district court did not plainly err in declining to order a mistrial sua sponte.

Snow also argues that the district court erred by allowing the jurors to access unredacted transcripts that contained references to the fact that Snow had been *225 previously incarcerated on a misdemeanor charge. The Government asserts that any error was harmless. We review evidentia-ry rulings for an abuse of discretion. United States v. Lighty, 616 F.3d 321, 351 (4th Cir.2010). Any errors in such rulings are harmless if we may “say with fair assurance, after pondering all that happened without stripping the erroneous action from the whole, that the judgment was not substantially swayed by the error.” United States v. Johnson, 617 F.3d 286, 292 (4th Cir.2010) (internal quotation marks omitted). The Government bears the burden of showing that such errors are harmless. United States v. Robinson, 460 F.3d 550, 557 (4th Cir.2006). The evidence presented at trial included extensive evidence that Snow was involved in a wide variety of criminal activity in his role as leader of the Nine Treys. Against this background, the fact that Snow had been incarcerated previously on a misdemeanor charge could not have influenced the jury’s decision. Accordingly, we find that any error in allowing the jury to access the unredacted transcripts was harmless.

Snow next argues that the jurors improperly discussed the case with each other prior to the close of evidence. We review a district court’s response to such internal communications for abuse of discretion. See Robinson v. Polk, 438 F.3d 350, 363 (4th Cir.2006); United States v. Gravely, 840 F.2d 1156, 1159 (4th Cir.1988). Having reviewed the record, we find that the district court properly addressed this issue at trial and therefore did not abuse its discretion by declining to order a new trial on this basis.

Finally, Snow argues that the district court’s supplemental jury instruction on constructive possession was erroneous because the examples given by the district court misleadingly implied that the fact of his leadership position was all that was required to find that he constructively possessed the property of his subordinates. We “review de novo a claim that a jury instruction did not correctly state the applicable law.” United States v. Washington, 743 F.3d 938, 941 (4th Cir.2014). The key issue in such review is “whether, taken as a whole, the instruction fairly states the controlling law.” United States v. Cobb, 905 F.2d 784, 788-89 (4th Cir.1990). We conclude that any misimpressions that may have been created by the district court’s examples were rectified by the court’s express statement that constructive possession requires “both the power and the intention at a given time to exercise dominion and control over” the object in question. See United States v. Scott, 424 F.3d 431, 433 (4th Cir.2005) (stating same standard). Accordingly, we find that the court’s supplemental jury instruction, taken as a whole, fairly stated the controlling law.

Both Snow and Sykes argue that the evidence was insufficient to support certain of their convictions. We review de novo the district court’s denial of a Fed.R.Crim.P. 29 motion. United States v. McFadden, 753 F.3d 432, 444 (4th Cir.2014), pet. for cert. filed, - U.S. -, 135 S.Ct. 1039, 190 L.Ed.2d 908 (2015). We will sustain the jury’s verdict “if there is substantial evidence, taking the view most favorable to the Government, to support it.” Glasser v. United States, 315 U.S. 60, 80, 62 S.Ct. 457, 86 L.Ed. 680 (1942); see McFadden, 753 F.3d at 444 (defining substantial evidence). Because we resolve all conflicting evidence in favor of the Government, the uncorroborated testimony of a single witness, even if the witness is an accomplice, a codefendant, or an informant, may be sufficient evidence of guilt. United States v. Wilson,

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Related

Glasser v. United States
315 U.S. 60 (Supreme Court, 1942)
Pinkerton v. United States
328 U.S. 640 (Supreme Court, 1946)
United States v. Olano
507 U.S. 725 (Supreme Court, 1993)
United States v. Lighty
616 F.3d 321 (Fourth Circuit, 2010)
United States v. Johnson
617 F.3d 286 (Fourth Circuit, 2010)
United States v. Armand Gravely
840 F.2d 1156 (Fourth Circuit, 1988)
United States v. Jeffers
570 F.3d 557 (Fourth Circuit, 2009)
United States v. Dwane Washington
743 F.3d 938 (Fourth Circuit, 2014)
United States v. Stephen McFadden
753 F.3d 432 (Fourth Circuit, 2014)
United States v. Scott
424 F.3d 431 (Fourth Circuit, 2005)
United States v. Smith
441 F.3d 254 (Fourth Circuit, 2006)
United States v. Saraeun Min
704 F.3d 314 (Fourth Circuit, 2013)
United States v. Rhynes
218 F.3d 310 (Fourth Circuit, 2000)
McFadden v. United States
135 S. Ct. 1039 (Supreme Court, 2015)
United States v. Wilson
484 F.3d 267 (Fourth Circuit, 2007)
United States v. Cobb
905 F.2d 784 (Fourth Circuit, 1990)

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Bluebook (online)
595 F. App'x 223, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-thaddaeus-snow-ca4-2015.