Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-15-01349/USCOURTS-ca8-15-01349-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Jamal Dean
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

United States Court of Appeals

For the Eighth Circuit

___________________________

No. 15-1263

___________________________

United States of America

lllllllllllllllllllll Plaintiff - Appellee

v.

Levon Dean, Jr.

lllllllllllllllllllll Defendant - Appellant

___________________________

No. 15-1349

___________________________

United States of America

lllllllllllllllllllll Plaintiff - Appellee

v.

Jamal Dean

lllllllllllllllllllll Defendant - Appellant

____________

Appeals from United States District Court 

for the Northern District of Iowa - Sioux City

____________

Appellate Case: 15-1349 Page: 1 Date Filed: 12/29/2015 Entry ID: 4350326 
 Submitted: September 24, 2015

 Filed: December 29, 2015

____________

Before LOKEN, BEAM, and SHEPHERD, Circuit Judges.

____________

BEAM, Circuit Judge.

Levon and Jamal Dean, brothers, appeal their convictions and sentences arising

out of armed robberies of two Sioux City area drug dealers in violation of the Hobbs

Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1951, and related counts. We affirm the district court. 1 2

I. BACKGROUND

Viewed in the light most favorable to the prosecution, the trial evidence

established the following facts. On April 15, 2013, Jessica Cabbell visited her friend

The Hobbs Act proscribes robbery that affects interstate commerce, making

1

what would often be a state crime, a federal crime. United States v. Dobbs, 449 F.3d

904, 911 (8th Cir. 2006). The Supreme Court has granted certiorari in a case that may

ultimately limit the reach of the Hobbs Act in cases involving robbery of individual

drug dealers. See United States v. Taylor, 754 F.3d 217 (4th Cir. 2014), cert. granted,

136 S. Ct. 26 (Oct. 1, 2015) (granting certiorari on the issue of whether the

government can meet the interstate commerce element by relying exclusively on

evidence that the robbery of a drug dealer is an inherent economic enterprise that

satisfies the interstate commerce element ofthe offense). However, unlike the Fourth

Circuit, our precedent requires the government to actually prove that robbery of a

drug dealer is linked to interstate commerce, compare Taylor, 754 F.3d at 222-23,

with United States v. McCraney, 612 F.3d 1057, 1064-65 (8th Cir. 2010), so we

doubt that the ultimate outcome in Taylor will affect the instant case.

The Honorable Mark W. Bennett, United States District Judge for the

2

Northern District of Iowa.

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Reggie Galvin in South Sioux City, Nebraska. Sarah Berg was also at Galvin's, and

Cabbell, a prostitute, told the other two she was scheduled to have a "date" with J.R.,

who was a known methamphetamine and marijuana dealer from LeMars, Iowa, later

that night. Both women had previously dealt with J.R. as a drug dealer and had

exchanged sex for drugs with him. However, J.R. apparently owed Berg money

based upon the previous dealings, or according to Berg, had taken $400 of her money. 

Berg expressed a desire to collect that money. Berg and Galvin decided that in order

to collect the money J.R. owed, they would need "muscle." It was agreed that the

Dean brothers would provide the muscle.

The Deans arrived at Galvin's house, and then Berg, Cabbell, and the Deans

proceeded to the Palmer House Motel in Sioux City, Iowa, where Cabbell's "date"

with J.R. was to take place. Cabbell had informed J.R. that another woman would

join them at some point, but did not tell J.R. that it would be Berg. Cabbell arrived

alone atJ.R.'s room, and she and J.R. smoked methamphetamine together. A bit later,

Berg and the Deans arrived. Berg immediately confronted J.R. about the stolen

money, while Jamal pulled a gun on J.R. and demanded the money in question. 

Meanwhile, Levon ransacked the roomlooking for money and drugs. Cabbell left the

scene because she alleges she did not know a firearm would be involved. When J.R.

reached for his car keys, Jamal hit J.R. on the head with the gun, and Berg took J.R.'s

car keys, cell phone, and a pipe containing methamphetamine. Jamal threatened to

kill J.R. if he called police. With Berg driving, Berg and the Deans drove away in

J.R.'s car. Despite Jamal's warning, J.R. used the motel manager's cell phone to call

911 and report the robbery. Cabbell, Berg, and the Deans again met up at Galvin's

house in Nebraska after the robbery and lamented the lack ofspoilsfrom the robbery.

On April 24, 2013, Levon and Jamal robbed another methamphetamine dealer

(C.B.) in the dealer's home, at gunpoint. Jamal hit C.B. with his gun, and the Deans

stole approximately $300 in cash, about 20 grams of methamphetamine, a digital

scale, electronic and computer equipment, and old cell phones. The Deans ordered

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Hope Marsh, who was living there, to pack her stuff because she was to come and

live with them. She apparently complied, and the trio drove away in C.B.'s two cars. 

Sioux City police issued arrest warrants for the Deans, and Levon was arrested in

Sioux City pursuant to the warrant. On April 29, police attempted to pull over a

vehicle Jamal wasriding in during a traffic stop. Because he knew about the warrant,

Jamal instructed the car's driver to try to evade police. When the driver eventually

did stop the car, Jamal jumped out and shot his rifle in an attempt to evade capture. 

Jamal eventually disposed of the loaded weapon in a nearby alley trash dumpster and

escaped from authorities. He was eventually arrested in Texas in May 2013.

In April 2014, an eleven count, Third Superseding Indictment was returned

charging Jamal, Levon, and Berg with: conspiracy to commit robbery under the

Hobbs Act, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951 (Count 1); Hobbs Act robbery, in

violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2 and 1951 (Counts 2 and 3); carjacking, in violation of 18

U.S.C. §§ 2 and 2119(1) (Counts 4 and 5); possession of a firearm in furtherance of

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

924(c)(1)(C)(i) (Counts 6 and 7); being felons in possession of a firearm, in violation

of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1), 922(g)(3), and 924(a)(2) (Counts 8 and 9); and interstate

transportation of a stolen vehicle, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2 and 2312 (Counts 10

and 11). All three defendants filed motionsto sever in which each argued that Berg's 3

trial should be severed and tried separately. A magistrate judge severed Berg's trial 4

from the Deans', and Berg ultimately pleaded guilty to several counts and testified at

trial against the Deans.

The original Count 8 wassevered prior to trial, and the remaining counts were 3

renumbered accordingly. Count 11, which was by thenCount 10, was dismissed prior

to reaching the jury.

The Honorable Leonard T. Strand, United States Magistrate Judge for the

4

Northern District of Iowa.

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On August 29, 2014, the jury returned a verdict finding Jamal guilty on the

offenses charged in Counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8, and acquitted him of the charges in

Counts 5 and 9. The jury found Levon guilty of the charges in Counts 1, 2, 3, and 8,

and acquitted him of the charges in Counts 4, 5, and 9. In addition, Levon was

acquitted of the primary charges in Counts 6 and 7, but was found guilty on each

count of the lesser included offense of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime

of violence. The district court denied the motions for judgment of acquittal prior to

the jury's verdict, and the post-trial motions for judgment of acquittal and new trial. 

Jamal's sentencing Guidelines range was 140-175 months in addition to mandatory

consecutive minimums of seven and twenty-five years on the 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)

counts. See 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(D)(ii) (mandatory consecutive sentence). 

However, the district court varied upwards to sentence Jamal to life in prison. Levon

was sentenced to 400 months, which included a 360-month mandatory minimum

consecutive sentence for the § 924(c) offenses. Without the mandatory minimums,

Levon's Guidelines range was 84-105 months. Thus, the district court gave Levon

a substantial downward variance of 40 months for the Guidelines sentence, which

was by statutory directive consecutive to the 360-month mandatory sentence.

On appeal, Levon challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to establish a

nexus to interstate commerce required for the Hobbs Act robberies; the sufficiency

of the evidence for his firearm convictions; and the reasonableness of his sentence. 

Jamal argues the court erred in refusing to exclude in limine any reference to gangs

or gang affiliation; there was insufficient evidence of the nexus to interstate

commerce for the Hobbs Act robberies; the district court erred in refusing to give

supplemental jury instructions regarding the nexus to interstate commerce; the

government proved multiple, as opposed to a single, conspiracy and the district

court'sfailure to give a proffered jury instruction in that regard; there wasinsufficient

evidence to convict him of carjacking; the district court should have granted a new

trial in the interests of justice; and his life sentence, imposed after the district court

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heard hearsay testimony at the sentencing hearing, was procedurally flawed and

violates due process.

II. DISCUSSION

A judgment of acquittal is only appropriate if the evidence is insufficient to

sustain a conviction. Fed. R. Crim. P. 29(a). A guilty verdict should be overturned

only if, after viewing 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. Sanchez, 789 F.3d 827, 834 (8th Cir. 2015). Like

the district court, we view the evidence in the light most favorable to the guilty

verdict, and grant all reasonable inferences that are supported by that evidence. Id. 

A. Hobbs Act

Both defendants assert that there wasinsufficient evidence linking the robbery

of J.R., C.B., or both to interstate commerce to support a Hobbs Act violation. The

district court denied this point in the post-trial motions, noting that our precedent

quite liberally construes the nexus-to-commerce requirement in the Hobbs Act. 

Indeed, where a federal statute has an express jurisdictional nexus-to-commerce

requirement, the crime's actual connection to interstate commerce may be quite small. 

United States v. McAdory, 501 F.3d 868, 871 (8th Cir. 2007).

The Deans reference a three-part test (originating in the Fifth Circuit, but cited

with approval in United States v. Quigley, 53 F.3d 909, 910-911 (8th Cir. 1995)) to

determine whether there is an adequate nexus to interstate commerce in a Hobbs Act

case involving robbery of a drug dealer: (1) whether the robbery affected the victim's

ability to buy and sell drugs in interstate commerce; (2) whether there is a likelihood

that as a result of the robbery, the victim would have to deplete the assets of an entity

engaged in commerce; and (3) whether the number of individuals victimized or the

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sum at stake is so large that there will be a cumulative effect on interstate commerce. 

United States v. Collins, 40 F.3d 95, 100 (5th Cir. 1994). As we understand this test,

only one of these three prongs must be met in order to establish the interstatecommerce nexus. Here, the first prong is met for both robberies. There is ample

evidence that C.B. was robbed of an amount of methamphetamine (20 grams) that

could have and would have been distributed by C.B. The evidence with regard to J.R.

is less ample, but sufficient for the jury to convict on this count. The evidence

indicates that J.R. was hoping to exchange methamphetamine for sex with Cabbell,

and the interstate encounter was interrupted by Berg and the Deans before the

transaction was complete. 

Further, under our precedent, because the Deans robbed drug dealers, the

offense arises under the Hobbs Act so long as there is any evidence regarding the

interstate character of the drug dealing–i.e., that the drugs came from a different state

than the dealings, that the dealer had customers in different states, or both. United

States v. McCraney, 612 F.3d 1057, 1064-65 (8th Cir. 2010). And, because the

transactions at issue took place in the Sioux City area, a metropolitan area reasonably

encompassing three different states, the interstate nexus requirement was easily met

in this case. Indeed, the evidence at trial indicated that C.B. received his

methamphetamine from Nebraska and sold it in Iowa, South Dakota, and Nebraska. 

J.R. testified that he sold methamphetamine in South Dakota and Iowa.

The Deans argue that Quigleymandates a different result. In that case, we held

that there was an insufficient nexus to interstate commerce when defendants robbed

two intoxicated Native Americans of .80 cents and a pouch of chewing tobacco on

a road between Valentine, Nebraska, and Crookston, Nebraska, where the victims

were en route to purchase alcohol. 53 F.3d at 910-11. We rejected the government's

argument that the robbery affected interstate commerce by preventing the victims

from reaching the store to make their alcohol purchase. Id. at 911. For the reasons

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stated above, the current factual scenario is much more similar to McCraney than

Quigley and we affirm the Deans' Hobbs Act convictions.

B. Conspiracy

Jamal's nextsufficiency argument isthat instead of proving a single conspiracy,

the evidence instead showed that there were multiple conspiracies–one to rob J.R. and

another one to rob C.B.–resulting in a variance between the indictment and proof, and

requiring a judgment of acquittal. Whether one conspiracy or multiple conspiracies

have been proved is determined by the totality of the circumstances. United States

v. Slagg, 651 F.3d 832, 842 (8th Cir. 2011). And, if a variance has occurred, reversal

is warranted only if the variance infringed upon a substantial right. Id.

Jamal's argument that the robberies of J.R. and C.B. were not related enough

to support a single conspiracy count is well taken. J.R. wasrobbed to pay back a debt

allegedly owed to Berg, and the robbery of C.B. happened nine days later. However,

as the government points out, the two robberies were similar in style, means, and

motive, and both were carried out by the Deans. Jamal cites United States v.

Delgado, 653 F.3d 729, 736 (8th Cir. 2011), in support of his argument that multiple

conspiracies (as opposed to a single conspiracy) were proven in the instant case. In

Delgado, the government was able to establish that a series ofseparate crimes was all

part of one overarching agreement to conspire. It did so based upon evidence of

significant overlap and connection between the conspirators in a large scale cocaine

distribution scheme. Id. Jamal claims that such evidence is lacking in this case. 

Given our standard of review of the jury's verdict, we reject Jamal's arguments. The

circumstantial evidence admitted at trial–the robberies were both committed by the

brothers acting in concert; both targets were low-level methamphetamine dealers;

both robberiestook place in Sioux City; and the robberies occurred during a relatively

short two-week time span–is enough to sustain the jury's verdict. And, even if there

was a variance, such a variance was harmless error because it did not infringe on

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Jamal's substantial rights. The evidence clearly showed Jamal participated in both

robberies(and thereby both conspiracies) asthe gunman. Because Jamal would have

been guilty of both conspiracies, his substantial rights were not violated if two

conspiracies were proven instead of one. Id.

Relatedly, Jamal argues there was no proof of an agreement regarding the

alleged object of the conspiracy–to rob drug traffickers. Jamal argues that the reason

the two men were robbed had very little to do with the fact that they were drug

traffickers, and there was certainly no agreement to rob drug traffickers. The

government asserts that the fact that Jamal chose known drug traffickers as the two

victims of his robberies allowed the jury to infer that robbing drug dealers was the

object of the conspiracy. Again, given our standard of review of the jury's verdict in

a motion for judgment of acquittal, we reject Jamal's sufficiency arguments in this

regard. Jamal argues that J.R. and C.B. were not big time drug dealers, and arguably

J.R. did not come to Sioux City for the purpose of selling drugs, but those were

arguments he also unsuccessfully made to the jury. In fact, the evidence showed that

J.R. had in the past, and was that day again hoping to barter drugs for sex when

contacted by Cabbell. Accordingly, there was sufficient evidence that J.R. was

poised to exchange drugs for sex with Cabbell and that the Deans' agreement to rob

him significantly thwarted that plan. Further, the 20 grams of methamphetamine

taken from C.B. rather easily allowed the jury to infer an agreement to rob a drug

dealer. Accordingly, Jamal's object-of-the-conspiracy argument is without merit.

C. Carjacking

Jamal next argues there was insufficient evidence to convict him of carjacking

when he stole J.R.'s vehicle following the robbery. A conviction pursuant to 18 5

Jamal and Levon were both acquitted of carjacking in Count 5, which was the

5

incident with regard to C.B.'s vehicles.

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U.S.C. § 2119 requires the government to prove that the defendant took a motor

vehicle "from the person or presence of another" and "with the intent to cause death

orserious bodily harm." Jamal argues there was no evidence thatJamal intended J.R.

to suffer serious bodily harm as a result of the carjacking. The government responds

that after Berg had taken J.R.'s car keys, Jamal's act of hitting J.R. in the head with

the rifle and threatening to kill him if he called police satisfies the serious-bodilyinjury element. We agree that there was evidence presented at trial of both the threat

to J.R.'s life, in addition to the bloody wound, and later medical care following the

blow to the head that would allow the jury to find this element of the offense. See

United States v. Waldman, 310 F.3d 1074, 1078 (8th Cir. 2002) (holding that

evidence of threats to kill during a carjacking if the driver did not follow instructions

was sufficient to satisfy the serious bodily injury element); United States v. GarciaAlvarez, 541 F.3d 8, 16 (1st Cir. 2008) (holding that the wound that left victim

bleeding and requiring medical care and surgery satisfied the serious bodily injury

element). Jamalseems to argue that, given that he had a gun at the scene, he certainly

could have caused a more seriousinjury than he did. However, the government is not

required to prove that Jamal caused the most serious injury possible. Here there was

sufficient evidence of a serious bodily injury to satisfy the statute.

Jamal further argues that the lack of proximity of J.R. to the car at the time of

his injury precludes conviction under § 2119. And Jamal asserts that the stolen car

was incidental to the robbery and not an object of it. However, the defendant

unsuccessfully made similar arguments in United States v. Casteel, 663 F.3d 1013,

1019-20 (8th Cir. 2011) (holding that the elements of the "carjacking statute may be

satisfied when the victim of the carjacking is inside a building and the stolen car is

parked outside"), and Garcia, 541 F.3d at 16 (holding that the carjacking statute does 6

In Casteel, the defendant challenged the "presence of another" portion of the

6

statute, while Jamal purportedly challenges the "bodily injury" element. However,

we understand Jamal's argument to be a hybrid of the two–Jamal contends both that

the injury itself was not serious, and that J.R.'s distance from the car prevented the

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not require that the taking of a vehicle be the only or primary motive of the crime). 

Accordingly, we also deny Jamal's arguments in this regard. Because there was

sufficient evidence that the injury to J.R. wasindeed, serious, neither J.R.'s proximity

(or lack thereof) to the vehicle itself nor the ultimate motive of the encounter with

J.R. is dispositive.

D. Firearms Offenses

Levon argues there wasinsufficient evidence to convict him of possessing and

aiding and abetting in the possession of a firearm. Levon contends that the verdict

was contrary to the evidence at trial, which, he assertsshowed thatJamal wasthe only

one possessing or using the firearm during the robberies. In support, Levon cites

Rosemond v. United States, 134 S. Ct. 1240, 1249-50 (2014) (holding that in order

to be convicted of aiding and abetting in the possession of a firearm during another

crime, the defendant must know beforehand that his confederate will carry a gun, and

that once he did know, he did not walk away). Levon argues that he did not know

beforehand that his brother Jamal would have a gun during the robberies and did not

have the opportunity to walk away once he did know. After reviewing the trial

transcript, we find Levon's arguments in this regard disingenuous. At least two

witnesses described Jamal's "gun walk"–the way Jamal walked with a limp when

hiding a gun in his pants. The jury could easily infer that if these witnesses knew

how Jamal looked with a hidden gun, so too did Levon. The government further

points out that Cabbell did exactly what Levon asserts he could not do in order to

avoid the firearm prosecution–once she realized Jamal had a gun, she left the April

15 robbery premises because she does not "rob people with guns." Finally, following

the April 15 robbery, it was even more obvious that Levon knew about Jamal's gun

during the April 24 robbery, and the evidence showsthat at one point during the April

serious injury from being related to the car theft. 

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24 robbery, Levon actually held the firearm. Accordingly, this argument is without

merit.

Jamal also argues the evidence is insufficient to convict him for possession of

and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. However, the

evidence at trial clearly established he had a gun and used it during the robberies of

J.R. and C.B. and during the carjacking. We understand Jamal's primary point on this

issue to be that if we were to reverse the Hobbs Act and carjacking convictions, we

would also need to vacate the firearms offenses that require predicate "crime of

violence" offenses. Because we have not reversed Jamal's other convictions, his

firearms arguments are without merit.

E. Pretrial and Trial Error

Jamal argues that the district court should have granted his motion in limine to

exclude any evidence of his alleged gang affiliation, arguing that any mention of

gangs was unduly prejudicial. See United States v. Ford, 761 F.3d 641, 649-50 (6th

Cir.) (holding that gang affiliation evidence is inadmissible if there is no connection

between the gang evidence and the charged offense), cert. denied, 135 S. Ct. 771

(2014). The government counters that despite the district court's failure to exclude

gang membership in limine, there was no mention of gangs at trial. Further, the

district court's reasoning not to categorically exclude the evidence prior to

trial–because it may have been necessary for context–was sound. See United States

v. Johnson, 28 F.3d 1487, 1497 (8th Cir. 1994) (holding that evidence of gang

association may be necessary to show the nature and extent of the association

between defendants). We review the district court's admission or exclusion of

evidence for an abuse of discretion. United States v. Sewell, 457 F.3d 841, 843 (8th

Cir. 2006). Having carefully reviewed the trial transcript, we agree with the

government's assertion that there was no evidence of gang affiliation at trial. There

was extensive evidence of gang affiliation at Jamal's sentencing hearing. However,

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as we understand Jamal's argument, he is not challenging the specific content of the

sentencing hearing testimony but instead the hearsay nature of it, a subject we will

address below. Accordingly, this point is denied.

Jamal next makes several arguments regarding allegedly erroneous jury

instructions. First, in relation to the previously discussed Hobbs Act argument, Jamal

asserts that the district court erred in refusing to give his requested instruction that

"interfering with commerce" is an element of the crime. However, Jamal requested

this instruction for Count 1, which was the conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act

robberies. The instruction as given read, "at some time during the period of the

conspiracy–that is, from a date unknown until about April 29, 2013–in the Northern

District of Iowa, two or more persons reached an agreement or understanding to

commit robberies of drug traffickers." The government points out that the instruction

adequately informed the jurors to find Jamal guilty if he agreed with another to

commit robberies of drug traffickers. Indeed, longstanding Eighth Circuit precedent

supports the government's interpretation. See Nick v. United States, 122 F.2d 660,

673 (8th Cir. 1941) (holding that government did not need to prove that defendants

knew the effect of their conspiracy would be to affect interstate commerce; but rather

that they agreed to do something, the natural effect of which was to affect interstate

commerce). Further, the government points out that "interstate commerce" was

defined in the jury instruction directly preceding the challenged instruction, and was

specifically included as an element ofthe offense regarding Counts 2 and 3, the actual

Hobbs Act counts. We review the district court's jury instructions for an abuse of

discretion and will reverse only if the instruction did not fairly and adequately

represent the evidence and law. United States v. Manes, 603 F.3d 451, 458 (8th Cir.

2010). Because the instruction fairly and adequately represented the evidence and

the law, we deny this point.

Jamal also argues the district court erred in instructing the jury on possession,

relating to his conviction on Count 8 for prohibited possession of a firearm and

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ammunition. Possession was defined in the instructions as follows: "A person

possessed something if all three of the following are true: the person knew about it,

and the person had physical control over it or a vehicle in which it was concealed or

transported, or the power, or ability, to control it, and the person had the intention to

control it . . . ." Jamal claims the words "or transported" after the word "concealed"

was inconsistent with constructive possession. The gist of Jamal's argument is that

there may have been a firearm in the car that he did not know about and thereby

would not have had constructive possession of it. This argument is without merit. 

The district court's instruction required the jury to find that Jamal had knowledge of

any firearm, and indeed, the evidence supports the jury's finding. Jamal carried a

firearm at all pertinent times in the underlying crime spree. Jamal used the firearm

during a traffic stop on one occasion, and used it as a weapon to hit both J.R. and

C.B. on the head at other times. Because the instruction fairly and adequately

represented the evidence and the law, we reject this point.

Jamal's final complaint about the jury instructions is the district court's failure

to give a multiple-conspiracy jury instruction. As recounted above, Jamal argues that

the government proved two conspiracies, but only alleged one in the indictment. A

single conspiracy is comprised of people sharing common objectives under one

general agreement. United States v. Benford, 360 F.3d 913, 914 (8th Cir. 2004). As

earlier noted, we found that there was sufficient evidence for the government to

establish one single conspiracy. Accordingly, Jamal's lack of success on the merits

of the multiple- versus single-conspiracy claim precludes him from prevailing on his

claim that the district court erred in refusing to give his "multiple conspiracies" jury

instruction.

F. New Trial

Based upon many of the foregoing arguments, Jamal argues that the weight of

the evidence preponderates sufficiently against the verdicts so that a serious

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miscarriage of justice will result unless a new trial is granted. Jamal focuses on the

testimony of J.R. that he had told Cabbell prior to their April 15 encounter that he did

not have any money to pay for sex, and therefore J.R.'s robbery did not affect

interstate commerce. The standard for granting a motion for new trial is more lenient

than for a judgment of acquittal; the court is allowed to vacate any judgment if the

interests of justice so require. United States v. Knight, 800 F.3d. 491, 504 (8th Cir.

2015). However, the decision to grant or deny a motion for a new trial based upon

the weight of the evidence is within the sound discretion of the trial court. Id. The

district court thoroughly reviewed Jamal's request for a new trial and determined that

the interests of justice did not so require. Given that we were not persuaded by

Jamal's earlier discussed Hobbs Act arguments, we find no abuse of discretion in the

district court's decision to deny a new trial.

G. Sentencing

Jamal and Levon both appeal certain aspects of their sentences. We review the

district court'ssentencing factual findings, including relevant conduct, for clear error,

and its construction and application of the Guidelines de novo. United States v.

Howard, 759 F.3d 886, 889 (8th Cir. 2014). Further, the district court has broad

discretion atsentencing concerning the kind and source ofthe information itreceives. 

United States v. Garcia, 774 F.3d 472, 475 (8th Cir. 2014) (per curiam). Further, a

sentencing proceeding does not carry the same evidentiary protections as a trial and

the court may consider uncorroborated hearsay evidence if it has sufficient indicia of

reliability. Id. 

Jamal's calculated sentencing Guidelines range was 140-175 months on counts

1, 2, 3, 4, and 9, in addition to mandatory consecutive minimums of seven and

twenty-five years on the 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) counts. The district court varied upwards

and sentenced Jamal to life in prison, reasoning that due to a number of violent

incidents, both in regards to the charged conduct, and previous uncharged conduct,

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the court needed to protect the public from Jamal. In so doing, the court heard

testimony about these eventsfromseveral individuals at the sentencing hearing, some

of which constituted hearsay. Jamal contends that the district court procedurally

erred in relying upon this hearsay testimony because there was not sufficient indicia

of reliability to render this testimony reliable. The challenged testimony from three

witnesses involved Jamal's alleged role in a 2012 incident wherein he allegedly shot

a member of a rival gang, J.E., ostensibly in retaliation for J.E. stabbing a member of

Jamal's gang. Two of the challenged witnesses were police officers who were told

by numerous people that Jamal had committed the shooting. The third witness was

a paramour of J.E. She testified that when J.E. awoke from a coma, he told her that

Jamal had shot him. Interestingly enough, J.E. testified at the sentencing hearing and

alleged he "did not see" who shot him, nor did he recall the conversation with his

girlfriend in the hospital. However, an overriding theme from numerous of the nonlaw-enforcement witnesses at the sentencing hearing was that they were there under

subpoena and duress because they were members of various rival gangs in the Sioux

City area. On the other side of the coin, numerous of these same witnesses were

hoping to receive leniency in their various criminal sentences in return for

government-favorable testimony. At bottom, given the tenor and tone of the

sentencing hearing after thoroughly reviewing the transcript, we agree with the

district court's finding that the paramour's detailed account of the events pre- and

post-shooting have sufficient indicia of reliability such that the district court could

rely upon it, despite the fact that her testimony identifying Jamal as the shooter was

clearly hearsay.

Furthermore, the district court's overall sentencing decision to vary upwards

to protect the public from Jamal was not substantively unreasonable. We "consider

the substantive reasonableness of the sentence imposed under an abuse-of-discretion

standard." Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38, 51 (2007). "[I]f the sentence is outside

the Guidelines range, the court may not apply a presumption of unreasonableness. 

It may consider the extent of the deviation, but must give due deference to the district

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court's decision that the § 3553(a) factors, on a whole, justify the extent of the

variance." Id. It was within the district court's considerable discretion to vary

upwards and sentence Jamal to life in prison. The district court very thoughtfully

considered Jamal's unusually active and violent criminal history for a defendant only

twenty-three years old, and, it seems to us, rather reluctantly came to the conclusion

that the only possible just sentence was life in prison. Accordingly, we affirm the

district court's sentence. 

Levon wassubject to five-year and twenty-five-year mandatory sentences(360

months) for the 924(c) offenses. His Guidelines range was 84-105 months for the

remaining counts. Levon requested that the district court sentence him to one day for

the remaining counts, given the harshness of the 360-month mandatory sentences. 

The district court stated on the record that it would like to do just that, but felt it did

not have the discretion to do so based upon our decision in United States v. Hatcher,

501 F.3d 931, 933-34 (8th Cir. 2007) (holding that a district court unreasonably

varied downward in sentencing a defendant to one day for the crimes not subject to

a mandatory minimum, solely because the mandatory sentence was 300 months). 

Levon argues that the district court erred when it ruled that it did not have discretion

to impose a lower Guidelines sentence based upon the harshness of the mandatory

minimums. We see no meaningful difference between the situation in Hatcher and

what Levon requested in this case. Accordingly, the district court correctly noted his

inability to sentence Levon as requested. Thus, we find that the district court's 40-

month sentence, to be served consecutively with the 360-month sentence, for a total

sentence of 400 months, wassubstantively reasonable and not an abuse of the district

court's discretion.

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III. CONCLUSION

We affirm the judgments of the district court in this well-tried, multiple-count,

joint-defendant criminal case.

______________________________

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