Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-04-02316/USCOURTS-ca8-04-02316-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Patrice L. Cleaver
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

1

The Honorable Gary A. Fenner, United States District Judge for the Western

District of Missouri.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 04-2316

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the Western

* District of Missouri.

Patrice L. Cleaver, *

* [UNPUBLISHED]

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: February 7, 2005

Filed: April 22, 2005

___________

Before MELLOY, McMILLIAN, and GRUENDER, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Patrice Cleaver appeals from the judgment the district court1

 entered upon a

jury verdict finding her guilty of receiving and possessing stolen mail matter in

violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1708. Cleaver challenges the sufficiency of the evidence.

We conclude that the evidence was sufficient for a reasonable jury to find

Cleaver guilty. See United States v. Dabney, 367 F.3d 1040, 1042 (8th Cir. 2004)

Appellate Case: 04-2316 Page: 1 Date Filed: 04/22/2005 Entry ID: 1894459
-2-

(standard of review). The government met its burden of proving that a credit card

was stolen from the mail; and that Cleaver, knowing it was stolen, unlawfully

possessed the credit card. See 18 U.S.C. § 1708; United States v. Matzker, 473 F.2d

408, 409 (8th Cir. 1973) (burden of proof). The jury reasonably could infer the credit

card was stolen from the mail based on evidence that the bank-issued card was mailed

to an invalid address and was never received by the intended recipient or returned to

the bank, see Blue v. United States, 528 F.2d 892, 894 n.2 (8th Cir. 1976); and could

infer knowledge that the credit card was stolen based on evidence of possession, see

United States v. Lewis, 560 F.2d 901, 904 (8th Cir. 1977). Evidence of Cleaver’s

fingerprints on receipts from transactions on the stolen credit card was sufficient for

the jury to find that Cleaver unlawfully possessed the credit card. Cf. United States

v. Haynes, 653 F.2d 332, 333-34 (8th Cir. 1981) (per curiam) (jury could properly

find defendant had possession of check stolen from mail when he signed his name to

check and showed I.D. in order to cash check); United States v. Dawson, 608 F.2d

1038, 1040 (5th Cir. 1979) (evidence--consisting of identification card used by one

who used money orders stolen from mail stream to purchase airline tickets, inference

that photograph on card was of person who purchased tickets, and comparison of

defendant and photograph on card--was sufficient to show possession of stolen

money orders).

Accordingly, we affirm. 

______________________________

Appellate Case: 04-2316 Page: 2 Date Filed: 04/22/2005 Entry ID: 1894459