FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P E A LS E LE V EN T HC IRC U IT SEPT 9, 2008 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 08- 10059 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C. D o c k e tN o . 0 6 - 0 0 0 9 6 - CR- FTM - 9 9 SPC U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , P la in tif f - A p p e lle e , v ersu s A N S E L M O R O D R I G U E Z , a .k .a V ic to r , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe M i ddl e D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( S e p t e m b e r 9, 2008) B efo re A N D E R S O N , H U L L an d W IL S O N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: A ns e l m o R odr i gue z w a s c onvi c t e d by a j ur y on both c ount s of a n i ndi c tm e nt2

char gi ng hi m w i th con spi ri ng t o p osse ss w i th i nt entt o d i stri bu t e a nd m anufacture 100 orm or e m a r i

j ua na pl a nt s i n vi ol a t i on of 21 U . S . C . §§ 846 a nd 841 ( “ C ount 1" ) , a nd one c ountof

pos s e s s i ng, us i ng, c a rry i ng a nd br a ndi s hi ng a f i r e a r m dur i ng a n d i n r e l a t i o n t o a d ru g tr a f f i c k i n g c r i m e , i n v i o l a t i o n o f 1 8 U. S . C . § 9 2 4 ( c ) ( 1 ) ( A) ( “ C ount2" ) . T he c our ts e nt e nc e d R odr i gue z t o 78 m onths of i m pr i s onm e nton C o u n t 1 a n d 8 4 m o n th s o f im p r is o n m e n t o n C o u n t 2 , to b e s e r v e d c o n s e c u tiv e ly . O n appe a l , R odr i gue z doe s notc ha l l e nge hi s c onvi c t i on f orthe drug tr a f

f i c ki ng c o n s p ir a c y , n o rd o e s h e d is p u te th a t h e b r a n d is h e d a f ir e a r m o n O c to b e r8 , 2 0 0 5 . Inst ea d, R od ri gu ez ar gu es thatthe conspi ra cy t erm i nat ed before the fi re arm i nci dent , as tw o o f hi s c o-conspi ra t ors had w i thd ra w n from the conspi ra cy and h ad be e n a rr e s t e d i n S e pt e m be r2005, a nd tha tthe e vi de nc e w a s othe rw i s e i ns uf f i c i e nt f o ra r e a s o n a b le ju ry to c o n c lu d e th a t th e in c id e n t to o k p la c e “d u r in g a n d in rel at i o n t o ” th e co n sp i racy. W e r evi ew de no vo the suff i ci ency of the evi dence s up po rt i ng a c ri m i nal c o n v ic tio n . U

ni t e d Stat e s v . H

as s on , 3 3 3 F .3 d 1 2 6 4 , 1 2 7 0 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 3 ) . W e m ustdet erm i ne w hether “ a r ea sonabl e j uror coul d con cl ud e thatthe evi dence es t abl i shes gu i l tbeyond a r ea sonabl e dou bt . ” Id . I n c ons i de r i ng the s uf f i c i e nc y of the e vi de nc e , w e vi e w a l l of the e vi de nc e “ i n the l i ghtm os tf a vor a bl e t o the v e r d ic t, d r a w in g a ll r e a s o n a b le in f e r e n c e s a n d r e s o lv in g a ll q u e s tio n s o f c r e d ib ility3

i n favor of the go vernm ent . ” Id . T o c onvi c ta de f

e nda ntunde r18 U . S . C . § 924( c ) ( 1) ( A ) , the gove rnm e nt m us te s t a bl i s h both tha tthe de f e nda ntus e d orc a rr i e d a f i r e a r m , a nd tha the us e d or c a rr ie d it “d u r in g a n d r e la tio n to ” a d ru g tr a f f ic k in g c r im e . U

ni t ed Stat es v. T i m m ons , 283 F . 3d 1246, 1250 ( 11th C i r . 2002) . T he phr a s e “ i n r e l a t i on t o” m e a ns tha t“ the f

i r e a r m m us tha ve s om e purpos e ore f f e c tw i th r e s pe c tt o the drug tr a f f i c ki ng c r i m e ; i t s pr e s e nc e ori nvol ve m e ntc a nnotbe the r e s ul tof a c c i de ntor coi nci dence. ” Sm i th v. U ni t ed Stat es , 508 U . S . 223, 238, 113 S . C t . 2050, 2058- 59, 124 L . E d. 2d 138 ( 1993) . I n othe rw or ds , “ the gun a tl e a s tm us tf a c i l i t a t e , orha ve the po t ent i al of fa ci l i t at i ng , the drug tra ff i cki ng offe nse. ” Id . , 113 S . C t . a t2059 (i nt ernal qu ot at i on m arks and al t er at i on s om i tt ed). R odr i gue z m ove d f

ora j udgm e ntof

a c qui tt a l a f

t e rthe gove rnm e ntr e s t e d, a nd the di s tr i c tc our tt ook the m ot i on unde ra dvi s e m e nt , r e s e r vi ng j udgm e nton the m a tt e runt i l a f

t e rthe ve r di c t . T he c our te xpr e s s e d s om e i ni t i a l r e s e r va t i ons a bout th e s u f f ic ie n c y o f

th e e v id e n c e to s u p p o rt th e c o n v ic tio n a s to th e f ir e a r m c o u n t. T he e vi de nc e a ttr i a l r e f l e c t e d tha tR odr i gue z di s c ha r ge d a f i r e a r m a ta c oc ons pi r a t ora f

t e rl e a rni ng tha tthe c o- c ons pi r a t orr e por t e d t o l a w e nf or c e m e nta bout R odr i gue z ’ s i nvol ve m e nti n the m a r i j ua na c ul t i va t i on ope r a t i on. T he c oc ons pi r a t or ’ s w i f

e a nd c hi l d w e r e ne a rby a tthe t i m e of the i nc i de nt , a l though4

nei ther s uffe re d any ph ys i ca l i nj uri es re l at ed t o the i nci dent . T here i s e vi dence that w he n a l a w e nf

or c e m e ntof

f i c e rappr oa c he d the s c e ne , R odr i gue z poi nt e d the fi re arm atthe offi ce r. R odr i gue z a r gue s tha tthe gove rnm e ntf a i l e d t o pr ove a ny ne xus be tw e e n the f i r e a r m a nd a drug tr a f

f i c ki ng c r i m e . H e a r gue s tha tw he n he di s c ha r ge d the fi re arm i n the di re ct i on of a c o-defendanton O ct ob er8, 20 05 , the co-conspi ra t ors had w i thd ra w n from the conspi ra cy , had b ee n arr es t ed, and R od ri gu ez had t e r m i na t e d hi s ow n i nvol ve m e nti n the c ons pi r a c y . T he r e f or e , the j ur y c oul d not r e a s ona bl y ha ve c onc l ude d tha the br a ndi s he d the f i r e a r m orus e d i tt o f

a c i l i t a t e the conspi ra cy . Itw as , he ar gu es , an ac tof pers on al ani m osi ty noti n furthera nce of a c o n s p ir a c y . Ha v i n g r e v i e we d th e r e l e v a n tp a r t s o f th e r e c o r d a n d th e p a r t i e s ’ b r i e f s , we hol d tha ta r e a s ona bl e j ury c oul d ha ve c onc l ude d tha tthe e vi de nc e w a s s uf f i c i e nt to e s tab lis h R o d r ig u e z ’s g u ilt a s to th e f ir e a r m o f f e n s e b e y o n d a r e a s o n a b le d o u b t. W e a g r e e w i th th e d i s tr i c tc o u r tth a ta tth e t i me th a th e b r a n d i s h e d th e f i r e a r m, R o d r ig u e z “s till r e m a in e d a c o n s p ir a to rw h o h a d n o t w ith d r a w n o rte r m in a te d h is in v o lv e m e n t, a n d th e r e w a s e v id e n c e o f th e in v o lv e m e n t o f

o th e rc o n s p ir a to r s in conn ec t i on w i th the di stri bu t i on of m ar i j uana. T he evi dence cl ea rl y e st abl i shes th a t th e s h o o tin g w a s n o t a c c id e n ta l o rc o in c id e n ta l, a n d . . . th e s h o o tin g c o u ld5

pot e nt i a l l y f

a c i l i t a t e the drug c ons pi r a c y a s r e t a l i a t i on f orc oope r a t i on w i th the po l i ce as an exam pl e t o o ther c on spi ra t ors. ” A cc ordi ng l y, w e f i nd thatthe di stri ct c our tdi d note rri n de ny i ng R odr i gue z ’ s m ot i on f ora j udgm e ntof

a c qui tt a l , a nd w e a f f i r m hi s c onvi c t i on. AF F I RME D.