# U n i t e d S t a t e s C o u r t o f A pp e a l s
For the Eig hth Circu it

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

No . 2 2 -1 7 27

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Un i t ed St at es o f Am eri ca

l ll l l l l l l l l l l l ll l l l l l Pl a i n t i

f f - Ap pel l ee

v

.

Terran ce Go ld en

l ll l l l l l l l l l l l ll l l l l l Def

en da n t - Ap pel l an t

_

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Ap p eal fro m

Un i t ed St at es Di s t ri ct Co u rt fo r t h e No rt h ern Di st ri ct o f Io wa - Eas t ern

_

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Su b m i t t ed : No v em

b er 2 8 , 2 0 2 2
Fi l ed : Decem

b er 7 , 2 0 2 2 [Un pu b l is h ed ]

_ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _

Befo re BENTON, ERICKSON, an d KOBES, Ci rcu i t J u d ges

.

_ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _

PER CURIAM

.

Terran ce Go l d en ap p eal s aft er a ju r y f o u nd h i m g ui l t y o f d ru g an d fi rearm

o ffen s es , an d t h e d i s t ri ct co u rt 1 i m p o s ed a sen t en ce o f 2 6 2 m o n th s in p ri s o n

. H i s

1 Th e Ho n o rab le C.J

. W i l l i am s , Un i ted St at es D i st ri ct J u d g e fo r t h e No rt h ern Di s t ri ct o f Io wa.co u ns el h as m o v ed t o wi th d raw an d h as fi l ed a bri ef u n d er An d ers v. Cal i fo rn i a, 3 8 6

U.S. 7 38 (1 9 6 7 ), ch al l en g in g t h e s u ffi ci en cy o f th e ev i d en ce an d t h e reas o nab l en es s

o f t h e s en t en ce.

W e co n cl u d e t h at t h e ev i d en ce was s u ffi ci en t t o co n v i ct Go l den o f b o th co u nt s

. See Un i t ed St at es v

. Bi rd i n e, 5 1 5 F.3 d 8 4 2

, 8 44 (8 t h Ci r. 2 0 0 8 ) (s u ffi ci en cy o f

ev i d en ce t o s u pp o rt co n v i ct i o n i s rev i ewed d e n o vo , v i ewi n g ev id en ce i n l i g h t m o s t

fav o rab l e t o ju ry verd i ct ). As t o t h e co n v i c t i o n f o r p o s s es s i n g a fi rearm as a fel o n,
wh i le co un s el arg u es t h at n o wi t n es s h a d o bs erv ed Go l d en carry i n g a fi rearm , t h e

ev i d en ce s h o wed co n st ru ct i ve po s s es s i o n. Sp eci fi cal l y , t he fi rearm was h i d d en i n t h e
b at h ro o m cei li n g of h i s h o t el ro o m , wh i ch h e--u n l i k e h i s ro o m m at e--was tal l en o u g h

t o reach ; an d t h e h o l s t er was fo u n d i n a b as k et co n tai n i n g h i s cl o t h i ng an d a v eh i cl e

t i tl e wi t h h is al i as

. See Un i t ed St at es v

. Pi wo war, 49 2 F.3 d 9 53

, 9 5 5 (8 th Ci r. 2 0 0 7 )
(co n s t ru ct i v e p o s ses s i o n of fi rearm i s es t ab l i s h ed i f p o s s es s o r h ad co n t ro l o ver p l ace
wh ere fi rearm

was l o cat ed , o r co n t ro l , o wn ers h i p , o r d o m i ni o n o v er fi rearm i t s el f).

As t o th e d ru g co n v ict i o n , wh i l e co u n s el arg u es t h at t h e ev i d en ce d id no t s h o w

i n t en t t o di s t ri b u t e, we co n cl u d e t h at i t was s u ffi ci en t

. Sp eci fi cal l y , Go l d en p o s s es s ed

4 .9 4 g ram s o f c r a c k co cai n e i n 2 3 b ag gi es , ap p ro x i m at el y $ 1

, 8 00 i n cas h

, m u l t i p l e
b ag gi es co n t ai n in g co cai n e res i d u e wi t h t h e co rn ers t o rn o ff, an d a d i g i tal s cal e t h at

t es t ed po s it i v e fo r co cai n e res i d u e h i d d en n ex t t o t h e p i s t o l ; an d h i s cel l p h o n e

co n tai n ed tex t m es s ag es t h at w ere co n s i s ten t wi t h di s t ri b u ti o n

. See Un it ed St at es v.

Th o m p s o n , 6 8 6 F.3 d 5 7 5

, 5 8 0

, 5 8 5 (8 t h Ci r. 2 0 12 ) (i n ten t t o d i s t ri b u t e m a y b e

i n ferred fro m s u ch t hi ng s as p o s s es s i o n o f larg e q u an t i ty o f co n tro l led s u b s t a n c e ,
p res en ce o f p arap h ern al i a u s ed t o ai d i n d i s t ri b ut i o n of d ru g s , l arg e s u m s o f

u n ex pl ai n e d cas h, p res en ce o f fi rearm s , b ag g i es wi t h co rn ers t orn off i n b ox wh ere

o ffi cers fo u n d co cai ne).

W e co ncl u d e t h at Go l den wai v ed an y ch al l e n g e t o t h e reas o nab l en es s o f t h e

s en t en ce, as h e recei v ed t h e s en t en ce hi s co u n s el s p eci fi cal l y req ues t ed

. See Un i t ed

-2

-St at es v. Th o m p s o n , 2 89 F.3 d 5 2 4

, 5 2 6 (8 t h Ci r. 2 0 0 2 ) (d efen d an t m ay n o t co m p l ai n
wh en d i st ri ct co u rt g av e h im ex act l y wh at h i s co u n s el req u es t ed --s en t en ce at l o w en d

o f Gu id el i n es ran g e).

W e h av e al s o i n dep en den t l y rev i ewed t h e reco rd un d e r P e n s o n v

. O h i o , 4 8 8

U.S. 7 5 (1 9 8 8), an d we fi n d n o n o n -fri vo l o u s is su es fo r ap p eal

. Acco rd i n g l y , we

affi rm , an d we g ran t co u n s el ’ s m o t i o n t o wi t h d raw.

__ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

-3

-