FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEVEN T HC IRC U IT DE CEMB ER 22, 2005 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NOT P UB L I S H] I N TH E U N I TED STA TES C O U R T O F A PPEA LS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

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________________________ D. C. Do c k e tNo . 0 4 - 2 0 4 8 2 - CR - J EM 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 G E R A L D O G O M E Z , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

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_________________________ ( D e c e m b e r 22, 2005) B efo re D U B IN A , H U L L a n d M A R C U S , C i rcu i t J u d g es. P E R C U R I A M: G e r a l do G om e z appe a l s hi s c onvi c t i on, pur s ua ntt o aj ury ve r di ct , f or p o s s e s s i o n o f

af i r e a rm b y ac o n v i c t e d f e l o n , i n v i o l a t i o n o f

1 8 U . S. C.2

§§ 92 2(g)(1), 92 4(e) . T he sol e i ss ue on appeal i s w hether the evi dence s ub m i tt ed attri al w as suff

i ci entt o est abl i sh hi s kno w i ng po ss es si o n o f a fi re arm . A ft er c a r e f u l r e v i e w , w e a f

f i rm. W e us ua l l y r e vi e w the s uf f i c i e nc y of

the e vi de nc e t o s uppor ta co n v i ct i on de n o v o , r es o lv in g all rea so n ab le in fe re n ce s f ro m th e e v id en ce in fa v o r o f th e ju ry ’s verdi ct . Se e U ni t e d St a t e s v. Rudi s i l l , 18 7 F. 3d12 60 , 12 67 ( 11 th Ci r . 19 99). H ow e v e r , b e c a u s e G o me z d i d n o t c h a l l e n g e th e s u f f i c i e n c y o f th e e v i d e n c e i n t he di stri ctcourt , by m ov i ng for a j ud gm entof ac qu i tt al atthe cl ose of the evi dence, w e w o u ld r e v e r s e o n th e b a s is o f in s u f f ic ie n c y o f

th e e v id e n c e “‘o n ly to p r e v e n t a m a n i f e s t mi s c a rr i a g e o f j u s t i c e . ’ ” U n i t e d St a t e s v . Bu r s t o n , 1 5 9 F. 3 d 1 3 2 8 , 1332 n. 5 ( 11th C i r . 1998) ( quot i ng U ni t e d S t at es v. H a m bl i n, 911 F . 2d 551, 556- 57 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 9 0 ) ) . T o est ab l i sh a v i o l at i o n o f 1 8 U . S . C . § 9 2 2 (g ) ( 1 ), th e g o v ern m en tm u st es t abli sh : ( 1 ) thatthe defendantw as a c on vi ct ed fe l on ; (2) thatthe defendantkn ew h e w a s in p o s s e s s io n o f af ir e a rm ; a n d ( 3 ) th a t th e f ir e a rm a f

f e c te d o rw a s in i nt er st at e c om m er ce . S ee U ni t ed S t at es v. W ri gh t , 39 2 F . 3d 12 69 , 12 73 (11th C i r. 2 0 0 4 ), ce rt. d en ied 1 2 5 S . C t. 1 7 5 1 (2 0 0 5 ). G o m ez ch allen g e s th e g o v er n m en t’ s ev i d en ce o n o n l y th e seco n d el em en t , arg u i n g th ath e d i d n o tk n o w i n g l y p o ssess th e f ir e a rm .3

“P o s s e s s io n c a n b e s h o w n b y c ir c u m s t a n t i a l a s w e ll a s d ir e c t e v id e n c e . . . [ a nd] . . . c a n be e i the ra c tua l orc ons truc t i ve [ . ] ” U ni t e d S t a t es v. C r a w f or d, 906 F . 2d 1531, 1535 ( 11th C i r . 1990) . “ A de f e nda ntha s c ons truc t i ve p o ssessi on i f he exer ci ses o w ners hi p, do m i ni on , or control ov erthe fi re arm . A defe nd antal so has c ons truc t i ve pos s e s s i on i f he ha s t h e p o w e ra nd i nt e nt i on t o e xe r c i s e dom i ni on or c ontr ol . ” U ni t e d S t a t e s v. G unn, 369 F . 3d 1229, 1235 ( 11th C i r . ) (ci t a t i ons o m itte d ) , c e r t. d e n ie d 1 2 5 S . C t. 3 2 4 ( 2 0 0 4 ) . A ttri al , four po l i ce det ec t i ves une q ui vo ca l l y t es t i fi ed thata f i re arm w as f ound on the s e a tof

the ve hi c l e tha tG om e z w a s dr i vi ng ( a nd i n w hi c h he w a s the l one oc c upa nt ) , a nd tha t , w he n he w a s a s ke d i f h e h ad a ny othe rw e apons , he r e s ponde d “ n o . ” T he gove rnm e ntpr e s e nt e d phot ogr aphi c e vi de nc e s uppor t i ng the offi ce rs ’ t es t i m on y tha t th e w eapo n w as no ton l y on the dri ver’ s s ea tbu tw as l ocat ed i n such a w aythatG om ez w as si tt i ng on , or w as i n d i re ctph ys i ca l cont ac t w ith , th e f

ir e a rm w h e n h e w a s s to p p e d . S im p ly p u t, th e e v id e n c e a m p ly dem on stra t ed the pres ence of a f i re arm , on the dri ver’ s s ea tof the vehi cl e that G o m ez w as d ri v i n g , an d w e can n o tsay th ath i s co n v i ct i o n i s b ased o n a m an i fest i nj us t i c e . A c c or di ngl y , w e a f f i rm hi s c onvi c t i on. AF F I RME D.