T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

T he pa ne l una ni m ous l y c onc l ude s thi s c a s e i s s ui t abl e f orde c i s i on ** w ith o u t o r a l a r g u m e n t. See F ed. R . A pp . P . 34 (a )( 2). NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T UN I T E D S T AT E S OF AME R I C A, P l ai nt i ff

- A pp el l ee , v. MI C HA E L E UG E NE MC C L AI N, D e f

e n d a n t - A p p e lla n t. N o. 10- 30265 D . C . N o. 2: 09 -c r- 00 41 9-JC C -1 ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe W e s t e rn D i s tr i c tof W a s hi ngt on J ohn C . C oughe nour , D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng

S ubm i tt e d M a y 4, 2011 ** S e a tt l e , W a s hi ngt on B efo re: S C H R O E D E R , M cK E O W N , an d C A L L A H A N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. M i c ha e l M c C l a i n appe a l s hi s j ury c onvi c t i on a nd s e nt e nc e f orbe i ng af

e l on in p o s s e s s io n o f

a f ir e a rm in v io la tio n o f

1 8 U .S .C . § § 9 2 2 ( g ) ( 1 ) a n d 9 2 4 ( a ) ( 2 ) . T h e c a s e a g a in s t M c C la in r e lie d p r im a r ily u p o n th e te s tim o n y o f a n in f o rm a n t, 

# FI LED MA Y09 2 011 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALST h e p a r tie s a r e f a m ilia rw ith th e f

a c ts , a n d w e r e p e a t th e m h e r e o n ly 1 a s ne c e s s a ry t o e xpl a i n ourde c i s i on. 10- 30265 2 w ho w as M cC l ai n’ s gi rl fr i end atthe t i m e. T he i nform anti ni t i al l y a l ert ed l aw enforce m entthatM cC l ai n and tw o fri ends w er e pl anni ng t o rob a hou se thatw as know n t o ha ve m a r i

j ua naa nd c a s h. B a s e d on s ubs e que nti ndi c a t i ons f r om the i nform antthatM cC l ai n h ad a gun and w as m ov i ng forw ar d w i th the pl an, l aw e n f o r c e m e n t a rr e s te d M c C la in f o rp o s s e s s io n o f

th e g u n . O n ap p e a l, M c C la in c ont e nds tha tthe di s tr i c tc our tabus e d i t s di s c r e t i on by a l l ow i ng e vi de nc e of the robb ery pl an attri al and b y e nh anci ng hi s s ent ence on the grou nd thathe pl anned t o u s e th e g u n t o c o mmi tth e r o b b e ry . W e h a v e j u r i s d i c t i o n u n d e r1 8 U . S. C. § 3 7 4 2 a n d 2 8 U . S. C. § 1 2 9 1 , a n d w e a f f i rm. 1

“ [ T ] he di s tr i c tc our t ’ s a dm i s s i on of e vi de nc e i s r e vi e w e d f

ora n abus e of di sc re t i on . ” U

ni ted Stat es v. H

erna nd ez , 10 9 F . 3d 14 50 , 14 52 (9th C i r. 19 97 ) ( per c u r ia m ) . T h e d is tr ic t c o u r t’s ap p lic a tio n o f th e s e n te n c in g g u id e lin e s to th e f a c ts is r e vi e w e d f

ora n abus e of

di s c r e t i on, a nd i t s f

i ndi ngs of

f a c ti n s uppor tof

the s e n te n c e a r e r e v ie w e d f o rc le a re rr o r . U

ni ted Stat es v. G arner , 490 F . 3d 739, 742 (9th C i r. 20 07 ). 1. M c C l a i n c ont e nds tha tthe di s tr i c tc our tabus e d i t s di s c r e t i on by a l l ow i ng evi dence of the robb ery pl an attri al , ov erhi s obj ec t i on , because there w as10- 30265 3 i n s u f f i c i e n te v i d e n c e l i n k i n g th e r o b b e ry p l a n t o h i s p o s s e s s i o n o f th e g u n . He cont ends thatthe evi dence of the robb ery pl an w as i m perm i ss i bl e c hara ct er evi dence und erF eder al R ul e of E vi dence 404 (b). T o the contra ry , the evi dence i ntr oduc e d a ttr i a l s uf

f i c i e nt l y r a i s e d the i nf

e r e nc e tha tM c C l a i n i nt e nde d t o us e the gu n as partof the robb ery pl an. W i thi n a fe w w ee ks of hi s a rr es t , M cC l ai n h ad d is c u s s e d th e r o b b e ry p la n w ith a f r ie n d , in c lu d in g th e p o s s ib ility o f b r e a k in g in to th e ta r g e te d h o u s e th r o u g h a b o tto m w in d o w . T h e d a y p r io rto h is a rr e s t, M c C la in pi c ke d up the gun f

r om a nothe rf

r i e nd w ho w a s pa r tof

the r obbe ry pl a n. O n the ni ghtof the a rr e s t , the i nf

orm a ntw a rne d l a w e nf

or c e m e nttha tM c C l a i n ha d the g u n w ith h im , w a s a g ita te d , a n d w a s m o v in g f o rw a r d w ith th e p la n . W hi l e the i nf

orm a nt ’ s t e s t i m ony w a s the m a i n e vi de nc e of the r obbe ry pl a n, h e rte s tim o n y w a s s u p p o r te d b y in d e p e n d e n t e v id e n c e . M c C la in w a s f o u n d w ith the address of the t ar get ed ho use i n h i s w al l et , and the ow ner of the ho use t es t i fi ed tha tM c C l a i n’ s f

r i e nd kne w the hous e c ont a i ne d drugs a nd c a s h. A l though M c C l a i n ha s s ugge s t e d r e a s ons w hy the e vi de nc e m i ghtha ve be e n di s c r e di t e d or i nt e rpr e t e d di f

f e r e nt l y , s uc h a r gum e nt s do notunde r c utthe s uf f i c i e nc y of

the e v id e n c e . C

f . U ni ted Stat es v. M

ag al lon -J

i m enez , 21 9 F . 3d 11 09 , 11 14 (9th C i r. 2000) ( “ I ti s the pr ovi nc e of the tr i e rof

f a c t‘ t o de t e rm i ne the c r e di bi l i ty of10- 30265 4 w i tne s s e s , r e s ol ve e vi de nt i a ry c onf l i c t s , a nd dr a w r e a s onabl e i nf e r e nc e s f r om prov en fa ct s. ’ ”) . A s the di stri ctcourtconcl ud ed, the evi dence of the pl anned rob beryw as ad m i ssi b l e b ecau se i tex p l ai n ed th e co n t ex ti n w h i ch M cC l ai n ’ s p o ssessi o n o ffen se o c c u rr e d . U

ni te d State s v . C ol l i ns , 90 F . 3d 1420, 1428- 29 ( 9th C i r . 1996) . T he e vi de nc e w a s a l s o a dm i s s i bl e unde rR ul e 404( b) be c a us e i tt e nde d t o pr ove the m at er i al fa ctthatM cC l ai n k no w i ng l y posse ss ed the gu n, the po ss es si on w as c o n te m p o r a n e o u s w ith th e r o b b e ry p la n , a n d , if c r e d ite d , th e e v id e n c e s u f f ic ie n tly s u p p o r te d th e a lle g e d r o b b e ry p la n . See U ni ted Stat es v. R am i rez-Ji m i nez , 967 F .2 d 1 3 2 1 , 1 3 2 6 ( 9 th C ir . 1 9 9 2 ) . A c c o r d in g ly , th e d is tr ic t c o u r t d id n o t ab u s e its d i scret i o n i n ad m i tt i n g ev i d en ce o f th e ro b b ery o n ei th er o f th ese b ases. 2 . M c C la in c o n te n d s th a t th e d is tr ic t c o u r t im p r o p e r ly e n h a n c e d h is sen t en ce u n d er U . S . S . G . § 2 K 2 . 1 (b )(6 ) b ased o n th e al l eg ed ro b b ery p l an b ecau se the e vi de nc e of

the pl a n w a s thi n, a s w a s the e vi de nc e c onne c t i ng the gun t o the pl a n. A s not e d, the e vi de nc e w a s s uf f i c i e nt . T hus , the di s tr i c tc our tdi d not c om m i tc l e a re rr ori n f

i ndi ng tha tM c C l a i n i nt e nde d t o us e the gun a s pa r tof the robb ery pl an and d i d n otabuse i t s di sc re t i on i n enh anci ng hi s s ent ence a c c o r d in g ly . AF F I RME D.