UNPUBLISHED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 

Plaintiff-Appellee,

v.  No. 01-4902

WARREN ALLEN HEMPHILL,

Defendant-Appellant. 

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Middle District of North Carolina, at Durham.

William L. Osteen, District Judge.

(CR-00-328)

Submitted: June 19, 2002

Decided: July 12, 2002

Before NIEMEYER, LUTTIG, and TRAXLER, Circuit Judges.

Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion. 

COUNSEL

Louis C. Allen III, Federal Public Defender, John A. Dusenbury, Jr.,

Assistant Federal Public Defender, Greensboro, North Carolina, for

Appellant. Anna Mills Wagoner, United States Attorney, Lisa B.

Boggs, Assistant United States Attorney, Greensboro, North Carolina,

for Appellee.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. See

Local Rule 36(c). 

OPINION

PER CURIAM: 

On April 24, 2001, Warren Allen Hemphill was convicted by a jury

of bank robbery with a dangerous weapon, in violation of 18 U.S.C.A.

§ 2113(d) (West 2000). Hemphill was subsequently sentenced to

seventy-two months’ imprisonment. 

Hemphill’s counsel on appeal has filed a brief pursuant to Anders

v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 744 (1967), stating that he is not aware

of any meritorious basis for appeal. In his Anders brief, counsel for

Hemphill addresses the issue of the admissibility of a document found

in Hemphill’s BMW, because the handwriting on the paper was not

shown to be Hemphill’s. 

Hemphill has also filed a supplemental pro se brief raising eight

separate claims of ineffective assistance of counsel: (1) defense counsel refused to investigate constitutional violations; (2) defense counsel

failed to consult with defendant concerning critical decisions, contrary to his instructions; (3) defense counsel failed to timely file

motions to exclude evidence and prejudicial testimony; (4) defense

counsel conducted hostile interviews with Hemphill; (5) defense

counsel falsely reported to Hemphill his alibi witnesses’ responses

from interviews with them; (6) defense counsel denied Hemphill’s

requests to view Brady material; (7) defense counsel convinced him

not to testify on his own behalf; and (8) defense counsel avoided personal contact and phone calls with him. 

The decision to admit evidence is reviewed on appeal for an abuse

of discretion. United States v. Eillis, 121 F.3d 908, 926 (4th Cir.

1997). 

Under the Federal Rules of Evidence, authentication as a condition

precedent to admissibility is satisfied by "evidence sufficient to support a finding that the matter in question is what its proponent

claims." Fed. R. Evid. 901(a). Exhibits can be authenticated using circumstantial evidence. United States v. Clark, 649 F.2d 534, 542 (7th

2 UNITED STATES v. HEMPHILL
Cir. 1981). The prosecution must merely show that there is a rational

basis by which a jury could infer that it belonged to the defendant.

United States v. Natale, 526 F.2d 1160, 1173 (2d Cir. 1975). Here,

there was sufficient circumstantial evidence to find that the paper

belonged to Hemphill. Government witnesses testified that it was

found inside his briefcase in the trunk of his BMW along with U.S.

currency, cleaning supplies, and disposable gloves. Therefore it was

not an abuse of discretion to admit the document into evidence. 

Regarding Hemphill’s claims on appeal that he received ineffective

assistance of counsel, such claims are generally not cognizable on

direct appeal. To allow for adequate development of a record, a

defendant must bring his claim in a 28 U.S.C.A. § 2255 (West Supp.

2001) motion unless the record conclusively establishes ineffective

assistance. United States v. Richardson, 195 F.3d 192, 198 (4th Cir.

1999); United States v. King, 119 F.3d 290, 295 (4th Cir. 1997). To

succeed on a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, a defendant

must show his counsel’s performance fell below an objective standard

of reasonableness and that counsel’s deficient performance was prejudicial. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687-88 (1984).

Because the record does not conclusively show ineffective assistance

of counsel, we decline to entertain Hemphill’s claims on direct

appeal. 

As required by Anders, we have reviewed the entire record and

have found no meritorious issues for appeal. We therefore affirm

Hemphill’s conviction and sentence.* This court requires that counsel

inform his client, in writing, of his right to petition the Supreme Court

of the United States for further review. If the client requests that a

petition be filed, but counsel believes that such a petition would be

frivolous, then counsel may move in this court for leave to withdraw

from representation. Counsel’s motion must state that a copy thereof

was served on the client. We dispense with oral argument because the

facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials

before the court and argument would not aid the decisional process.

AFFIRMED

*We also deny Hemphill’s motion to relieve his attorney. 

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