FI LED U. S . COURT OF AP PE ALS E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT N ove m be r 23, 2005 T HOM AS K. KAHN CL E RK [ 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. 05- 10802 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C. D o c k e tN o . 0 4 - 0 0 0 9 5 - CR- M CR 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 D R E W I L L I A M S , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

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_________________________ ( N ove m be r23, 2005) B efo re T JO F L A T , A N D E R S O N an d D U B IN A , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: A nd re W i l l i am s app ea l s hi s c on vi ct i on for bei ng a f el on i n p osse ss i on of a2

fi re arm i n v i ol at i on of 18 U . S . C . §§ 92 2(g), 92 4(e) . O n app ea l , W i l l i am s argues thathi s c on vi ct i on for bei ng a f el on i n p osse ss i on of a f i re arm shou l d b e r ever se d b ecau se i tw as b ased o n h earsay ad m i tt ed i n v i o l at i o n o f h i s C o n fro n t at i o n C l au se r i ght s . H e c ont e nds tha tthe gove rnm e ntvi ol a t e d C r a w f or d v. W a s hi ngt on, 541 U . S . 36 , 12 4 S . C t . 13 54 , 15 8 L . E d. 2d 17 7 (20 04 ), by i ntrodu ci ng t es t i m on i al he a r s a y thr ough aB ur e au of A l c ohol , T oba c c o, a nd F i r e a rm s ( “ B A T F ” ) a ge nt re gardi ng the st at e w here the gu n ati ss ue w as m anufactured w i tho utshow i ng that th e h e a r s a y d e c la r a n t w a s u n a v a ilab le o rp r o v id in g h im th e o p p o rtu n ityto cr oss- exam i ne the decl ar ant . H e a ss ert s thatthe agent ’ s t es t i m on y w as no tbase d on pers on al kn ow l edge bu tw as base d o n h ears ayst at em ent s c ol l ec t ed for l aw e n f o r c e m e n t p u rp o s e s , in c lu d in g c o n v e r s a tio n s w ith S m ith & W e s s o n h is to r ia n s . H e a l so cl ai m s thatthe B A T F pu bl i ca t i on s the agentconsul t ed w er e t es t i m on i al he a r s a y be c aus e the gun m a nuf a c tur e r s pr ovi de d the da t ai n the publ i c a t i ons a nd c o u l d e x p e c tth a tth e i n f o rm a t i o n wo u l d b e u s e d f o rl a w e n f

o r c e m e n tp u rp o s e s . He co n ced es th atso m e o f th e ag en t ’ s t est i m o n y w as n o tb ased o n t est i m o n i al h earsay, b u t c o n te n d s th a t o n c e th e te s tim o n ia l h e a r s a yp o rtio n s a r e e x c is e d , th e r e is in s u f f ic ie n t e v id e n c e to s u s ta in h is c o n v ic tio n . H e a ls o c o n c e d e s th a t w e h a v e h e ld tha the a r s a y t e s t i m ony m a y be us e d byf i r e a rm s i nt e r s t a t e ne xus e xpe rt s , but s ubm i t s tha tthi s hol di ng i s i nappos i t e be c aus e i tw a s de c i de d be f or e C r a w f

or d.I ti s notc l e a rw he the rW i l l i a m s c ha l l e nge s the s uf f i c i e nc yof

hi s c onvi c t i on 1 f orbe i ng af

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af i r e a rm orthe di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s a dm i s s i on of the t es t i m on y r egar di ng the pl ac e of m anufacture of the gu n. H ow ever , un der e i ther s t a nda r d, w e a f

f i rm hi s c onvi c t i on. 3 S u f f ic ie n c y o f

th e e v id e n c e is r e v ie w e d d e n o v o , w ith a ll e v id e n c e v ie w e d in alig h t m o s t f

a v o r ab le to th e U n ite d S ta te s a n d a ll r e a s o n ab le in f e r e n c e s d r a w n in its f a v o r . S e e U n ite d S ta te s v . F a lle n , 2 5 6 F .3 d 1 0 8 2 , 1 0 8 7 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 1 ) . W e

“ ne e d onl y f

i nd tha tar e a s onabl e f

a c tf i nde rc oul d ha ve c onc l ude d tha tthe e v id e n c e e s tab lis h e d th e d e f e n d a n t’s g u ilt b e y o n d ar e a s o n ab le d o u b t.” I d . W e

“ r e vi e w adi s tr i c tc ourt ’ s rul i ng on a dm i s s i on of e vi de nc e unde rthe abus e of di sc re t i on st andard. ” U ni t ed S t at es v. M ar agh, 17 4 F . 3d 12 02 , 12 04 (11th C i r. ), m od i fi ed on other groun ds, 18 9 F . 3d 13 15 (11th C i r. 19 99 ). 1 T o co n v i cta d efen d an tu n d er 1 8 U . S . C . § 9 2 2 (g )(1 ), th e g o v ern m en tm u st pr ove be y ond ar e a s onabl e doubt , a m ong othe rthi ngs , “ tha tthe f i r e a rm w a s i n or a f f e c t i ng i nt e r s t a t e c om m e r c e . ” U ni t e d S t a t e s v. D e l e ve aux, 205 F . 3d 1292, 1297 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 0 ) . W e ha ve he l d tha t“ e rr one ous a dm i s s i on of e vi de nc e doe s notw a rr a nt r e ve r s a l i f

the e rr orha d no s ubs t a nt i a l i nf l ue nc e on the out c om e a nd s uf f i c i e nt e vi de nc e uni nf

e c t e d by e rr ors upport s the ve r di c t . ” U ni t e d S t a t e s v. H a rr i s t on, 329 F .3 d 7 7 9 , 7 8 9 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 3 ) ( q u o ta tio n s o m itte d ) ( n o tin g a ls o th a t e rr o ris harm l es s “ w here there i s overw hel m i ng evi dence of gui l t . ”) . W i l l i am s’ appeal4

m us tbe de ni e d be c aus e , e ve n c ha r i t abl ya s s um i ng ar gue ndo thatthe di stri ctcourt di d e rri n a dm i tt i ng thos e port i ons of the a ge nt ’ s t e s t i m ony a l l e ge d t o be t e s t i mo n i a l h e a r s a y , th a te rr o rd i d n o th a v e as u b s t a n t i a l i n f l u e n c e o n th e o u t c o me and b ec ause there w as suff i ci entevi dence t o sup po rtthe verdi ct . A s the di stri ct c ourtnot e d, the gun i t s e l f w a s i n e vi de nc e a nd w a s s t a m pe d w i th the l e ge nd,

“ M ade i n U . S . A . , S m i th and W es son, S pri ng fi el d, M as sa chusett s. ” O ne c oul d be “ r a t i ona l l y abl e t o c onc l ude ” tha ti tw a s m a nuf a c tur e d out s i de F lo r id a . U

ni te d State s v . C lay , 355 F . 3d 1281, 1287 ( 11 C i r . 2004) ( “ T he th di sposi t i ve qu es t i on i s w hether, base d o n the evi dence pres ent ed t o the j ury, i tw as rat i on al l y abl e t o con cl ud e thatthe w eapo n sei ze d . . . w as po ss es se d i n o r a ff ec t ed in te r s ta te c o m m e r c e .” ) T h e r e f o r e , th e d is tr ic t c o u rt’s v e r d ic t is u p h e ld . AF F I RME D.