UNPUBLISHED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 12-4145

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff - Appellee,

v.

LADY JACQUELINE LOCOTIN, a/k/a Lady Jacqueline Asante, a/k/a 

Jacqueline Locotin, a/k/a Jacqueline Lady Locotin, a/k/a 

Jacqueline Asante, a/k/a Jacqueline Lady Asante Locotin, 

a/k/a Elizabeth Akoye Kocou, a/k/a Angela Folson, a/k/a 

Joyce Amene Obese,

Defendant - Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern 

District of Virginia, at Alexandria. Leonie M. Brinkema, 

District Judge. (1:11-cr-00397-LMB-1)

Submitted: September 25, 2012 Decided: October 3, 2012

Before AGEE, DAVIS, and FLOYD, Circuit Judges.

Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

John O. Iweanoge, II, THE IWEANOGES’ FIRM, P.C., Washington, 

D.C., for Appellant. Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney, 

Ronald L. Walutes, Jr., Michael J. Frank, Assistant United 

States Attorneys, Alexandria, Virginia, for Appellee.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
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PER CURIAM:

A federal jury convicted Lady Jacqueline Locotin of 

unlawful procurement of citizenship, immigration document fraud, 

and misuse of a social security number, and the district court 

imposed an eighteen-month sentence. Locotin now appeals, 

challenging the sufficiency of the evidence and the 

reasonableness of her sentence. Finding no error, we affirm.

Locotin first argues that there is insufficient 

evidence to support her convictions. We review a district 

court’s decision to deny a Fed. R. Crim. P. 29 motion for 

acquittal de novo. United States v. Hickman, 626 F.3d 756, 762 

(4th Cir. 2010). In evaluating sufficiency claims, we consider 

whether there is substantial evidence to support the 

convictions. United States v. Burgos, 94 F.3d 849, 862 (4th 

Cir. 1996) (en banc). Substantial evidence is that which a 

reasonable fact finder could accept as adequate and sufficient 

to support the finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Id. 

A defendant bringing a sufficiency claim bears a “heavy burden,” 

which is met only in “the rare case where the prosecution’s 

failure is clear.” United States v. Ashley, 606 F.3d 135, 138 

(4th Cir. 2010) (citations and internal quotation marks 

omitted). 

In order to prove each of the charges against Locotin, 

the Government needed to show that she acted knowingly. To 
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prove her guilty knowledge, the Government presented evidence of 

Locotin’s numerous misrepresentations and omissions in 

applications for citizenship, a passport, and a social security 

number. We conclude that the evidence is sufficient to uphold 

the verdict and therefore that the district court properly 

denied Locotin’s Rule 29 motion.

Locotin next challenges the reasonableness of her 

sentence. This court reviews a sentence applying an abuse of 

discretion standard. Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38, 46 

(2007). The court first reviews for significant procedural 

errors, including whether the district court failed to consider 

the § 3553(a) factors. Gall, 552 U.S. at 46. If the court 

finds a sentence procedurally reasonable, it then considers 

substantive reasonableness, applying a totality of the 

circumstances test. Id. Finally, where, as here, the sentence 

is within the Guidelines range, the court may apply a 

presumption of reasonableness. Id.

Locotin presents no evidence to rebut the presumption 

of reasonableness. Her claim that the district court improperly 

applied the § 3553(a) factors is contradicted by the record, her 

disparity claim is unsubstantiated, and her claim of entitlement 

to a downward departure is unreviewable. See United States v. 

Carr, 271 F.3d 172, 176 (4th Cir. 2001). We therefore conclude 
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that the district court did not abuse its discretion in imposing 

Locotin’s sentence.

Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s judgment. 

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