# U ni te d S ta te s Co ur t of A pp ea ls

For the Eig hth Circu it

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No. 1 6- 33 41

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Uni te d S ta te s o f Am eri ca

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Pla in ti

ff - App el le e

v.

Dav id E. Clark

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Defe nd

an t - Ap pe ll an t

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App eal fro m

Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t

fo r th e Weste rn Dis tri ct of M is so ur i - Kan sa s C it y

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Su bm it te d: Ju ne 5, 2 01 7

Fil ed : Au gu st 21 , 20 17 [Un pu bl is he d]

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Befo re LOKEN, MURPHY, and MELLOY, Circu it Ju dg es

.

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PER CURI AM.

Defen da nt Dav id Cl ark was co nv ic te d of ba nk ro bb e r y an d se nt en ced to 60

m on th s im

pr is on m en t. He ap pe al s, ch al le ng in g th e su ffi ci en cy of th e ev id en ce. W e

affi rm

.I.

Dav id Cl ark walk ed in to th e Pl aza br an ch of Co m m erce Ban k in Kan sa s Ci ty,

Mi ss ou ri on th e aft ern oo n of Ju ly 28

, 20 14 weari ng a ba se ba ll ha t, an or an ge ve st

, an d

su ng la ss es

. Tell er Ju st in So uz a at on ce se ns ed th at Cl ark was th ere to ro b th e ba nk

. Cl ark walk ed rig ht up to So uz a's st at io n an d tri ed to gi ve hi m a pi ece of pap er. In a

to ne lo ud en ou gh to be he ard by ot he rs
, So uz a as ke d Cl ark se ve ral ti m es if he co ul d

h el p hi m

. Cl ark de m an de d So uz a op en hi s cas h dr awer, an d So uz a to ld hi m th e

dr awer was lo ck ed an d he di d no t ha ve th e ke y

. Cl ark th en or de red So uz a to ge t th e

ke y

. Afte r So uz a as ke d an ot he r wor ke r fo r he lp

, Cl ark to ld hi m
, "No

, do n't do it ."

Cl ark de m an de d sp eci fic types of bi ll s whe n th e cas h dr awer was op en ed

. So uz a th en

tu rn ed ov er $3 ,03 7 to Cl ark who l e f t th e ba nk

. So uz a rep or te d th e ro bb ery to th e

po li ce an d la te r te st ifi ed at tri al th at he ha d fear ed th at Cl ark m ig ht ha ve be en

reac hi ng fo r a weap on

. So uz a sa id he ha d be en co nc ern ed fo r hi s own sa fet y as well

as for th e o th er p eo pl e in th e b an k.

Afte r Cl ark was ch arg ed wit h on e co un t of ba nk ro bb ery u n de r 18 U.S.C.

§ 21 13 (a), he waiv ed hi s rig ht to a jury tri al

. The cas e was tri ed to th e co ur t, an d th e

ev id en ce was m ai nl y un di sp ut ed

. Cl ark arg u e d

, h owe ve r, th at th e go ve rn m en t ha d

no t sh own th at he ha d ta ke n th e fu nd s "b y in ti m id at io n," an el em en t of ba nk ro bb ery

un de r § 2 11 3( a). He st ip ul at ed to th e ot he r el em en ts of t he off en se , and th e d is tri ct

co ur t fo un d th at th e ev id en ce di d es ta bl is h in ti m id at io n. Cl ark was se nt en ced to 60 1

m on th s. He ap pe al s, arg ui ng th at th e ev id en ce was in su ffi ci en t to pr ov e th e of fen se

of ba nk rob be ry

.

The Hon or ab le Gary A. Fen ne r, Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e W es te rn 1

Dis tri ct of M is so ur i.

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-II.

W e rev ie w th e su ffi ci en cy of th e ev id en ce de no vo an d ex am in e th e reco rd in

th e li gh t m os t fav or ab le to th e go ve rn m en t whi le res ol vi ng co nf li ct s in it s fav or an d

"ac cep ti ng al l reas on ab le in fere nc es th at su pp or t th e ve rd ic t." Uni te d St at es v. Koc h,

62 5 F.3 d 47 0, 47 8 (8 th Ci r. 20 10 ) (q uo ti ng Uni te d St at es v. Sco fie ld

, 43 3 F.3 d 58 0,

58 4– 85 (8 th C i r. 20 06 )). The sa m e st an da rd ap pl ie s as in a jury cas e, an d we "wi ll

rev ers e on ly 'if n o reas on ab le [fac tfi nd er] co ul d ha ve fo un d [th e de fen da nt ] gu il ty

be y on d a reas on ab le do ub t.'" Id

. (al te rat io n in or ig in al ) (q uo ti ng Uni te d S ta te s v.
Gray , 36 9 F .3d 10 24 , 10 28 (8t h C ir. 2 00 4) ).

In or de r to co nv ic t Cl ark of ba nk ro bb ery, th e go ve r n men t w as req ui red to

pr ov e th at he ha d ta ke n th e fu nd s by i nt imi d at io n or fo rce an d vi ol en ce. 18 U.S.C.

§ 21 13 (a). The el em en t of in ti m id at io n can be sa ti sf ie d by sh owi ng th at "an or di na ry

pe rs on in th e ba nk te ll er's po si ti on " co ul d ha ve reas on ab ly pe rcei ve d "a th reat of

bo di ly ha rm fro m th e ba nk ro bb er's wor ds an d act io ns ." Uni te d St at es v. Pi ck ar, 61 6

F.3 d 82 1, 82 5 (8 th C i r

. 2 0 10 ). Evi de nc e of th e te ll er's su bjec ti ve fear an d

i n t im id at io n "i s pr ob at iv e of whe th er [th e ro bb er's ] act s were ob jecti ve l y

in ti m id at in g." Id

. (al te rat io n in or ig in al ) (q uo ti ng Uni te d St at es v. Cal dwe ll

, 29 2 F.3 d

59 5, 59 6 (8 th Ci r. 20 02 )). One ex am pl e of in ti m id at io n is fo un d in Uni te d St at es v.

Sm it h, 9 73 F.2d 60 3 (8 th Cir . 19 92 ).

In Sm it h, th e de fen da nt so ug ht to wit hd r a w $2 ,50 0 al th ou gh he di d no t ha ve

an acco un t at th e ba nk

. 97 3 F.2 d at 60 3. Afte r y el li ng
, "[Y]ou can bl am e th is on th e

pr es id en t, y ou can bl am e th is on who ev er y ou wan t," th e de fen da nt le an ed on ly a fo ot

away fro m th e te ll er who feare d th at he m ig ht ha ve a weap on in hi s fann y pa ck

. Id

.

at 60 3

– 0 4

. Sev eral da y s la te r th e de fen da nt ap pr oa ch ed a di ffer en t te ll er, ag ai n

se ek in g to m ak e a wit hd rawal

. Id

. a t 6 0 4

. W he n th at te ll er refu se d, th e de fen da nt

m ov ed on to a se co nd wh o r e c o g n i z ed hi m fro m hi s pr ev io us vi si t bu t who was

un ab le to se e bo th of th e de fen da nt 's ha nd s. Id

. W he n th e de fen da nt le an ed ov er th e

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-se co nd te ll er' s c o u n t e r a nd twi ce de m an de d $5 ,00 0, th e te ll er co m pl ie d. Id

. The

de fen da nt was la te r co nv ic te d of two co un t s o f ba nk ro bb ery, th e ev id en ce ha vi ng

es ta bl is he d th at he to ok m on ey b y i n t im id at io n on bo th oc cas io ns

. Id

. at 60 4– 05

. The in ti m id at io n el em en t of ba nk ro bb ery was al so il lu st rat ed in Uni te d St at es v.

Cal dwe ll

, 29 2 F.3 d 59 5, 59 6 (8 th Ci r. 20 02 ), whe re th at de fen da nt fir st sl am m ed hi s

ha nd s on a ba nk co un te r an d th en jum pe d ov er it

. Afte r th e ad

jacen t te ll er sc ream ed

, th e de fen da nt m ov ed to an ot he r co un te r an d em pt ie d it s cash dr awer befo re leav in g

th e b an k wi th ou t s ay in g a nyth in g o r sh owi ng an y weap on . Id.

In th e cas e no w be fo re ou r co ur t, Cl ark ap pr oa ch ed So uz a's te ll er st at io n wit h

a pi ece of pa pe r an d to ld th e te ll er to op en hi s cas h dr awer an d gi ve hi m it s co nt en ts

. The te ll er tri ed to se ek as si st an ce f r o m a co wor ke r, bu t Cl ark or de red hi m to st op

. The te ll er an d Cl ark were on ly an arm 's le ng th ap art at th is po in t wit ho ut an y ph y si cal

ba rri er bet ween th em

. The di st ric t cou rt fou nd th at Cl ark ha d in ti m id at ed So uz a by

ap pr oa ch in g cl o s e l y t o a po in t fro m whi ch he co ul d ha ve gr ab be d or hi t th e te ll er.

C l ark 's m an ne r al so m ad e So uz a th in k he m ig ht ha ve a gu n. W e ag ree wit h th e

di st ric t co ur t th at an or di na ry pe rs on in th e te ll e r ' s po si ti on co ul d ha ve reas on ab ly

fear ed "a th reat of bo di ly ha rm ." See Pi ck ar, 61 6 F.3 d at 82 5. W e co nc lu de th at th e

ev id en ce o f in ti m id at io n was su ffi ci en t t o s up po rt C la rk 's c on vi ct io n.

III.

Fo r th es e rea so ns we affi rm

.

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