Opinion ID: 814555
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: Ross’s ninth and Burston’s sixth issue presented is that there was insufficient evidence to prove their guilt. A sufficiency of the evidence claim is a “steep climb” in which the defendants must show that, after construing the evidence in favor of the Government, no rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt. United States v. Stafford, 639 F.3d 270, 273 (6th Cir. 2011) (citations and internal quotation marks omitted). Burston’s entire sufficiency of the evidence argument is: “The pervasiveness of the evidence suggested that the jury should find an agreement of any kind to satisfy that element of the conspiracy. Burston’s association with Ross, without more, was insufficient to prove him guilty.” To the contrary, we believe there was ample evidence in the form of testimony by several accomplices that Burston participated in the conspiracy by relaying information about the checks and assisting with the sale and resale of multiple vehicles. In particular, a check bearing Burston’s fingerprint and the testimony of Dennis Goode established that Burston personally cashed a check from a car dealer obtained by Ross upon reselling one of the vehicles. Ross attacks the sufficiency of the evidence for his convictions on multiple grounds. He argues that, with respect to the conspiracy count, “the testimony of all the witnesses was so inconsistent and so inherently incredible that no rational trier of fact could find him guilty.” As with Burston, however, there was ample witness testimony to support the conspiracy conviction, and this Court may not retrospectively assess the credibility of witnesses. United States v. Henderson, 626 F.3d 326, 341 (6th Cir. 2010). Ross next challenges the sufficiency of the evidence as to the transaction in the second count of the indictment because there was “no evidentiary connection” between a phone number on a victim’s phone and Ross. However, as discussed supra in Parts II.F-G, the Nos. 09-1852/1860 United States v. Ross, et al. Page 31 telephone record introduced at trial clearly identifies Ross as the owner of the account associated with that number. Ross also argues that one of the “overt acts” in the conspiracy count of the indictment specified that he gave three counterfeit checks to “the owner” of a 1993 Chevrolet Corvette, and that this language “modified” substantive counts five, six, and seven, which charged Ross for uttering each of the checks without reference to “the owner.” Because the victim who received the bad checks was not the “titled owner of the Corvette” and only had “possession if it to sell for a friend,” Ross asserts that his convictions on those counts should be reversed. However, Ross cites no authority to support the proposition that the terms of one count in an indictment can “modify” the evidence required to prove a separate count, nor are we aware of any. Conspiracy and counterfeiting are entirely separate offenses, see United States v. Kelly, 204 F.3d 652, 656 (6th Cir. 2000), and Ross does not dispute that the Government proved the substantive counts as charged. Finally, Ross argues that Burston’s acquittal on the substantive charge in count three means that there was insufficient evidence to convict Ross of the same charge, since he “could not have given a check to someone not involved.” This claim is without merit because “inconsistent verdicts are generally held not to be reviewable.” United States v. Lawrence, 555 F.3d 254, 261-62 (6th Cir. 2009) (citing United States v. Powell, 469 U.S. 57, 65 (1984)). Moreover, the verdicts are not necessarily inconsistent because the jury could have found that Ross completed that particular transaction with another co-conspirator or at least had a reasonable doubt as to whether Burston was the accomplice with whom Ross carried out the act. J. Unreasonableness of sentencing enhancements Ross’s tenth issue presented is that his sentence was unreasonable because the court erred in applying certain guidelines enhancements. The district court did not ask the Bostic question during the sentencing hearing. See United States v. Bostic, 371 F.3d 865, 872-73 (6th Cir. 2004). Thus, we review the district court’s sentencing determination for reasonableness under a deferential abuse-of-discretion standard rather Nos. 09-1852/1860 United States v. Ross, et al. Page 32 than plain error. United States v. Chiolo, 643 F.3d 177, 180 n.1 (6th Cir. 2011). Sentencing factors are to be determined by a preponderance of the evidence. United States v. Miller, 161 F.3d 977, 984 (6th Cir. 1998). Each of the four errors asserted by Ross in this claim is that the court lacked a sufficient factual basis to apply the sentencing enhancements. However, we agree with the Government that there was an adequate factual basis in the record to support each enhancement. The court was justified in applying the obstruction enhancement because of Ross’s continued attempts to get his appointed counsel removed. The leadership enhancement was justified by the testimony of multiple witnesses that Ross created and orchestrated the scheme. The enhancement for ten or more victims was supported by evidence that fifteen victims had suffered pecuniary losses. Finally, the enhancement for loss amount was also supported by evidence which, contrary to Ross’s argument, did not have to be supported by the testimony of witnesses at trial so long as the “evidence has sufficient or minimally adequate indicia of reliability and the defendant has an opportunity to rebut such evidence that he perceives is erroneous.” United States v. Christman, 509 F.3d 299, 305 (6th Cir. 2007). We find no abuse of discretion regarding the sentencing enhancements. K. Impact of Ross’s conduct on Burston’s right to a fair trial Burston’s first issue presented is that the “cumulative effect of the aberrant trial conduct” of Ross deprived him of a fair trial, in violation of his right to due process. Burston’s argument is, in short: “Although Bryan Ross may have had a right to act as his own attorney, he had no right to doom the defense of his codefendant.” The Government responds that only a violation of cumulative errors creates a due process violation, and no actual errors with respect to Burston occurred as a result of Ross’s selfrepresentation. Burston concedes that his failure to object at trial to Ross’s statements means that this Court reviews only for plain error. Fed. R. Crim. P. 52(b); United States v. Moore, 240 F. App’x 699, 711 (6th Cir. 2007). Nos. 09-1852/1860 United States v. Ross, et al. Page 33 Rule 8(b) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure provides that defendants may be indicted together “if they are alleged to have participated in the same act or transaction, or in the same series of acts or transactions, constituting an offense or offenses.” In turn, Rule 14(a) permits a district court to grant severance if joinder “appears to prejudice a defendant or the government.” “[A]s a general rule, persons jointly indicted should be tried together.” United States v. Driver, 535 F.3d 424, 427 (6th Cir. 2008) (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). The Supreme Court has stated that “a district court should grant a severance under Rule 14 only if there is a serious risk that a joint trial would compromise a specific trial right of one of the defendants, or prevent the jury from making a reliable judgment about guilt or innocence.” Zafiro v. United States, 506 U.S. 534, 539 (1993). Even where the risk of prejudice is high, “less drastic measures, such as limiting instructions, often will suffice to cure any risk of prejudice.” Id. at 534. Indeed, “[a] request for severance should be denied if a jury can properly compartmentalize the evidence as it relates to the appropriate defendants.” Driver, 535 F.3d at 427 (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). Thus, to prevail on his severance argument, Burston must show “compelling, specific, and actual prejudice from [the] court’s refusal to grant the motion to sever.” Id. (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). Burston has not identified any specific prejudice he suffered as a result of Ross’s self-representation. Although Ross may have done a poor job and even, as the trial judge suggested, “unwittingly incriminat[ed]” himself, Burston does not point to any particular statements made by Ross that incriminate Burston or suggest any activity between them. See United States v. Atcheson, 94 F.3d 1237, 1244 (9th Cir. 1996) (finding no unfair prejudice when co-defendant’s defense incriminated only himself). Moreover, this Court has held that argument made by a co-defendant’s attorney during opening and closing statements do not provide an evidentiary basis for severance because “[t]hat argument was not evidence.” United States v. Davis, 170 F.3d 617, 621 (6th Cir. 1999). Here, Ross did not testify and the trial court provided the jury with instructions that “[t]he statements and arguments of the lawyers and Mr. Ross are not evidence. Their questions to the witnesses, arguments and statements are not . . . made under oath [and] are not Nos. 09-1852/1860 United States v. Ross, et al. Page 34 evidence.” The court added that any objections made by the “lawyers for both sides and Mr. Ross” should not be held “against either side.” The court also instructed the jury in the middle of Ross’s closing argument that “[w]hat [Ross] says is not evidence and what he says is not testimony to you.” Accordingly, the jury was appropriately instructed that anything Ross did or said should not be used to convict Burston. See United States v. Mikolajczyk, 137 F.3d 237, 241-42 (5th Cir. 1998) (holding that a jury instruction alleviated prejudice resulting from sudden disappearance of co-defendant mid-trial). We find that Ross’s conduct did not unconstitutionally deprive Burston of a fair trial. L. Admission of photocopy of check into evidence Burston’s third issue presented is that the trial court erred in admitting Exhibit 125, a photocopy of a check which bore an inked fingerprint that the bank required him to produce before cashing the check. The only legal basis Burston cites in his brief for this argument is Federal Rule of Evidence 1003, which now provides: “A duplicate is admissible to the same extent as the original unless . . . the circumstances make it unfair to admit the duplicate.” Burston argues that unfairness stems from the fact the “destruction of the original prevented Burston from having the check analyzed to determine whether he had personally handled the check, thereby leaving latent fingerprints on it.” Although Burston’s attorney did not specifically object to the check based on Rule 1003, he did make a general objection to the authenticity of the check under the “best evidence” rule. Accordingly, we review the district court’s evidentiary ruling for abuse of discretion. United States v. Boyd, 640 F.3d 657, 668 (6th Cir. 2011). Burston does not cite, nor have we been able to find, a single case in which this Court excluded a copy of a document under Rule 1003. We do not believe this should be the first. Even if Burston’s latent fingerprints were somehow not on the original check (or if someone else’s were), he makes no showing that the inked fingerprint was fraudulent or could not have been fairly matched to him. See United States v. Rose, 522 F.3d 710, 715 (6th Cir. 2008). Moreover, Burston’s accomplice, Dennis Goode, testified that he saw Burston Nos. 09-1852/1860 United States v. Ross, et al. Page 35 obtain the check and then submit the inked fingerprint before attempting to cash it. The district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting a photocopy of the check.