Court Opinion

ID: 9399108
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-06-01 21:00:54.860057+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:19:38.870875
License: Public Domain

USCA4 Appeal: 22-4455      Doc: 35           Filed: 05/31/2023   Pg: 1 of 3

                                              UNPUBLISHED

                               UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                                   FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

                                                No. 22-4455

        UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

                     Plaintiff – Appellee,

        v.

        ALEJANDRO GARLYNN WILLIAMS,

                     Defendant – Appellant.

        Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, at
        Raleigh. Louise W. Flanagan, District Judge. (5:20−cr−00547−FL-2)

        Submitted: April 26, 2023                                         Decided: May 31, 2023

        Before QUATTLEBAUM and HEYTENS, Circuit Judges, and MOTZ, Senior Circuit
        Judge.

        Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

        ON BRIEF: Robert L. Cooper, COOPER, DAVIS & COOPER, Fayetteville, North
        Carolina, for Appellant. Michael F. Easley, Jr., United States Attorney, David A. Bragdon,
        Assistant United States Attorney, Jimmie I. Bellamy, Jr., Assistant United States Attorney,
        OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Raleigh, North Carolina, for Appellee.

        Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
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        PER CURIAM:
               A jury convicted Alejandro Williams on one count of conspiracy to use

        unauthorized access devices, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1029(b)(2), ten counts of use of

        unauthorized access devices and aiding and abetting, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1029(a)(2)

        and ten counts of aggravated identity theft and aiding and abetting, in violation of 18 U.S.C.

        § 1028A(a)(1). The district court denied Williams’ Fed. R. Crim. P. 29 motion for judgment

        of acquittal. On appeal, he challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain his

        convictions. Finding no error, we affirm.

               We review de novo the district court’s denial of a motion for a judgment of acquittal.

        United States v. Green, 599 F.3d 360, 367 (4th Cir. 2010), cert. denied, 562 U.S. 913. In

        assessing the sufficiency of the evidence, we “construe the evidence in the light most

        favorable to the government, assuming its credibility, and drawing all favorable inferences

        from it, and will sustain the jury verdict if any rational trier of fact could have found the

        essential elements of the crime charged beyond a reasonable doubt.” United States v.

        Penniegraft, 641 F.3d 566, 571 (4th Cir. 2011) (citation and emphasis omitted). “Appellate

        reversal on grounds of insufficient evidence . . . will be confined to cases where the

        prosecution’s failure is clear.” Green, 599 F.3d at 367 (internal quotation marks, alteration,

        and citation omitted). “A defendant challenging the sufficiency of the evidence to support

        his conviction bears a heavy burden.” United States v. Beidler, 110 F.3d 1064, 1067 (4th

        Cir. 1997) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted).

               We have reviewed the record of the proceedings below in light of Williams’

        arguments on appeal and conclude that sufficient evidence clearly supports the jury’s

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        verdict. Accordingly, we affirm his convictions and sentence. 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

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