United States v. Tashimbe Wiliams , 279 F. App'x 751 ( 2008 )

[DO NOT PUBLISH]
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FILED
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
________________________ ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
May 22, 2008
No. 07-13947 THOMAS K. KAHN
Non-Argument Calendar CLERK
________________________
D. C. Docket No. 04-20874-CR-WMH
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
versus
TASHIMBE WILLIAMS,
Defendant-Appellant.
________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Southern District of Florida
_________________________
(May 22, 2008)
Before TJOFLAT, BLACK and WILSON, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Tashimbe Williams appeals his conviction for possession of a firearm and
ammunition by a convicted felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922 (g)(1) and 924
(d)(1). On appeal, Williams argues that the evidence presented was insufficient to
sustain the conviction, and, thus, that the district court erred when it denied his
motion for judgment of acquittal.
We review de novo the disposition of a defendant’s properly preserved
motion for judgment of acquittal. United States v. Perez-Tosta, 36 F.3d 1552,
1556 (11th Cir. 1994). When the defendant fails to preserve a motion for judgment
of acquittal, we review the sufficiency of the evidence for a manifest injustice,
which requires a finding that “the evidence on a key element of the offense is so
tenuous that a conviction would be shocking.” United States v. Tapia, 761 F.2d
1488, 1491-92 (11th Cir. 1985) (per curiam). We consider all of the evidence
produced at trial against the defendant in evaluating a claim that the evidence was
insufficient to convict. United States v. Thomas, 8 F.3d 1552, 1558 n.12 (11th Cir.
1993).
Here, Williams failed to renew his motion for a judgment of acquittal, so we
will only reverse his conviction upon a finding of manifest injustice. See Tapia,
761 F.2d at 1492. In reviewing witness testimony, “[t]he jury gets to make any
credibility choices, and we will assume that they made them all in the way that
supports the verdict.” United States v. Thompson, 473 F.3d 1137, 1142 (11th Cir.
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2006), cert. denied, 127 S. Ct. 2155 (2007).
“To establish a violation of § 922(g)(1), the government must prove beyond
a reasonable doubt three elements: (1) that the defendant was a convicted felon, (2)
that the defendant was in knowing possession of a firearm, and (3) that the firearm
was in or affecting interstate commerce.” United States v. Deleveaux, 205 F.3d
1292, 1296-97 (11th Cir. 2000). Possession can be shown by either actual or
constructive possession, so long as there is a reasonable inference that the accused
maintained “dominion and control” over the weapon. United States v. Sweeting,
933 F.2d 962, 965 (11th Cir. 1991). In United States v. Scott, 263 F.3d 1270, 1274
(11th Cir. 2001) (per curiam), we held that testimony that the firearm possessed by
the defendant was manufactured in California and had moved in interstate
commerce to Georgia, where the defendant was arrested with it, was sufficient to
establish a nexus to interstate commerce.
Here, the government presented three witnesses that, if the jury believed
their testimony, established Williams’s possession of a firearm. Further, a
government witness testified that the gun was manufactured in California, that the
manufacturer who made the gun did not manufacture them in Florida, and that the
only way for the gun to get from California to Florida was to travel through
interstate commerce. Finally, the government introduced certified copies of at
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least two of Williams’s prior felony convictions into evidence. Each element of
the offense was thus established by the government. Moreover, the jury was free
to credit the testimony of the government witnesses over that of the defense
witnesses, which included Williams himself. Therefore, nothing in the record
demonstrates that Williams’s conviction was a manifest miscarriage of justice.
Upon careful review of the record on appeal and consideration of the parties’
briefs, we discern no error. Accordingly, we affirm.
AFFIRMED.
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