United States v. Miller , 83 F. App'x 545 ( 2003 )


Menu:
  •                           UNPUBLISHED
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,              
    Plaintiff-Appellee,
    v.                               No. 03-4474
    RENDELL S. MILLER,
    Defendant-Appellant.
    
    Appeal from the United States District Court
    for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Richmond.
    Henry E. Hudson, District Judge.
    (CR-02-454)
    Submitted: November 24, 2003
    Decided: December 23, 2003
    Before WIDENER, MOTZ, and KING, Circuit Judges.
    Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
    COUNSEL
    Thomas P. Collins, ECK, COLLINS & MARSTILLER, Richmond,
    Virginia, for Appellant. Paul J. McNulty, United States Attorney, Ste-
    phen W. Miller, Assistant United States Attorney, Richmond, Vir-
    ginia, for Appellee.
    Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. See
    Local Rule 36(c).
    2                      UNITED STATES v. MILLER
    OPINION
    PER CURIAM:
    Rendell S. Miller was convicted following a jury trial of possession
    with the intent to distribute marijuana, in violation of 
    21 U.S.C. § 841
    (2000), and possession of a semiautomatic pistol and a short-barreled
    shotgun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 
    18 U.S.C. § 924
    (c) (2000). The district court, finding Miller subject to
    the ten-year mandatory minimum sentence set forth in 
    18 U.S.C. § 924
    (c)(1)(B)(i) for his possession of the short-barreled shotgun, sen-
    tenced Miller to a total of 132 months of imprisonment, to be fol-
    lowed by a three-year term of supervised release. Miller timely
    appeals.
    Miller does not challenge his conviction under 
    21 U.S.C. § 841
    .
    Instead, he contends that the evidence was insufficient to support the
    finding that he possessed the guns "in furtherance of" the drug traf-
    ficking. Additionally, Miller contends that the district court erred in
    finding him subject to a ten-year mandatory minimum sentence, the
    court violated his right to due process by failing to inform him of the
    mandatory minimum sentence, and the court erroneously instructed
    the jury on the definition of "in furtherance of." All of Miller’s claims
    are without merit.
    "‘The verdict of a jury must be sustained if there is substantial evi-
    dence . . . to support it.’" United States v. Willis, 
    346 F.3d 476
    , 495
    (4th Cir. 2003) (quoting, Glasser v. United States, 
    315 U.S. 60
    , 80
    (1942)). Substantial evidence is defined as "that evidence which ‘a
    reasonable finder of fact could accept as adequate and sufficient to
    support a conclusion of a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable
    doubt.’" United States v. Newsome, 
    322 F.3d 328
    , 333 (4th Cir. 2003)
    (quoting United States v. Burgos, 
    94 F.3d 849
    , 862-63 (4th Cir. 1996)
    (en banc).
    "In determining what evidence is sufficient to establish a violation
    of § 924(c), the statutory term ‘furtherance’ should be given its plain
    meaning." United States v. Lomax, 
    293 F.3d 701
    , 705 (4th Cir.), cert.
    denied, 
    537 U.S. 1031
     (2002). The Government is required to prove
    that the firearm "furthered, advanced, or helped forward a drug traf-
    UNITED STATES v. MILLER                         3
    ficking crime." 
    Id.
     Some of the factors that might lead a jury to con-
    clude that a defendant’s possession of a firearm was in furtherance of
    his drug trafficking activity are: "‘the type of drug activity that is
    being conducted, accessibility of the firearm, the type of weapon,
    whether the weapon is stolen, the status of the possession . . ., whether
    the gun is loaded, proximity to drugs or drug profits." 
    Id.
     (quoting
    United States v. Ceballos-Torres, 
    218 F.3d 409
    , 414-15 (5th Cir.
    2000)).
    Here, the Government presented substantial evidence from which
    the jury could conclude that the guns were used in furtherance of drug
    trafficking. Miller possessed a garbage bag containing approximately
    130 grams of marijuana, electronic scales, a loaded nine millimeter
    semiautomatic handgun and a loaded sawed-off shotgun. The guns
    were transported from one apartment to another in the same bag as
    the drugs. The amount of drugs, the type of weapons, the proximity
    of the weapons to the drugs, and the fact that the guns were loaded
    all support the conclusion that the guns were used in furtherance of
    the drug trafficking.
    Next, Miller argues that the district court erred in sentencing him
    under § 924(c)(1)(B)(i), which mandates a minimum ten-year sen-
    tence. The court found that Miller possessed a short-barreled shotgun
    in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime, thus subjecting him to a
    ten-year mandatory minimum sentence. See 
    18 U.S.C. § 924
    (c)(1)(B)(i). Miller argues that this finding is an element of the
    offense that must be found by the jury, not a sentencing factor. We
    have expressly rejected this argument. United States v. Harrison, 
    272 F.3d 220
     (4th Cir. 2001), cert. denied, 
    537 U.S. 839
     (2002). The fac-
    tors set forth in § 924(c)(1)(B) are sentencing factors. Id. at 225-26.
    Miller’s claim on this ground is without merit.
    Miller’s final two arguments are similarly without merit. Miller
    asserts that he was denied due process because the district court failed
    to inform him that he faced a ten-year mandatory minimum for his
    violation of § 924(c). Miller did not plead guilty to the charge. Under
    Rule 10, the district court was not obligated to inform him of the
    minimum punishment he faced. See Fed. R. Crim. P. 10; cf. Fed. R.
    Crim. P. 11(b)(1). Finally, Miller’s allegation that the district court
    4                      UNITED STATES v. MILLER
    failed to properly instruct the jury on the definition of "in furtherance
    of" is expressly belied by the record.
    Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the district court. We dis-
    pense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are
    adequately presented in the materials before the court and argument
    would not aid in the decisional process.
    AFFIRMED