United States v. Redman

UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,  Plaintiff-Appellee, v.  No. 02-4082 CHARLES E. REDMAN, Defendant-Appellant.  Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, at Martinsburg. W. Craig Broadwater, District Judge. (CR-01-14) Submitted: May 21, 2002 Decided: June 12, 2002 Before WILLIAMS, TRAXLER, and GREGORY, Circuit Judges. Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion. COUNSEL Kirk H. Bottner, LAW OFFICE OF JOHN W. ASKINTOWICZ, III, Charles Town, West Virginia, for Appellant. Thomas E. Johnston, United States Attorney, Thomas O. Mucklow, Assistant United States Attorney, Martinsburg, West Virginia, for Appellee. Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. See Local Rule 36(c). 2 UNITED STATES v. REDMAN OPINION PER CURIAM: A jury convicted Appellant Charles E. Redman of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C.A. § 922(g)(1) (West 2000). On appeal, Redman argues that the district court plainly erred by: (1) giving the jury a written, as opposed to an oral, Allen* charge; (2) providing the jury with the Allen charge before the jury had adequate time to deliberate; and (3) providing the jury with the Allen charge before determining whether the jury was deadlocked. Finding no reversible error, we affirm. Because Redman did not object to the district court’s decision to give the jury a written, modified Allen charge in response to a jury question stating it was having a "problem" with the verdict, our review is for plain error. Under the plain error standard, Redman must show: (1) there was error; (2) the error was plain; and (3) the error affected substantial rights. United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725, 732 (1993). If these three elements are met, we may exercise our discre- tion to notice the error only if the error "seriously affect[s] the fair- ness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings." Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). Redman bears the burden with respect to demonstrating that his substantial rights have been preju- diced as a result of the alleged errors. United States v. Bollin, 264 F.3d 391, 420 n.20 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 122 S. Ct. 303 (2001), and 122 S. Ct. 1544 (2002). We find no plain error with any of the issues raised by Redman with regard to the written, modified Allen charge. Accordingly, we affirm Redman’s conviction and sentence. We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately pre- sented in the materials before the court and argument would not aid the decisional process. AFFIRMED *Allen v. United States, 164 U.S. 492 (1896).