[DO NOT PUBLISH]
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FILED
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
________________________ ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
DECEMBER 29, 2006
No. 06-11650 THOMAS K. KAHN
Non-Argument Calendar CLERK
________________________
D. C. Docket No. 05-00012-CR-D-S
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
versus
CHARLIE MAYES,
Defendant-Appellant.
________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Middle District of Alabama
_________________________
(December 29, 2006)
Before ANDERSON, BLACK and BARKETT, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Charlie Mayes appeals his conviction and 60-month sentence for being a
felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Mayes
asserts the following grounds for appeal: (1) the district court erred in denying his
motion for a judgment of acquittal because the evidence was not sufficient to prove
that he knowingly possessed a firearm; and (2) the district court erred in denying
his request for a downward departure based on his mental condition; or, in the
alternative, the district court should have sentenced him at the low end of the
Guidelines range. We conclude there was sufficient evidence to sustain his
conviction, we do not have jurisdiction to review the denial of the downward
departure, and his sentence is reasonable.
I. DISCUSSION
A. Sufficiency of Evidence
Mayes contends the evidence was not sufficient to establish he knowingly
possessed a firearm. He asserts there was no direct evidence that he knew the gun
was in the truck, but there was direct evidence the gun belonged to his mother, who
put the gun in the truck so it would not be in the house when Mayes spent the night
there. He contends the only evidence connecting him to the gun was that it was
found under the seat of the vehicle he was driving.
We review sufficiency-of-the-evidence challenges de novo, “viewing the
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evidence in the light most favorable to the government and drawing all reasonable
inferences from the evidence in favor and in support of the jury verdict.” United
States v. Smith, 231 F.3d 800, 806 (11th Cir. 2000). The jury is free to choose
between or among the reasonable conclusions to be drawn from the evidence
presented at trial. United States v. Sanchez, 722 F.2d 1501, 1505 (11th Cir. 1984).
We cannot reverse a conviction for insufficiency of evidence unless we conclude
that no reasonable factfinder could find proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
United States v. Jones, 913 F.2d 1552, 1557 (11th Cir. 1990).
“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, in the context of § 922(g)(1),
requires that the defendant knowingly possess the firearm, and may be proven
either by showing that the defendant actually possessed the firearm, or by showing
that he constructively possessed the firearm.” United States v. Gonzalez, 71 F.3d
819, 834 (11th Cir. 1996) (citations omitted). “For a person to have constructive
possession over a firearm, the person must have both the intent and the power to
exercise dominion and control over the firearm. As such, a defendant must, in fact,
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know of the firearm’s existence in order to exercise dominion and control over it.”
Id. (quotations and citations omitted).
Here, the only element at issue is whether Mayes knowingly possessed the
firearm. The evidence showed a gun was found in a truck driven by Mayes. While
inspecting the truck, Officer Spivey saw a gun in plain view, partially underneath
the driver’s seat. Officer Spivey had previously seen Mayes drive the same truck
two or three times, and Mayes had his own set of keys to the truck. Additionally,
Mayes’ former parole officer, Tommy Scarborough, saw the truck at Mayes’ home
in 1997, and Mayes had driven the truck to Scarborough’s office. Joseph Evans
testified that Mayes had the truck serviced at his shop. Mayes had also received
six traffic citations while driving the truck.
Although there was other evidence presented permitting the conclusion that
Mayes did not normally drive the truck, did not know his mother owned the gun,
and did not know that the gun had been placed in the truck before he drove it, a
reasonable juror could have also determined Mayes knew the gun was in the truck
that he regularly drove. The jury had the opportunity to view first-hand the
individuals presenting the evidence and weigh their credibility. See Sanchez, 722
F.2d at 1505. Because a reasonable factfinder, based on the evidence presented at
a trial, could find proof Mayes knowingly possessed the gun beyond a reasonable
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doubt, the district court did not err in denying Mayes’ motion for a judgment of
acquittal. See 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1); Jones, 913 F.2d at 1557.
B. Sentence
Mayes also contends the district court failed to consider his mental condition
of schizophrenia in arriving at his sentence. He asserts the district court should
have granted him a downward departure, or, in the alternative, sentenced him to the
low end of the Guidelines range.
If the defendant requests a downward departure from the Guidelines range,
and the district court refuses to grant the departure, we have no jurisdiction to
review the district court’s decision “unless the district court incorrectly believed
that it lacked the statutory authority to depart from the guideline range.” United
States v. Norris, 452 F.3d 1275, 1282 (11th Cir. 2006). The district court
recognized it had the authority to grant Mayes a downward departure in sentencing
him due to his mental illness, but decided not to do so. Thus, we cannot review
that decision.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Booker, 125 S.
Ct. 738 (2005), we review sentences under the advisory Guidelines for
reasonableness. Id. at 765. The district court must first correctly calculate the
defendant's Guidelines range, then, using the 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) sentencing
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factors, the court can impose a more severe or more lenient sentence, as long as it
is reasonable. United States v. Crawford, 407 F.3d 1174, 1179 (11th Cir. 2005).
To the extent Mayes argues his sentence was unreasonable because it was in the
upper portion of the Guidelines range, the court correctly determined the
Guidelines range and considered the § 3553(a) factors. We conclude his sentence
is reasonable.
II. CONCLUSION
Sufficient evidence supports Mayes’ conviction for being a felon in
possession of a firearm. We do not have jurisdiction to review the denial of a
Mayes’ request for a downward departure, but we conclude his sentence is
reasonable.
AFFIRMED IN PART, DISMISSED IN PART.
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