United States v. Ernest Vereen, Jr.
Opinion
*1304
Ernest Vereen, Jr. appeals his conviction and sentence for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in violation of
After careful review, we affirm.
I.
Vereen was charged by a federal grand jury sitting in the Middle District of Florida in a single-count indictment with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The indictment listed several prior Florida felony convictions, including one for child abuse, two aggravated battery convictions, and a felony battery conviction.
The essential facts adduced at trial were these. Samuel South, a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service who delivered mail to a residential housing complex in Tampa where Vereen lived, testified that on September 19, 2015, while delivering mail he noticed a gun in the mailbox of Apartment 43. Apparently startled by a firearm that was pointed outward, and concerned that the mailbox might be booby-trapped, South notified his supervisor and locked the mailbox door. Shortly thereafter, he met with two police officers and provided them with keys to open the mailbox.
Three police officers from the Tampa Police Department, Michael Hinson, Taylor Hart and Sergeant Eric Defelice, testified in turn about the events leading up to Vereen's arrest. All three said they had observed Vereen exit Apartment 43 and walk quickly to the mailbox while looking all around. After watching Vereen struggle with the lock, Officers Hinson and Defelice saw Vereen open the box. Defelice could see Vereen reach in and retrieve a firearm from the box, close the box and place the gun in his right back pocket. Vereen then began walking towards his apartment complex. Upon seeing a signal from another officer, Officers Hinson and Hart-who were in plainclothes, but wearing tactical vests that said "police" across the chest-emerged and took Vereen into custody. Officer Hinson identified himself as a police officer and ordered Vereen to put his hands in the air and get on the ground. According to Officers Hinson and Hart, Vereen did not immediately comply with the command, but rather hesitated. Hinson related that "[b]oth hands went into the air and his right hand went slowly back to his right pocket." Eventually Vereen complied with the officer's command. Officer Hinson testified that he subsequently recovered a firearm from that pocket and a cellphone from Vereen's person.
*1305 Vereen testified on his own behalf. He described how, on the day in question, he left his condominium apartment to walk to the mailbox. He had to try several keys until finally he found the working key and the lock opened, revealing to his surprise, a firearm. He claimed he thought, "I'm in trouble. This is crazy. What can you do?," and removed the gun with the tips of his fingers and looked at it. He explained that when he walked back to the condo, he decided he did not want his children to see him with a gun in his hand, and so he placed the firearm in his back pocket. Vereen offered that his intention was to take the gun and report it to the police, but, as soon as he walked across the street, law enforcement officers came running at him. He said he immediately put his hands up and tried to tell them that he found the gun in his mailbox and was planning to report it. Although he had a cellphone on him at the time he discovered the firearm, he reasoned that he did not want to stand at the mailbox and call the police because when "[s]omebody was bold enough to put a gun in your mailbox, you ain't going to stand there and try to call no police. You are going to get someplace safe before someone come and try to shoot you." Vereen also testified that, when the police approached him, he put his hands up and told them "look, this is what I found in my mailbox."
Vereen agreed that he was a convicted felon, that he took the firearm out of the mailbox and placed it in his back pocket, and that the firearm had crossed state lines. Vereen also conceded on cross-examination that initially he told law enforcement officers he had "received a mysterious call that there was a gun in [his] mailbox," but he couldn't identify the call in his cellphone records. He also admitted that initially he told the police "that somebody named Furquan Hubbard had set [him] up."
As part of its rebuttal, the government re-called Officer Hinson, who testified that, after Vereen's arrest, he participated in a search of Apartment 43, which was about 500 square feet in all and had one bedroom. Hinson detailed that officers had recovered from the bedroom closet a black shotgun, as well as men's and women's clothes. Hinson added that officers also recovered from the closet a box of ammunition matching the caliber of the firearm taken by Vereen from the mailbox.
During a charging conference, Vereen requested an "innocent transitory possession" instruction. The district court declined to give one, noting that Vereen could have locked the gun in the mailbox or used his cellphone to call the police. The jury found Vereen guilty.
Before sentencing, the probation office prepared a presentence investigation report ("PSI") using the 2016 United States Sentencing Guidelines Manual. The PSI assigned Vereen a base offense level of 24, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(a)(2), because Vereen committed the instant offense after sustaining at least two felony convictions for crimes of violence. Vereen received a two-level increase under § 2K2.1(b)(4)(A) because the firearm was stolen, bringing his total offense level to 26. The probation officer further determined that Vereen qualified as an armed career criminal under the Armed Career Criminal Act, relying on several prior Florida felony convictions, including one for child abuse, two aggravated battery convictions, and a felony battery conviction. All of this yielded a total offense level of 33, which, when combined with a criminal history category of VI, resulted in an advisory guideline range of 235-293 months' imprisonment.
During the sentencing hearing, the district court overruled Vereen's objections to the PSI, concluding that, among other *1306 things, the PSI correctly scored the guidelines and that all four prior convictions qualified as ACCA predicates. The district court sentenced Vereen to 293 months' imprisonment, followed by five years' supervised release.
This timely appeal follows.
II.
First, Vereen argues that the district court abused its discretion in refusing his request for a jury instruction on the innocent transitory possession defense, although he acknowledges that our Court has never approved or foreclosed this defense. We review a district court's refusal to give a defendant's requested jury instruction for abuse of discretion.
United States v. Hill
,
In order for the denial of a requested instruction to constitute reversible error, a defendant must establish three things: that the request correctly stated the law; that the charge given did not substantially cover the proposed instruction; and, finally, that the denial substantially impaired the defendant's ability to present an effective defense.
United States v. Palma
,
Vereen claims that the district court should have instructed the jury about his "innocent" and "transitory" possession of a firearm. We remain unpersuaded, however, having carefully considered the language of the statute and the way other courts have interpreted it. Most critically, we can find nothing in the text to suggest the availability of an ITP defense to a § 922(g)(1) charge. The statute does not invite any kind of inquiry into the purpose or the timespan of a defendant's possession of the firearm. Allowing for this kind of defense would effectively cause us to rewrite the text of § 922(g) and the statutory scheme, so we have little difficulty concluding that innocent transitory possession is not available as a defense against § 922(g).
Starting with the plain language of the statute, there is no "innocent" or "transitory" exception. The statute itself simply prohibits the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. It provides, in relevant part, that:
*1307 It shall be unlawful for any person ... who has been convicted in any court of[ ] a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year ... to ship or transport in interstate or foreign commerce, or possess in or affecting commerce, any firearm or ammunition; or to receive any firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.
Notably, § 924(a)(2) does not require that a violation of § 922(g)(1) be done "willfully" or "intentionally," in sharp contrast to other violations covered by § 924. Indeed, § 924(a)(1)(D) is a catch-all provision that specifies a "willful" mens rea for certain remaining violations of the chapter: "Whoever ...
willfully
violates any other provision of this chapter...."
The mens rea associated with "knowing" conduct, the Supreme Court has explained, "[i]n a general sense ... corresponds loosely with the concept of general intent."
United States v. Bailey
,
Because, as we see it, § 922(g)(1)'s felon-in-possession-of-a-firearm offense only requires that the possession be
knowing
, it is a general intent crime.
See
Palma
,
Not only is an innocent transitory possession defense incompatible with the text, it would also be extremely difficult to administer. In this kind of case, only the defendant "truly knows of the nature and extent of his gun possession." Id. at 997. As the Ninth Circuit has said, "[w]e will not require the government to contest motive in every § 922 case where the facts will bear an uncorroborated assertion by the defendant that he innocently came upon a firearm and was preparing to turn it over to the authorities when, alas, he was arrested." Id. This is especially true since Congress promulgated the statute to keep guns out of the hands of convicted felons and offered no exception to this general prohibition. Id. at 998. "The statute is precautionary; society deems the risk posed by felon-firearm possession too great even to entertain the possibility that some felons may innocently and temporarily possess such a weapon." Id.
*1309
In short, under the statute and the developed case law, the purpose behind a defendant's possession is irrelevant, which means that he cannot defend against the crime based on the "innocent" or "transitory" nature of his possession. We now join the overwhelming majority of our sister circuits that have declined to recognize the theory of "temporary innocent possession."
2
Baker
,
As far as we can tell, the D.C. Circuit is the only appellate court-out of at least half a dozen-to have held otherwise.
See
United States v. Mason
,
We respectfully disagree. As we see it, the text of the statute answers the precise question presented by the facts of our case: willfulness has been omitted from § 922(g)(1) and we are not free to rewrite the statute and include it. Our position is consonant with the Supreme Court's interpretation of the statute's purpose: "Congress
*1310
sought to keep guns out of the hands of those who have demonstrated that they may not be trusted to possess a firearm without becoming a threat to society."
Small v. United States
,
Moreover, as we see it, this reading of the statute-one compelled by its unambiguous text-in no way yields a result that is either unwavering or absurd. We've expressly held that if, for example, a felon truly did not "know" that what he possessed was a firearm, then § 922(g) could not impose criminal liability. To satisfy the "knowing" requirement of § 922(g)(1), the government must prove that the defendant had actual or constructive possession of a firearm.
See
United States v. Wright
,
Furthermore, this Court, like many others, has recognized that a necessity or justification defense may be available in § 922(g)(1) cases.
See
Deleveaux
,
(1) that the defendant was under unlawful and present, imminent, and impending threat of death or serious bodily *1311 injury; (2) that the defendant did not negligently or recklessly place himself in a situation where he would be forced to engage in criminal conduct; (3) that the defendant had no reasonable legal alternative to violating the law; and (4) that there was a direct causal relationship between the criminal action and the avoidance of the threatened harm.
See
So, to the extent Vereen could have claimed a true emergency-say, if his children had found the gun in the mailbox-the defense of necessity arguably would have been available. But that is not what he asked for and that is not what the facts established. Rather, Vereen explicitly declined to seek an instruction of necessity,
3
and instead sought something different-a defense that we've never recognized, a defense that is contrary to the text, and a defense that would impractically force the courts to delve into the purpose behind the possession of a firearm. While the Supreme Court has recognized common-law defenses to federal criminal firearm statutes, the Supreme Court has done so with common-law defenses that have been "long-established" and that Congress would have been familiar with.
See, e.g.
,
Dixon
,
In short, the district court did not abuse its considerable discretion in declining to give the requested instruction. We add, however, that even if the innocent transitory possession defense was somehow available in this Circuit (and it is not) the district court would not have abused its discretion in declining to give the instruction in this case. It is plain from this record that Vereen did not rid himself of possession of the firearm as promptly as reasonably possible. Vereen testified that he had a cellphone on his person at the time that he saw the gun in the mailbox. He could have left the gun in the mailbox and called the police to immediately report the firearm. Indeed, he could have waited by the mailbox for the police to arrive, without ever touching the gun. And if he was somehow reluctant to call the police in a public place while he stood at the box, Vereen could have locked the gun back in the mailbox and returned to his apartment to make the call. While he testified that he did not know how many keys to the mailbox there were, he thought his family had one or two. Normally his girlfriend had the key; he had one that day. It was altogether unclear from his testimony how his sons would have gained access to the mailbox; he did not testify that they had keys. Regardless, if he was concerned that his children might have a key to the mailbox and might attempt to check the mailbox, after discovering the firearm he could have kept his children away from the box or requested guidance from police.
*1312
Finally, we cannot forget that Vereen's possession of the firearm was short not because he attempted to get rid of the weapon, but only because he was arrested so soon (seconds) after placing the gun in his back pocket.
See
Palma
,
III.
We also reject Vereen's claim, made for the first time on appeal, that the term "unlawful possession" under § 922(g)(1) is unconstitutionally vague because we have never before determined whether there is an ITP defense to the charge. Objections not raised in the district court are reviewed only for plain error.
United States v. Moriarty
,
As an initial matter, plain error is the appropriate standard of review against which to measure this claim. The record reveals that Vereen argued before the district court that he was entitled to an ITP jury instruction, not that the term unlawful possession was unconstitutionally vague because we had never addressed the ITP defense. Vereen cannot show plain error. He has pointed to no precedent, and independent research has revealed none, from this Court or the Supreme Court holding that a court's failure to affirmatively determine whether a defense is available for a crime renders the underlying criminal statute unconstitutionally vague.
See
IV.
We are also unconvinced by Vereen's claim that the government failed to establish that his prior Florida convictions qualified as violent felonies under the Armed Career Criminal Act. We review
de novo
whether an offense qualifies as a violent felony under the ACCA.
United States v. Lockett
,
Under the statute, a person who violates § 922(g) and has three previous convictions for either violent felonies or serious drug offenses shall be imprisoned not less than 15 years.
*1313
In determining whether a prior conviction qualifies as a violent felony under the ACCA, sentencing courts look at the elements of the crime, not the underlying facts of the conduct that led to the conviction.
United States v. Braun
,
Vereen argues that his two prior aggravated battery offenses do not constitute violent felonies under the ACCA. Florida law, at the time of Vereen's two convictions, defined aggravated battery this way:
(1)(a) A person commits aggravated battery who, in committing battery:
1. Intentionally or knowingly causes great bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement; or
2. Uses a deadly weapon.
(b) A person commits aggravated battery if the person who was the victim of the battery was pregnant at the time of the offense and the offender knew or should have known that the victim was pregnant.
Vereen also says his 2012 felony battery conviction does not constitute an ACCA predicate. The Florida battery statute provided, at the relevant time, that:
(1) (a) The offense of battery occurs when a person:
1. Actually and intentionally touches or strikes another person against the will of the other; or
2. Intentionally causes bodily harm to another person.
(b) Except as provided in subsection (2), a person who commits battery commits a misdemeanor of the first degree ...
(2) A person who has one prior conviction for battery, aggravated battery, or felony battery and who commits any second or subsequent battery commits a felony of the third degree[.]
The district court was permitted, as it did, to look to
Shepard
documents to determine which of the alternative elements of the divisible statute Vereen was convicted of violating.
See
Descamps
,
We address the "bodily harm" prong of § 784.03 even though the government did not fully flesh out the argument before the district court, 7 because a change in our case law occurred after the appeals briefs were completed in this case, so neither Vereen nor the government initially had the opportunity to focus on the bodily harm prong in district court. However, since the change in law, both parties have filed two sets of supplemental authority raising the issue in this Court, and we've had oral argument addressing the issue. Moreover, the record makes it clear that the United States relied on both the striking and bodily harm prongs at sentencing, and that all of the necessary facts were before the district court: The government informed the district court that Vereen's Shepard documents established his guilty plea to having "repeatedly hit and struck" his victim, leaving visible "injuries"; Vereen didn't dispute that the plea colloquy stated facts that would make it a violent predicate; and Vereen only challenged whether his assent by the entry of a guilty plea was sufficient to make the plea colloquy reliable, an objection the district court overruled.
We turn, then, to the application of these facts to the question before us, recognizing that "in the context of a statutory definition of 'violent felony,' the phrase 'physical force' means violent force-that is, force capable of causing physical pain or injury to another person."
Curtis Johnson
,
With two prior convictions for Florida aggravated battery, and one prior conviction for Florida felony battery, Vereen had the requisite ACCA predicate offenses to qualify as a career offender. Because this satisfies the required number of predicate offenses, we need not reach the issue of whether child abuse qualifies.
V.
Vereen also claims that his Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights were violated because his sentence was increased based on the Armed Career Criminal Act without these requirements being charged in the indictment and proven to the satisfaction of a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. Vereen concedes, however, that this argument is barred by binding precedent. In
*1317
Apprendi v. New Jersey
,
Finally, Vereen argues that § 922(g) is unconstitutional, facially and as applied, because it exceeds Congress's constitutional power under the Commerce Clause. Once again, Vereen concedes that this argument is barred by binding precedent. In
United States v. Scott
,
AFFIRMED .
The government says that we should review Vereen's argument only for plain error because Vereen did not argue at the charging conference for an instruction on the ITP defense, but asked only for an instruction that he possessed the firearm "solely so he could call law enforcement." App'ee Br. at 8 (quoting Doc. 160 at 48);
see
United States v. Guerrero
,
In
Palma
, the only published case we have that addressed the issue at all, we declined to decide the availability of the defense to a § 922(g) charge, concluding that even if the defense were available, it was not supported by the evidence.
In relevant part, defense counsel told the district court: "Judge, first of all, I want to make it clear, if I didn't before, I am not asking for a justification affirmative defense. I'm not.... This is very clearly to me not a justification affirmative defense case. There is no evidence to support the four prongs of that."
The statute reads:
[T]he term "violent felony" means any crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, or any act of juvenile delinquency involving the use or carrying of a firearm, knife, or destructive device that would be punishable by imprisonment for such term if committed by an adult, that-
(i) has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person of another; or
(ii) is burglary, arson, or extortion, involves use of explosives, or otherwise involves conduct that presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another.
In
Hill
, a panel of this Court noted that it was no longer bound by the determination in
Turner
that battery on a law enforcement officer was a violent felony under the residual clause after
Johnson v. United States
, --- U.S. ----,
We've also rejected Vereen's claim that injuries requiring medical attention are necessary to establish the requisite level of force for purposes of the ACCA.
See
United States v. Vail-Bailon
,
The government originally argued at Vereen's sentencing that his Florida felony battery crime qualified as a violent felony because the "touch or strike" prong of the Florida battery statute was divisible, and Vereen had struck the victim, committing a violent felony. In so doing, it relied on our opinion in
United States v. Green
,
In reaching this conclusion, we emphasize that Vereen conceded in district court that the facts stated in the relevant plea colloquy would make this conviction a violent predicate, that all of the relevant
Shepard
documents concerning whether viewing Vereen's crime through the "bodily harm" prong would satisfy the ACCA were before the district court, and that the resolution of the matter is clear. Thus, even though the district court did not address this exact issue, we can affirm on this ground.
See
Ovalles v. United States
,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Ernest VEREEN, Jr., Defendant-Appellant.
- Cited By
- 40 cases
- Status
- Published