Filed: Apr. 15, 2015
Latest Update: Mar. 02, 2020
Summary: [DO NOT PUBLISH] IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT _ No. 14-10476 Non-Argument Calendar _ D.C. Docket No. 1:13-cr-20218-KMM-1 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus VITAL FREDERICK, Defendant-Appellant. _ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida _ (April 15, 2015) Before TJOFLAT, WILSON, and ANDERSON, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: Vital Frederick appeals his convictions for Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of 18 U
Summary: [DO NOT PUBLISH] IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT _ No. 14-10476 Non-Argument Calendar _ D.C. Docket No. 1:13-cr-20218-KMM-1 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus VITAL FREDERICK, Defendant-Appellant. _ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida _ (April 15, 2015) Before TJOFLAT, WILSON, and ANDERSON, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: Vital Frederick appeals his convictions for Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of 18 U...
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[DO NOT PUBLISH]
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
________________________
No. 14-10476
Non-Argument Calendar
________________________
D.C. Docket No. 1:13-cr-20218-KMM-1
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
versus
VITAL FREDERICK,
Defendant-Appellant.
________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Southern District of Florida
________________________
(April 15, 2015)
Before TJOFLAT, WILSON, and ANDERSON, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Vital Frederick appeals his convictions for Hobbs Act robbery, in violation
of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a), access device fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1029(a)(3),
and aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A(a)(1), as well as
his total 81-month sentence. Frederick argues that the district court abused its
discretion by improperly responding to a jury question, permitting an eleven-
member jury to return a verdict, and giving an Allen 1 charge to the jury. He also
argues that these errors constituted cumulative error that denied him a fair trial.
Finally, Frederick argues that the court clearly erred by concluding that he
committed perjury. We address each argument in turn.
I.
We review the district court’s answer to a jury question for an abuse of
discretion. United States v. Lopez,
590 F.3d 1238, 1247 (11th Cir. 2009). We will
only find an abuse of discretion when the defendant can show that the district
court’s answer prejudiced him. United States v. Pacchioli,
718 F.3d 1294, 1306
(11th Cir. 2013), cert. denied,
134 S. Ct. 804 (2013).
The district court has wide discretion with regard to the extent of
supplemental instructions, but it does not have discretion to misstate the law or
confuse the jury.
Lopez, 590 F.3d at 1247-48. We have concluded that a district
court does not abuse its discretion by instructing the jury to rely on its collective
1
Allen v.United States,
164 U.S. 492,
17 S. Ct. 154 (1896).
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memory when the court attempts to reconcile the conflicting interests of several
parties when answering a question. See United States v. Delgado,
56 F.3d 1357,
1370 (11th Cir. 1995).
The district court did not abuse its discretion by telling the jury to rely on the
evidence presented to it. Its answer did not misstate the law. See
Lopez, 590 F.3d
at 1247-48. Moreover, the court answered the question after giving proper
consideration to the proposed answers from Frederick and the Government. See
Delgado, 56 F.3d at 1370. Because Frederick has not shown how the answer
prejudiced him, the district court’s answer did not constitute an abuse of discretion.
See
Pacchioli, 718 F.3d at 1306.
II.
We review the district court’s decision to continue deliberations with an
eleven-member jury for an abuse of discretion. United States v. Shenberg,
89 F.3d
1461, 1472 (11th Cir. 1996).
If a juror is dismissed after the jury has begun deliberations, the district court
may permit an eleven-member jury to continue deliberations. Fed. R. Crim. P.
23(b)(3). The court may also retain an alternate juror after deliberations begin and
replace an excused juror with the alternate. Fed. R. Crim. P. 24(c)(3).
The district court did not abuse its discretion by permitting an eleven-
member jury to continue deliberations and deliver a verdict. The Federal Rules of
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Criminal Procedure permit a judge to replace an excused juror with an alternate
during deliberations, but they do not require a court to do so. See Fed. R. Crim. P.
24(c)(3). Accordingly, the district court did not abuse its discretion by declining to
replace an excused juror.
III.
We review an Allen charge for an abuse of discretion. United States v.
Woodard,
531 F.3d 1352, 1364 (11th Cir. 2008). A district court only abuses its
discretion if it gives an inherently coercive Allen charge.
Id.
When assessing an Allen charge, we review the language of the charge,
whether the jury was polled prior to the charge, and the amount of time between
the delivery of the charge and the verdict.
Id. We have approved the use of the
pattern Allen charge.
Id. Moreover, we have concluded that an Allen charge was
not coercive when it was given after four hours of deliberation and the jury stated
that it was “at a stalemate.” See United States v. Bush,
727 F.3d 1308, 1320-21
(11th Cir. 2013), cert. denied,
134 S. Ct. 967 (2014).
The Allen charge issued in this case was not inherently coercive. Its
language mirrored that of the pattern charge. See
Woodard, 531 F.3d at 1364. The
jury was not polled before the charge was issued. See
id. The jury sent three notes
indicating that it was at a stalemate and could not reach a unanimous decision. See
Bush, 727 F.3d at 1321. After the charge was given, the jury deliberated for nearly
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two hours before reaching a verdict. See
Woodard, 531 F.3d at 1364. Because no
facts indicate that the Allen charge was inherently coercive, the district court did
not abuse its discretion by issuing it.
IV.
Although we review the district court’s individual rulings under a more
deferential standard, we review the cumulative impact of multiple errors de novo.
United States v. Dohan,
508 F.3d 989, 993 (11th Cir. 2007).
The aggregation of several non-reversible errors may deny the defendant his
constitutional right to a fair trial. United States v. Baker,
432 F.3d 1189, 1223
(11th Cir. 2005). When reviewing a case for cumulative error, we examine the
nature and number of errors, any interrelationship between the errors, how the
district court handled the errors, the strength of the Government’s case, and the
length of the trial.
Id. However, cumulative error cannot exist when no individual
errors have been committed by the district court. United States v. Waldon,
363
F.3d 1103, 1110 (11th Cir. 2004).
As discussed, the district court did not err in responding to the jury’s
question, permitting the eleven-member jury to return a verdict, or giving an Allen
charge to the jury. Accordingly, Frederick has not shown that cumulative error
deprived him of a fair trial. See
id. at 1110.
V.
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We review the district court’s factual findings supporting an obstruction of
justice enhancement for clear error, and we grant due deference to the court’s
application of the Sentencing Guidelines to the facts. United States v. Singh,
291
F.3d 756, 763 (11th Cir. 2002). We will not find clear error unless we have a
definite and firm conviction that a mistake was made after reviewing the entire
record. United States v. White,
335 F.3d 1314, 1319 (11th Cir. 2003). We review
the district court’s credibility determinations with great deference.
Singh, 291 F.3d
at 763.
The district court must make independent factual findings supporting its
Guidelines calculation. United States v. Hamaker,
455 F.3d 1316, 1338 (11th Cir.
2006). Those findings may be based on evidence heard during trial, undisputed
statements in the PSI, or evidence presented at the sentencing hearing.
Id.
The Guidelines mandate a two-level enhancement when the defendant
willfully obstructs or impedes the administration of justice. U.S.S.G. § 3C1.1. A
defendant may obstruct justice by committing perjury during his trial.
Singh, 291
F.3d at 763. Perjury is defined as “false testimony concerning a material matter”
that is made “with the willful intent to provide false testimony, rather than as a
result of confusion, mistake, or faulty memory.”
Id. Testimony concerns a
material matter if it would tend to influence the jury’s consideration of the matters
at hand if it were believed.
Id. This materiality requirement is a low one. United
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States v. Dedeker,
961 F.2d 164, 167 (11th Cir. 1992). The district court may
conclude that a defendant’s testimony is false when it is irreconcilable with the
record. United States v. Williams,
627 F.3d 839, 845 (11th Cir. 2010).
The affirmative defense of entrapment negates criminal liability when the
Government induces a defendant to commit a crime and the defendant lacked a
predisposition to commit the crime. United States v. Sistrunk,
622 F.3d 1328, 1333
(11th Cir. 2010).
The district court did not clearly err by concluding that Frederick committed
perjury. If believed, his testimony indicated that witnesses cooperating with the
Government coerced him into committing the crimes by threatening to reveal his
sexual orientation. It also indicated that he was not involved in other criminal
activity. This testimony could have influenced the jury to agree with Frederick’s
entrapment defense. See Sistrunk, 622 F.3d at1333;
Singh, 291 F.3d at 763.
Further, the court did not clearly err by concluding that Frederick’s testimony was
false because it was irreconcilable with the Government’s evidence of his prior
statements. See
Williams, 627 F.3d at 845. Therefore, the court did not err by
concluding that Frederick committed perjury, and it did not err by assigning
Frederick a two-level enhancement for obstruction of justice based on his perjury.
Accordingly, we affirm Frederick’s convictions and sentence.
AFFIRMED.
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