United States v. John Mills

MEMORANDUM

John Rowland Mills appeals the district court’s denial of his post-verdict motion for judgment of acquittal on Count 15 of a 15-Count indictment for federal wire fraud, 18 U.S.C. § 1848 (2012). Mills was found guilty by a federal jury for violating 18 U.S.C. § 1343 — the 'federal wire fraud statute — after he embezzled nearly $130,000 from his employer and used an interstate wire transfer (from Florida to Arizona) to cover his tracks.. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 (2012). Because we find that ample evidence supports the guilty verdict, we affirm.

We review de novo a district court’s denial of a motion for acquittal. United States v. Jinian, 725 F.3d 954, 959 (9th Cir.2013). We affirm a conviction if there is sufficient evidence to support it. “Sufficient evidence to support a conviction exists if, ‘after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.’ ” Id. at 959-60 (quoting Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319 , 99 S.Ct. 2781 , 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979)).

Section 1343 criminalizes conduct by an individual- who, “having…