United States v. Kevin Williams

MEMORANDUM

Defendant-Appellant Kevin Williams appeals his jury convictions and sentences for three counts of wire fraud, two counts of possession of an unregistered firearm, and one count each of extortion, making a false statement, destruction of a letter box, and possession of a firearm not identified by a serial number. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291 .

In a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence supporting a conviction, we consider whether the evidence at trial was adequate, when viewed in the light most favorable to the government, for any rational trier of fact to have found the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the elements of the crime. See United States v. Nevils, 598 F.3d 1158, 1163-64 (9th Cir.2010) (en banc). We review de novo whether a district court’s jury instructions omitted or misstated an element of the charged offense. United States v. Stapleton, 293 F.3d 1111, 1114 (9th Cir.2002). In the absence of an objection to the jury instructions at trial, however, we review the instructions only for plain error. United States v. Wilkes, 662 F.3d 524, 544 (9th Cir.2011). Similarly, where the defendant fails to raise the issue of the…