USA v. Ronee Williams, No. 18-10176 (5th Cir. 2019)
Annotate this Case
Download PDF
Case: 18-10176 Document: 00515114912 Page: 1 Date Filed: 09/12/2019 IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit No. 18-10176 Summary Calendar FILED September 12, 2019 Lyle W. Cayce Clerk UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee v. RONEE DAMIEN WILLIAMS, Defendant-Appellant Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas USDC No. 3:16-CR-55-2 Before SMITH, DENNIS, and DUNCAN, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: * Ronee Damien Williams appeals his conviction and 15-year sentence for possessing with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He argues that the district court erred by admitting a hand-written letter, purportedly written by him, and the application of an enhancement based on the letter. See U.S.S.G. § 3C1.1. Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4. * Case: 18-10176 Document: 00515114912 Page: 2 Date Filed: 09/12/2019 No. 18-10176 Williams has not shown that the district court abused its discretion by admitting the exhibit into evidence. See United States v. Jimenez Lopez, 873 F.2d 769, 771 (5th Cir. 1989). The content of the hand-written letter was sufficient to support a finding that Williams was the author. See United States v. Isiwele, 635 F.3d 196, 200 (5th Cir. 2011); FED. R. EVID. 901(a). With regard to the enhancement, because the facts in the presentence report (PSR) had an adequate evidentiary basis and Williams did not challenge the facts in the PSR or offer rebuttal evidence, the district court was permitted to adopt the PSR without further inquiry. See United States v. Harris, 702 F.3d 226, 230 (5th Cir. 2012). Given that the enhancement applies to attempts to obstruct justice, Williams has not shown that the district court erred, plainly or otherwise, by finding that Williams “attempted to have ‘J.J.’ take responsibility for the drugs” and applying the enhancement. See Puckett v. United States, 556 U.S. 129, 135 (2009). AFFIRMED. 2
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
