State v. Carbajal

868 P.2d 1044, 177 Ariz. 461, 156 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 31, 1994 Ariz. App. LEXIS 5
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedJanuary 13, 1994
Docket1 CA-CR 92-0937
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 868 P.2d 1044 (State v. Carbajal) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Carbajal, 868 P.2d 1044, 177 Ariz. 461, 156 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 31, 1994 Ariz. App. LEXIS 5 (Ark. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

OPINION

VOSS, Presiding Judge.

Defendant James Morales Carbajal pled guilty to six felonies and three misdemeanors arising out of his operation of a nursing home. On appeal he argues that the trial court erred in imposing aggravated sentences and ordering restitution. We hold that the restitution order was improper and remand for a redetermination of restitution. We affirm the convictions and sentences in all other respects.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Defendant was originally charged with twenty-three counts of criminal conduct in connection with his operation of Angel’s Quality Care, a registered residential care home. The charges arose from his misrepresentations to prospective clients about his qualifications to operate such a facility, improprieties regarding forged documents, and his mistreatment of and failure to properly care for the residents in the nursing home.

Pursuant to a plea agreement, defendant pled guilty to illegally conducting an enterprise, a class 3 felony; fraudulent schemes and artifices, a class 2 felony; forgery, a class 4 felony; three counts of aggravated assault, a class 6 felony; and three counts of neglect of an incapacitated adult, a class 1 misdemeanor. Also, defendant agreed to pay restitution on all counts including those dismissed, not to exceed $30,000. In exchange, the state agreed to dismiss the remaining charges against him.

Following an aggravation/mitigation hearing, the trial court sentenced defendant to three consecutive six-month jail terms for the misdemeanors and a presumptive four-year prison term for the forgery count. Finding the aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating factors, the trial court sentenced defendant to an aggravated prison term of 1.87 years each for the three aggravated assault counts and an aggravated prison term of 10.5 years for the fraud count. All sentences were ordered to run consecutively. Defendant was placed on five years probation to commence upon his release from prison for the charge of illegally conducting an enterprise. In addition, he was ordered to pay $24,692.25 in restitution to the victims and their families. Defendant filed a timely notice of appeal.

ISSUES PRESENTED

Defendant raises the following issues on appeal with , respect to his sentencing:

1. Whether the trial court erred in imposing the four aggravated sentences?
2. Whether the trial court erred in awarding restitution in amounts greater than the economic losses suffered by the victims?

DISCUSSION

A. AGGRAVATED SENTENCES

Defendant argues that the trial court erroneously imposed the four aggravated sentences by considering an improper aggravating factor. In setting forth the reasons for *463 imposing the aggravated sentences, the trial court stated that it found appropriate all the aggravating factors “spelled out in the pre[-]sentence report.”

Specifically, defendant contends that the trial court erred in considering aggravating factor number five, which states “the offenses alleged in Navajo County Cause Numbers 91-CR-162/163.” This factor relates to charges brought against defendant in two earlier proceedings that were dismissed following his indictment in the present case. Defendant argues Ariz.Rev.Stat.Ann. (“A.R.S.”) section 13-702(C) (Supp.1992) provides that before the court may use a matter as an aggravating factor, it must be found to be true. Defendant contends that the evidence presented at the sentencing hearing regarding these prior charges was insufficient for the court to find them to be true.

It is well established that the trial court may consider a defendant’s criminal character even if the defendant’s conduct has not resulted in a conviction. State v. Shuler, 162 Ariz. 19, 21, 780 P.2d 1067, 1069 (App.1989); State v. Cawley, 133 Ariz. 27, 29, 648 P.2d 142, 144 (App.1982). The trial court may not, however, consider mere arrests as aggravating factors where there is “no evidence of the underlying facts to demonstrate that a crime or some bad act was probably committed by defendant----” Shuler, 162 Ariz. at 21, 780 P.2d at 1069.

Here the trial court had ample evidence from which it could determine defendant probably committed the offenses charged in the two earlier proceedings. A pre-sentence report regarding cause numbers 91-CR-162/163 was attached to the presentence report in the present case and therefore made available for the trial court’s consideration. 1 The pre-sentence report concerning the dismissed offenses contained facts taken from Navajo County Sheriff’s Office reports and statements given by the victims. Information in pre-sentence reports taken from police records is admissible to show aggravating and mitigating circumstances. State v. Marquez, 127 Ariz. 3, 6, 617 P.2d 787, 790 (App.1980).

Furthermore, evidence was presented at the pre-sentence hearing concerning the pri- or charges. Among the evidence was oral testimony from a victim and another witness regarding the underlying facts of the prior offenses. Considering the information in the pre-sentence report and testimony at the sentencing hearing, substantial evidence existed in the record from which the trial court could determine that defendant committed the prior offenses.

Defendant next claims that the trial court overlooked two mitigating factors. He asserts that sufficient evidence was presented of (1) his remorse and (2) the lack of any large pecuniary gain from the nursing home; therefore, the trial court was required to take these factors into account as mitigating factors pursuant to A.R.S. section 13-702(C). Again, we disagree.

The consideration of mitigating circumstances is entirely within the discretion of the trial court. State v. Webb, 164 Ariz. 348, 355, 793 P.2d 105, 112 (App.1990); State v. Bly, 127 Ariz. 370, 372, 621 P.2d 279, 281 (1980). When a sentence is within statutory limits, it will not be modified on review unless it clearly appears that the trial court abused its discretion by showing arbitrariness or capriciousness, or by failing to conduct an adequate investigation into the facts. State v. Fatty, 150 Ariz. 587, 592, 724 P.2d 1256, 1261 (App.1986). The law is well established that the trial court is not obligated to find mitigating factors just because evidence is presented; the court is only required to consider them. Id. The trial court is in the best position to determine the evidence surrounding the aggravating and mitigating factors and which factors should be given credence. We find no abuse of discretion in the trial court’s consideration of mitigating and aggravating factors.

B.

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868 P.2d 1044, 177 Ariz. 461, 156 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 31, 1994 Ariz. App. LEXIS 5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-carbajal-arizctapp-1994.