United States v. Cerome

277 F. App'x 85
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedMay 7, 2008
DocketNo. 06-1908-cr
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 277 F. App'x 85 (United States v. Cerome) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Cerome, 277 F. App'x 85 (2d Cir. 2008).

Opinion

SUMMARY ORDER

Defendant-Appellant Carlo Elisca Cer-ome appeals from a judgment of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Edward R. Korman, then-Chief Judge) entered on April 19, 2006, sentencing him upon conviction after trial by jury principally to 84 months’ imprisonment for two counts of conspiring to rob an owner or employee of a money transfer business and one count of robbery, all in violation of the Hobbs Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1951.

Cerome, through counsel, challenges two aspects of his sentence: (1) the two-level enhancement for “bodily injury” pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2B3.1(b)(3)(A); and (2) the five-level enhancement for a co-conspirator’s brandishing of a firearm pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2B3.1(b)(2)(C). On his own behalf, Cerome argues that his convictions should be vacated because (3) the Speedy Trial Act was violated; (4) there was insufficient evidence of an effect on interstate commerce; (5) there were improprieties with the use of transcripts of the wiretap recordings; and (6) the jury instructions charged the wrong theory of liability. We assume the parties’ familiarity with the balance of the facts, procedural history, and issues on appeal. For the reasons that follow, we affirm the judgment of the District Court.

I. Enhancement for “Bodily Injury”

Cerome argues that there was insufficient evidence to support the jury’s answer to the special interrogatory finding that Denis Antoine, the victim of the robbery, sustained “bodily injury.” In light of United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220, 125 S.Ct. 738, 160 L.Ed.2d 621 (2005), and our post-Booker decisions confirming the authority of district courts to find facts relevant to sentencing by a preponderance of the evidence, see, e.g., United States v. Florez, 447 F.3d 145, 156 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, — U.S.-, 127 S.Ct. 600, 166 L.Ed.2d 445 (2006), we shall construe this as a challenge to the District Court’s determination.

[87]*87We review a district court’s interpretation of the Sentencing Guidelines de novo, and apply the clear error standard when evaluating a district court’s findings of fact. See United States v. Richardson, 521 F.3d 149, 156-57 (2d Cir.2008). The District Court’s application of the “bodily injury” enhancement to the facts of the offense “presents a predominantly factual issue, which we review for clear error.” United States v. Guang, 511 F.3d 110, 124 (2d Cir.2007). The Guidelines define “bodily injury” as “any significant injury; e.g., an injury that is painful and obvious, or is of a type for which medical attention ordinarily would be sought.” U.S.S.G. § 1B1.1, cmt. n. 1(B); see U.S.S.G. § 2B3.1, cmt. n. 1 (referring to definition in § 1B1.1).

In this case, the record reflects that in the course of the robbery Antoine was punched in the mouth; he then called 911 and police arrived along with an ambulance, which took him to the hospital. The hospital records, submitted at Cerome’s sentencing, reflect that approximately one hour after being punched, Antoine complained of pain in his mouth. The records further reflect that Antoine’s wounds, described as “abrasion[s]” on his lips and a “hematoma” on his upper lip, were cleaned and treated with bacitracin and Antoine was given tylenol/motrin for his pain. On this record, the District Court’s preponderance determination that Antoine’s injury was “painful and obvious” or “of a type for which medical attention ordinarily would be sought” is not clearly erroneous. Cf. United States v. Mejia-Canales, 467 F.3d 1280, 1283-84 (10th Cir.2006) (holding that “bodily injury” enhancement for a red mark on the head and small oral cut lacked support in the record where there was no evidence of swelling, bleeding, or bruising or the painfulness or duration of the injuries).

II. Enhancement for Brandishing a Fii’earm

In the course of robbing Antoine, one of Cerome’s co-conspirators pointed a gun at Antoine’s head. Cerome argues that the District Court erred in imposing a five-level enhancement, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2B3.1(b)(2)(C), for a co-conspirator’s brandishing of a firearm because, he contends, this conduct was not reasonably foreseeable to him, see U.S.S.G. § lB1.3(a)(l)(B). Cerome argues that at most only violence, but not the brandishing of a fii’earm, was reasonably foreseeable to him. The District Court found that this conduct was reasonably foreseeable to Cerome in light of his involvement in the planning of the robbery.

Even though Cerome was not found to have been “the mastermind,” see United States v. Brumby, 23 F.3d 47, 50 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 513 U.S. 896, 115 S.Ct. 250, 130 L.Ed.2d 171 (1994), the District Court did not clearly err in finding that the brandishing of a firearm was reasonably foreseeable to him in light of his involvement in the planning and execution of the robbery of an employee of a money transfer business in broad daylight on a city street as he approached a bank to deposit funds. See United States v. Medina, 74 F.3d 413, 417-18 (2d Cir.1996) (per curiam) (use of a firearm was reasonably foreseeable in conspiracy to rob office during working hours). The record here supports the inferences that the conspirators recognized the need for firearms and that this aspect of the plan was reasonably foreseeable to Cerome. Cerome told those surveilling the victim not to let him escape. And soon after the robbery, Cerome concurred with his co-defendant’s assessment that if the victim had “showed too much resistance, they would have killed him, man.” “[H]e doesn’t know the rules,” Cerome said. “He needs to go to school and [88]*88learn the rules.” This evidence, viewed in the light most favorable to the government, indicates that Cerome not only contemplated the use of violence in the course of the robbery; he contemplated the use of deadly violence, a possibility that made the brandishment of a firearm plainly foreseeable. At best, Cerome’s argument suggests an alternative view of the evidence, but this does not suffice to establish that the District Court clearly erred.

III. Speedy Trial Act

Cerome argues that the District Court erred in failing to dismiss the charge in Count Two of the Superseding Indictment for violation of the Speedy Trial Act’s thirty-day filing requirement. See 18 U.S.C. §§ 3161(b); 3162(a)(1).

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Bluebook (online)
277 F. App'x 85, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-cerome-ca2-2008.