United States v. Conca

635 F.3d 55, 2011 WL 504816
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedFebruary 15, 2011
DocketDocket 09-4475-cr
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 635 F.3d 55 (United States v. Conca) 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. Conca, 635 F.3d 55, 2011 WL 504816 (2d Cir. 2011).

Opinion

MINER, Circuit Judge:

Defendant-appellant Marc A. Conca appeals from a judgment of conviction and sentence entered October 20, 2009, following a guilty plea, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York (McAvoy, J.) convicting him of one count of failing to register as a sex offender after traveling in interstate commerce and sentencing him principally to a 78-month term of imprisonment. In arriving at this sentence under the Sentencing Guidelines, the District Court classified a youthful offender adjudication as a prior adult conviction in calculating Conca’s criminal history score. As he did in the District Court, Conca here challenges that classification. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

BACKGROUND

I. The Offense of Conviction

In a one-count indictment dated February 26, 2009 (the “Indictment”), a grand jury impaneled in the Northern District of New York issued the following charge against Conca:

That on or between about September, 2008, and January 28, 2009, in the State and Northern District of New York and elsewhere, Marc A. CONCA, the defendant herein, an individual required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, did knowingly travel in interstate commerce, from the State of Oklahoma to the Northern District of New York, and knowingly failed to register as a sex offender in the States of Oklahoma and New York and knowingly failed to update his registration in the State of Texas as required by law.
In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2250(a).

After entering a plea of not guilty to the Indictment, Conca entered into a plea agreement with the government dated April 22, 2009, (the “Agreement”) whereby he agreed to withdraw his not guilty plea and enter a plea of guilty to the Indictment. In the Agreement, Conca acknowledged that he was subject to various penalties, including a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years, supervised release of not less than five years to life, the consequences of violation of the terms of supervised release, a maximum fine of $250,000, a special assessment of $100, and interest and penalties consequent to non-payment of any financial obligations imposed. Conca also acknowledged his understanding of the factors to be considered by the court in imposing sentence as well as the elements of the offense with which he was charged.

The Agreement set forth the factual basis for Conca’s plea as follows: On June 20, 2007, Conca was sentenced to imprisonment for two years upon his conviction in Texas for sexual assault, a felony under the Texas Penal Code. Because of the conviction, Conca was required to register as a sex offender under the Texas Sexual Offender Registration Program upon his release from prison. Tex.Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 62.051 (West 2011). See generally Sexual Offender Registration Program, 1991 Tex. Sess. Law Serv. Ch. 572 (S.B. 259) (Sept. 1, 1991). The statute also required Conca to update his registration *58 whenever he changed his address. Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 62.055.

At the time he was released from state prison in Texas, on April 18, 2008, Conca signed a “Pre-Release Notification Form Texas Sex Offender Registration Program.” See id. art. 62.053(a). This document described Conca’s duties as a convicted sex offender, including the duty to report any intended move to a new residence within or outside the state within seven days prior to moving. Relocation to another state also required Conca to register, within ten days of his arrival in that state, with the law enforcement agency properly designated to receive such registration information in that state. Also on April 18, 2008, Conca signed a separate form entitled “Sex Offender Verification,” in which he acknowledged that his sex offender registration obligations would apply throughout his lifetime.

In May 2008, Conca left Texas and traveled to various places, including Oklahoma City, where he eventually rented an apartment in September 2008. While there, he was briefly employed in a restaurant but departed the State of Oklahoma in mid-October 2008. From that time until January 2009, according to the Agreement, Conca “lived a transient existence in numerous southeastern states.” On January 3, 2009, Conca arrived by Greyhound bus in Amsterdam, New York, where he lived with his sister until January 11, 2009. On that date, he moved to his girlfriend’s house in Gloversville, New York. Conca resided at his girlfriend’s house until January 23, 2009, when he was arrested on an unrelated warrant by the Gloversville City Police Department.

The Agreement includes the following with respect to the offense of conviction:

Records show that from April 18, 2008 up until January 23, 2009 (the date on which CONCA was arrested by the Gloversville City Police Department) CON-CA did not update his registration in Texas and failed to register as a sex offender in any state including the States of Oklahoma and New York. CONCA knowingly failed to update his registration in Texas, and failed to register in a timely manner in the States of Oklahoma and New York, as is required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

II. The Pre-Sentence Investigation Report and Objections

The United States Probation Office in the Northern District of New York prepared a Presentence Investigation Report (“PSR”) following Conca’s guilty plea. The PSR found a base offense level of 16 pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2A3.5(a)(l), since Conca was classified as a Tier III Sex Offender under the provisions of 42 U.S.C. § 16911(4). Because it appeared from the records of the Oklahoma County Court that Conca committed the crime of Rape in the First Degree involving a 28-year-old victim while he was in failure to register status in Oklahoma City on August 13, 2008, a 6-point enhancement was applied pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2A3.5(b)(l)(A). After allowing a 3-point downward adjustment, the base offense level was set at 19.

In calculating Conca’s criminal history score, the PSR counted the following convictions: Criminal Possession of Stolen Property, Fourth Degree, Fulton County Court (3 points); False Written Statement, Glen Town Court (1 point); Aggravated Unlicensed Operation, Gloversville City Court (1 point); Burglary, Third Degree, Fulton County Court (2 points); Petit Larceny, Johnstown City Court (1 point); Felony Sexual Assault, 41st District Court, El Paso, Texas (3 points); and Unauthorized Use of Motor Vehicle, Fulton County Court (1 point). To the total of 12 points *59 assigned to the foregoing convictions, 2 points were added because Conca committed the offense giving rise to the judgment subject of this appeal less than two years after release from imprisonment in Texas on April 18, 2008. See U.S.S.G. § 4Al.l(e). According to the Sentencing Table, the total of 14 points thus calculated established a criminal history category of VI. With a base offense level of 19 and a criminal history category of VI, the PSR noted that the Guidelines range for imprisonment was 63 to 78 months. See U.S.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. Carter
Second Circuit, 2025
United States v. Morgan
Second Circuit, 2025
United States v. Kohlmeier
Second Circuit, 2021
United States v. Peralta
Second Circuit, 2019
United States v. Rancourt
Second Circuit, 2018
United States v. Huggins
Second Circuit, 2016
United States v. Hester
664 F. App'x 73 (Second Circuit, 2016)
United States v. Scott
616 F. App'x 431 (Second Circuit, 2015)
United States v. Cardona
612 F. App'x 622 (Second Circuit, 2015)
United States v. Morrison
778 F.3d 396 (Second Circuit, 2015)
United States v. Cramer
777 F.3d 597 (Second Circuit, 2015)
United States v. Pearson
542 F. App'x 60 (Second Circuit, 2013)
United States v. Diamreyan
684 F.3d 305 (Second Circuit, 2012)
United States v. Oluigbo
484 F. App'x 583 (Second Circuit, 2012)
United States v. Leeper
466 F. App'x 43 (Second Circuit, 2012)
United States v. Knight
460 F. App'x 3 (Second Circuit, 2012)
United States v. Watkins
667 F.3d 254 (Second Circuit, 2012)
United States v. Cade
452 F. App'x 47 (Second Circuit, 2011)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
635 F.3d 55, 2011 WL 504816, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-conca-ca2-2011.