United States v. Dunlap

162 F. Supp. 3d 1106, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17490, 2016 WL 591757
CourtDistrict Court, D. Oregon
DecidedFebruary 12, 2016
DocketCiv. No. 1:14-cr-00406-AA
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 162 F. Supp. 3d 1106 (United States v. Dunlap) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Dunlap, 162 F. Supp. 3d 1106, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17490, 2016 WL 591757 (D. Or. 2016).

Opinion

OPINION & ORDER

AIKEN, District Judge

This matter comes before the court for determination of whether Defendant Carl Gene Dunlap should be sentenced subject to the mandatory minimum sentence required by the Armed Career Criminal Act (“ACCA”), 18 U.S.C. § 924(e).

LEGAL STANDARD

I. ACCA

18 U.S.C. § 922(g) prohibits any person who has been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year to possess or receive “any firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.” 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). If a person violates 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) and has three previous convictions “for a violent felony or a serious drug offense, or both, committed on occasions different from one another, such person shall be ... imprisoned not less than fifteen years[.]” 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(1).

A “violent felony” is defined as:

[1111]*1111[A]ny crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year ... that (i) has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person of another; or (ii) is burglary, arson, or extortion, [or] involves the use of explosives ....1

18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(B).

II. U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1

Federal firearms defendants “are subject to an enhanced Sentencing Guidelines range when they commit a firearm offense after sustaining one or more felony convictions of a crime of violence.” United States v. Park, 649 F.3d 1175, 1177 (9th Cir.2011) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted).

United States Sentencing Guidelines § 2K2.1 provides, in relevant part, that if a defendant was a prohibited person when he or she committed the instant offense and had no prior convictions for crimes of violence, his or her base offense level is 14. U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(a)(6). If the defendant has a single prior felony conviction for a crime of violence, then the base offense level is 20. U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(a)(4)(A). If a defendant has at least two prior felony convictions for crimes of violence, the base offense level is 24. U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(a)(2).

For the purposes of the Guidelines, a “crime of violence” is

[A]ny offense under federal or state law punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, that — (1) has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person of another, or (2) is burglary of a dwelling, arson, or extortion, involves the use of explosives, or otherwise involves conduct that presents a serious risk of physical injury to anoth-. er.

U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2(a).2

The terms “violent felony” in the ACCA, 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(B), and “crime of violence” in Guidelines! 4B1.2, are interpreted according to the same precedent. Park, 649 F.3d at 1177.

BACKGROUND

The indictment in this case alleged that on January 13, 2014, Defendant knowingly and unlawfully possessed a handgun and that Defendant had at least three prior convictions for violent felonies. Defendant was tried before a jury and, on May 15, 2015, Defendant was convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g).

Defendant has three relevant prior convictions, all originating in the Jackson County Circuit Court: a 2001 conviction for Robbery III; a 2004 conviction for Assault III; and a 2013 conviction for Coercion.3

[1112]*1112DISCUSSION

The Government contends that each of Defendant’s three convictions “has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person of another,” and that they therefore qualify as ACCA predicate convictions. Defendant asserts,that his prior convictions do not qualify as “violent felonies” under the ACCA and that he should not be subject to the ACCA’s fifteen-year mandatory minimum sentence.

To determine whether a state conviction is a “violent felony” under the ACCA, courts must apply a “formal categorical approach.” Taylor v. United States, 495 U.S. 575, 600, 110 S.Ct. 2143, 109 L.Ed.2d 607 (1990). Under the categorical approach, courts “look only to the fact of conviction and the statutory definition of the prior offense.” Id. at 602, 110 S.Ct. 2143. “A violation of a state statute is categorically a ‘violent felony’ under the ACCA ‘only if the [state] statute’s elements are the same as, or narrower than’ those included in the ACCA’s definition of ‘violent felony’” United States v. Dixon, 805 F.3d 1193, 1195 (9th Cir.2015) (quoting Descamps v. United States, - U.S.-, 133 S.Ct. 2276, 2281, 186 L.Ed.2d 438 (2013)).4 To identify the elements of a state statute, courts must consider both the language of the statute itself, as well as judicial opinions interpreting it. Id. (citing Rodriguez-Castellon v. Holder, 733 F.3d 847, 853 (9th Cir.2013)).

If a statute is “overbroad,” meaning that it criminalizes conduct that goes beyond the elements of a violent felony, the court must determine if the statute is “divisible.” Almanza-Arenas v. Lynch, 809 F.3d 515, 521 (9th Cir.2015)(en banc). A statute is divisible if it sets out one or more elements in the alternative and some formulations of elements match the generic offense, while other formulations do not. Descamps, 133 S.Ct. at 2281. If a statute is indivisible, the court’s inquiry ends because conviction under a statute that is indivisible and overbroad cannot serve as a predicate offense. Almanza-Arenas, 809 F.3d at 521.

If a statute is “divisible,” that is, it contains multiple, alternative elements of functionally separate crimes, and some of those formulations of elements constitute ACCA predicate offenses, while others do not, courts may apply a “modified categorical approach.” Descamps, 133 S.Ct. at 2281. The modified categorical approach permits the court to consider a limited range of documents such as charging instruments or plea agreements to permit the court to determine whether the defendant was convicted of an ACCA predicate offense. Dixon, 805 F.3d at 1196.

Because none of Defendant’s relevant convictions are enumerated in the [1113]

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Bluebook (online)
162 F. Supp. 3d 1106, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17490, 2016 WL 591757, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-dunlap-ord-2016.