United States v. Gonzalez-Ramirez

477 F.3d 310, 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 2054, 2007 WL 241045
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedJanuary 30, 2007
Docket04-51355
StatusPublished
Cited by66 cases

This text of 477 F.3d 310 (United States v. Gonzalez-Ramirez) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth 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. Gonzalez-Ramirez, 477 F.3d 310, 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 2054, 2007 WL 241045 (5th Cir. 2007).

Opinion

*311 OWEN, Circuit Judge:

The defendant contends that a conviction for attempted kidnapping under Tennessee law is not a “crime of violence” for purposes of section 2L1.2 of the United States Sentencing Guidelines. Because Tennessee’s statutory definition of kidnapping falls within the generic, contemporary meaning of “kidnapping,” an enumerated offense in the commentary to section 2L1.2, the district court did not err in applying a crime-of-violence enhancement in this case. The defendant’s sentence is affirmed.

I

The government charged Roberto Gonzalez-Ramirez with illegally re-entering the United States in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326. The government then filed a “Notice of Intent to Seek Increased Statutory Penalty” under § 1326(b)(2), which increases the maximum statutory penalty from two years imprisonment to twenty years imprisonment if the defendant was previously deported following an aggravated felony conviction. 1 This request was based on Gonzalez-Ramirez’s prior conviction under Tennessee law for attempted kidnapping.

Gonzalez-Ramirez pleaded guilty to violating section 1326, but at sentencing, he objected to being sentenced under subsection 1326(b)(2). Gonzalez-Ramirez argued that Apprendi v. New Jersey 2 precludes a court from increasing the maximum statutory sentence based on a prior conviction that was not alleged in the indictment. Gonzalez-Ramirez did not otherwise object to the application of subsection 1326(b)(2) or a 16-level crime-of-violence enhancement in calculating the advisory guideline sentencing range, as recommended in the presentence investigation report.

The district court rejected the Apprendi objection, applied the crime-of-violence enhancement under U.S.S.G. § 2L1.2(b)(l)(A)(ii) based on the attempted kidnapping conviction, and sentenced Gonzalez-Ramirez to 46 months imprisonment. On appeal, Gonzalez-Ramirez asserts error in both the application of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(b)(2) and the Guidelines’ crime-of-violence enhancement. Gonzalez-Ramirez concedes, however, that his Apprendi objection to the application of the statutory sentencing provision is foreclosed by Al-mendarez-Torres v. United States 3 and circuit precedent. 4 Therefore, the only issue we consider on appeal is whether Gonzalez-Ramirez’s prior conviction for attempted kidnapping under Tennessee law is a “crime of violence” under section 2L1.2. Because this argument was raised for the first time on appeal, the plain-error standard of review applies. 5

II

Under the plain-error standard, a defendant must establish error that is plain and affects substantial rights. 6 If these conditions are met, an appellate court may *312 exercise its discretion to notice the forfeited error only if “ ‘the error seriously affect[s] the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings.’ ” 7 For the reasons that follow, we conclude that the district court did not err in treating GonzalezARamirez’s conviction as a crime of violence under section 2L1.2.

Section 2L1.2 of the Sentencing Guidelines authorizes a 16-level sentence enhancement “[i]f the defendant previously was deported, or unlawfully remained in the United States, after ... a conviction for a felony that is ... a crime of violence.” 8 The term “crime of violence” is not defined in section 2L1.2. But according to the Guidelines commentary,

“Crime of violence” means any of the following: murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, aggravated assault, forcible sex offenses, statutory rape, sexual abuse of a minor, robbery, arson, extortion, extortionate extension of credit, burglary of a dwelling, or any offense under federal, state, or local law that has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person of another. 9

We regard the Guidelines commentary as authoritative, 10 and when interpreting it, we apply the plain, ordinary and commonly understood meaning of the words. 11

In this case, the government does not contend that Gonzalez-Ramirez was convicted of an offense “that has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person of another.” The government asserts only that Gonzalez-Ramirez’s conviction constitutes the enumerated offense of kidnapping. According to the government, if the state statute of conviction is labeled “kidnapping” or “attempted kidnapping,” the conviction automatically qualifies as kidnapping within the meaning of the Guidelines commentary.

In contrast, Gonzalez-Ramirez argues that labels have varying definitions under differing state statutes and, therefore, cannot be conclusive. According to Gonzalez-Ramirez, the enumerated offense of kidnapping incorporates the Model Penal Code’s definition, which requires removal or confinement for certain specified purposes. 12 Unlike the Model Penal Code, the Tennessee statute under which Gonzalez-Ramirez was convicted does not require removal or confinement for any specified purpose. Therefore, according to Gonzalez-Ramirez, he was not convicted of kidnapping as that term is used in the Guidelines.

A

In evaluating these arguments, we first note that a conviction for attempted “kidnapping” may qualify as the enumerated offense of kidnapping for purposes of section 2L1.2(b)(l)(A). The commentary to *313 section 2L1.2 states, “Prior convictions of offenses counted under subsection (b)(1) include the offenses of aiding and abetting, conspiring, and attempting, to commit such offenses.” 13 Gonzalez-Ramirez has not challenged the requirements for an attempt under Tennessee law. Thus, our analysis is not affected by the fact that Gonzalez-Ramirez was convicted of attempted kidnapping rather than kidnapping. 14

B

Turning now to the definition of kidnapping, as enumerated for purposes of section 2L1.2, we conclude that state-law labels do not control. The crime-of-violenee enhancement incorporates crimes with certain elements, not crimes that happen to be labeled “kidnapping” or “attempted kidnapping” under state law. “The Guidelines were enacted to bring uniformity and predictability to sentencing.” 15

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

Related

United States v. Morant
Fifth Circuit, 2024
United States v. Fredis Reyes-Contreras
910 F.3d 169 (Fifth Circuit, 2018)
United States v. Santiago Solano-Hernandez
847 F.3d 170 (Fifth Circuit, 2017)
United States v. Guadalupe Torres-Jaime
821 F.3d 577 (Fifth Circuit, 2016)
United States v. Pedro Martinez-Romero
817 F.3d 917 (Fifth Circuit, 2016)
United States v. David Hernandez-Borjas
641 F. App'x 367 (Fifth Circuit, 2016)
United States v. Mario Irias
628 F. App'x 216 (Fifth Circuit, 2015)
United States v. Gerardo Hernandez-Rodriguez
788 F.3d 193 (Fifth Circuit, 2015)
United States v. Marlon Flores-Granados
783 F.3d 487 (Fourth Circuit, 2015)
United States v. Juan Garcia-Perez
779 F.3d 278 (Fifth Circuit, 2015)
United States v. Rogelio Teran-Salas
767 F.3d 453 (Fifth Circuit, 2014)
United States v. Riscajche-Siquina
30 F. Supp. 3d 580 (S.D. Texas, 2014)
United States v. Sergio Rico-Mendoza
548 F. App'x 210 (Fifth Circuit, 2013)
United States v. Bulfrano Alonzo-Garcia
542 F. App'x 412 (Fifth Circuit, 2013)
United States v. Ortiz-Gonzalez
32 F. Supp. 3d 785 (S.D. Texas, 2013)
United States v. Jorge Rodriguez
711 F.3d 541 (Fifth Circuit, 2013)
United States v. Jose Benitez-Osorio
514 F. App'x 451 (Fifth Circuit, 2013)
United States v. Florentino Marquez-Lobos
683 F.3d 1061 (Ninth Circuit, 2012)
United States v. Iveth Najera-Mendoza
683 F.3d 627 (Fifth Circuit, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
477 F.3d 310, 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 2054, 2007 WL 241045, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-gonzalez-ramirez-ca5-2007.