United States v. Israel Caceres-Olla

738 F.3d 1051, 2013 WL 6847127, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 25556
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedDecember 23, 2013
Docket12-10132
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 738 F.3d 1051 (United States v. Israel Caceres-Olla) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth 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. Israel Caceres-Olla, 738 F.3d 1051, 2013 WL 6847127, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 25556 (9th Cir. 2013).

Opinions

Opinion by Judge BERZON; Concurrence by Judge FERNANDEZ.

OPINION

BERZON, Circuit Judge:

Israel Amoldo Caceres-Olla pleaded guilty, under 8 U.S.C. § 1326, to unlawful reentry into the United States. Sentences for that offense ‘are governed by United States Sentencing Guideline (“Guideline”) 2L1.2. This case- presents the question whether a prior felony conviction under Florida Statutes section 800.04(4)(a) for lewd or lascivious battery qualifies as a “crime of violence” for purposes of that Guideline. We hold that it does not, because the crime does not constitute a “forcible sex offense” or “statutory rape” within the meaning of the applicable Guideline. Because the district court concluded otherwise, we vacate Caceres-Olla’s sentence and remand on a closed record for resentencing.

I.

The base offense level for a violation of § 1326 is eight. See U.S.S.G-. § 2L1.2(a). If the defendant was previously deported after being convicted of a felony that constitutes a “crime of violence,” the offense level goes up by sixteen levels. Id. § 2L1.2(b)(l)(A)(ii).

The presentence report (“PSR”) concluded that Caceres-Olla’s prior conviction for lewd or lascivious battery was a “forcible sex offense” and, consequently, qualified as a “crime of violence” under Guideline 2L1.2(b)(l)(A)(ii). Caceres-Olla objected, arguing that his prior conviction did not constitute a “forcible sex offense,” because the Florida statute did not require a non-consensual act and the Guideline’s reference to “consent ... [deemed] not legally valid,” U.S.S.G. 2L1.2 cmt. n. l(B)(iii), was not intended to apply to statutes criminalizing sexual activity due only to the victim’s age. The district court disagreed, applied the recommended enhancement, and sentenced Caceres-Olla to a 46-month prison term. Caceres-Olla timely appealed.

We review de novo the district court’s decision that Caceres-Olla’s prior conviction qualifies for a sentencing enhancement under Guideline 2L1.2(b). See United States v. Marquez-Lobos, 697 F.3d 759, 761 (9th Cir.2012).

II.

For the purpose of Guideline 2L1.2(b)(l)(A)(ii), a “crime of violence” is defined as

any of the following offenses under federal, state, or local law: murder, manslaughter, kidnápping, aggravated assault, forcible sex offenses (including where consent to the conduct is not given or is not legally valid, such as where consent to the conduct is involuntary, incompetent, or coerced), statutory rape, sexual abuse of a minor, robbery, arson, extortion, extortionate extension of credit, burglary of a dwelling, or any other 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.

U.S.S.G. § 2L1.2 cmt. n. l(B)(iii) (emphasis added). Caceres-Olla was convicted under Florida law of “[l]ewd or lascivious battery,” which prohibits “[e]ngag[ing] in sexual activity with a person 12 years of age or older but less than 16 years of age.” Fla. Stat. § 800.04(4)(a) (2008). The government contends that Caceres-Olla’s con[1054]*1054viction constitutes a “crime of violence” because it qualifies as either a “forcible sex offense” or “statutory rape.”1 We begin with the former.

A-

To determine whether section 800.04(4) qualifies as a “crime of violence,” we apply the framework set forth in Taylor v. United States, 495 U.S. 575, 110 S.Ct. 2143, 109 L.Ed.2d 607 (1990). Taylor established a “formal categorical approach,” id. at 600, whereby sentencing courts “compare the elements of the statute of conviction with a federal definition of the crime to determine whether conduct proscribed by the statute is broader than the generic federal definition.” United States v. Valencia-Barragan, 608 F.3d 1103, 1107 (9th Cir.2010) (citations and quotation marks omitted). “To constitute an ‘element’ of a crime, the particular factor in question needs to be ‘a “constituent part” of the offense [that] must be proved by the prosecution in every case to sustain a conviction under a given statute.’ ” United States v. Beltran-Munguia, 489 F.3d 1042, 1045 (9th Cir.2007) (citations omitted) (alteration and emphasis in original). If the statute of conviction “sweeps more broadly than the generic crime, a conviction under that law cannot count as [a qualifying] predicate, even if the defendant actually committed the offense in its generic form.” Descamps v. United States, — U.S. -, 133 S.Ct. 2276, 2283, 186 L.Ed.2d 438 (2013).2

The Sentencing Guidelines were amended in 2008 to

include a more detailed description of the “forcible sex offenses” that would constitute crimes of violence. Rather than simply listing “forcible sex offenses” as a crime of violence, the new definition lists “forcible sex offenses (including where consent to the conduct is not given or is not legally valid, such as where consent to the conduct is involuntary, incompetent, or coerced).”

United States v. Espinoza-Morales, 621 F.3d 1141, 1146 (9th Cir.2010) (quoting U.S.S.G. § 2L1.2, cmt. n. l(B)(iii)). After explaining that “forcible sex offenses” include crimes in which there may be “ ‘assent in fact but no legally valid consent....’” U.S.S.G. app. C, amend. 722 (citations omitted), the Sentencing Commission cited three examples of scenarios drawn from past cases that the amendment was intended to address, including situations in which consent is procured by (1) threats “to reveal embarrassing secrets” or “fire a subordinate”; (2) coercion by a “public servant,” “member of the clergy,” or “mental health service provider”; or (3) exploitation of a known “mental disease or defect” or “intoxication.” Id. (citations omitted).

Under the amended Guidelines, a “forcible sex offense” thus requires a sexual act where “consent to the conduct”: (1) “is not given”; or (2) “is not legally valid, such as where consent to the conduct is involun[1055]*1055tary, incompetent, or coerced.” U.S.S.G. § 2L1.2, cmt. n. l(B)(iii). A plain reading of Florida’s “[l]ewd and lascivious battery” offense, Fla. Stat. § 800.04(4)(a), makes clear that lack of consent is not an “element” of the crime. As with statutory rape “[i]n most jurisdictions,” section 800.04(4)(a) “is a strict liability crime.” United States v. Gomez-Mendez, 486 F.3d 599, 604 (9th Cir.2007). It criminalizes “[e]ngag[ing] in sexual activity with a person 12 years of age or older but less than 16 years of age,” regardless of whether the victim, in fact, consents. Fla. Stat.

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738 F.3d 1051, 2013 WL 6847127, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 25556, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-israel-caceres-olla-ca9-2013.