United States v. Troy Chisolm

579 F. App'x 187
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
DecidedJuly 29, 2014
Docket13-4177
StatusUnpublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 579 F. App'x 187 (United States v. Troy Chisolm) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fourth 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. Troy Chisolm, 579 F. App'x 187 (4th Cir. 2014).

Opinion

Affirmed by unpublished opinion. Judge GREGORY wrote the opinion, in which Judge AGEE and Judge KEENAN joined.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

GREGORY, Circuit Judge:

Following his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm, Troy Chi-solm appeals his sentence on the ground that the district court improperly categorized a prior conviction for Criminal Domestic Violence of a High and Aggravated Nature (“CDVHAN”) as a crime of violence under the sentencing guidelines. Because we find that the offense was categorically a crime of violence, we affirm.

I.

On April 13, 2005, Troy Chisolm was charged in a one-count federal indictment with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1), 924(a)(2), 924(e)(1). He was found guilty after a trial on July 17, 2006, and was sentenced to 210 months’ imprisonment. Chisolm successfully filed a motion to vacate pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255, and he was resentenced on February 27, 2013 to 103 months’ imprisonment.

*189 In determining Chisolm’s applicable guideline range at his resentencing, the presentence report (“PSR”) categorized an August 2, 2001 South Carolina conviction for CDVHAN as a crime of violence under the guidelines, resulting in a base offense level of 20. After the relevant adjustments were accounted for, his total offense level was 24, and, with a criminal history category of V, Chisolm’s guideline range was 92 to 115 months.

In order to establish Chisolm’s prior CDVHAN conviction, the Government submitted the charging document and a sentencing sheet from the state court. The sentencing sheet contains checkboxes for the state court to indicate whether a defendant is being sentenced pursuant to a plea or a trial, and also reads, in relevant part, as follows: “In disposition of the said indictment comes now the Defendant who was □ CONVICTED OF or □ PLEADS TO: CDVHAN....” J.A. 37. None of these boxes were checked on Chisolm’s form, although the court did check a box indicating that the charge is “[a]s [ijndict-ed,” and that the plea is by “[rjecommen-dation by the State,” as opposed to being “Without Negotiations or Recommendation,” or by “Negotiated Sentence.” Id. Chisolm, his attorney, and the prosecutor each signed the form, which pronounced that Chisolm’s sentence for CDVHAN was 5 years, suspended upon 90 days’ imprisonment.

Chisolm objected at his resentencing to the classification of CDVHAN as a crime of violence, arguing that the offense was categorically not a crime of violence. Using the modified categorical approach, the district court looked at the charging document for the CDVHAN conviction. Noting that the charging document alleged that Chisolm “choke[d] [the victim] around her neck with his hands causing her to seek medical attention,” J.A. 36, the district court overruled the objection on the ground that “when you choke somebody with enough force [that] they have to seek medical attention, ... that’s sufficient to show that physical force was used, and that makes it a violent felony,” J.A. 46. Chisolm timely appealed his sentence, and this Court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291.

II.

Chisolm’s primary argument 1 on appeal is that the district court erred in *190 categorizing his CDVHAN conviction as a crime of violence under the sentencing guidelines. Chisolm’s base offense level was determined pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(a)(4), 2 which provides for a base offense level of 20 if “the defendant committed any part of the instant offense subsequent to sustaining one felony conviction of ... a crime of violence.” The term “crime of violence” is defined for the purposes of § 2K2.1 as it is in the career offender guideline, § 4B1.2(a):

The term “crime of violence” means any 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 use of explosives, or otherwise involves conduct that presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another.

U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2(a). See U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1 cmt. n. 1 (2012). The first clause is known as the “force clause.” See United States v. Toyer, 414 Fed.Appx. 584, 592 (4th Cir.2011) (unpublished). The second clause consists of several enumerated crimes, as well as a “residual” or “otherwise” clause pertaining to “conduct that presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another.” See United States v. Jenkins, 631 F.3d 680, 682 n. 5 (4th Cir.2011).

“A determination of whether a defendant’s offense of conviction constitutes a crime of violence under § 4B 1.2(a) of the Guidelines is a legal issue that we review de novo.” United States v. Mobley, 687 F.3d 625, 627 (4th Cir.2012) (internal citations omitted). “We rely on precedents evaluating whether an offense constitutes a ‘crime of violence’ under the Guidelines interchangeably with precedents evaluating whether an offense constitutes a ‘violent felony’ under the ACCA, because the two terms have been defined in a manner that is ‘substantively identical.’” United States v. King, 673 F.3d 274, 279 n. 3 (4th Cir.2012) (internal citations omitted).

“In assessing whether an offense constitutes a crime of violence under the Sentencing Guidelines, two types of analyses are potentially applicable — known as the categorical approach and the modified categorical approach.” United States v. Montes-Flores, 736 F.3d 357, 364 (4th Cir.2013) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). “The categorical approach focuses on the elements of the prior offense rather than the conduct underlying the conviction,” and “[t]he point of the categorical inquiry is not to determine whether the defendant’s conduct could support a conviction for a crime of violence, but to determine whether the defendant was in fact convicted of a crime that qualifies as a crime of violence.” United States v. Cabrera-Umanzor, 728 F.3d 347, 350 (4th Cir.2013) (emphasis in original) (internal citations omitted). See Begay v. United States, 553 U.S. 137, 128 S.Ct.

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579 F. App'x 187, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-troy-chisolm-ca4-2014.