Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-06-01540/USCOURTS-ca8-06-01540-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Dwaun Brown
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 06-1540

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the

* Eastern District of Missouri.

Dwaun Brown, *

* [UNPUBLISHED]

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: February 22, 2007

Filed: March 1, 2007

___________

Before RILEY, MAGILL, and MELLOY, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Dwaun Brown (Brown) pled guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with

intent to distribute heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846. Brown objected to his

classification as a career offender, arguing in reliance on Shepard v. United States,

544 U.S. 13, 27-28 (2005) (Thomas, J. concurring), his prior convictions should not

be used to enhance his sentence, despite Almendarez-Torres v. United States, 523 U.S.

224, 226-27, 247 (1998) (sentence-enhancing prior conviction need not be charged in

indictment; due process does not require treating recidivism as element of offense).

Appellate Case: 06-1540 Page: 1 Date Filed: 03/01/2007 Entry ID: 3283447
1

The Honorable Stephen N. Limbaugh, United States District Judge for the

Eastern District of Missouri. 

-2-

The district court1

 overruled the objection, and sentenced Brown to 188 months’

imprisonment. Brown appeals, arguing his sentence violates the Fifth and Eighth

Amendments. 

These arguments are unavailing. See United States v. Johnson, 408 F.3d 535,

540 (8th Cir. 2005) (“The Supreme Court has never overruled its decision in

Almendarez-Torres, and Shepard did not alter the rule that a court may consider prior

criminal history as a sentencing factor.”); United States v. Collins, 340 F.3d 672, 679

(8th Cir. 2003) (“The Eighth Amendment forbids only extreme sentences that are

grossly disproportionate to the crime.” (internal quotations omitted)). Brown’s

sentence is not unreasonable. Consequently, we affirm.

______________________________

Appellate Case: 06-1540 Page: 2 Date Filed: 03/01/2007 Entry ID: 3283447