Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-03-03785/USCOURTS-ca8-03-03785-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Eric L. English
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

1

The Honorable Thomas M. Shanahan, United States District Judge for the

District of Nebraska.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 03-3785

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the

* District of Nebraska.

Eric L. English, *

* [UNPUBLISHED]

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: October 7, 2004

Filed: August 9, 2005

___________

Before MELLOY, LAY, and COLLOTON, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Eric English pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine base, in violation

of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1), using a firearm in furtherance of a drugtrafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), and a forfeiture count under 21

U.S.C. § 853. The district court1

 sentenced English to consecutive prison terms of

135 months on the drug count and 60 months on the firearm count, and two

concurrent 4-year supervised release terms. For reversal, English argues that the

Appellate Case: 03-3785 Page: 1 Date Filed: 08/09/2005 Entry ID: 1937886
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district court erred in accepting his plea as to the firearm charge because it was not

supported by a sufficient factual basis.

Upon careful review, we find that there was a sufficient factual basis to accept

English’s guilty plea to the firearm charge. At the plea hearing, English admitted that

he committed the offenses charged against him, and the government stated that if the

case went to trial it would produce witnesses who would testify to English’s daily

habit of carrying a gun. See Bailey v. United States, 516 U.S. 137, 142-43 (1995)

(government must prove that defendant used or carried firearm during and in relation

to drug-trafficking crime for sentence enhancement pursuant to 18 U.S.C.

§ 924(c)(1)); United States v. Marks, 38 F.3d 1009, 1012 (8th Cir. 1994) (factual

basis for plea is established when court determines there is sufficient evidence at time

of plea upon which court may reasonably determine that defendant likely committed

offense), cert. denied, 514 U.S. 1067 (1995); Adkins v. United States, 298 F.2d 842,

844 (8th Cir.) (per curiam) (plea of guilty is admission of all essential elements of

indictment; government need not provide further proof for judgment of conviction),

cert. denied, 370 U.S. 954 (1962).

English also challenges his sentence based on Blakely v. Washington, 124

S.Ct. 2531 (2004), and United States v. Booker, 125 S.Ct. 738 (2005), which declared

the Sentencing Guidelines effectively advisory in all cases. Because he raises a

Blakely/Booker claim for the first time on appeal, we review for plain error under the

standard set forth in United States v. Pirani, 406 F.3d 543, 552 (8th Cir. 2005). To

show prejudice under Pirani, English must show a reasonable probability that the

district court would have granted a lesser sentence had it not treated the Guidelines

as mandatory. Id. Having carefully reviewed the record in this case, we find nothing

to suggest that the district court would have granted a lesser sentence under an

advisory Guidelines regime.

Accordingly, we affirm.

______________________________

Appellate Case: 03-3785 Page: 2 Date Filed: 08/09/2005 Entry ID: 1937886