Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-05-02558/USCOURTS-ca8-05-02558-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Dale D. Decoteau
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

1

The Honorable Daniel L. Hovland, Chief Judge, United States District Court

for the District of North Dakota.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 05-2558

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the

* District of North Dakota.

Dale D. Decoteau, *

* [UNPUBLISHED]

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: August 17, 2006

Filed: August 22, 2006

___________

Before SMITH, MAGILL, and BENTON, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

A jury found Dale Decoteau guilty of being a felon in possession, in violation

of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1), 924(a)(2), (e). At sentencing, the district court1

 determined

a Guidelines imprisonment range of 188-235 months, based in part on Decoteau’s

status as an armed career criminal, and sentenced him to 188 months in prison and

three years of supervised release. On appeal, Decoteau argues (1) the district court

erred when it sentenced him as an armed career criminal because his prior convictions

had not been proven to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt; and (2) the district court

Appellate Case: 05-2558 Page: 1 Date Filed: 08/22/2006 Entry ID: 2080804
-2-

erred in finding that Decoteau’s conviction for possession of an unregistered firearm

is a violent felony. 

First, this court’s decisions foreclose Decoteau’s argument that his prior

convictions should have been submitted to a jury to determine beyond a reasonable

doubt whether they were violent felonies. See United States v. Patterson, 412 F.3d

1011, 1015-16 (8th Cir.) (fact of prior conviction does not need to be admitted by

defendant or proved to jury beyond reasonable doubt; once court determines prior

conviction exists, characterization of conviction as violent felony is legal matter for

court to consider), cert. denied, 126 S. Ct. 591 (2005); United States v. Johnson, 408

F.3d 535, 540 (8th Cir. 2005) (noting that Supreme Court has not overruled

Almendarez-Torres v. United States, 523 U.S. 224, 243-44 (1988), and Shepard v.

United States, 544 U.S. 13 (2005), did not alter rule that court may consider prior

criminal history as sentencing factor). 

Second, the district court properly classified Decoteau’s prior conviction for

possession of an unregistered sawed-off shotgun as a violent felony in sentencing him

as an armed career criminal based on his prior convictions. See 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(1)

(defendant who violates § 922(g)(1) and has 3 prior convictions for violent felonies

is subject to 15-year mandatory minimum sentence); U.S.S.G. § 4B1.4(a) (defendant

who is subject to enhanced sentence under 18 U.S.C. § 924(e) is armed career

criminal); United States v. Childs, 403 F.3d 970, 971 (8th Cir.) (possession of shortbarreled shotgun is violent felony), cert. denied. 126 S. Ct. 466 (2005). Accordingly,

we affirm.

______________________________

Appellate Case: 05-2558 Page: 2 Date Filed: 08/22/2006 Entry ID: 2080804