2009 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 7-14-2009 

# U SA v . P or t e r P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 07-3747

F o llow thi s and a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2009

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e and ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2009 D e c i sion s b y an author i z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion
" U SA v . P or t e r " (2009). 2009 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1014. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2009/1014NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

N o. 07- 3747

UNI TE D ST ATE S OF AM ERI CA

v. J UAN P ORTE R, a / k / a LAM AR PORTER a / k / a Y U M Y U M, A ppel l ant

O n A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt

fort he D i s t r i ctof N ew J er s ey ( D . C . C r i m . N o. 06- cr - 00903) D i s t r i ctJ udge: H on. K athar i ne S. H ay den Subm i t t ed U nderT hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

J ul y6, 2009 B efor e: SL O V I T E R , A M B R O and J O R D A N , C i r cui tJ udges

( Fi l ed: J ul y14, 2009)

OP I NI ONPor t er ’ s pl ea agr eement s t i pul at ed t hat t he ver s i on of the 1 Sent enci ng G ui del i nes t hat beca m e ef fec t i ve on N ovember1, 2006 governed hi s pl ea. 2 SL O V I T E R , C i r cui tJ udge. J uan Por t er , w ho pl ed gui l t yt o act i ng as an ac ces s or yaft ert he fa ctt o a H obbs A ct ro b b e ry, a p p e a ls h is s e n te n c e , c h a lle n g in g th e c a lc u la tio n o f h is c ri m in a l h is to ry sc o re . W e wi l l a f

f i r m. I. Por t erw as i n t he get aw ayvehi cl e t o w hi ch D avi d M cK enzi e fl ed af t ercomm i t t i ng a n a rm e d ro b b e ryo f

a C h in e se re sta u ra n t o n A p ril 1 8 , 2 0 0 4 . H e su b se q u e n tlyp led g u ilty t o bei ng an ac ces s or yaft ert he fa ctt o t he cr i m e of H obbs A ctr obbery , i n vi ol at i on of 18 U . S . C . § 3 . T h e p re-sen tenc e re p o rt(“P S R ”) assig n ed P o rt er a crim inal h ist o ryca tego ry 1
o f V I, b a se d o n h is f

o u r p re v io u s ju v e n ile a d ju d ica tio n s a n d th re e p re v io u s a d u lt convi ct i ons . A ti s s ue ar e the thr ee a dul tconvi ct i ons . Fi r s t , Por t erw as arr es t ed on D e c e m b e r 7 , 2 0 0 3 , w h ile d riv in g a sto len c a r, an d w a s c o n v icte d in N e w Je rse ysta te co u rtfo r rece iving stolen p rop ertyan d sen tenc ed o n N o v em b er 9 , 2 0 0 4 , to three y ea rs i m pr i s onm ent . Second, he w as arr es t ed on D ece m ber30, 2003, forpos s es s i on w i t h i nt ent t o di s t r i but e her oi n, w as convi ct ed, and w as s ent ence d on N ovember9, 2004, t o t hr ee ye a r s i m p r i s o n m e n tt o ru n c o n c u r r e n t l y t o t h e r e c e i p to f s t o l e n p r o p e r ty o f

f e n s e . F i n a l l y, he w as arr es t ed on February11, 2004, forr es i s t i ng arr es tand w as s ent ence d on No v e mb e r9 , 2 0 0 4 , t o 1 8 mo n t h s i mp r i s o n me n tt o ru n c o n c u r r e n t l ywi t h t h e a f o r e s a i d t wo3

sent ences. A thi s s ent enci ng fort he i ns t antoffe ns e, Por t er ’ s couns el ar gued thatt he thr ee convi ct i ons w er e r el at ed, and s houl d be s o t r eat ed. H e ar gued, as he does her e, t hatt he offe ns es l eadi ng t o Por t er ’ s t hr ee pr evi ous adul tconvi ct i ons had occ ur r ed w i t hi n a tw om ont h r ange be t w een D ece m ber2003 and February2004, t hatPor t erw as s ent ence d for al l t hr ee of

fens es on t he s ame day , and thatt he s ent ence s w er e t o run concurr ent l y . T he D i s t r i ctC our thel d t heyw er e notr el at ed, not i ng t hatt he natur e of e ach of fens e w as d if f e re n t, ran g in g f

ro m re c e iv in g sto len p ro p e rtyto d ru g p o ss e ss io n a n d re sis tin g a rre st, a n d th a t P o rte r w a s a rre ste d se p a ra telyf o r e a c h o f

f e n se a lth o u g h h is s e n ten c in g f o r a ll t hr ee c r i m es t ook pl ace on N ovember9, 2004. Por t erdoes notchal l enge the ca l cul at i on of hi s offe ns e l evel . O n appea l , Por t er cont ends onl yt hatt he D i s t r i ctC our terr ed i n cal cul at i ng hi s cr i m i nal hi s t or ys cor e by decl i ni ng t o t r eathi s t hr ee a dul tconvi ct i ons as r el at ed pur s uantt o § 4A 1. 2( a) ( 2) of the S entenci ng G uidel i nes. II. T he D i s t r i ctC our thad j ur i s di ct i on pur s uantt o 18 U . S. C . § 3231. W e have ju ri s d ic tio n to re v ie w a d e f e n d a n t’ s c h a lle n g e to a s e n te n c e u n d e r 1 8 U .S .C . § 3 7 4 2 (a ). W hen a s ent enci ng appea l i s bas ed on an a l l egedl yi m pr opercal cul at i on of the G ui del i nes range, w e eng age in pl enaryrevi ew of the dis t ri ctcou rt ’s i nterpret at i on of the G uidel i nes, a n d s c ru tin iz e a n yf

in d in g s o f

f a c t u s e d in th e c a lc u la tio n s f o r c le a r e rr o r. U

ni t ed Stat es4

v. W ood , 5 2 6 F . 3 d 8 2 , 8 5 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 8 ). III . Sect i on 4A 1. 2( a) ( 2) of the 2006 Sent enci ng G ui del i nes i ns t ruct ed thatpr i or s ent ence s i m pos ed i n r el at ed ca s es s houl d be count ed as one s ent ence fort he purpos es of cal cul at i ng a def

endant ’ s cr i m i nal hi s t or ys cor e. U . S. S. G . § 4A 1. 2( a) ( 2) . A ppl i cat i on N o te 3 to § 4 A 1 .2 (a )(2 ) f u rth e r in stru c ted th a t [p] r i ors ent ence s ar e notcons i der ed r el at ed i f theyw er e for o f f e n s e s th a t w e re s e p a ra te d b ya n in te rv e n in g a rr e s t . . . . O t herw i s e, pr i ors ent ence s ar e cons i der ed r el at ed i f they r e s u l t e d f

r o m o f f e n s e s t h a t( A) o c c u r r e d o n t h e s a me occa s i on, ( B ) w er e partof a s i ngl e comm on s cheme orpl an, or( C ) w er e cons ol i dat ed fort r i al ors ent enci ng. I d. atcmt . n. 3. A ddr es s i ng t hi s l anguage i n U ni t ed Stat es v. H

al lm an , 2 3 F . 3 d 8 2 1 , 8 2 5 (3d C ir . 1994) , w e hel d t hata di s t r i ctcour tm aypr oper l yr efus e t o t r eata def endant ’ s t w o pr i or convi ct i ons as r el at ed w hen the def endantw as arr es t ed s epar at el yforeac h of the
u n d e rl y in g o f

f e n s e s , e v e n w h e n th e s e n te n c in g f o r t h e s e c ri m e s h a d b e e n c o n s o lid a te d . Subse quent l y , i n U

ni t ed Stat es v. H

anker s on , 4 9 6 F . 3 d 3 0 3 , 3 1 1 n . 5 ( 3 d Ci r . 2 0 0 7 ) , we e x p lain e d th a t H

al lm an s t ood fort he pr opos i t i on t hata s ent enci ng cour tneed notcons i der th e th re e a ltern a tiv e w a y s o f f in d in g c o n so lid a tio n o f

p rio r o f f e n se s if it fo u n d th a t a defe nd ant’ s pri or offen ses had b een sep arat ed b yi nterven i ng arr est s. T hus , undert he r eas oni ng of H al lm an and H

anker s on , beca us e Por t er ’ s t hr ee p re v io u s o f

f e n se s w e re se p a ra ted f

ro m e a c h o th e r b yin ter v e n in g a rre sts , the D istric tC our tdi d noterri n decl i ni ng t o t r eatt hem as r el at ed pur s uantt o § 4A 1. 2( a) ( 2) of the

20 06 S entenci ng G uidel i nes. Por t eral s o appea r s t o r ai s e otherchal l enges t o hi s s ent ence . H ow ever , hi s pl ea ag ree m en t con tai n s an ag ree m en t “no t t o see k o r arg u e f o r an yu p w ard o r do w n w ard departur e, adj us t m ent , orvar i ance nots etfor t h her ei n, ” exc eptt hathe “r es erve[d] any ri g h t [h e] m ayh av e u n d er 1 8 U . S . C . § 3 7 4 2 to ap p ea l th e se n tenc ing co u rt ’s d e t e r mi n a t i o n o f

t h e c r i mi n a l h i s t o r yc a t e g o r y . ” Ap p . a t1 8 . I n l i g h to f t h a twa i v e r , we need no tcon si der Po rt er’ s ot her chall eng es. I V. Fort he above
- s t at ed r eas ons , w e w i l l aff i r m t he s ent ence i m pos ed byt he D i s t r i ct C o u rt.