FI LED U. S . COURT OF AP PE ALS E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT Se pt e m be r 15, 2006 T HOM AS K. KAHN CL E RK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

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_________________________ ( S e p t e m b e r 15, 2006) B efo re A N D E R S O N , M A R C U S an d W IL S O N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: J ohn V e rpor t e ra ppe a l s hi s 210- m onth s e nt e nc e i m pos e d f orbe i ng aUnited States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220, 125 S.Ct. 738 (2005). 1 To the extent that Verpor ter a rgues that Almenda

rez-Torres v. United States, 118 2 S.Ct . 1 21 9 ( 19 98 ), is n o lo ng e r g oo d la w, were je c t th e argument a s f

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1 8 U .S .C . § 9 2 2 ( g ) ( 1 ) . V erpo rt er ’ s 199 5 sent ence w as enhanced un der the A rm ed C ar ee r C ri m i nal A ct ( “ AC C A” ) , 1 8 U. S . C . § 9 2 4 ( e ) . Ve rp o r t e ra p p e a l e d th i s c o n v i c t i o n , a n d we a f f ir m e d th e d is tr ic t c o u r t. T h e d is tr ic t c o u r t la te rg r a n te d h is m o tio n to v a c a te pu rs uantt o 2 8 U . S . C . § 2 25 5 and re -s ent ence d h i m un der the t hen-m andat ory s e n te n c in g g u id e lin e s . I n th is a p p e a l a f

te rr e s e n te n c in g , V e rp o r te rm a k e s b a s ic a lly tw o a r g u m e n ts . F i r s t , he m a ke s a n a r gum e ntba s e d upon S he pa r d v. U ni t e d S t a t e s , 125 S . C t . 1254 ( 2 0 0 5 ) . T h e g is t o f

h is a r g u m e n t is th a t th e d is tr ic t c o u r t c o n s id e r e d im p e r m is s ib le s o u r c e s i n d e t e r mi n i n g th a th i s p r i o rc o n v i c t i o n s q u a l i f i e d f o rth e A CCA e nha nc e m e nt , na m e l y , qua l i t a t i ve f a c t s a boutthe c r i m e s r a the rtha n the m e r e f a c tof the pri or conv i ct i on s. S ec on d, he ar gu es thatthe di stri ctcourtcom m i t t ed st atut ory B ooke r e r r orby s e nt e nc i ng hi m pr e - B ooke rw i thoutr e c ogni z i ng tha tthe

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ir s t to V e rp o r te r ’s S h e p a r d c la im , w e c o n c lu d e th a t th e c la im is w i tho utm er i tbeca use the re cord cont ai ns no evi dence thatthe di stri ctcourti n fac t r e l i e d upon i m pe r m i s s i bl e s our c e s . I nde e d, a tthe f i r s ts e nt e nc i ng, on M a y 8, 1995,3

the de f e ns e e xpr e s s l y s t i pul a t e d “ tha tV e rpor t e rc om m i t t e d the s e bur gl a r i e s , a nd tha tthe s e bur gl a r i e s of

a n oc c upi e d dw e l l i ng do qua l i f y a s the pr e di c a t e , the vi ol e nt of f e ns e w hi c h w oul d be a pr e di c a t e t ow a r d a r m e d c a r e e rc r i m i na l tr e a t m e nt . ” 1995 S en t en ci n g H eari n g at3 . V erp o rt er d i d arg u e atth atsen t en ci n g , an d i n th e fi rst a p p e a l , th a tth e th r e e p r e d i c a t e c r i me s o c c u r r e d s u f f i c i e n t l y c l o s e t o g e th e ri n t i me tha tthe y s houl d be tr e a t e d a s a s i ngl e c r i m e , ora tm os tno m or e tha n tw o. T he j ud gm ent s of a conv i ct i on w i th res pectt o t ho se pri or cr i m es w er e app ar ent l y bef ore th e s e n te n c in g c o u r t, a n d a p p a r e n tly in d ic a te d th a t th e y o c c u r r e d o n s e p a r a te d a te s . M or e ove r , both the pr os e c ut i on a nd the de f e ns e a gr e e d tha tthe y di d oc c uron s e pa r a t e da t e s a nd i nvol ve d s e pa r a t e dw e l l i ngs . T he s e nt e nc i ng c our tr e j e c t e d the a r gum e nt , a nd a ppl i e d the A C C A e nha nc e m e nt . T he r e i s no e vi de nc e tha tthe se nt enci ng courtre l i ed up on any i m perm i ss i bl e s ou rc es . T hatdeci si on w as a f f i r m e d i n V e rpor t e r ’ s f

i r s ta ppe a l . A tV e rpor t e r ’ s r e s e nt e nc i ng on J ul y 16, 2004, no c ha l l e nge w a s a s s e r t e d ba s e d upon the S he pa r d r a t i ona l e . I nde e d, i n the defe nd ant ’ s ow n t es t i m on y a tthatre se nt enci ng , he re i t er at ed hi s bel i ef thatthe t hree c r i m e s oc c ur r e d ove ra pe r i od of tw o da y s . H ow e ve r , he e xpr e s s l y a c know l e dge d:

“ B uttha t ’ s a nothe ri s s ue . I gue s s i tgots hotdow n, s o I w on’ tgo the r e . ” 2004 R esen t en ci n g at3 2 . T h ere w as n o o th er m en t i o n o f t h e A C C A en h an cem en t . T h u s, the adm i ss i on by the defense atthe fi rs tse nt enci ng thatthe cr i m es di d q ual i fy as4

predi ca t es t ow ar d arm ed ca re ercr i m i nal tre atm entre m ai ned u ncon t es t ed. T here bei ng no evi dence thatthe di stri ctcourt , i n app l yi ng the A C C A enhancem ent , re l i ed u p o n im p e r m is s ib le s o u r c e s , w e r e a d ily c o n c lu d e th a t th e r e is n o m e r it to V e rp o r te r ’s S h e p a r d a r g u m e n t. T urni ng t o V erpo rt er ’ s a rgum entthatthe di stri ctcourtcom m i t t ed st atut ory B ooke re r r ori n r e s e nt e nc i ng hi m , w e not e tha tthe gove r nm e ntha s c onc e de d e r r or i n thi s r e ga r d, c onc e de d tha ti tbe a r s the bur de n of pr ovi ng tha tthe e r r orw a s not ha r m l e s s , a nd ha s c onc e de d tha ti tc a nnots a t i s f y tha tbur de n. F o rth e f o r e g o i n g r e a s o n s , we r e j e c tVe rp o r t e r ’ s S h e p a r d a r g u m e n t , b u twe va c a t e hi s s e nt e nc e on the ba s i s of the c onc e de d s t a tut or y B ooke re r r or , a nd r e m a nde d the c a s e f

orr e s e nt e nc i ng i n a m a nne rnoti nc ons i s t e ntw i th thi s opi ni on. VA C AT E D a n d R E MAND E D.