FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEVEN T HC IRC U IT JUNE 20, 2007 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ 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

________________________ N o. 06- 15935 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D. C. Do c k e tNo . 0 6 - 2 0 1 1 4 - CR - J EM U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , P la in tif f - A p p e lle e , v ersu s E R I C B R I D G E S , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe S outhe rn D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( Ju n e 20, 2007) B efo re B L A C K , C A RN E S an d M A R C U S , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: E ri c B ri dg es appeal s hi s s ent ence of 82 m on ths of i m pri sonm ent , i m po se d2

a f t e rhe pl e a de d gui l ty t o one c ountof c ons pi r a c y t o c om m i tm a i l a nd w i r e f r aud, 18 U . S . C . § 1329, thr e e c ount s of m a i l f r aud, 18 U . S . C . § 1341, a nd one c ountof w ir e f r a u d , 1 8 U .S .C . § 1 3 4 3 . B r id g e s h a s b e e n a rr e s te d an u m b e ro f tim e s in h is l i fe , tw o o f w hi ch ar e r el evantt o thi s app ea l : O n M ay27 , 19 95 , he w as arre st ed for a ss aul t i ng a f

em al e. O n Jul y 7 of the sa m e y ea r, he w as arre st ed a s ec on d t i m e, agai n for as saul t i ng a f

em al e. F i ve days l at er , a N orth C ar ol i na courtse nt ence d hi m t o 45 da y s i n j a i l a nd tw o y e a r s of pr oba t i on on e a c h c ha r ge , t o run co n cu rren t l y. In th e case b efo re u s, th e d i stri ctco u rtco u n t ed each ch arg e as a se para t e off

ense , w hi ch pu shed B ri dg e over the thres ho l d n ec es sa ryt o q ual i fyfor a C r i m i na l H i s t ory C a t e gory of I V . O n appe a l , B r i dge s a r gue s tha tthe gove rnm e nt fa i l ed t o est abl i sh thathi s tw o p ri or st at e c on vi ct i on s f or as saul ton a f

em al e w er e se para t e off

ense s. W e r evi ew for c l ea r e rr or a di stri ctcourt ’ s det erm i nat i on that pr i orc onvi c t i ons w e r e notr e l a t e d f orpurpos e s of

s e nt e nc i ng. U ni t e d S t a t e s v. H ernand ez -M art i nez, 38 2 F . 3d 13 04 , 13 06 (11th C i r. 20 04 ). In ca l cul at i ng a def

endant ’ s c ri m i nal hi st ory s core , pri or se nt ence s i m po se d for r el at ed conv i ct i on s s ho ul d b e c ou nt ed as on e s ent ence . U ni t ed S t at es S e n te n c in g G u id e lin e s M a n u a l § 4 A 1 .2 ( a ) ( 2 ) ( 2 0 0 5 ) . T h e r e le v a n t ap p lic a tio n n o te r e a d s in p e r tin e n t p a r t: P ri or se nt ence s a re no tconsi dere d rel at ed i f they w er e f or offe nses th a t w e r e s e p a r a te d b y a n in te rv e n in g a rr e s t ( i.e ., th e d e f e n d a n t is3

a rr e s te d f

o rth e f ir s t o f f e n s e p r io rto c o m m ittin g th e s e c o n d o f f e n s e ) . O the rw i s e , pr i ors e nt e nc e s a r e c ons i de r e d r e l a t e d i f the y r e s ul t e d f

r om offe nses that(A ) occ urre d o n the sa m e occ as i on , (B ) w er e partof a s i ngl e c om m on s c he m e orpl a n, or( C ) w e r e c ons ol i da t e d f ortr i a l or s e nt e nc i ng. U . S . S . G . § 4A 1. 2, c m t . ( n. 3) . A s w e e xpl a i ne d i n U ni t e d S t a t e s v. H unt e r , 323 F . 3d 13 14 , 13 22 –2 3 (11 th C i r. 20 03 ): “ T he l angu age of N ot e 3 i s c l ea r. In de t e rm i ni ng w he the rc a s e s a r e r e l a t e d, the f i r s tque s t i on i s a l w a y s w he the rthe u n d e r ly in g o f

f e n s e s a r e s e p a r a te d b y a n in te rv e n in g a rr e s t. T h is in q u iry is pr e l i m i na ry t o a ny c ons i de r a t i on of c ons ol i da t e d s e nt e nc i ng, a s r e f l e c t e d by us e of th e w o r d ‘o th e rw is e .’” I t is c le a rth a t B r id g e s w a s a rr e s te d f o rth e f ir s t a s s au lt pr i ort o c om m i tt i ng the s e c ond. T he r e f or e the c a s e s a r e notr e l a t e d. B r i dge s a r gue s tha the onl y a s s aul t e d hi s gi r l f r i e nd one t i m e . H e e xpl a i ns th a t th e f ir s t a rr e s t w a s f

o rth e a s s au lt, a n d th e s e c o n d a rr e s t w a s f o rm is s in g h is c o u r t d a te . W e m ig h t a g r e e w ith B r id g e s th a t if h e s tru c ko rth r e a te n e d h is g ir lf r ie n d o n ly o n e tim e , th e f a c t th a t h e w a s a rr e s te d tw ic e f o rth a t a s s au lt w o u ld no ttri gg erN ot e 3’ s i nt erveni ng arre strul e. H ow ever , the P re se nt ence I nve s t i ga t i on R e por tr e f l e c t s tha tB r i dge s w a s s e nt e nc e d t o tw o c ount s of a s s aul ton a f em al e, t o run concurrent l y. W e a re extre m el y dou bt ful thatthe st at e c ou rt s e n te n c e d B r id g e s to tw o c o u n ts o f a s s au lt f o rs tr ik in g h is g ir lf

r ie n d as in g le tim e . S o doubt f

ul , i n f a c t , tha ti tw a s notc l e a re rr orf orthe di s tr i c tc our tt o c onc l ude4

o th erw i se, ab sen tcred i b l e ev i d en ce fro m B ri d g es t o th e co n trary. B e c aus e the r e ha s be e n a n i nt e rve ni ng a rr e s t , w e ne e d nota ddr e s s the que s t i on of

w he the rthe tw o c a s e s w e r e c ons ol i da t e d f ora l l purpos e s oronl y f or s e n te n c in g . W e a ls o d o n o t a d d r e s s th e g o v e rn m e n t’s c o n te n tio n th a t d e f e n d a n ts sh o u l d b ear th e b u rd en o f p ro o f o n rel at ed n ess. AF F I RME D.