FI LED U. S . COURT OF AP PE ALS E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT N ove m be r 16, 2005 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

________________________ N o. 05- 11842 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C . D ocketN o. 04 -003 14 -C R -1-1 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 N A T H A N I E L A R M O U R , 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 o rth e N o r th e rn D is tr ic t o f G e o r g ia

_________________________ ( N ove m be r16, 2005) B efo re B L A C K , B A R K E T T an d H U L L , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M:At sentenc ing , Armour alsoargue d th at th ea pp lic atio n o f U .S. S.G . § 2B 1. 1' s v ic tim 1 enhanc ement pre sented “ a proc edural problem” under B lakely v. Washington, 542 U.S. 296, 124 S. Ct . 2531(2004). Ar

mour does not raise that claim on appe al, and it is theref ore a bandoned. See United States v. Magluta, 418 F.3d 1166, 1185- 86 (11 Cir. 2005). th 2 A f t e rpl e a di ng gui l ty , N a tha ni e l A rm ourappe a l s hi s 24- m onth s e nt e nc e f or theftof m ai l m att er , i n v i ol at i on of 18 U . S . C . § 1 70 8. A rm ou r, a r am p em pl oyee w i th D el t a A i r L i nes ( “ D el t a” ), pl ed gu i l ty t o the theftof 25 pi ec es of re gi st er ed m ai l cont ai ned i n con ce ntra t i on and con vo y ( “ C & C ”) cont ai ners , w hi ch ar e use d b y th e U n ite d S ta te s P o s ta l S e rv ic e to s e c u r e a n d tr a n s p o r t r e g is te r e d m a il. A rm o u r ad m i tt ed t o st eal i n g an d p aw n i n g i t em s fro m 1 0 o r 1 2 C & C co n t ai n ers, i ncl ud i ng j ew el ryand l oo se di am on ds, w hi l e l oadi ng cargo o n D el t a f l i gh t s a t H a r t s f i e l d- J a c ks on I nt e rna t i ona l A i rpor t . A ts e nt e nc i ng, the P os t a l I ns pe c t or te s tif ie d th a t e a c h c o n ta in e ro n a v e r a g e h e ld b e tw e e n te n a n d f if te e n p ie c e s o f

m a il a nd tha tA rm ourha d t a ke n, r e vi e w e d orope ne d be tw e e n 100 a nd 200 pi e c e s of m a i l . T he di s tr i c tc ourtc onc l ude d tha tA rm our ’ s of f e ns e i nvol ve d i n e xc e s s of 50 v i c t i m s a n d ap p l i e d th e f o u r - l e v e l v i c t i m e n h a n c e m e n ti n U. S . S . G. § 2 B 1. 1(b)(2)(B) (200 3). O n ap p e a l, A rm o u ra r g u e s th a t th e d is tr ic t c o u r t e rr e d in c o n c lu d in g th a t h is offe nse i nv ol ved atl ea st50 vi ct i m s and i n then app l yi ng the four-l evel enhancem entun der U . S . S . G . § 2 B 1. 1(b)(2)(B). S peci fi ca l l y, A rm ou r a ss ert s that 1 h i s o ffen se i n v o l v ed o n l y 2 4 v i ct i m s.3

Q ue s t i ons of

l a w a r i s i ng unde rthe S e nt e nc i ng G ui de l i ne s a r e r e vi e w e d de no vo , and the di stri ctcourt ’ s f i nd i ng s of f

ac tar e r evi ew ed for c l ear e rr or. U ni t ed S t a t e s v. C r a w f

or d, 407 F . 3d 1174, 1177 ( 11th C i r . 2005) . A l though the G ui de l i ne s a r e a dvi s ory r a the rtha n m a nda t ory unde rU ni t e d S t a t e s v. B ooke r , 543 U . S . ___, 125 S . C t . 738 ( 2005) , the di s tr i c tc our tm us tc ons ul tthe G ui de l i ne s a nd, i n d oi ng so, m ustca l cul at e the G ui del i nes r ange acc urat el y. C raw ford, 40 7 F . 3d at 1178- 79. A f

t e rr e vi e w , w e c onc l ude tha tthe di s tr i c tc our tdi d note rri n appl y i ng the U . S . S . G . § 2 B 1. 1 v i ct i m enhancem entw hen i tca l cul at ed A rm ou r’ s G ui del i nes rang e. U n d e rU .S .S .G . § 2 B 1 .1 ( b ) ( 2 ) ( B ) , ad e f e n d a n t’s b a s e o f

f e n s e le v e l is i nc r e a s e d by f

ourl e ve l s i f

the the f tof f e ns e i nvol ve d f

i f ty orm or e vi c t i m s . F or pu rposes of § 2 B 1. 1(b)(2), a vi ct i m i s def i ned as “ (A ) any pers on w ho sust ai ned any partof the ac tual l oss . . . or (B ) any i nd i vi du al w ho sust ai ned b od i l y i nj ury a s a r es ul tof the offens e. ” U . S . S . G . § 2 B 1. 1 cm t . n. 1. T he G ui del i nes c on t ai n an e xt e ns i ve c om m e nt a ry r e ga r di ng how thi s e nha nc e m e nts ha l l be appl i e d w he n the offe nse i nv ol ves und el i vere d U ni t ed S t at es m ai l . S ee U ni t ed S t at es v. Incl em a, 3 6 3 F .3 d 1 1 7 7 , 1 1 8 0 ( 1 1 C ir . 2 0 0 4 ) ( s ta tin g th a t th e te x t o f th e G u id e lin e s a n d its th ac com panyi ng com m ent ary s ho ul d b e r ea d t og ether) . W e quo t e thatcom m ent ary in f u ll:4

U nde l i ve r e d U ni t e d S t a t e s M a i l . – (i ) In G ener al . – In a cas e i n w hi ch un del i vere d U ni t ed S t at es m ai l w as t aken, or the t aki ng of such i t em w as an obj ec tof the offens es , or i n a ca se i n w hi ch the st ol en pr ope rty r e c e i ve d, tr a ns por t e d, tr a ns f e rr e d, tr a ns m i tt e d, o rp o s s e s s e d w a s u n d e liv e r e d U n ite d S ta te s m a il, “ vi c t i m ” m e a ns ( I ) a ny vi c t i m a s de f i ne d i n A ppl i c a t i on N ot e 1; or (I I) any per son w ho w as the i nt ended re ci pi ent , or addres se e, of the un del i vere d U ni t ed S t at es m a il. ( i i ) S pe c i a l R ul e . – A c a s e de s c r i be d i n s ubdi vi s i on ( B ) ( i ) of thi s not e thati nv ol ved a P ost al S ervi ce (I ) r el aybo x; (I I) c ol l e c t i on box; ( I I I ) de l i ve ry ve hi c l e ; or( I V ) s a t c he l or c a rt , s ha l l be c ons i de r e d t o ha ve i nvol ve d a tl e a s t50 v i ct i m s. ( i i i ) D e f

i ni t i on. – “ U nde l i ve r e d U ni t e d S t a t e s m a i l ” m e a ns m ai l thathas notac tual l y bee n rec ei ved b y the address ee o rh is a g e n t ( e .g ., m a il ta k e n f r o m th e a d d r e s s e e ’s m a il bo x). U . S . S . G . § 2 B 1. 1 cm t . n. 4(B ) ( em ph as i s s up pl i ed). T hi s s peci al rul e w as

“ prov i ded for appl i ca t i on of the vi ct i m enhancem entfor off ense s i nv ol vi ng U ni t ed S t at es m ai l because of ( i ) the un i qu e proof prob l em s oft en att endantt o such offe nses , (i i ) the fr equent l y s i gn i fi cant , bu tdi ff i cul tt o q uant i fy , no n-m on et ary l os s e s i n s uc h of

f e ns e s , a nd ( i i i ) the i m por t a nc e of m a i nt a i ni ng the i nt e gr i ty of the U ni t e d S t a t e s m a i l . ” U . S . S . G . app. C , A m e ndm e nt617. A s s ho w n abo ve, the com m ent ary t o § 2B 1. 1 set s f orth a spec i al rul e w hi ch p ro v i d es th atm ai l th eft“ sh al l b e co n si d ered t o h av e i n v o l v ed atl east5 0 v i ct i m s” w h e n th e th e f

t o f u n d e liv e r e d U n ite d S ta te s m a il in v o lv e s “aP o s ta l S e rv ic e . . .5

del i veryvehi cl e . . . . ” U . S . S . G . § 2 B 1. 1 cm t . n. 4(B )( i i ). A “ vehi cl e” i s def i ned as

“ a m eans of ca rryi ng or transpo rt i ng som ethi ng ” or “ a c on t ai ner i n w hi ch s om e thi ng i s c onve y e d. ” W e bs t e r ’ s T hi r d N e w I nt e rna t i ona l D i c t i ona ry 2538 (199 3). T here fore , the pl ai n and ordi narym eani ng of the ph ra se “ del i veryvehi cl e” in th e s p e c ia l ru le in c lu d e s th e C & C c o n ta in e r s u s e d b y th e P o s ta l S e rv ic e in th is c a s e t o c a rry ortr a ns portm a i l f orde l i ve ry . S e e U ni t e d S t a t e s v. S i ngh, 291 F . 3d 75 6, 76 1 (11 C i r. 20 02 ) ( “ [L ] angu age i n the S ent enci ng G ui del i nes i s t o b e gi ven

th i t s pl a i n a nd or di na ry m e a ni ng. F ur the r , w he r e the gui de l i ne s pr ovi de no i ndi c a t i on a s t o apa rt i c ul a rappl i c a t i on[ , ] the C our tl ooks t o the l a ngua ge a nd pu rpose of the S ent enci ng G ui del i nes f or i nstruct i on . ”) . M ore s peci fi ca l l y, the C & C cont ai ners i n thi s c as e f i tthi s des cr i pt i on of a del i veryvehi cl e bec ause they are used by the P ost al S ervi ce t o transpo rtre gi st er ed m a i l by a i rpl a ne f

r om one c i ty f

orde l i ve ry i n a nothe rc i ty . I n a ddi t i on, the evi dence s ho w ed thatea ch of the 10 or 12 cont ai ners A rm ou r opened con t ai ned an a ve r a ge of

10 t o 15 pi e c e s of

m a i l a nd tha the r i f

l e d be tw e e n 100 a nd 200 pi e c e s of m a i l , s uf f i c i e nte vi de nc e a l s o t o s uppor taf i ndi ng of a tl e a s t50 vi c t i m s . T hus , the d is tr ic t c o u rt d id n o t e rrin ap p ly in g th e f o u r - le v e l v ic tim e n h a n c e m e n t. A rm ou r e m ph as i ze s thaton l y 24 v i ct i m s f i l ed a c l ai m agai nstthe P ost al S e rvi c e . H ow e ve r , appl i c a t i on of the s pe c i a l rul e i s notc ont i nge ntupon theFor example, the 24-victim figure doe s not include two compact discs containingtop 2 secret military

information, one of

which Ar mour admitted taking . 6 nu m ber of vi ct i m s f

i l i ng cl ai m s, bu tra ther upo n the i nv ol vem entof a del i very v eh i cl e, su ch as th e C & C co n t ai n ers. A dd i t i on al l y, w e di sa gree w i th A rm ou r’ s c l ai m s thathi s off ense i nv ol ved o n l y 2 4 v i c t i ms a n d th a tth e r e a r e n o “ p r o o f p r o b l e ms ” w h e n ma i l i s s t o l e n f r o m a C & C cont ai ner a s opp osed t o som e other c on t ai ner use d t o col l ec tor transpo rt m a i l . A l though C & C c ont a i ne r s a r e i nve nt or i e d w he n the y r e a c h the i rde s t i na t i on, the P ost al Inspec t or t es t i fi ed thati tre m ai ns di ff i cul tt o d et erm i ne the t ot al nu m ber of vi c t i m s w he n one of

the s e c ont a i ne r s i s br e a c he d be c aus e a n i nve nt ory doe s not re v ea l w h eth erso m eth in g h as b ee n tak en fr o m a p iece o f m ail. N o tab ly, A rm o u r’s 24- vi c t i m f

i gur e i s unl i ke l y t o i nc l ude vi c t i m s w i th non- m one t a ry l os s e s . A s the 2 P os t a l I ns pe c t ore xpl a i ne d, the C & C c ont a i ne r s hol d r e gi s t e r e d m a i l a nd s om e of tha tr e gi s t e r e d m a i l c ont a i ns i t e m s of i m por t a nc e t o the m a i l c us t om e rtha tha ve little o rn o m o n e ta ry v a lu e . H o w e v e r , th e P o s ta l S e rv ic e w ill n o t b e a w a r e o f th is lo s s u n le s s th e c u s to m e rf ile s ac o m p la in t, s o m e th in g av ic tim is le s s lik e ly to d o if th e l o ss i s n o tm o n et ary. O n e o f th e st at ed p u rp o ses o f th e sp eci al ru l e i s t o ad d ress the di ff i cul ty i n q uant i fy i ng no n-m on et ary l osse s i n m ai l theftoffe nses . A no ther st at ed pu rposes i s t o ensure the i nt egri ty of the U ni t ed S t at es m ai l . B oth p urpo se s ar e a dv ance d b y app l i ca t i on of the enhancem enti n A rm ou r’ s c as e.7

B e c aus e w e f

i nd no r e ve r s i bl e e rr ori n the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s appl i c a t i on of the f o u r - le v e l v ic tim e n h a n c e m e n t to A rm o u r ’s c a s e , w e a f f irm A rm o u r ’s 2 4 - m o n th se nt ence . AF F I R ME D.