T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

T he pa ne l una ni m ous l y f i nds thi s c a s e s ui t abl e f

orde c i s i on w i thout ** o r a l a r g u m e n t. See F ed. R . A pp . P . 34 (a )( 2).

T he H onor abl e R i c ha r d M i l l s , U ni t e d S t a t e s D i s tr i c tJ udge f orthe ** * C e ntr a l D i s tr i c tof

I l l i noi s , s i tt i ng by de s i gna t i on. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T UN I T E D S T AT E S OF AME R I C A, P l ai nt i ff

-A pp el l ee , v. DO NA LD J OSEP H SCHW I ND T, D e f

e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t. N o. 09- 30061 D . C . N o . C R - 0 8 - 3 8 - M- D WM ME MOR AN DU M *

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

M ont a na D a vi d W . M ol l oy , D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng S ubm i tt e d M a y 4, 2010 ** S e a tt l e , W a s hi ngt on Be f o r e : W A RD LA W a n d G O U LD , Ci r c u i tJ u d g e s , a n d M I LLS, D i stri ctJudg e. *** D ona l d J os e ph S c hw i ndtappe a l s hi s c onvi c t i on a nd s e nt e nc e f orbe i ng a f e l on i n pos s e s s i on of

a f i r e a r m i n vi ol a t i on of

18 U . S . C . § 922( g) ( 1) . W e ha ve



# FI LED MA Y12 2 010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

j u r i s d i c t i o n u n d e r2 8 U . S. C. § 1 2 9 1 , a n d w e a f f i r m. S c hw i ndta s s e r t s tha t18 U . S . C . § 922( g) ( 1) i s unc ons t i tut i ona l i n the w a ke of D istri ct

of C ol um bi a v. H

el l er , 1 2 8 S. Ct . 2 7 8 3 ( 2 0 0 8 ) . H o w e v e r , th e Su p r e me C our ts t a t e d i n H

el l ertha ti t s rul i ng di d nota l t e rthe l ongs t a ndi ng pr ohi bi t i ons on p o s s e s s io n o f

f ir e a r m s b y f

e lo n s . Se e id . a t 2 8 1 6 - 1 7 . F u r th e r m o r e , w e r e c e n tly h e ld th a t H

el l erd id n o t a f

f e c t th e c o n s titu tio n a lity o f 1 8 U .S .C . § 9 2 2 ( g ) ( 1 ) . See U ni te d Stat e s v . V

ongx ay , 594 F . 3d 1111, 1114- 18 ( 9th C i r . 2010) . T he r e f or e , 18 U . S . C . § 9 22 (g)( 1) i s notun const i tut i on al on i t s f ac e. S chw i nd tal so ar gu es thatthe st atut e i s uncon st i tut i on al because i ti s app l i ed i rr egul ar l y. T he st atut e r el i es up on st at e f el on y c on vi ct i on s, and the st at es cl as si fy f e l ony of f e ns e s di f f e r e nt l y . H ow e ve r , thi s a r gum e ntw a s a l s o r e j e c t e d i n V

ongx ay . 594 F . 3d a t1118- 19. T he di stri ctcourtdi d n otcom m i terror i n fi nd i ng thatS chw i nd tw as subj ec t t o a ba s e of

f e ns e l e ve l of

20 be c a us e he i l l e ga l l y pos s e s s e d a f i r e a r m a f t e ra f e l ony conv i ct i on for “ a c ri m e of vi ol ence . ” See U . S . S . G . § 2K 2. 1( a ) ( 4) ( A ) . F orthe c onvi c t i on t o be c ount e d, i tm us tha ve e i the rbe e n i m pos e d w i thi n f i f t e e n y e a r s of the i ns t a ntof

f e ns e orr e s ul t e d i n a t e r m of i m pr i s onm e nttha te xt e nde d i nt o the f if te e n y e a rp e r io d . See U . S . S . G . § 4 A 1. 2(e) (1). T he re l evantdi sput e a t3

s e nt e nc i ng w a s w he the rS c hw i ndtdi s c ha r ge d a n O r e gon bur gl a ry s e nt e nc e i n 1992 o r1 9 9 6 . D o c u m e n ts f

r o m th e S ta te o f

O r e g o n g a v e c o n f

lic tin g d a te s . T he di s tr i c tc our the a r d t e s t i m ony f r om the pr oba t i on of

f i c e rr e ga r di ng the di s c r e pa nc i e s , w hi c h i nc l ude d i nf or m a t i on obt a i ne d by t e l e phone f r om O r e gon D e pa r tm e ntof

C orr e c t i ons pe r s onne l . H e a r s a y t e s t i m ony m a y be c ons i de r e d by th e s e n te n c in g c o u r t, a s lo n g a s th e in f o r m a tio n h a s s u f

f ic ie n t in d ic ia o f

r e liab ility to s u p p o r t its p r o b ab le a c c u r a c y . See U . S . S . G . § 6A 1. 3( a ) . T he t e s t i m ony of the p r o b a tio n o f

f ic e rw a s s u f

f ic ie n tly r e liab le . R e ly in g u p o n th e te s tim o n y o f th e p r o b a tio n o f

f ic e ra n d th e d o c u m e n ts s u b m itte d , th e d is tr ic t c o u r t m a d e a f a c tu a l f in d in g th a t S c h w in d t d is c h a r g e d h is bu rgl ary s ent ence i n 1 99 6. A l tho ug h S chw i nd tdi sa gree s w i th the court ’ s f i nal d e te r m in a tio n , h e c a n n o t s h o w th a t th e c o u r t c o m m itte d c le a re rr o rin m a k in g its f in d in g . U

ni t ed Stat es v. Ki m brew , 40 6 F . 3d 11 49 , 11 51 (9th C i r. 20 05 ). S chw i nd tnextar gu es thatthe di stri ctcourterre d b y e nh anci ng hi s s ent ence f orobs truc t i on of

j us t i c e , a nd by f

i ndi ng hi m i ne l i gi bl e f

ora n a c c e pt a nc e of re spon si bi l i ty r educt i on . S chw i nd tes caped from cust od y l es s than a w ee k b ef ore hi s s e nt e nc i ng he a r i ng, a nd the P r oba t i on O f f i c e a dde d a n a dde ndum t o the p r e s e n te n c e r e p o r t ( P S R ) d is c u s s in g th e e s c ap e .4

S chw i nd tobj ec t ed t o the P S R addend um , general l y denyi ng thathe e s c ape d. S c hw i ndta l l e ge s tha tthe di s tr i c tc our ts i m pl y a dopt e d the f i ndi ngs of

the P S R , w i thoutf

or c i ng the gove rnm e ntt o pr e s e nte vi de nc e of the e s c ape . T he go vernm entbear s the bu rden of prov i ng fa ct s a tse nt enci ng thatw i l l enhance a s e n te n c e , a n d th e f

in d in g m u s t b e s h o w n b y a p r e p o n d e r a n c e o f th e e v id e n c e . See U n ite d S ta te s v . B u r n e tt , 16 F . 3d 35 8, 36 1 (9th C i r. 19 94 ). T h e d i stri ctco u rtreco u n t ed th ati tw as i m m ed i at el y n o t i fi ed o f S ch w i n d t ’ s e s c ape by the U ni t e d S t a t e s M a r s ha l s S e r vi c e , a nd the di s tr i c tc our tr e l a t e d the de t a i l s of the e s c ape . S c hw i ndt ’ s tr i a l c ouns e l w a s gi ve n the oppor tuni ty t o r e but th e in f o r m a tio n , b u t a g a in a s s e r te d a b la n k e t o b je c tio n to th e a lle g a tio n o f e s c ap e . T he i nf or m a t i on r e ga r di ng the e s c ape c onve y e d t o the di s tr i c tc our tby the M a r s h a ls S e r v ic e h a d s u f f ic ie n t in d ic ia o f

r e liab ility to s u p p o r t its p r o b ab le a c c u r a c y . See U

n i t ed S ta t es v. B erry , 2 5 8 F . 3 d 9 7 1 , 9 7 6 ( 9 th C i r . 2 0 0 1 ) , U. S . S . G. § 6A 1. 3( a ) . T he r e f

or e , the di s tr i c tc our tdi d note rri n f i ndi ng tha tS c hw i ndt e s c ape d. I n a ny e ve nt , e ve n i f

the di s tr i c tc our te rr e d i n nott a ki ng e vi de nc e , a ny e rr or w a s h a r m le s s . Se e U

ni t e d Stat e s v . B e ng- Salaz ar , 4 5 2 F .3 d 1 0 8 8 , 1 0 9 5 - 9 6 ( 9 th C i r . 2006) . A ga i ns tthe a dvi c e of c ouns e l , S c hw i ndta dm i tt e d t o the e s c ape dur i ng a l l oc ut i on a nd apol ogi z e d t o the di s tr i c tc our tf orhi s a c t i ons . T he r e f

or e , the5

di s tr i c tc our tdi d note rri n i m pos i ng a n obs truc t i on of j us t i c e e nha nc e m e nt pur s ua ntt o U . S . S . G . § 3C 1. 1. N ordi d the di s tr i c tc our te rri n de ny i ng a dj us tm e ntf ora c c e pt a nc e of re spon si bi l i ty pursuantt o U . S . S . G . § 3 E 1. 1. E xcepti n extra ordi nary c i r c um s t a nc e s , a n e nha nc e m e ntf orobs truc t i on of

j us t i c e i s i nc ons i s t e ntw i th a f in d in g o f a c c e p ta n c e o f

r e s p o n s ib ility . See U . S . S . G . § 3E 1. 1 c m t . n. 4. S c hw i ndt fa i l s t o d em on stra t e a ny extra ordi nary ci rc um st ance s thatw ou l d p erm i tthe three l ev el red u ct i o n fo r accep t an ce o f resp o n si b i l i ty. AF F I RME D.