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v. L A W R E N C E M . S P E A K S , II, 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 f o r th e M id d le D istric t o f P e n n sy lv a n ia ( D . C . C r i m . N o. 05- 00028) H onor abl e J ohn E . J ones , I I I , D i s t r i ctJ udge Subm i t t ed underT hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

J une 7, 2007 B E FO R E : SM I T H and G R E E N B E R G , C i r cui tJ udges , and

PO L L A K , * D i s t r i ctJ udge ( Fi l ed: J une 18, 2007) OPI NI ON O F THE COURT G R E E N B E R G , C i r cui tJ udge. *H onor abl e Loui s H . Pol l ak, Seni orJ udge of the U ni t ed St at es D i s t r i ctC our tforthe E as t ern D i s t r i ctof Penns y l vani a, s i t t i ng bydes i gnat i on.2

L aw r ence M . Speaks , I I , appea l s fr om a j udgm entof convi ct i on and s ent ence ent er ed on J une 5, 2006, on an i ndi ctm entchar gi ng a vi ol at i on of 18 U . S. C . §§ 2113( d) and 2, arm ed bank r obbery , bas ed on hi s pl ea of gui l t y . T he di s t r i ctcour ts ent ence d Speaks t o a cus t odi al t erm of 84 m ont hs t o be fol l ow ed bya thr ee- y eart erm of s upervi s ed r el eas e. I n addi t i on, t he courtor der ed thathe payr es t i tut i on of $3, 616. 35. T he di s t r i ct c o u rt h a d ju ri s d ic tio n u n d e r 1 8 U .S .C . § 3 2 3 1 a n d w e h a v e ju ri s d ic tio n u n d e r 2 8 U .S .C . § 1 2 9 1 a n d 1 8 U .S .C . § 3 7 4 2 (a ). T h e p a rties a g re e th a t w e e x e rc ise p len a ryre v iew o n th is ap p ea l and w e a g ree w ith them . S ee U n it ed S tat es v . M o o rer, 3 8 3 F . 3 d 1 6 4 , 1 6 7 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 4 ). T hi s appea l i s verynarr ow beca us e Speaks does notchal l enge the convi ct i on and l i m i t s hi s chal l enge onl yt o t he l ength of the cus t odi al s ent ence . M or eover , the cha l l enge t o t he cus t odi al s ent ence i s confi ned t o a cont ent i on thatthe courti n m aki ng i t s gui del i ne cal cul at i ons i m pr oper l ycl as s i fi ed hi m as a ca r eeroffe nderunderU . S. S. G . § 4B 1. 1. T hat a rg u m e n t in tu rn h a s tw o p ro n g s: a c o n stitu tio n a l p ro n g c o n ten d in g th a t th e c o u rt c o u ld n o t cl assifyh im as a ca ree r of fe n d er a s the ind ict m en t did n o t so c h arg e h im an d a jury d id n o t determ ine b ey o n d a re aso n ab le do u b t th at he w as su ch an o ff en d er, an d a statuto ry prong argui ng t hat hi s pri or conv i ct i on s could no tbe u sed as a basi s t o clas si fyhim as a car eeroffe nderupon hi s comm i s s i on of the curr entoffe ns e. W e nee d notdi s cus s the cons t i tut i onal ar gum entbeca us e Speaks conce des thatexi s t i ng Supr eme C our tpr ece dent i n A l m endar ez- T or r es v. U ni t ed St at es , 523 U . S. 224, 118 S. C t . 1219 ( 1998) , pr ecl udes3

th a t a rg u m e n t a n d th a t u n le s s th a t C o u rt o v e rr u le s its p re c e d e n t w e a re b o u n d to f o llo w it. H is co n ce ssion is j u sti fied . S ee U n it ed S tat es v . C o lem an , 4 5 1 F . 3 d 1 5 4 , 1 6 1 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 6 ), ce rt . d en ied, 12 7 S . C t. 9 9 1 (20 0 7 ). T h u s, w e n ee d o n lyco n side r his statu tory a rg u m e n t. I nas m uch as t he part i es ar e i n agr eementthatw i t h t he ca r eeroffe nder cl as s i fi cat i on t he di s t r i ctcour tcorr ect l ydet erm i ned thatSpeaks ’ s advi s orygui del i ne r ange w as 188 t o 235 m ont hs and thatw i t houts uch a c l as s i fi cat i on i tw oul d have be en 1 1 0 t o 1 3 7 m o n t h s , i ti s u n n e c e s s a r yt o e x p l a i n h o w th e s e c a l c u l a t i o n s w e r e r e a c h e d . We do obs erve, how ever , t hatt he courtw as abl e t o s ent ence Speaks t o a s hor t ers ent ence t han 1 8 8 m o n ths b ec au se itg ran ted th e g o v ern m en t’ s m o ti o n u n d er U . S . S . G . § 5 K 1 . 1 to d ep art fr om t he gui del i nes r ange. B e f o re re a c h in g th e m e rits, w e p o in t o u t th a t itm ig h t b e a rg u e d th a t th is a p p e a l is m ootbeca us e the 84- m ont h cus t odi al s ent ence w as bel ow the bot t om of the gui del i ne r ange c al cul at ed w i t houtr egar d forthe ca r eeroffe ndercl as s i fi cat i on. M or eover , i tcannot be ce r t ai n t hatt he di s t r i ctcour tw oul d have de par t ed t o t he degr ee thati tdi d under U . S. S. G . § 5K 1. 1 i f i thad notcl as s i fi ed Speaks as a ca r eeroffe nder . T hus , el i m i nat i on of Speaks ’ car eeroffe ndercl as s i fi cat i on m i ghtnotens ur e thathi s s ent ence w oul d be re d u c e d . B u t in a sm u c h a s w e c a n n o t sa yw h e th e r a n d if so to w h a t ex ten t th e c o u rt w o u ld have de par t ed underU . S. S. G . § 5K 1. 1 i f i thad notappl i ed the ca r eeroffe nder cat egor i zat i on, t hi s appea l i s notm ootas a r ever s al and a r emand forr es ent enci ng m i ght4

res ulti n the cou rtaw ardi ng a cust od i al sent ence o f l ess than 84 m on t hs. U nderU . S. S. G . § 4B 1. 1, a def endanti s a ca r eeroffe nderi f he w as atl eas t18 y ea rs of ag e a t th e ti m e o f th e ins tant o ff en se, th e ins tant o ff

en se is a c o n v ict ion fo r a c r i me o f v i o l e n c e o ri s a c o n t r o l l e d s u b s t a n c e o f f e n s e , a n d th e d e f

e n d a n th a s a tl e a s tt wo p ri o r fe lon yco n v ict ion s u n d er f ed era l or stat e law , fo r eith er a crim e o f v iolen ce o r a c o n tro lled su b sta n c e o f f e n se . A s u se d in U .S .S .G . § 4 B 1 .1 , a c rim e m u st b e “ p u n ish a b le byi m pr i s onm entfora t erm exce edi ng one y ear ” t o be a c r i m e of vi ol ence ora contr ol l ed s ubs t ance offe ns e. U . S. S. G . § 4B 1. 2. T he one- y earper i od i s det erm i ned on the bas i s of the s en tenc e a u tho ri ze d rathe r th an the s en tenc e im p o sed . U n it ed S tat es v . M cA ll ist er, 9 2 7 F . 2 d 1 3 6 , 1 3 8 ( 3 d Ci r . 1 9 9 1 ) . I n th i s c a s e , th e r e i s n o d i s p u t e o v e rth e f i r s ttwo el ement s of U . S. S. G . § 4B 1. 1. T hus , w e ar e conc erned onl yw i t h w hetherthe pr i or co n v ict ion s w ere fo r crim es o f v iolen ce o r co n tr o ll ed su b stan ce o ff en ses p u n isha b le fo r a term ex ce ed ing o n e y ea r. C l ear l yhi s t hr ee pr i oroffe ns es , al l Penns y l vani a s t at e off ens es , ar e cr i m es of vi ol ence orcontr ol l ed s ubs t ance offe ns es underU . S. S. G . § 4B 1. 1 and § 4B 1. 2. O ne offe ns e w as forr eckl es s l yendange r i ng anotherper s on. U nderthe s t atut orypr ovi s i on i nv olved, 18 P a. C on s. S t at . A nn . § 2 70 5 (W est20 00 ), a person co m m i t s that offense w h e n h e “ re c k les slye n g a g e s in c o n d u c t w h ich p lac e s o r m a yp lac e a n o th e r p e rso n in dangerof dea t h ors er i ous bodi l yi nj ury . ” U nderU . S. S. G . § 4B 1. 2( a) ( 2) a cr i m e of v io len c e in c lu d e s c o n d u c t “th a t p re se n ts a se rio u s p o ten tial risk o f p h y sic a l in

ju ryto5

a n o th e r.” W h e n th e s ta tu te a n d th e g u id e lin e a re c o m p a re d , it is o b v io u s th a t th e ym e s h . F u rth erm o re, th e re ck less en d an g erm en t of fe n se w as p u n isha b le byim p ri so n m en t fo r a te rm o f m o re th a n o n e y e a r. S e e 1 8 P a . C o n s . S ta t. A n n . § 1 1 0 4 (W e s t 1 9 9 8 ). T he othert w o offe ns es w er e contr ol l ed s ubs t ance offe ns es forpos s es s i on of m ar i j uana w i t h i nt entt o di s t r i but e. T he cha r ges i n t hes e off ens es w er e contr ol l ed s ubs t ance offe ns es underU . S. S. G . § 4B 1. 1 and thus the di s put e r egar di ng them i s over w h ethe r un d er P en n sy lvan ia l aw theyw ere “p u n isha b le byim p ri so n m en t fo r a term exce edi ng one y ear . ” B utSpeaks conce des thatunderthe appl i cabl e Penns y l vani a l aw he

“ c o u ld h a v e re c e iv e d a s e n te n c e o f tw o a n d a h a lf

to f iv e y e a rs ,” f

o r t h e s e o f

f e n s e s . A ppel l ant ’ s br . at10. I ti s t rue thathe cont ends thatas a pr act i cal m at t er“gi ven the natur e of the s ubs t ance and the quant i t y , a s ent ence i n exce s s of one y earw as a vi r tual i m pos s i bi l i t y . ” I d. at11. O f cour s e, w hator di nar i l ym i ghthappen doe s notm at t er . T he offe ns es w er e puni s habl e byi m pr i s onm entfora t erm exce edi ng one y earand thus they ar e contr ol l ed s ubs t ance offe ns es w i t hi n U . S. S. G . § 4B 1. 1. T he j udgm entof convi ct i on and s ent ence ent er ed J une 5, 2006, w i l l be af fi r m ed.