Source: http://openjurist.org/367/f3d/1200/united-states-v-benitez-perez
Timestamp: 2013-12-11 12:24:05
Document Index: 239506569

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 2', '§ 453', '§ 1326', '§ 453', '§ 453', '§ 453', '§ 453', '§ 453', '§ 1326', '§ 2', '§ 2']

367 F3d 1200 United States v. Benitez-Perez | OpenJurist
367 F. 3d 1200 - United States v. Benitez-Perez	Home367 f3d 1200 united states v. benitez-perez
367 F3d 1200 United States v. Benitez-Perez 367 F.3d 1200
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee,v.David BENITEZ-PEREZ, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 03-10419.
Fred Atcheson, Reno, NV, for the appellant.
Craig S. Denny, Assistant United States Attorney, Reno, NV, for the appellee.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Nevada; Howard D. McKibben, District Judge, Presiding. D.C. No. CR-02-00192-HDM.
Before WALLACE, KOZINSKI, and THOMAS, Circuit Judges.
David Benitez-Perez appeals the district court's enhancement of his offense level by 16 levels pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2L1.2(b)(1)(A)(i) based on his prior conviction for violating Nevada Revised Statute § 453.337. We review the district court's decision that a prior conviction is a qualifying offense de novo, United States v. Hernandez-Valdovinos, 352 F.3d 1243, 1246 (9th Cir.2003), and we affirm.
* In the summer of 2002, local authorities in Reno, Nevada were dispatched to a motel on a domestic battery complaint. When officers arrived, Benitez-Perez, a citizen of Mexico, had already driven away from the scene. Upon his return, however, officers discovered that he had over a .12% blood alcohol content and 26.82 grams of methamphetamine in his vehicle. Benitez-Perez was convicted subsequently on November 6, 2002 of driving under the influence and Trafficking a Controlled Substance.
While Benitez-Perez was in state custody, immigration officials discovered that he was in the United States illegally, having been deported approximately ten years earlier for a previous drug offense. Consequently, Benitez-Perez was indicted by a grand jury for willfully being in the United States unlawfully in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a) after a previous arrest and deportation.
Benitez-Perez' prior arrest occurred in 1991, when he was charged with five counts of illegal drug-related activity, namely: (1) possession of a trafficking quantity of a controlled substance in violation of NRS § 453.3385 and § 453.3405; (2) possession of a controlled substance in violation of NRS § 453.336; (3) possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of sale in violation of 453.337; (4) unlawful sale of a controlled substance in violation of NRS § 453.321; and (5) conspiracy to sell a controlled substance in violation of NRS § 453.401. Ultimately, Benitez-Perez pled guilty to Count III of the Nevada Information and the other charges were dismissed. As a result, a final judgment was entered on January 22, 1992, determining that "David Benitez-Perez is guilty of the crime of Possession of a Controlled Substance For the Purpose of Sale as charged in Count III of the Information."
For his 1992 conviction, Benitez-Perez was sentenced to state prison for four years. Shortly after nine months in incarceration, Benitez-Perez was paroled and deported to Mexico.
Benitez-Perez also entered a guilty plea to the § 1326(a) charge before us. The Presentence Investigation Report (PSR) recommended a 16 offense level enhancement based on his 1992 "drug trafficking" offense pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2L1.2(b)(1)(A). The PSR set Benitez-Perez' offense level at 21 after a three level reduction for acceptance of responsibility. Combined with a criminal history category of IV, the PSR recommended a sentence in the mid-range of the 57-71 month Guideline range.
Benitez-Perez objected to the 16 level enhancement, claiming that the prior Nevada conviction was not a qualifying predicate offense, and that he was paroled before his sentence exceeded 13 months as required by U.S.S.G. § 2L1.2(b)(1)(A)(i). He also objected to the calculation of the criminal h