Opinion ID: 12197
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: type of conviction

Text: 8 This Court has determined that a deferred adjudication constitutes a prior conviction in the context of § 2K2.1. United States v. Stauder, 73 F.3d 56 (5th Cir.1996). In that case, Stauder argued that because his deferred adjudication was not a conviction under Texas law, it should not have been used to determine his base offense level under § 2K2.1. This Court looked to the commentary of § 2K2.1, which refers the reader to application note 3 of § 4B1.2 for the definition of prior felony conviction(s). § 2K2.1, comment. (n.5). In pertinent part, note 3 defines a prior felony conviction as a prior adult federal or state conviction for an offense punishable by death or imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, regardless of whether such offense is specifically designated as a felony and regardless of the actual sentence imposed. This definition did not answer Stauder's challenge. 9 Accordingly, we looked back to the remaining portion of the commentary to § 2K2.1, which provides that [f]or purposes of determining the number of [prior felony] convictions under [§ 2K2.1(a)(4)(A) ], count any such prior conviction that receives any points under § 4A1.1 (Criminal History Category). Stauder, 73 F.3d at 57 (quoting § 2K2.1, comment. (n.5)) (first brackets added). We then recognized that subsection (f) of § 4A1.2, the guideline containing the definitions and instructions for computing a defendant's criminal history, provides that [a] diversionary disposition resulting from a finding or admission of guilt, or a plea of nolo contendere, in a judicial proceeding is counted as a sentence under § 4A1.1(c) even if a conviction is not formally entered.... 10 Reasoning as follows, we concluded that Stauder's deferred adjudication constituted a prior felony conviction: the commentary to § 2K2.1 provides that any prior conviction that receives points for the purpose of determining the criminal history category is to be counted as a prior conviction in determining the number of convictions under § 2K2.1(a)(4)(A); and the guidelines instruct that Stauder's deferred adjudication from a finding or admission of guilt is to be considered in computing the criminal history category. Id. In other words, Stauder's deferred adjudication constituted a prior felony conviction because, [a]lthough § 2K2.1 uses the term 'conviction,' it refers specifically to the criminal history provisions, which, as stated, include deferred adjudications such as Stauder's in calculating a defendant's criminal history score. Id. 11 Without reference to this Court's decision in Stauder, Gooden argues that the deferred adjudication he received for his plea of nolo contendere to the robbery is not a conviction under § 2K2.1 because it is not the type of disposition that receives criminal history points. 2 Gooden points to the language in § 4A1.2(f), which provides that [d]iversion from the judicial process without a finding of guilt (e.g., deferred prosecution) is not counted. 3 12 We are unpersuaded by this argument for two reasons. First, Gooden ignores the remaining portion of § 4A1.2(f), which provides that [a] diversionary disposition resulting from a finding or admission of guilt, or a plea of nolo contendere, in a judicial proceeding is counted as a sentence under § 4A1.1(c) even if a conviction is not formally entered.... The plain language provides that a plea of nolo contendere is counted. Second, the state court expressly found that Gooden committed the robbery offense when it accepted his plea of no contest. 4 We therefore reject Gooden's argument that his plea of nolo contendere to robbery was not the type of disposition that receives criminal history points.