Opinion ID: 4535792
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Consideration of Uncharged Conduct

Text: Mr. Brown argues the district court improperly permitted Special Agent Bailey to testify about her investigation of Mr. Brown and erred by considering uncharged conduct when imposing a sentence. At the sentencing hearing, Mr. Brown objected to the relevance of Special Agent Bailey’s testimony. On appeal, Mr. Brown contends, “This testimony was entirely unnecessary as the United States had already provided this uncharged conduct of Mr. Brown in their sentencing memorandum.” Aplt. Br. at 11. We have “repeatedly stated that,” with few exceptions, “[n]o limitation shall be placed on the information concerning the background, character, and conduct of a person convicted of an offense which a court of the United States may receive and consider for the purpose of imposing an appropriate sentence.” United States v. Pinson, 542 F.3d 822, 836 (10th Cir. 2008) (alteration in original) (internal quotation marks omitted); see also 10 18 U.S.C. § 3661. And the Federal Rules of Evidence, which might permit a court to exclude irrelevant or cumulative evidence, do not apply to sentencing proceedings. See United States v. Scott, 529 F.3d 1290, 1298 (10th Cir. 2008); Fed. R. Evid. 1101(d)(3). As such, the district court did not abuse its discretion when it permitted Special Agent Bailey to testify about her investigation of Mr. Brown. Further, under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)(1), “[t]he court, in determining the particular sentence to be imposed, shall consider . . . the nature and circumstances of the offense and the history and characteristics of the defendant.” That is, the district court was required to consider what Special Agent Bailey learned about Mr. Brown’s past conduct, even if uncharged, as part of the “nature and circumstances” of the charged conduct and Mr. Brown’s “history and characteristics.” The district court did not err when it considered Special Agent Bailey’s testimony in imposing a sentence on Mr. Brown.