Opinion ID: 554040
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Enhancement of Fields' Sentence Under 18 U.S.C. Sec. 924(e)(1)

Text: 8 Although the offenses for which Fields was convicted carry maximum sentences of ten years in the case of Sec. 922(g)(1) and five years in the case of Sec. 922(a)(6), the trial judge sentenced Fields to seventeen years in prison, according to the provisions of 18 U.S.C. Sec. 924(e)(1). 4 Fields complains that at trial the Government introduced proof of conviction of only one prior felony--the Government proved Fields' conviction for attempted murder, in order to show that he was in fact a convicted felon--and that at sentencing the Government did not introduce any further evidence of prior convictions. Thus, Fields argues, there was no competent, credible, or admissible evidence that he had committed three felonies, as required by Sec. 924(e)(1). 9 Fields' argument is without merit. Fields acknowledges that it is the law of this Circuit that due to the prejudicial nature of such evidence, in most circumstances it is error to admit proof of more than one prior felony conviction for the purpose of proving that a defendant is a convicted felon. See United States v. Quintero, 872 F.2d 107, 111 (5th Cir.1989). Accordingly, if the sentence enhancement provisions of Sec. 924(e)(1) are to be given effect, the Government must be allowed to prove that the defendant has committed three felonies at the sentencing stage of the proceedings. The Government did so here, by means of the presentence report, which listed Fields' twelve prior felony convictions. Fields made no objection to the report. As a result, the report provided an adequate basis for the sentencing judge to determine that Fields had committed three prior felonies. See United States v. Ruiz, 580 F.2d 177, 177-78 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 439 U.S. 1051, 99 S.Ct. 732, 58 L.Ed.2d 712 (1978) (unless defendant makes proper objection to presentence report, sentencing judge is entitled to rely upon its factual recitations). 5 10 Finally, Fields complains that his sentence must be set aside because the sentencing court did not specify which three of his twelve felony convictions it was relying on in imposing an enhanced sentence under Sec. 924(e)(1). This argument is patently frivolous; the district court made clear that it was relying on all twelve of Fields' prior convictions, which, the court noted, were four times the number required for the enhanced penalty provided by Sec. 924(e)(1). These convictions were each set out in detail in the presentence report; if Fields had some argument as to why certain of his convictions could not support sentence enhancement under Sec. 924(e)(1), his remedy was to object to the report.