Opinion ID: 781024
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Career-Offender Provision

Text: 7 Under U.S.S.G. § 4B1.1, a defendant is a career offender if (1) the defendant was at least eighteen years old at the time of the instant offense, (2) the instant offense of conviction is a felony that is either a crime of violence or a controlled substance offense, and (3) the defendant has at least two prior felony convictions of either a crime of violence or a controlled substance offense. U.S.S.G. § 4B1.1; see also United States v. Veteto, 920 F.2d 823, 824 (11th Cir.1991). Martinez does not dispute that he was over eighteen at the time of the instant offense or that his offense was a crime of violence. Thus, the only issue before us is whether Martinez had two or more prior felony convictions. 8 Prior conviction requirements are strictly construed, and a defendant must have been sentenced for two unrelated offenses to be considered a career offender. United States v. Delvecchio, 920 F.3d 810, 812 (11th Cir.1991). Convictions are related for criminal history calculations if, inter alia, they were consolidated for trial or sentencing. Mullens, 65 F.3d at 1565 (citing U.S.S.G. § 4A1.2, comment. (n. 3)). In Veteto, we held that the fact that sentences were to run concurrently did not consolidate the cases for sentencing, but the defendant in that case was sentenced by different judges on different days. Veteto, 920 F.2d at 826. 9 We have not addressed whether cases are consolidated for purposes of the career-offender guideline when the defendant was sentenced by the same judge on the same day for offenses that were docketed separately and that received separate judgments. The Seventh Circuit has held that in order to find that cases were consolidated, cases must be formally consolidated by an order or functionally consolidated, where the convictions were `factually or logically related, and sentencing was joint.' Buford, 201 F.3d 937, 940 (7th Cir.2000), aff'd 532 U.S. 59 (2001). The Seventh Circuit explained that cases are functionally consolidated where the defendant was charged with the offenses in the same indictment and he pleaded guilty at the same time in the same court. Id. Other circuits to address the issue of consolidation have reached similar conclusions. See, e.g.,. United States v. Huskey, 137 F.3d 283, 286-88 (5th Cir.1998) (addressing consolidation and reviewing other circuit court decisions, finding that generally cases are not consolidated when they receive separate docket numbers or separate judgments). 10 Here, Martinez had pleaded guilty to three unrelated state offenses on the same day before the same judge and was sentenced to concurrent sentences. Nevertheless, the cases had been assigned different docket numbers, and Martinez does not dispute that he received separate judgments. Given these factors, the district court did not clearly err in concluding that Martinez's offenses should not be considered consolidated for purposes of his career-offender status. 11 As to Martinez's contention that Florida law requires that his convictions be treated as related, we review this argument for plain error because Martinez did not raise it before the district court. United States v. Jones, 289 F.3d 1260, 1265 (11th Cir.), cert. denied, 123 S.Ct. 661 (2002). To demonstrate plain error, Martinez must show that there is an error, that is plain, that affects substantial rights, and that the error seriously affects the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings. Id. 12 Martinez's reliance on Florida law is misplaced. Florida law indicates that the burden is on the defendant to move the court for consolidation of sentencing. See Clark v. Florida, 572 So.2d 1387, 1391 (Fla. 1991). Martinez had not moved the state court to consolidate his cases, and, therefore, under Florida law, his cases were not consolidated. Thus, there is no plain error in the district court's conclusion.