Opinion ID: 779290
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The punishment for an offense under this section is —

Text: 76 (A) if the person was released in connection with a charge of, or while awaiting sentence, surrender for service of sentence, or appeal or certiorari after conviction for — 77 (i) an offense punishable by death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for a term of 15 years or more, a fine under this title or imprisonment for not more than ten years, or both; 78 (ii) an offense punishable by imprisonment for a term of five years or more, a fine under this title or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both; 79 (iii) any other felony, a fine under this title or imprisonment for not more than two years, or both; 80 . . . . 81 (2) A term of imprisonment imposed under this section shall be consecutive to the sentence of imprisonment for any other offense. 82 18 U.S.C. § 3146(b) (emphasis added). 83 As seen from above, the failure to appear statute does not specify a set term of imprisonment to be imposed; instead, it states that a violation may be punished by a fine, imprisonment, or both. See 18 U.S.C. § 3146(b). The statute's only requirement is that, if a sentence of imprisonment is imposed (as opposed to simply a fine), that sentence must run consecutively to any sentence imposed for the underlying offense(s). 84 In addition to the above statutory language, there are three relevant guidelines provisions with respect to grouping. First, U.S.S.G. § 3D1.1 sets forth the procedure for determining an overall offense level on multiple counts that are grouped. Section 3D1.1(a) provides: 85 When a defendant has been convicted of more than one count, the court shall: 86 (1) Group the counts resulting in conviction into distinct Groups of Closely Related Counts (Groups) by applying the rules specified in § 3D1.2. 87 (2) Determine the offense level applicable to each Group by applying the rules specified in § 3D1.3. 88 (3) Determine the combined offense level applicable to all Groups taken together by applying the rules specified in § 3D1.4. 89 (b) Exclude from the application of I §§ 3D1.2-3D1.5 any count for which the statute (1) specifies a term of imprisonment to be imposed; and (2) requires that such term of imprisonment be imposed to run consecutively to any other terms of imprisonment. Sentences for such counts are governed by the provisions of § 5G1.2. 90 Subsection (b) was added in 1998 by amendment. See Appendix C, amendment 579 (1998). Amendment 579 was intended to clarify how several guidelines provisions, including those on grouping multiple counts of conviction, work together to ensure an incremental, consecutive penalty for a failure to appear count. U.S.S.G. Supplement to App. C, Amendment 579 (1998). The Commentary to § 3D1.1 states: Application Note: 91 1. Subsection (b) applies if a statute (A) specifies a term of imprisonment to be imposed; and (B) requires that such term of imprisonment be imposed to run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment. See, e.g., 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) (requiring mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment, based on the conduct involved, to run consecutively). The multiple count rules set out under this Part do not apply to a count of conviction covered by subsection (b). However, a count covered by subsection (b) may affect the offense level determination for other counts. For example, a defendant is convicted of one count of bank robbery (18 U.S.C. § 2113), and one count of use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence (18 U.S.C. § 924(c)). The two counts are not grouped together pursuant to this guideline, and, to avoid unwarranted double counting, the offense level for the bank robbery count under § 2B3.1 (Robbery) is computed without application of the enhancement for weapon possession or use as otherwise required by subsection (b)(2) of that guideline. Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), the mandatory minimum five-year sentence on the weapon-use count runs consecutively to the guideline sentence imposed on the bank robbery count. See § 5G1.2(a). 92 Unless specifically instructed, subsection (b) does not apply when imposing a sentence under a statute that requires the imposition of a consecutive term of imprisonment only if a term of imprisonment is imposed (i.e., the statute does not otherwise require a term of imprisonment to be imposed). See, e.g., 18 U.S.C. § 3146 (Penalty for failure to appear); 18 U.S.C. § 924(a)(4) (regarding penalty for 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) (possession or discharge of a firearm in a school zone)); 18 U.S.C. § 1791(c) (penalty for providing or possessing a controlled substance in prison). Accordingly, the multiple count rules set out under this Part do apply to a count of conviction under this type of statute. 93 Background: This section outlines the procedure to be used for determining the combined offense level. After any adjustments from Chapter 3, Part E (Acceptance of Responsibility) and Chapter 4, Part B (Career Offenders and Criminal Livelihood) are made, this combined offense level is used to determine the guideline sentence range. Chapter Five (Determining the Sentence) discusses how to determine the sentence from the (combined) offense level; § 5G1.2 deals specifically with determining the sentence of imprisonment when convictions on multiple counts are involved. References in Chapter Five (Determining the Sentence) to the offense level should be treated as referring to the combined offense level after all subsequent adjustments have been made. 94 (emphasis added). 95 Also important to consider is U.S.S.G. § 2J1.6, the guideline regarding failure to appear, providing in part that: 96
97 (1) 11, if the offense constituted a failure to report for service of sentence; or 98