Opinion ID: 15662
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Imposition of consecutive sentences on Hickman

Text: 84 The district court imposed consecutive sentences on Hickman pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), which provides for twenty year consecutive sentences for individuals convicted of second or subsequent firearms offenses. Hickman was convicted of multiple firearms offenses in this trial, but he argues that § 924(c) only permits consecutive sentencing when the prior convictions have previously been entered as final judgments. As Hickman concedes, in Deal v. United States, 508 U.S. 129, 113 S.Ct. 1993, 124 L.Ed.2d 44 (1993), the Supreme court specifically rejected this argument and approved of the sentencing approach taken by the district court below. 85 Hickman contends further that even if his later convictions under § 924(c) can run consecutively to his first conviction, those later convictions cannot run consecutively to each other. Yet the statute explicitly states that sentences imposed under § 924(c) cannot run concurrently with any other sentences. See 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1). Logically, that prohibition includes other § 924(c) sentences as well, a conclusion that has been reached by other circuits. See, e.g., United States v. Wright, 33 F.3d 1349, 1350 (11th Cir.1994); United States v. Fontanilla, 849 F.2d 1257, 1258 (9th Cir.1988). We therefore conclude that the district court did not err in imposing consecutive sentences for Hickman's § 924(c) convictions. 86