Opinion ID: 179075
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Similarity of the Prior Offense to the Instant Offense

Text: Even though Grob's prior act of criminal mischief is similar to disorderly conduct, Grob's sentence for criminal mischief should still be counted if: (A) the sentence was for a term of probation of more than one year or a term of imprisonment of at least thirty days; or (B) the prior offense of criminal mischief is similar to the instant offense. See U.S.S.G. § 4A1.2(c). Grob's sentence (a $130 fine, an $80 court fee, and $750 in restitution) was not for a term of probation of more than one year or a term of imprisonment of at least thirty days. We must therefore determine whether Grob's prior offense of criminal mischief is similar to the instant offense of cyberstalking. We are again guided by the common sense approach in Application Note 12. See United States v. King, 506 F.3d 532, 536 (7th Cir.2007) (using the five-part common sense approach in comparing the prior unlisted offense to the instant offense). Applying this approach, it is immediately clear that Grob's prior act of criminal mischief is in no way similar to the instant offense of cyberstalking. One goal of this inquiry is to determine whether one offense is categorically more serious than the other. See Booker, 71 F.3d at 689 (quoting United States v. Caputo, 978 F.2d 972, 977 (7th Cir.1992)). In almost every possible way, cyberstalking under 18 U.S.C. § 2261A(2)(B) is more serious than was Grob's prior act of criminal mischief. An individual commits cyberstalking when, with the intent to kill, injure, or harass, he or she uses the mail, any interactive computer service, or any facility of interstate or foreign commerce to engage in a course of conduct that causes substantial emotional distress to [another] person or places that person in reasonable fear of the death of, or serious bodily injury to that person, that person's immediate family, or that person's spouse or intimate partner. 18 U.S.C. § 2261A(2)(A)-(B). Any person who commits this crime can be fined and imprisoned in a federal penitentiary for, at the least, up to five years; if the stalking results in the death of the victim, the perpetrator can be imprisoned for life. Id. § 2261(b). This statutory punishment is far more serious than that provided for criminal mischief in Montana, which in minor cases permits imprisonment in a county jail (rather than state prison) for at most six months. See Mont.Code Ann. § 45-6-101(2)-(3). More importantly, the actual punishments imposed for these two offenses differed dramatically: after his conviction for criminal mischief, Grob was ordered to pay a fine of $130 and to make restitution; after pleading guilty to one count of cyberstalking, Grob was sentenced to serve over three years in federal prison, a sentence that would have been within the applicable guideline range even without including Grob's prior criminal mischief conviction in the criminal history calculation. These different levels of imposed punishment serve[ ] as a reasonable proxy for the perceived severity of the crime[s]. Reyes-Maya, 305 F.3d at 367 (quoting Hardeman, 933 F.2d at 282); see also Booker, 71 F.3d at 689. Applying the remaining factors, we reach the same conclusion. Not only are the statutory elements of these offenses so different that it is difficult to imagine conduct that could be reached by both statutes, but Grob's actual conduct in vandalizing the house in 2000 in no way comes within the conduct prohibited by 18 U.S.C. § 2261A(2)(A)-(B). Moreover, Grob's conduct in sending volleys of explicit, violent, and threatening messages to his ex-girlfriend evidences a high level of culpability and concomitant likelihood of recurring criminal conduct. Accordingly, we conclude that Grob's prior offense of criminal mischief was not similar to the instant offense of cyberstalking within the meaning of U.S.S.G. § 4A1.2.