Opinion ID: 166833
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Lack of sufficient proof claim

Text: Mr. Smith argues in the alternative that the 1986 conviction should not be counted because the government did not even prove by a preponderance of the evidence that his parole was properly revoked. We reject this argument. -5- Nowhere does Mr. Smith ever assert that his parole was not actually revoked or that he was not incarcerated for the 1986 conviction after August 25, 1987. Rather, he speaks in terms of “if . . . then” and argues only that the government has not met its burden of proof. 1 Citing to a Ninth Circuit case, Mr. Smith asserts that because the government did not sufficiently prove that he received due process in the revocation of his parole, the 1986 conviction should not count toward determining career offender status. See United States v. Ramirez, 347 F.3d 792 (9th Cir. 2003). 2 However, where a defendant fails to make “specific allegations of factual inaccuracy” in the presentence report, United States v. Pedraza, 27 F.3d 1515, 1530 (10th Cir. 1994), the district court is not even required to make findings as to that issue under Rule 32. See United States v. Garcia, 24 F. App’x 872, 876 1 “If proven, [the parole revocation] would add eleven months to the period of imprisonment bringing it within the fifteen year period”; “If Mr. Smith’s parole was not revoked . . . or if it was not properly revoked, then [the 1986] conviction would not count and Mr. Smith would not be a career offender”; “there is not enough evidence in the record to demonstrate that Mr. Smith was accorded due process in the possible revocation of his parole.” 2 The Ramirez court concluded that before a court can find constructive parole revocation for federal sentencing purposes where under state law there was no revocation, “there must be, at minimum” a showing that there was “(1) a formal finding that a probationer or parolee has committed a violation and (2) a determination that the violation was serious enough to warrant reimposing the probationer’s or parolee’s original sentence.” 347 F.3d at 800. Because we determine that Mr. Smith has not properly objected to the presentence report, we need not decide whether to extend the Ramirez court’s analysis to this case. -6- (10th Cir. Nov. 21, 2001) (unpublished) (“To successfully invoke the fact-finding obligation of Rule 32(c)(1), the defendant must make specific allegations of factual inaccuracy.”) (quotation omitted); see also United States v. Terry, 916 F.2d 157, 162 (4th Cir. 1990) (“A mere objection to the finding in the presentence report is not sufficient. The defendant has an affirmative duty to make a showing that the information in the presentence report is unreliable, and articulate the reasons why the facts contained therein are untrue or inaccurate.”); id. (“Without an affirmative showing the information is inaccurate, the court is ‘free to adopt the findings of the [presentence report] without more specific inquiry or explanation.’”) (quoting United States v. Mueller, 902 F.2d 336, 346 (5th Cir. 1990)). Because Mr. Smith failed to make any allegations of factual inaccuracy, we therefore conclude that the district court properly accepted the findings from the presentence report.