Opinion ID: 69120
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Otherwise use versus brandished or possessed

Text: Rivera next contends that the district court erred in concluding that his conduct constituted “otherwise us[ing]” a firearm as opposed to “brandish[ing]” a firearm. U.S. S ENTENCING G UIDELINES § 1B1.1 cmt. n.1(C), (I). Our review is de novo. See United States v. Cover, 199 F.3d 1270, 1278 (11th Cir. 2000) (per curiam). In calculating a defendant’s robbery offense level, Guidelines § 2B3.1(b)(2) provides, inter alia, that: (B) if a firearm was otherwise used, increase by 6 levels; (C) if a firearm was brandished or possessed, increase by 5 levels; (D) if a dangerous weapon was otherwise used, increase by 4 levels; (E) if a dangerous weapon was brandished or possessed, increase by 3 levels . . . . 4 U.S. S ENTENCING G UIDELINES § 2B3.1(b)(2)(B)-(E). The Guidelines provide that “otherwise used” means that “the conduct did not amount to the discharge of a firearm but was more than brandishing, displaying, or possessing a firearm or other dangerous weapon.” U.S. S ENTENCING G UIDELINES § 1B1.1 cmt. n.1(I). “Brandished” means “that all or part of the weapon was displayed, or the presence of the weapon was otherwise made known to another person, in order to intimidate that person, regardless of whether the weapon was directly visible to that person.” Id. at § 1B1.1 cmt. n.1(C). We have held that “the use of a firearm to make an explicit or implicit threat against a specific person constitutes ‘otherwise use’ of the firearm.” Cover, 199 F.3d at 1278. The evidence showed that Rivera pointed his gun at the bank teller while instructing her to get the keys to the bank’s vault and escorting her to the vault area. Accordingly, Rivera did more than make the presence of his gun known to the teller – he used it to obtain her compliance with his requests. The district court correctly concluded that Rivera used the gun to implicitly threaten the teller, and it properly increased his offense level for his “otherwise use[]” of a firearm.