Opinion ID: 2979142
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Joshua’s Sentencing

Text: Joshua raises an objection to his designation as a career criminal, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 4B1.1, which was based on two prior convictions. Joshua concedes that the first conviction, a felony drug charge, qualifies under§ 4B1.1, but he appeals the district court’s holding that the second conviction, for attempted kidnapping, is a “crime of violence” under § 4B1.1. 18 08-5913/5929, USA v. Smith We review de novo a district court’s determination that an offense is a crime of violence, as defined in U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2. United States v. Arnold, 58 F.3d 1117, 1120 (6th Cir. 1995). This Court first must determine whether the prior conviction “is for a crime that is among those specifically enumerated in the guidelines.” United States v. Wood, 209 F.3d 847, 850 (6th Cir. 2000). Section 4B1.2 defines a crime of violence as: any offense under federal or state law, punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, that (1) has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person of another, or (2) is burglary of a dwelling, arson, or extortion, involves use of explosives, or otherwise involves conduct that presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another. U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2(a). If an offense is specifically enumerated, then “it is a crime of violence for sentencing purposes,” and the court need not analyze whether it qualifies under the other criteria. Id. The application notes to § 4B1.2 make clear that kidnaping is a crime of violence, a point that Joshua concedes. However, Joshua argues that attempted kidnaping is not listed and that the omission is an indication that attempted kidnapping should not be considered a crime of violence. This argument is without merit, for the application notes also expressly indicate that “‘Crime of violence’ . . . include[s] the offenses of aiding and abetting, conspiring, and attempting to commit such offenses.” Id., comment. (n. 1) (emphasis added). Because attempted kidnaping is an enumerated crime of violence, the district court did not err in designating Joshua as a career criminal.
Joshua also challenges the imposition of a two-level leadership enhancement, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1. This Circuit has not established the standard of review for sentencing 19 08-5913/5929, USA v. Smith enhancements under § 3B1.1. United States v. Moncivais, 492 F.3d 652, 660 (6th Cir. 2007) (explaining why the state of the law is unresolved). We need not make such a determination in this case either, because we would uphold the district court’s imposition of the leadership enhancement under either clear error or de novo review. The evidence shows that Joshua was a second-tier leader of the conspiracy, answering only to Maldonado and distributing cocaine and marijuana to at least five distributors and his girlfriend. Thompson and Robinson, two of Joshua’s distributors, purchased drugs from Joshua and sold the drugs to Cessna. Thompson had to phone Joshua and wait for him to arrive with the drugs before she could complete a number of the transactions. The evidence also shows that Joshua had four other distributors, A.G., Shaky, Craig, and Jessie. We have upheld a role enhancement under § 3B1.1(b) when the defendant directed the actions of only one individual. See United States v. Solorio, 337 F.3d 580, 600–01 (6th Cir. 2003). The evidence here indicates that Joshua directed the activity of no less than six other individuals in furtherance of the conspiracy, including requiring direct involvement by Joshua before certain transactions could take place. The district court correctly imposed a leadership enhancement on Joshua.
Finally, Joshua argues that the imposition of a two-level enhancement for use of a firearm during a drug crime was improper. We will uphold a finding by the district court that a defendant possessed a firearm during a drug crime unless it is clearly erroneous. Id. at 599. The government must first show that the defendant possessed the firearm, but Joshua concedes that he pointed a firearm at a police officer during the execution of a search warrant on his residence. The burden, 20 08-5913/5929, USA v. Smith therefore, falls on Joshua “to demonstrate that it was clearly improbable that the weapon was connected to the offense.” Id. Instead of attempting to meet his burden, Joshua attempts to change the subject, first by arguing that the sentencing enhancement is improper because he was not charged with a firearms offense and, second, because the alleged possession took place in the Middle District of Tennessee, not in the Eastern District, where the trial was held. These facts are irrelevant to our review of the district court’s imposition of a two-level firearms enhancement. Notably, Joshua offers no legal support for his arguments and, in fact, cites no case law at all, and the government expresses frustration in not being able to find case law directly on point. The lack of relevant case law is not surprising considering the complete lack of legal merit to Joshua’s claims. The Seventh Circuit appears to have come closest to this issue in United States v. Dawn, 129 F.3d 878 (7th Cir. 1997). In Dawn, the defendant was charged with production of child pornography. He objected to certain findings, made at sentencing, regarding films which he produced outside of the geographical boundaries of the United States. He claimed that, because the activities occurred on foreign soil, they should not have been considered by the sentencing court. The Seventh Circuit disagreed, stating that: [n]one of the guidelines . . . makes the relevance of the defendant’s conduct turn on whether that conduct took place within or without the borders of the United States . . . [but] focus instead upon the factual and logical relationship between the offense of conviction and the defendant’s other acts, wherever they may have occurred. Id. at 882. Similarly, U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1 does not make the relevance of Joshua’s conduct turn on where possession of the firearm took place, so imposition of the firearms enhancement was proper. 21 08-5913/5929, USA v. Smith