Opinion ID: 1233746
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Whether the Error Affects Substantial Rights

Text: To affect a defendant's substantial rights, the error must have been prejudicial: It must have affected the outcome of the district court proceedings. Olano, 507 U.S. at 734, 113 S.Ct. 1770. When it sentenced Gamez, the district court applied the Guidelines range of forty-six to fifty-seven months imprisonment, based on the total offense level of twenty-one. According to Gamez, had the district court not applied the enhancement for a crime of violence, his total offense level would have been, at most, thirteen based on: (i) a base offense level eight, U.S.S.G. § 2L1.2(a); (ii) an eight level increase for his N.Y. Penal Law § 265.03 conviction, which likely qualifies as an aggravated felony, U.S.S.G. § 2L1.2(b)(1)(C); and (iii) a three level reduction for acceptance of responsibility, U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1(a). At a total offense level of thirteen and Criminal History Category III, Gamez's Guidelines range would have been eighteen to twentyfour months. Thus, Gamez's substantial rights were affected by the district court's error because, although he was given a below-Guidelines sentence, the advisory Guidelines range, which was the starting point for the district court's determination of the sentence it imposed, would have been significantly lower. The final question in the plain error analysis is whether the error seriously affects the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings. Olano, 507 U.S. at 732, 113 S.Ct. 1770 (internal quotation marks, alteration and citation omitted). Under the circumstances of this case, the error resulting in a significantly overstated advisory Guidelines range seriously affected the fairness and integrity of the proceedings. The district court's determination of an appropriate sentence was influenced by the calculation of a total offense level that was at least half the level that would have obtained had the New York State conviction not been counted as a crime of violence.