Opinion ID: 590931
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Determination of Target Crime

Text: 18 The Sentencing Guidelines section entitled Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy, dictates the use of the base offense level from the guideline for the object offense, plus any adjustments from such guideline for any intended offense conduct that can be established with reasonable certainty. U.S.S.G. § 2X1.1(a). Upon being polled at the request of defense counsel, the jury members indicated that they found that defendant intended to commit kidnapping, robbery, and murder. In determining which object offense to look to, the guidelines' commentary states: When offenses are closely interrelated, group them together for purposes of the multiple-count rules, and use only the offense level for the most serious offense.... U.S.S.G. Ch. 3, Pt. D, intro. comment. The presentence report's calculations which were adopted by the district court, compared kidnapping, robbery, and attempted murder, and concluded that the most serious offense of the three was kidnapping, with a base offense level of twenty-four. See U.S.S.G. § 2A4.1 (Kidnapping, Abduction, Unlawful Restraint). The government did not contest the inclusion in the comparison of attempted murder rather than murder, and the resulting reference to the guideline for kidnapping. 19 The Application Notes state that [u]nder § 2X1.1(a) ... the only specific offense characteristics from the guideline for the object offense that apply are those that are determined to have been specifically intended or actually occurred. Speculative specific offense characteristics will not be applied. U.S.S.G. § 2X1.1, comment. (n. 2). Based on the jury's finding and the evidence of the weapons, ropes, tape, and handwritten plans, the presentence report recommended increasing defendant's offense level by two pursuant to a provision in the guideline for kidnapping for use of a dangerous weapon, U.S.S.G. § 2A4.1(b)(3), and increasing it another four levels pursuant to the provision for restraint of a victim to facilitate the commission of another offense, U.S.S.G. § 2A4.1(b)(5). The report also recommended an increase for obstruction of justice because defendant lied to police during the investigation. 20 The government argues that the presentence report misapplied the specific offense characteristic set out in section 2A4.1(b)(5), which states: 21 If the victim was kidnapped, abducted, or unlawfully restrained to facilitate the commission of another offense: (A) increase by 4 levels; or (B) if the result of applying this guideline is less than that resulting from application of the guideline for such other offense, apply the guideline for such other offense. 22 The presentence report called for a four-level increase pursuant to clause (A). The government argues that it should have called for the application of the guideline for first-degree murder, U.S.S.G. § 2A1.1, 5 pursuant to clause (B), because the jury specifically determined that defendant intended to commit murder. The government contends that this analysis was followed by the Fourth Circuit in United States v. DePew, 932 F.2d 324 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 210, 116 L.Ed.2d 169 (1991). That case involved an unconsummated conspiracy to kidnap a minor to make a sex-snuff movie in which the killing of the minor was to be captured on film. The sentencing court applied section 2X1.1, which addresses conspiracies not covered by a specific offense guideline, and determined that the object offense was kidnapping, as the defendant was indicted and convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 1201(c), the statute proscribing conspiracy to kidnap. In applying the guideline for that object offense, the court looked at section 2A4.1(b)(5) and determined that the planned kidnapping was intended to facilitate the commission of a murder. It held that because the base offense level for murder is forty-three, which is substantially higher than the base level of twenty-four for kidnapping, clause (B) of section 2A4.1(b)(5) dictated the application of the offense level for murder. The court of appeals held that the cross-reference to section 2A4.1, and the subsequent cross-reference to the guideline for murder pursuant to section 2A4.1(b)(5)(B), were proper. 23 However, unlike in DePew, it cannot be said that the plotted kidnapping in the instant case was meant to facilitate the commission of a murder. U.S.S.G. § 2A4.1(b)(5). Rather, defendant's notes indicate that his goal was to rob jewelry stores, and the kidnapping and murder outlined in his plans were meant to facilitate the commission of the robbery. Cf. United States v. White, 903 F.2d 457, 464 (7th Cir.1990) (kidnapping following an escape from prison held to facilitate the commission of the escape). Because applying the guideline for robbery would result in a lower offense level than the guideline for kidnapping, the district court properly applied clause (A) rather than clause (B). 24 The government argues that, alternatively, there should have been a four-level increase pursuant to the specific offense characteristic for life-threatening bodily injury. U.S.S.G. § 2A4.1(b)(2). The presentence report did not apply or comment upon the provision in section 2A4.1(b)(2); the magistrate's report adopted by the district court concluded that the life-threatening bodily injury special offense characteristic was properly omitted because [t]o make the further assumption of life-threatening bodily injury amounts to nothing more than speculative conduct. 25 The Application Notes to section 2X1.1 provides examples to illustrate the type of conduct which is too speculative to apply for the unconsummated offenses to which the guideline applies: 26 For example, if two defendants are arrested during the conspiratorial stage of planning an armed bank robbery, the offense level ordinarily would not include aggravating factors regarding possible injury to others, hostage taking, discharge of a weapon, or obtaining a large sum of money, because such factors would be speculative. The offense level would simply reflect the level applicable to robbery of a financial institution, with the enhancement for possession of a weapon. If it was established that the defendants actually intended to physically restrain the teller, the specific offense characteristic for physical restraint would be added. 27 U.S.S.G. § 2X1.1, comment. (n. 2) (emphasis added). 28 In the instant case, the jury established that defendant intended to murder several people as part of his plan. Therefore, the determination that he intended to inflict life-threatening bodily injury is not speculative as the term is defined for the purpose of applying section 2X1.1(a). Accordingly, the district court should have imposed the four-level increase pursuant to section 2A4.1(b)(2) of the guideline for kidnapping. We therefore remand this cause and direct the district court to recalculate the Sentencing Guidelines' imprisonment range to take into account the presence of this specific offense characteristic. 6 29