Court Opinion

ID: 9895011
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-11-03 21:00:36.1953+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:09:57.968164
License: Public Domain

USCA4 Appeal: 22-4224      Doc: 43         Filed: 11/02/2023     Pg: 1 of 2

                                             UNPUBLISHED

                               UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                                   FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

                                               No. 22-4224

        UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

                             Plaintiff - Appellee,

                      v.

        ANTHONY RICHARD RIVERS,

                             Defendant - Appellant.

        Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, at
        Statesville. Kenneth D. Bell, District Judge. (5:20-cr-00059-KDB-DCK-1)

        Submitted: September 25, 2023                                Decided: November 2, 2023

        Before GREGORY and RICHARDSON, Circuit Judges, and MOTZ, Senior Circuit Judge.

        Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

        ON BRIEF: Mitchell G. Styers, BANZET, THOMPSON, STYERS & MAY, PLLC,
        Warrenton, North Carolina, for Appellant. Dena J. King, United States Attorney, Anthony
        J. Enright, Assistant United States Attorney, OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES
        ATTORNEY, Charlotte, North Carolina, for Appellee.

        Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
USCA4 Appeal: 22-4224      Doc: 43         Filed: 11/02/2023      Pg: 2 of 2

        PER CURIAM:

               A jury convicted Anthony Richard Rivers on four counts of distribution and

        possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1),

        (b)(1)(C). The district court sentenced Rivers below the advisory Sentencing Guidelines

        range to 120 months’ imprisonment. On appeal, Rivers challenges his career offender

        designation, arguing that his prior North Carolina convictions pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat.

        § 90-95(a)(1) do not qualify as controlled substance offenses after United States v.

        Campbell, 22 F.4th 438 (4th Cir. 2022), for purposes of U.S. Sentencing Guidelines

        Manual § 4B1.2 (2021). We affirm.

               “The Court considers de novo whether a prior conviction is a controlled substance

        offense under the Guidelines.” United States v. Miller, 75 F.4th 215, 228-29 (4th Cir.

        2023) (cleaned up). In Miller, we held that N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-95(a) “is a categorical

        match” with the definition of a controlled substance offense in the Guidelines. Id. at 230-

        31. Thus, the district court did not err in finding that Rivers’ North Carolina convictions

        qualified as controlled substance offenses under USSG § 4B1.2.

               Accordingly, we affirm the criminal judgment. We dispense with oral argument

        because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this

        court and argument would not aid the decisional process.

                                                                                      AFFIRMED

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