Court Opinion

ID: 2964351
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-09-21 21:24:27.434925+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:37:24.137388
License: Public Domain

USCA1 Opinion

	

                            UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                                FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
                                 ____________________

          No. 94-2194

                                    UNITED STATES,

                                      Appellee,

                                          v.

                                 DANIEL G. SULLIVAN,

                                Defendant - Appellant.

                                 ____________________

                     APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

                              FOR THE DISTRICT OF MAINE

                     [Hon. Morton A. Brody, U.S. District Judge]
                                            ___________________

                                 ____________________

                                        Before

                               Torruella, Chief Judge,
                                          ___________

                                Boudin, Circuit Judge,
                                        _____________

                              and Lisi,* District Judge.
                                         ______________

                                _____________________

               David  J.  Fine, by  Appointment  of  the Court,  with  whom
               _______________
          Dangel, Donlan & Fine, was on brief for appellant.
          _____________________
               F. Mark Terison, Assistant United States Attorney, with whom
               _______________
          Jay  P.  McCloskey,  United  States Attorney,  and  Elizabeth  C.
          __________________                                  _____________
          Woodcock,  Assistant United  States Attorney,  were on  brief for
          ________
          appellee.

                                 ____________________

                                   October 29, 1996
                                 ____________________
                              
          ____________________

          *  Of the District of Rhode Island, sitting by designation.

                    LISI, District Judge.
                    LISI, District Judge
                          ______________

                                    I.  BACKGROUND
                                    I.  BACKGROUND

                    Following  a four  day trial,  a jury  found defendant-

          appellant Daniel G. Sullivan guilty of receiving a stolen firearm

          after previously having been convicted  of a felony ("Count  I"),

          aiding and abetting the sale of stolen firearms ("Count II"), and

          aiding and abetting  the sale  of firearms to  a convicted  felon

          ("Count  III").  Finding that  Sullivan had been  convicted of at

          least three  prior crimes of  violence or serious  drug offenses,

          the district court sentenced Sullivan as an armed career criminal

          pursuant to U.S.S.G.   4B1.4.  The  court imposed prison terms of

          188 months  on Count I  and 120 months  on each of Counts  II and

          III,  to  be  served  concurrently, with  five  years  supervised

          release thereafter.

                    Sullivan challenges the district  court's determination

          of  his status as an armed career  criminal for the first time on

          appeal,  a fact that Sullivan concedes  in his brief.  He alleges

          no error  with respect  to the  offense of  conviction, sometimes

          referred  to  as the  "triggering  offense."   See,  e.g., United
                                                         ___   ____  ______

          States v.  Bell, 966 F.2d 703, 705 n.5 (1st Cir. 1992).  Instead,
          ______     ____

          Sullivan  attacks the  district  court's use  of his  prior state

          court  convictions as  predicate  offenses for  the armed  career

          criminal  determination on two fronts.  For the reasons set forth

          below,  this court  rejects  each of  Sullivan's contentions  and

          affirms the district court's sentence.

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                                   II.  DISCUSSION
                                   II.  DISCUSSION

                                A.  Standard of Review
                                A.  Standard of Review
                                    __________________

                    At  the outset,  it  is incumbent  upon  this court  to

          delineate the correct standard of its review.  It is well-settled

          in this circuit that arguments which an appellant failed to raise

          in  contemporaneous objections below are effectively forfeited on

          appeal and reversible only  if an appellant can  establish "plain

          error."   United States  v. Winter,  70 F.3d  655, 659  (1st Cir.
                    _____________     ______

          1995),  cert. denied,  116 S.  Ct. 1366  (1996); see  also United
                  ____________                             _________ ______

          States  v.  Alzanki, 54  F.3d 994,  1003  (1st Cir.  1995), cert.
          ______      _______                                         _____

          denied, 116 S. Ct. 909 (1996); United States v. Griffin, 818 F.2d
          ______                         _____________    _______

          97,  100 (1st Cir.),  cert. denied, 484  U.S. 844 (1987).   Under
                                ____________

          this standard, an  appellant must establish:  "(1) 'error,' i.e.,
                                                                      ____

          a '[d]eviation from a legal rule'; (2) that  the error is 'plain'

          or 'obvious';  and (3) that the plain error affected 'substantial

          rights.'"    United States  v. Winter,  70  F.3d at  659 (quoting
                       _____________     ______

          United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725, 732 (1993)).  Regardless of
          _____________    _____

          whether an appellant bears this  burden, however, the decision to

          correct the error is entirely discretionary.  See id.  We proceed
                                                        ___ ___

          to address Sullivan's two arguments in light of these principles.

                          B.  Sufficiency of the Indictment
                          B.  Sufficiency of the Indictment
                              _____________________________

                    Sullivan's first argument  concerns the sufficiency  of

          the indictment under which  he was charged.  Sullivan  avers that

          the  list of his prior  state court convictions  contained in the

          indictment did not  contain three  convictions valid  for use  as

          predicate offenses under the  Armed Career Criminal Act ("ACCA"),

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          18  U.S.C.    924.   A  thorough  examination of  the  indictment

          undercuts this argument, however.

                    The indictment lists  a number  of Sullivan's  previous

          convictions,  ranging from  simple  drug possession  in 1970,  to

          burglary in  1983.  Sullivan does not challenge the use of two of

          these convictions, the burglary  conviction on May 18, 1983,  and

          one on October 29, 1992  for arson, as predicate offenses.1   The

          issue  raised  on   appeal  is  whether  any  of   the  remaining

          convictions were valid for use as a third predicate offense.

                    With  respect  to  this  issue,  Sullivan  devotes  the

          majority  of  his  efforts  to   arguing  why  his  several  drug

          convictions, a conviction for possession of bomb materials, and a

          generic  conspiracy  conviction   are  inadequate  to   serve  as

          predicate offenses.  We need not address these contentions.

                    The presentence  report reveals that Sullivan  had four
                                                                       ____

          prior  state court burglary convictions,  not one, as  he and the

          indictment suggest.   This  inconsistency is attributable  to the

          fact that the convictions were consolidated for sentencing in the

          state court in  which Sullivan was tried.  It  is clear, however,

          that the burglaries took place  on different dates, involved four

          different victims, and involved four distinct sentences.

                    It  is well-settled  in  this circuit  and others  that

          crimes  which   were  committed  on  different   dates,  involved

          different  locations, and  targeted different  victims are  to be
                              
          ____________________

          1  Sullivan declines to do so for good reason:  the term "violent
          felony"  is defined by statute to include the crimes of arson and
          burglary.  See 18 U.S.C.   924(e)(2)(B).
                     ___

                                         -4-

          treated as  distinct for  purposes of 18  U.S.C.    924(e).   See
                                                                        ___

          United States v. Riddle, 47 F.3d 460, 462 (1st Cir. 1995); United
          _____________    ______                                    ______

          States  v.  Lewis, 40  F.3d 1325,  1346  (1st Cir.  1994); United
          ______      _____                                          ______

          States  v.  Godinez,  998  F.2d  471,  472-73  (7th  Cir.  1993).
          ______      _______

          Accordingly,  any three of  the five prior  state convictions for

          burglary  or arson  could have  served as the  predicate offenses

          necessary to sentence Sullivan as an armed career criminal.

                    Any  argument that  Sullivan did  not receive  adequate

          notice that the government intended  to seek an enhancement under

          the  ACCA   because  the  four  burglary   convictions  were  not

          delineated  in the  indictment must  also fail  for two  reasons.

          First,  the government  "need  not allege  in the  indictment the

          three  prior felonies that it  will use to  enhance a defendant's

          sentence under    924(e)(1)."   United States v.  Tracy, 36  F.3d
                                          _____________     _____

          187, 198 (1st Cir.  1994), cert. denied, 115 S.  Ct. 1717 (1995);
                                     ____________

          see also United  States v. Rumney, 867 F.2d 714,  719 (1st Cir.),
          ________ ______________    ______

          cert.  denied, 491 U.S. 908 (1989).   Second, notwithstanding the
          _____________

          government's failure to elucidate  the specific felonies it would

          use as predicate crimes, it did announce its intention to seek an

          enhanced sentence under  the ACCA  in both the  indictment and  a

          trial brief filed  prior to  commencement of trial.   See  United
                                                                ___  ______

          States v. Tracy,  36 F.3d at  198; United  States v. Rumney,  867
          ______    _____                    ______________    ______

          F.2d at 716.  Accordingly, we find no plain error with respect to

          this issue.

                           C.  Restoration of Civil Rights
                           C.  Restoration of Civil Rights
                               ___________________________

                    Sullivan's  second argument  is  grounded in  18 U.S.C.

                                         -5-

            921(a)(20).  This section provides that "[a]ny conviction which

          has been  expunged, or set aside  or for which a  person has been

          pardoned or has had civil rights restored shall not be considered

          a  conviction for  purposes of  [the ACCA],  unless  such pardon,

          expungement, or  restoration of civil  rights expressly  provides

          that the  person may  not ship,  transport,  possess, or  receive

          firearms."   18 U.S.C.   921(a)(20).  Sullivan relies on the fact

          that various laws enacted by the  State of Maine between 1975 and

          1981  served to restore the civil rights that had previously been

          denied to those convicted of felony offenses.

                    Civil  rights generally encompass  "the right  to vote,

          the right to seek and hold  public office, and the right to serve

          on a jury."  United States v. Caron, 77 F.3d 1,  2 (1st Cir.) (en
                       _____________    _____

          banc),  cert. denied, 116  S. Ct. 2569  (1996).  At  one point in
                  ____________

          time, the State of Maine denied these rights to felons.  In 1975,

          however, Maine reversed course and restored these rights.  At the

          time of  Sullivan's state  court arson and  burglary convictions,

          the  restoration  effort by  Maine  was  complete:   felons  were

          permitted to  vote, hold office, and  serve on a jury.   As such,

          Sullivan  invites  us to  provide  a  favorable response  to  the

          question left open  in this  circuit by Caron,  that is,  whether
                                                  _____

          civil  rights  which  have  never  actually  been  forfeited  can

          nonetheless be "restored."

                    We  need  not  answer  this   question  here,  however.

          Section  921(a)(20)  provides that  a conviction  may serve  as a

          predicate offense under the ACCA notwithstanding the  restoration

                                         -6-

          of civil rights theretofore  forfeited if the restoration statute

          imposes  a  restriction  on  the felon's  ability  to  possess  a

          firearm.  18 U.S.C.   921(a)(20).  While the restoration statutes

          enacted  by  Maine did  not include  an  explicit restraint  on a

          felon's  ability to  possess  a firearm,  such restrictions  were

          already in  place in Maine.   See Me. Rev. Stat. Ann.  tit. 15,  
                                        ___

          393 (West 1995);2 see  generally Passamaquoddy Tribe v.  State of
                            ______________ ___________________     ________

          Maine,  75 F.3d  784,  789  (1st  Cir.  1996).    Therefore,  the
          _____

          statutory restrictions imposed on a  felon's ability to possess a

          firearm in Maine  afford Sullivan no  relief from the  sentencing

          enhancements of the ACCA.

                    We  think it  is unnecessary  to elaborate  because our

          reading of  the statute  is that  followed by  a majority of  the

          circuits that  have spoken to  the need  to read state  law as  a
                              
          ____________________

          2  This statute provides, in pertinent part:

                    1.  Possession prohibited.   A person may not
                    own,  possess  or  have  under  that person's
                    control  a  firearm, unless  that  person has
                    obtained a permit under this section, if that
                    person:
                      A.   Has been  convicted of a  crime, under
                    the laws of the  United States, this State or
                    any  other  state,  that  is   punishable  by
                    imprisonment for one year or more . . . .
                    2.   Application  after  5 years.   A  person
                    subject to  the  provisions of  subsection  1
                    may, after the expiration of 5 years from the
                    date  that the  person is  finally discharged
                    from the sentences imposed as a result of the
                    conviction  or  adjudication,  apply  to  the
                    Commissioner of Public Safety for a permit to
                    carry  a firearm.    That person  may not  be
                    issued a permit to carry a  concealed firearm
                    . . . .

          Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 15,   393 (West 1995).

                                         -7-

          whole.   Indeed, apart from the District of Columbia Circuit, see
                                                                        ___

          United  States  v. Bost,  87 F.3d  1333  (D.C. Cir.  1996), every
          ______________     ____

          circuit  court that has addressed the issue appears to have taken

          the  approach that we follow  here.  See  United States v. Burns,
                                               ___  _____________    _____

          934 F.2d 1157, 1159-61  (10th Cir. 1991), cert. denied,  502 U.S.
                                                    ____________

          1124  (1992); United  States v.  McLean, 904  F.2d 216,  218 (4th
                        ______________     ______

          Cir.), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 875 (1990); United States v. Erwin,
                 ____________                       _____________    _____

          902 F.2d 510, 513 (7th Cir.),  cert. denied, 498 U.S. 859 (1990);
                                         ____________

          United States v. Cassidy, 899 F.2d 543, 549 (6th Cir.  1990); cf.
          _____________    _______                                      ___

          United States v. G mez, 911 F.2d 219, 221-22 (9th Cir. 1990).  We
          _____________    _____

          reserve decision  on a  further question,  which appears  to have

          divided the  circuits  more  closely,  as to  whether  a  firearm

          restriction  in a  state statute  would be  sufficient in  a case

          where  the defendant received  a document such  as a  pardon or a

          certificate that  purported to restore  all civil rights  but did

          not expressly mention any  restrictions with respect to firearms.

          See United States v. Erwin, 902 F.2d at 512-13.
          ___ _____________    _____

                    Accordingly, the district court properly used the state

          arson and burglary convictions as predicate offenses for purposes

          of determining his  sentence pursuant to  the ACCA.   We find  no

          plain error.

                                   III.  CONCLUSION
                                   III.  CONCLUSION

                    For the foregoing reasons,  the sentence imposed by the

          district court is affirmed.
                            ________

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