Court Opinion

ID: 2964687
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-09-21 21:29:43.98747+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:42:58.284647
License: Public Domain

USCA1 Opinion

	

                                [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]

                            UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                                FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT

                                 ____________________

        No. 96-2247

                                    UNITED STATES,

                                      Appellee,

                                          v.

                                  DANIEL D. TAVARES,

                                Defendant, Appellant.

                                 ____________________

                     APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

                          FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS

                     [Hon. William G. Young, U.S. District Judge]
                                             ___________________

                                 ____________________

                                        Before

                                 Selya, Circuit Judge,
                                        _____________
                              Cyr, Senior Circuit Judge,
                                   ____________________
                              and Lynch, Circuit Judge.
                                         _____________

                                 ____________________

            Daniel D. Tavares on brief pro se.
            _________________
            Donald K.  Stern, United States Attorney,  and Michael J.  Pelgro,
            ________________                               __________________
        Assistant U.S. Attorney, on brief for appellee.

                                 ____________________

                                     MAY 29, 1997
                                 ____________________

                 Per Curiam.  Convicted of being a felon in possession of
                 __________

            a  firearm,  see  18  U.S.C.    922(g)(1),  appellant  Daniel
                         ___

            Tavares  challenges  the  10-year  prison  sentence  that the

            district court  imposed following  this court's   decision in

            his last appeal.   See United States  v. Tavares, 93  F.3d 10
                               ___ _____________     _______

            (1st Cir. 1996)(affirming  conviction, vacating sentence, and

            remanding for resentencing).  We affirm.

                 As  the  facts  concerning  Tavares'   crime  and  prior

            sentencing proceeding are detailed  in our earlier opinion we

            will  not repeat  them here.   On  remand the  district court

            found  that Tavares had committed an assault with a dangerous

            weapon  and the  intent  to do  bodily harm,  as well  as the

            intent to  commit another felony.1  The  court concluded that
                                             1

            Tavares  was  subject  to  sentencing  under  the  aggravated

            assault guideline as a  result of these findings.   The court

            then calculated his new sentence similarly to how it had done

            so originally,  but based  on a different  factual predicate.

            See Tavares, 93 F.3d at 12-13, 15-17.  Tavares again appeals,
            ___ _______

            contending  that the  court clearly  erred by  sentencing him

            under  the  aggravated  assault guideline  and  by  departing

            upward  to  sentence him  to  120  months' imprisonment,  the

                                
            ____________________

               1The aggravated assault  guideline applies to  a felonious
               1
            assault involving (a) a  dangerous weapon with the intent  to
            do bodily harm (i.e., not merely to frighten), or (b) serious
            bodily injury, or  (c) an  intent to  commit another  felony.
            See U.S.S.G.  2A2.2, comment. (n. 1).  The other felony found
            ___
            here was  the malicious destruction of  property in violation
            of M.G.L. c. 266,   127. 

                                         -2-

            maximum that may  be imposed  on the  offense of  conviction.

            See 18 U.S.C.   924(a)(2).
            ___

                 On this record,  we cannot say that  the court's finding

            that  Tavares  committed an  assault  with the  intent  to do

            bodily  harm was  clearly erroneous.   See  United States  v.
                                                   ___  _____________

            Garcia, 34 F.3d  6, 10  (1st Cir.  1994).   This finding  was
            ______

            alone  sufficient to  support application  of the  aggravated

            assault guideline.2 Similarly, the district court did not err
                              2

            by adding the five  level discharge adjustment under U.S.S.G.

             2A2.2(b)(2)(A).   The  court  found that  Tavares fired  his

            weapon as  part of the overall assault on Blake and Hunt.  As

            the  evidence indicates  that  the  assailants'  conduct  was

            prompted by  their prior altercation with  these individuals,

            this finding was  not clearly erroneous.   Thus, the addition

            of  the  discharge  adjustment  was  proper.    See  U.S.S.G.
                                                            ___

             1B1.3(a)(1)(authorizing   addition   of   specific   offense

            characteristics based  on "all acts ...  committed during the

            commission of the offense of conviction").3
                                                      3

                                
            ____________________

               2We need  not decide whether, as  the government contends,
               2
            an  intent to  commit  a felony  in  violation of  state  law
            satisfies  2A2.2, comment., n. 1.

               3Tavares also asks this court to rule that Hunt suffered a
               3
            minor  injury as  a matter of  law and to  vacate the 3-level
            adjustment imposed under  2A2.2(b)(3)(D).  We have previously
            ruled that the severity of Hunt's injury cannot be decided as
            a  matter of law.  See  93 F.3d at 16.   The district court's
                               ___
            determination that Hunt suffered  something between a "bodily
            injury"  and  a  "serious  bodily  injury"  was  not  clearly
            erroneous. 

                                         -3-

                 Finally, we  again conclude that the  district court did

            not abuse its discretion in making the upward departure here.

             Tavares' criminal  record, which included  evidence that  he

            had committed the three violent offenses that had resulted in

            the "guilty filed" dispositions,  was serious and  egregious.

            The  wantonness of the offense of  conviction  also justified

            the departure.   See United  States v. Hardy,  99 F.3d  1242,
                             ___ ______________    _____

            1248-52 (1st Cir.  1996)(upholding upward departure based  on

            defendant's  repeatedly  discharging  and   discarding  semi-

            automatic  weapon  in  residential  area);  United  States v.
                                                        ______________

            Croom,  50 F.3d 433, 435 (7th Cir. 1995)("Meeting most of the
            _____

            criteria for designation as an armed career criminal ... does

            not  permit the  judge to impose  the penalties  designed for

            those who  meet all  of the  criteria, but  it does  permit a

            departure   in   the   direction   of   those   penalties.").
                                   _________

            Accordingly, the judgment of  the district court is affirmed.
                                                                ________

            Tavares' motion for bail pending appeal is moot.
                                                       ____

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