Court Opinion

ID: 4532963
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2020-05-08 16:00:39.461782+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:31:20.132592
License: Public Domain

United States Court of Appeals
                              For the Eighth Circuit
                         ___________________________

                                 No. 19-1837
                         ___________________________

                              United States of America

                          lllllllllllllllllllllPlaintiff - Appellee

                                             v.

                             Kamaury Taujheim Watson

                        lllllllllllllllllllllDefendant - Appellant
                                        ____________

                     Appeal from United States District Court
                   for the Southern District of Iowa - Des Moines
                                   ____________

                              Submitted: March 9, 2020
                                 Filed: May 8, 2020
                                   [Unpublished]
                                   ____________

Before ERICKSON, GRASZ, and KOBES, Circuit Judges.
                            ____________

PER CURIAM.

      Kamaury Taujheim Watson pled guilty to possessing a firearm in violation of
18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) and (9), subject to penalties outlined in 18 U.S.C. § 924(a)(2).
The district court1 sentenced him to 45 months of imprisonment, followed by 3 years
of supervised release. Watson challenges his sentence. According to Watson, the
district court misapplied § 2K2.1(b)(6)(B) of the United States Sentencing Guidelines
Manual (“Guidelines”), resulting in an improper sentencing enhancement.

       We disagree. Section 2K2.1(b)(6)(B) of the Guidelines increases a defendant’s
offense level by four points if he “used or possessed any firearm or ammunition in
connection with another felony offense.” U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(6)(B). And Watson
possessed a gun “in connection with” a contemporaneous violation of Iowa Code
section 724.4(1). Under United States v. Walker, violating Iowa Code section 724.4(1)
counts as “another felony offense” for purposes of § 2K2.1(b)(6)(B). 771 F.3d 449,
452–53 (8th Cir. 2014).

      Watson contends Walker was wrongly decided. However, Walker is binding
precedent and one panel of this court cannot overrule a prior panel. Mader v. United
States, 654 F.3d 794, 800 (8th Cir. 2011) (en banc). We therefore affirm his sentence.
                        ______________________________

      1
       The Honorable Stephanie M. Rose, United States District Judge for the
Southern District of Iowa.

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