Court Opinion

ID: 9402496
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-06-15 21:01:13.731464+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:20:00.330413
License: Public Domain

USCA4 Appeal: 21-4550      Doc: 47         Filed: 06/14/2023     Pg: 1 of 3

                                            UNPUBLISHED

                               UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                                   FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

                                               No. 21-4550

        UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

                             Plaintiff – Appellee,

                      v.

        CURTIS MORRIS HARTSFIELD, JR.,

                             Defendant – Appellant.

        Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, at
        Raleigh. Louis W. Flanagan, District Judge. (5:21-cr-00054-FL)

        Submitted: May 25, 2023                                           Decided: June 14, 2023

        Before KING, HARRIS, and RICHARDSON, Circuit Judges.

        Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

        ON BRIEF: G. Alan DuBois, Federal Public Defender, Eric Joseph Brignac, Chief
        Appellate Attorney, OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER, Raleigh, North
        Carolina, for Appellant. Michael F. Easley, Jr., United States Attorney, David A. Bragdon,
        Assistant United States Attorney, Lucy Partain Brown, Assistant United States Attorney,
        OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Raleigh, North Carolina, for Appellee.

        Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
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        PER CURIAM:

               Curtis Morris Hartsfield, Jr. — who pleaded guilty in May 2021 to three counts of

        knowingly and intentionally distributing a quantity of cocaine base, in contravention of 21

        U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) — appeals from the sentence imposed by the Eastern District of North

        Carolina in October 2021. More specifically, Hartsfield challenges the district court’s

        chosen 133-month sentence and maintains on appeal that a § 841(a)(1) drug distribution

        offense is not categorically a “controlled substance offense” for the purpose of a career

        offender designation under the Sentencing Guidelines. See USSG § 4B1.1(a).

               Because Hartsfield did not challenge the propriety of his designation as a career

        offender in the district court proceedings, we review for plain error. See Fed. R. Crim. P.

        52(b). To establish eligibility for plain error relief, a defendant must initially demonstrate

        that “(1) an error occurred; (2) the error was plain; and (3) the error affected his substantial

        rights.” See United States v. Banks, 29 F.4th 168, 174 (4th Cir. 2022). “[I]f the first three

        prongs are met, we will only exercise our discretion to correct the error if it satisfies a

        fourth prong, that it ‘seriously affects the fairness, integrity or public reputation of judicial

        proceedings.’” Id. (quoting United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725, 732 (1993)).

               In light of our Court’s recent decision in United States v. Groves, 65 F.4th 166 (4th

        Cir. 2023), we are satisfied that Hartsfield cannot demonstrate any legal error with respect

        to his designation as a career offender, much less plain error. As Groves recognized,

        “§ 841(a)(1) does not criminalize the attempt offense of attempted delivery,” such that “a

        § 841(a)(1) distribution offense is not categorically disqualified from being treated as a

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        ‘controlled substance offense’” under the Guidelines. See 65 F.4th at 174. Accordingly,

        the district court did not err by designating Hartsfield as a Guidelines career offender.

               Pursuant to the foregoing, we affirm the judgment of the district court. We dispense

        with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the

        submissions before the court and argument would not aid the decisional process.

                                                                                        AFFIRMED

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