United States v. Marquez
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting:
The majority erroneously concludes that the New Mexico offense of possession by a prisoner of a deadly weapon — here, a cudgel made of a dried paper magazine — N.M. Stat. Ann. § 30-22-16, is a “crime of violence” under the residual clause of § 4B1.2 of the Sentencing Guidelines, although the state statute criminalizes such possession even if the inmate never uses nor intends to use the weapon to harm or threaten another. In Begay v. United States, 553 U.S. 137, 128 S.Ct. 1581, 170 L.Ed.2d 490 (2008), the Supreme Court held that a “violent felony” under the nearly identical provision of the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA), 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(B),
I
A
Begay held that to satisfy the definition of “violent felony” under the residual clause of the ACCA, which has practically the same definition as “crime of violence” under the residual clause of § 4B1.2, an offense must meet two criteria: First, the offense must involve conduct that “presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another,” i.e., that it is “an extremely dangerous crime.” Id. at 141-42, 128 S.Ct. 1581 (internal quotation marks omitted). Additionally and separately, the offense must be “roughly similar, in kind as well as in degree of risk posed,” to the comparative offenses of “burglary [of a dwelling], arson, extortion, or crimes involving the use of explosives.” Id. at 142-43, 128 S.Ct. 1581 (emphasis added). Defining this second prong, the Court distilled the following similar attributes from the comparative offenses: They all “typically involve purposeful, violent, and aggressive conduct.” Id. at 144-45, 128 S.Ct. 1581 (internal quotation marks omitted). In applying its interpretation to the offense of driving under the influence, the Begay Court assumed that DUI involved conduct that presents a serious potential risk of physical injury, but, nonetheless, held that it was not an included offense because “statutes that forbid driving under the influence[ ] ... typically do not insist on purposeful, violent, and aggressive conduct; rather, they are, or are most nearly comparable to, crimes that impose strict liability, criminalizing conduct in respect to which the offender need not have had any criminal intent at all.” Id. at 145, 128 S.Ct. 1581.
Here, assuming arguendo that the offense of possession of a deadly weapon by an inmate presents a serious potential risk of physical injury, the offense does not reflect the aggressive and violent conduct encompassed in any of the comparative crimes of “burglary of a dwelling, arson, or extortion,” or crimes “involving [the] use of explosives.” Those crimes are marked by “aggressive, violent acts aimed at other persons or property where persons might be located and thereby injured.” United States v. Archer, 531 F.3d 1347, 1351 (11th Cir. 2008). “They involve overt, active conduct that results in harm to a person or property.” Polk, 577 F.3d at 519; see also Herrick, 545 F.3d at 58 (“[A]ggressive may be defined as ‘tending toward or exhibiting aggression,’ which in turn is defined as ‘a forceful action or procedure (as an unprovoked attack) especially] when intended to dominate or master.’ Violence may be defined as ‘marked by extreme force or sudden intense activity.’” (citation omitted)). By contrast, the New Mexico offense of possession of a deadly weapon by an inmate “is a passive crime centering around possession, rather than around any overt action.” See Archer, 531 F.3d at 1351; see also Chambers, 129 S.Ct. at 689, 692 (failure to report for incarceration does not meet the definition of a crime of violence because it reflects “a form of inaction, a far cry from the ‘purposeful, violent, and aggressive conduct’ potentially at issue when an offender uses explosives against property, commits arson, burgles a dwelling or residence, or engages in certain forms of extortion”). “Post-Begay, the distinction between active and passive crimes is vital when evaluating offenses ... to determine if they entail ‘purposeful, violent, and aggressive conduct.’ ” Polk, 577 F.3d at 519.
An illustration of the difference “in kind” between the offense at issue here and the comparative crimes is that “[b]urglary requires both the intent to enter a building and the intent to commit a crime once inside. This second intent is what makes burglary purposeful, violent, and aggressive in all cases.” United States v.
B
While this court has never decided whether the simple possession of a weapon by an inmate satisfies Begay’s interpretation, our published decisions applying Be-gay’s prescribed analysis have consistently held that only offenses that involve conduct that is sufficiently violent and aggressive, as well as purposeful, meet the definition of a crime of violence. Recently, in United States v. Schmidt, No. 09-31138, 623 F.3d 257, 2010 WL 3910646 (5th Cir. Oct. 7, 2010), we held that the federal offense of stealing firearms from a licensed firearms dealer
Earlier, in United States v. Hughes, 602 F.3d 669 (5th Cir. 2010), we found that the federal offense of escape from an institution
Finally, in United States v. Mohr, 554 F.3d 604 (5th Cir. 2009), we held that the South Carolina offense of stalking is a crime of violence because it proscribes “words or conduct that are ‘intended to cause and does cause a targeted person’ to reasonably fear death, assault, bodily injury, criminal sexual contact, kidnaping or property damage to him or his family.” Id. at 609 (quoting S.C. Code Ann. § 16 — 3— 1700). We reasoned that “[tjhese outcomes are roughly analogous to the enumerated offenses set out in § 4B1.2.” Id. at 609-10. The fact that the defendant’s conduct directly impacted the victim resonates with the offensive and forceful conduct in Harrimon and therefore, reflects conduct that is easily described as aggressive and violent.
In light of these prior decisions of our court, the mere possession crime here does not meet the definition of a crime of violence. Unlike in Schmidt, where the offense was, practically speaking, identical to the enumerated offense of burglary, the crime here is closest to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, a crime that is expressly excluded from the definition of crime of violence. See U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2 cmt. n.l. Furthermore, the crime here is unlike the crimes in Hughes and Harrimon because it was not offensive and did not involve violent, forceful hostilities initiated by Marquez. Finally, very much unlike the stalking crime in Mohr, the passive possession crime here did not directly impact a victim, nor did it directly cause anyone to reasonably fear death, assault, bodily injury, criminal sexual contact, kidnaping or property damage.
II
The thrust of the majority’s position is that the possession of a deadly weapon by an inmate is a crime of violence because it poses a serious potential risk of physical injury and it reflects a potential for violence as with other comparative crimes, such as burglary. This reasoning is in effect the same analysis articulated by Justice Scalia concurring in the judgment in Begay. To define a crime of violence, Justice Scalia rejected the majority’s “similar, in kind as well as in degree of risk posed” test and proposed a “comparative degree of risk” approach, which would include any offense that objectively presents a similar degree or likelihood of risk of physical injury as the enumerated crimes. See 553 U.S. at 143-44, 128 S.Ct. 1581. However, the Begay majority expressly rejected that approach, and held that for an offense to constitute a crime of violence, it is not enough that it presents a similar degree of risk as the enumerated crimes— it must also be similar in kind, as reflected by “purposeful, violent, and aggressive” conduct. See id.; Templeton, 543 F.3d at 383 (“It will not do to argue ... that escape is enough like burglary to make it a crime of violence. Doubtless for both crimes there is a chance the criminal will confront another person with violent results ____ But Begay requires the crime to be [purposeful, violent, and aggressive].” At most, escape and burglary have “a common result: in both cases injuries may follow confrontations. Begay requires similarities other than risk of injury.”); Polk, 577 F.3d at 519.
This reasoning' is flawed because it views the likelihood of violence and potential for aggression as dispositive; that by intentionally possessing a weapon in prison, an inmate is engaged in conduct that presents a high likelihood of violence and is therefore violent and, consequently, aggressive. This conclusion, draws any intentional offense with a “serious potential risk of physical injury” into the definition of a crime of violence and, in essence, adopts Justice Scalia’s minority view. But Begay’s second requirement entails more than the mere likelihood that another will be physically injured as a result of the offense — it requires conduct that is similar to the comparative offenses, that is, purposeful, violent, and aggressive conduct. Therefore, Zuniga misapplies Begay and fails to persuade me that possession of a weapon by an inmate is a crime of violence.
The majority further attempts to shoehorn “the possibility that one will confront another with violent results” into the analysis of the second prong of Begay. See Majority Op. at 225. The majority’s only support is a statement from James v. United States that “[t]he main risk of burglary arises not from the simple physical act of wrongfully entering into another’s property, but rather from the possibility of a face-to-face confrontation between the burglar and a third party.” 550 U.S. 192, 203, 127 S.Ct. 1586, 167 L.Ed.2d 532 (2007), quoted in Majori
Additionally, the majority analogizes the possession of a weapon by an inmate to the unlawful possession of one of the extremely dangerous weapons identified in the Sentencing Guidelines as a crime of violence. See U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2 cmt. n.l (“ ‘Crime of violence’ does not include the offense of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, unless the possession was of a firearm described in 26 U.S.C. § 5845(a),” which includes sawed-off shotguns, machine guns, silencers, and some types of bombs, grenades, rockets, and missiles). When the Sentencing Commission added this commentary it said that “Congress has determined that those firearms described in 26 U.S.C. § 5845(a) are inherently dangerous and when possessed unlawfully, serve only violent purposes.” U.S.S.G. supp. app. C at 134, amend. 674 (Reason for Amendment to Application Note 1 to § 4B1.2) (effective Nov. 1, 2004). However, unlike a bomb or machine gun, the “club” found in Marquez’s cell — a tightly-rolled, wetted down magazine that had been allowed to dry- — does not reflect an unusual measure of dangerousness. It certainly does not surpass that of, say, a handgun, which, if possessed unlawfully by a felon, would not constitute a crime of violence. And a simple, makeshift club does not necessarily serve only aggressive and violent purposes. Marquez could have possessed the weapon for the purpose of deterring others from attacking him. Nor is the fact that the possession occurred in a prison enough, on its own, to make this offense a crime of violence. See Polk, 577 F.3d at 519-20 (“Begay excludes th[e] mode of analysis” that would define possession of a weapon by an inmate as a crime of violence simply because “no permissible use exists for a prisoner to possess a weapon — We do not dispute the inherent dangers of possessing a [weapon] in prison, but this alone cannot transform the mere possession offense into one that is similar to the crimes listed.”).
The majority is correct that we cannot “minimize[ ] the nature of Marquez’s prior conviction by describing the club he possessed in prison, which was made of a rolled, dried, and hardened magazine or other type of paper” in order “to diminish the dangerousness of the particular weapon he possessed.” Majority Op. at 225. But we cannot close our eyes to the nature of the weapon Marquez possessed either. Our inquiry here requires us to decide if Marquez’s offense was “similar, in kind as well as in degree of risk posed” to the § 4B1.2 comparative crimes. Marquez did not object to the presentence report’s description of the hardened paper club he
Ill
The New Mexico offense of possession of a deadly weapon by an inmate does not require violent and aggressive conduct and therefore fails under Begay’s analysis to satisfy the definition of a crime of violence. The offense does not require intent to use the weapon for any particular purpose; rather, it punishes mere possession. This passive crime does not involve any overt act aimed at a person or property. I agree with the reasoning of the Third Circuit in Polk and the Eleventh Circuit in Archer, that under Begay, mere possession of a dangerous instrument, without more, does not necessarily involve violent or aggressive conduct. Therefore, while I agree that the offense involves a serious potential risk of physical injury, in light of Begay, I cannot agree with the majority that the offense is a “crime of violence” under the residual clause of § 4B1.2.
. Compare 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(B) ("violent felony”), with U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2 ("crime of violence”). Begay controls our analysis of the definition of "crime of violence” under the residual clause of § 4B1.2 of the Sentencing Guidelines. United States v. Hughes, 602 F.3d 669, 673 n. 1 (5th Cir. 2010) (We " ‘appl[y] our holdings under the residual clause of the ACCA to analyze the definition of crimes of violence under § 4B1.2, and vice versa.’ ” (quoting United States v. Mohr, 554 F.3d 604, 609 n. 4 (5th Cir. 2009))); see also United States v. Thomas, 484 F.3d 542 (8th Cir. 2007) (construing "crime of violence” under § 4B1.2), vacated, 553 U.S. 1001, 128 S.Ct. 2046, 170 L.Ed.2d 788 (2008) (remanding "for further consideration in light of Begay").
. See also Chambers v. United States, 555 U.S. 122, 129 S.Ct. 687, 691-92, 172 L.Ed.2d 484 (2009) (discussing the conduct elements as conjunctive: "purposeful, violent, and aggressive conduct” (emphasis added) (internal quotation marks omitted)); United States v. Williams, 537 F.3d 969, 975 (8th Cir. 2008) (“The Supreme Court’s description of conduct that is similar in kind consistently uses ‘and’ to join the words ‘purposeful, violent, and aggressive conduct.’ Therefore, all characteristics should typically be present before a[] ... crime reaches the level of an example crime.” (citation omitted)).
. As the Seventh Circuit reasoned in explaining why some escape offenses (e.g., failing to return from a furlough) are not crimes of violence:
The crime does not require any violent or aggressive act. Although the statute does require intent, the required mental state is only intent to be free of custody, not intent to injure or threaten anyone. It is easy to [commit the offense] without intending or accomplishing the destruction of property or acting in an aggressive, violence-provoking manner that could jeopardize guards or bystanders. Templeton, 543 F.3d at 383.
. See 18 U.S.C. § 922(u).
. See id. § 751(a).
. We also noted that escape is typically purposeful and when “escapes cause injuries, those injuries typically result from intentional action,” and that escape reflected more violent conduct in comparison to the failure-to-report crime in Chambers. 602 F.3d at 677.
. See also United States v. Vincent, 575 F.3d 820, 830-31 (8th Cir. 2009) (Gruender, J., dissenting) (rejecting the majority's contention that the "possession of a sawed-off shotgun is illegal precisely because it enables violence or the threat of violence,” which is what makes it "like the listed crimes” in the residual clause of the ACCA, because it fails to address "whether the crime typically involves violent and aggressive conduct. This subtle difference in terminology has significant consequences; after all, many crimes that do not themselves involve violent and aggressive conduct may nevertheless enable violence or the threat of violence.” (internal quotation marks and brackets omitted)).
. The Tenth Circuit easily concluded that the offense met Begay's first prong of presenting a serious potential risk of physical injury. 553 F.3d at 1334.
. The Ninth Circuit recently reaffirmed its pre-Begay decision in United States v. Young, 990 F.2d 469 (9th Cir. 1993), that possession of a weapon in prison in violation of California Penal Code § 4574(a) is a crime of violence under § 4B1.2. See United States v. Mitchell, 624 F.3d 1026-27, 2010 WL 4105220, at *2 (9th Cir. 2010). However, the Mitchell court did not cite Begay or Chambers and, in reaching this conclusion, instead reasoned only that "possession of a shank in jail ... created a viable risk that a person might be injured, which made it a crime of violence.” Id. That rationale directly conflicts with Begay and is therefore, not persuasive.
. Additionally, because New Mexico defines "deadly weapon” to include weapons that are and are not identified in § 5845(a), see N.M. Stat. Ann. § 30-l-12(B) ("deadly weapon” includes, among other things, “any weapon which is capable of producing death or great bodily harm, including but not restricted to any types of ... bludgeons”), the New Mexico offense of possession of a "deadly weapon” by an inmate includes offenses that are crimes of violence as well as offenses that are not. See U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2 cmt. n.l. Where, as here, the statute of conviction encompasses multiple offenses and not all of those offenses constitute crimes of violence, the Supreme Court has held that we must first determine the relevant "classification of the crime.” See Chambers, 129 S.Ct. at 690-91. In doing so, it is appropriate to consider, for instance, charging documents, plea agreements, and "comparable judicial record[s],” and "any explicit factual finding by the trial judge to which the defendant assented.” Shepard v. United States, 544 U.S. 13, 25, 125 S.Ct. 1254, 161 L.Ed.2d 205 (2005). Therefore, it is perfectly in line with the Supreme Court's decisions that we consider the nature of the weapon that Marquez possessed.
Opinion of the Court
Francisco Javier Marquez contends that his prior conviction for possession of a deadly weapon by a prisoner is not a crime of violence within the meaning of section 4B1.2(a)(2) of the Sentencing Guidelines
I
Marquez pled guilty to possessing more than 100 kilograms of marijuana vyith the intent to distribute it. The presentence report recommended that the district court sentence Marquez under the career-offender guidelines based on Marquez’s pri- or New Mexico convictions for possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute and possession of a deadly weapon by a prisoner. Only the latter conviction is at issue in this appeal. The New Mexico statute under which Marquez was convicted provides that “[possession of [a] deadly weapon or explosive by [a] prisoner in lawful custody” is a second degree felony.
Marquez objected to the presentence report, arguing that his offense of possession of a deadly weapon by a prisoner was not a crime of violence in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Begay v. United, States.
II
We review the district court’s interpretation of the Sentencing Guidelines de novo.
any offense under federal or state law, punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, that — ■
(1) has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person of another, or
(2) is burglary of a dwelling, arson, or extortion, involves use of explosives, or otherwise involves conduct that presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another.9
The parties agree that we are concerned only with what is sometimes called “the residual clause” of section 4B1.2(a)(2),
The comments to section 4B1.1 of the Guidelines reflect that sections 4B1.1 and 4B1.2, embodying the career offender guidelines, were promulgated to implement the directive in 28 U.S.C. § 994(h), which “mandates that the Commission assure that certain ‘career’ offenders receive a sentence of imprisonment ‘at or near the maximum term authorized.’ ”
The black letter text of the definition of “crime of violence” in section 4B1.2 of the Guidelines is very similar to the definition of “violent felony” in the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA), 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(B).
“Crime of violence” includes murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, aggravated assault, forcible sex offenses, robbery, arson, extortion, extortionate extension of credit, and burglary of a dwelling. Other offenses are included as “crimes of violence” if (A) that offense has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person of another, or (B) the conduct set forth (i.e., expressly charged) in the count of which the defendant was convicted involved use of explosives (including any explosive material or destructive device) or, by its nature, presented a serious potential risk of physical injury to another.16
The commentary to section 4B1.2 expressly provides that possession of a firearm by a felon is not a crime of violence unless the weapon is “a sawed-off shotgun or sawed-off rifle, silencer, bomb, or machine gun.”
Our construction of the career-offender Guideline sections are further informed by two decisions of the Supreme Court construing the ACCA.
We therefore begin our analysis with a consideration of the Supreme Court’s reasoning in Begay and its subsequent decision in Chambers. The Court concluded in Begay that the presence of the enumerated offenses of burglary, arson, extortion, or offenses that involve the use of explosives “indicates that the statute covers only similar crimes, rather than every crime that ‘presents a serious potential of risk of physical injury to another.’ ”
The Supreme Court then listed examples of crimes that, “though dangerous, are
Less than a year after it decided Begay, the Supreme Court provided further guidance in Chambers v. United States
In the present case, Marquez contends that his prior conviction is similar to the DUI at issue in Begay. There is authority from the New Mexico Supreme Court indicating that possession of a deadly weapon in prison
Subsequently, the New Mexico court of appeals concluded in dicta that the offense of possessing a deadly weapon by a prisoner is not, strictly speaking, a strict liability offense because the mens rea required is knowing possession.
We are persuaded, based on the Supreme Court’s reasoning in Begay
The kind of risk posed by an inmate in possession of a deadly weapon is decidedly different from the strict liability offenses identified in Begay and very similar in kind and degree to the risk posed by the crime of burglary of a dwelling. A burglar may not intend to injure anyone when he unlawfully invades a residence for the purpose of theft. A burglar may even choose to commit the crime when no one is home. But burglary is nonetheless considered purposeful, violent, and aggressive con
Possession of a deadly weapon in prison is similar in kind, and in degree of risk posed, to another of the enumerated crimes of violence under the commentary to the Guidelines, which is unlawful possession of a firearm described in 26 U.S.C. § 5845(a), such as a sawed-off shotgun.
The offense of possession of a deadly weapon by an inmate differs from a generic felon in possession of a firearm offense, which is specifically excluded under the Guidelines as a crime of violence as defined in section 4B1.2 unless the firearm was one of the enumerated varieties.
Ill
We are not the first circuit court to consider whether possession of a deadly weapon by an inmate is a crime of violence or a violent felony, and there is a split of authority. The Tenth Circuit concluded that such an offense is a “violent felony” within the meaning of the ACCA.
In Zuniga, the Tenth Circuit reasoned that a prior Texas conviction for possession of a deadly weapon in prison was not a strict liability crime because under Texas law, it required either intentional or reckless conduct.
The Third Circuit considered Zuniga in its decision in Polk, but rejected the Tenth Circuit’s reasoning.
Our court has previously considered the import of Begay in determining whether various crimes are crimes of violence. Recently, in United States v. Hughes,
In other cases decided since Begay issued, we have held that evading arrest or detention by use of a vehicle,
The Ninth Circuit has recently held that a prior conviction for possession of a weapon in jail is a crime of violence within the meaning of U.S.S.G. § 4B 1.2(1)(ii).
The dissent rejects the holdings of the Ninth and Tenth Circuits, finding the Third Circuit’s reasoning in United States v. Polk
The dissent attempts to minimize the nature of Marquez’s prior conviction by describing the club he possessed in prison, which was made of a rolled, dried, and hardened magazine or other type of paper.
The district court did not err in concluding that Marquez’s prior conviction for possession by an inmate of a deadly weapon in a penal institution was for an offense that constitutes a crime of violence.
For the foregoing reasons, we AFFIRM the district court’s judgment.
. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual (U.S.S.G.) § 4B 1.2(a)(2) (2009).
. Id. § 4B1.1.
. N.M. Stat. Ann. § 30-22-16.
. N.M. Stat. Ann. § 30-l-12(A), (B).
. 553 U.S. 137, 128 S.Ct. 1581, 170 L.Ed.2d 490 (2008).
. U.S.S.G. § 4B 1.2(a)(2).
. United States v. Mohr, 554 F.3d 604, 606 (5th Cir.), cert. denied,-U.S.-, 130 S.Ct. 56, 175 L.Ed.2d 45 (2009).
. U.S.S.G. § 4B1.1(a).
. Id. § 4B 1.2(a).
. See, e.g., United States v. Anderson, 559 F.3d 348, 355 (5th Cir.) (referring to U.S.S.G. § 4B 1.2(a)(2) as a "residual clause”), cert. denied, - U.S. -, 129 S.Ct. 2814, 174 L.Ed.2d 308 (2009); Mohr, 554 F.3d at 607 (same); see also Johnson v. United States,U.S. --, 130 S.Ct. 1265, 1274, 176 L.Ed.2d 1 (2010) (discussing “the so-called 'residual clause’ ” in 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(B)(ii)); Chambers v. United States, 555 U.S. 122, 129 S.Ct. 687, 689, 172 L.Ed.2d 484 (2009) (referring to clause (ii) of § 924(e)(2)(B) as the "ACCA’s so-called residual clause”).
. U.S.S.G. § 4B1.1 cmt. background.
. 18 U.S.C. § 16 provides:
The term “crime of violence” means—
(a) an offense that has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person or property of another, or
(b) any other offense that is a felony and that, by its nature, involves a substantial risk that physical force against the person or property of another may be used in the course of committing the offense.
. U.S.S.G. § 4B1.1 cmt. background (quoting 28 U.S.C. § 991(b)(1)(B)).
. Compare id. § 4B1.2(a) with 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(B), which provides in pertinent part:
(B) the term "violent felony” means any crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year ... that—
(i) has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person of another; or
(ii) is burglary, arson, or extortion, involves use of explosives, or otherwise in*217 volves conduct that presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another.
. See U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2(a)(2).
. U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2 cmt. n.l.
. Id. (“ ‘Crime of violence’ does not include the offense of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, unless the possession was of a firearm described in 26 U.S.C. § 5845(a).” The note also provides, "[ujnlawfully possessing a firearm described in 26 U.S.C. § 5845(a) (e.g., a sawed-off shotgun or sawed-off rifle, silencer, bomb, or machine gun) is a 'crime of violence.’ ”).
. 18 U.S.C. § 1791(d)(1)(B).
. See Chambers v. United States, 555 U.S. 122, 129 S.Ct. 687, 172 L.Ed.2d 484 (2009); Begay v. United States, 553 U.S. 137, 128 S.Ct. 1581, 170 L.Ed.2d 490 (2008).
. See United States v. Mohr, 554 F.3d 604, 609 (5th Cir.), cert. denied,-U.S.-, 130 S.Ct. 56, 175 L.Ed.2d 45 (2009); see also United States v. Polk, 577 F.3d 515, 518-19 (3d Cir. 2009) (observing that the Supreme Court vacated and remanded for reconsideration in light of Begay courts of appeals' decisions applying the career offender Guidelines, leading the Third Circuit to conclude that “this leaves little doubt that Begay bears on our determination of whether to classify an offense as a ‘crime of violence.’ ”); United States v. Bartee, 529 F.3d 357 (6th Cir. 2008); United States v. Williams, 537 F.3d 969 (8th Cir. 2008).
. 553 U.S. at 139, 128 S.Ct. 1581.
. 129 S.Ct. at 689.
. United States v. Rodriguez-Jaimes, 481 F.3d 283, 287 (5th Cir. 2007).
. 553 U.S. at 142, 128 S.Ct. 1581 (quoting 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(B)(ii)); see also id. at 143, 128 S.Ct. 1581 ("we should read the examples as limiting crimes that clause (ii) covers to crimes that are roughly similar, in kind as well as in degree of risk posed, to the examples themselves”); id. ("The statute’s history offers further support for our conclusion that the examples in clause (ii) limit the scope of the clause to crimes that are similar to the examples themselves.”).
. Id. at 144, 128 S.Ct. 1581 (quoting United States v. Begay, 470 F.3d 964, 980 (10th Cir. 2006) (McConnell, J., dissenting in part)).
. Id. at 145, 128 S.Ct. 1581.
. Id.
. Id.
. Id.
. Id. at 146, 128 S.Ct. 1581.
. Id.
. Id.
. Id.
. Id. at 146-47, 128 S.Ct. 1581.
. Id. at 141, 128 S.Ct. 1581.
. Id. at 147, 128 S.Ct. 1581.
. See id.
. Id. at 148, 128 S.Ct. 1581.
. 555 U.S. 122, 129 S.Ct. 687, 172 L.Ed.2d 484 (2009).
. Id. at 690.
. Id. at 691.
. Id. (quoting the ACCA, 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(B)(ii)).
. Id. at 692 (quoting Begay, 553 U.S. at 145-46, 128 S.Ct. 1581).
. Id. (quoting § 924(e)(2)(B)(ii)).
. N.M. Stat. Ann. § 30-22-16.
. State v. Baca, 114 N.M. 668, 845 P.2d 762, 768 (1992); see also id. (referring to the offense as "a near strict liability crime”); id. (discussing "the high level of protection afforded by a statute approaching strict liability”); id. at 769 (identifying "the purpose of the near strict liability statute”).
. Id. at 768 (quoting People v. Velasquez, 158 Cal.App.3d 418, 204 Cal.Rptr. 640, 641 (1984)).
. Id. (citing People v. Rau, 174 Mich.App. 339, 436 N.W.2d 409 (1989); Velasquez, 204 Cal.Rptr. at 643).
. Id. at 768-69 (holding that to establish a defense of duress "the defendant must produce sufficient evidence that: (1) he was under an unlawful and imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury; (2) he did not recklessly place himself in a situation that would likely compel him to engage in the criminal conduct; (3) he did not have a reasonable legal alternative (in other words, he could not have reasonably avoided the threatened harm or the criminal conduct in which he engaged); and (4) a direct causal relationship existed between the criminal action and the avoidance of the threatened harm,” and that "[w]e agree with the federal courts that 'the keystone of the analysis is that the defendant must have no alternative — either before or during the event — to avoid violating the law.’ " (citations omitted)).
. State v. Gonzalez, 137 N.M. 107, 107 P.3d 547, 552 (N.M.Ct.App. 2005).
. Id.
. N.M. Rules Ann., Crim. UJI 14-130.
. Gonzalez, 107 P.3d at 552 (citing State v. Wolfe, 288 Or. 521, 605 P.2d 1185, 1188 (Or. 1980)).
. Begay v. United States, 553 U.S. 137, 145-48, 128 S.Ct. 1581, 170 L.Ed.2d 490 (2008).
. Chambers v. United States, 555 U.S. 122, 129 S.Ct. 687, 691-92, 172 L.Ed.2d 484 (2009).
. See Begay, 553 U.S. at 146-47, 128 S.Ct. 1581.
. Id. (describing the strict liability offenses identified as "dangerous”).
. Id. at 143, 128 S.Ct. 1581.
. Id. at 148, 128 S.Ct. 1581.
. Id. at 144-45, 128 S.Ct. 1581 (citation omitted).
. Id. at 145, 128 S.Ct. 1581
. Id. 146, 128 S.Ct. 1581.
. See United States v. Robles-Rodriguez, 204 Fed.Appx. 504, 506-07 (5th Cir. 2006) (unpublished) (per curiam) (noting that "an inmate's possession, while in prison, of an instrument designed and intended to be used as a weapon, carries with it the same inherent potential to ‘explode into violence’ that drove our holding in Ruiz" that "an escape or an attempt to escape from U.S. custody in a prison camp constitutes a crime of violence.”) (quoting United States v. Ruiz, 180 F.3d 675, 676-77 (5th Cir. 1999)).
. See Begay, 553 U.S. at 144-45, 128 S.Ct. 1581.
. James v. United States, 550 U.S. 192, 203, 127 S.Ct. 1586, 167 L.Ed.2d 532 (2007).
. Begay, 553 U.S. at 146, 128 S.Ct. 1581.
. Id.
. Id.
. U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2 cmt. n.1 (" 'Crime of violence' does not include the offense of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, unless the possession was of a firearm described in 26 U.S.C. § 5845(a).”); see also Begay, 553 U.S. at 146, 128 S.Ct. 1581.
. See United States v. Jennings, 195 F.3d 795, 799 (5th Cir. 1999) (recognizing that the unlawful possession of the weapons listed in 26 U.S.C. § 5845(a) creates a ''virtual inevitability that such possession will result in violence”).
. See United States v. Rodriguez-Jaimes, 481 F.3d 283, 287 (5th Cir. 2007) ("That fact [that the possession offense occurs in prison rather than in the outside world] creates a perpetual risk of injury and precludes any legitimate reasons that a non-incarcerated individual could have for possessing a weapon (e.g., recreation).”) (quoting United States v. Robles-Rodriguez, 204 Fed.Appx. 504, 507 (5th Cir. 2006) (unpublished) (per curiam) (internal quotation marks omitted)).
. U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2 cmt. n.l.
. Id.
. United States v. Zuniga, 553 F.3d 1330, 1332 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, - U.S. -, 130 S.Ct. 62, 175 L.Ed.2d 47 (2009).
. United States v. Polk, 577 F.3d 515, 517 (3d Cir. 2009).
. Id. at 519 (observing that "no doubt possession of a weapon in prison involves a high degree of risk” and recognizing it presented the "possibility that one will confront another person with violent results”); Zuniga, 553 F.3d at 1334-35 (concluding that the offense "clearly involves conduct that presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another”).
. Polk, 577 F.3d at 519 ("we hold that possession of a weapon, even in a prison, is not 'roughly similar, in kind as well as in degree of risk posed,' to the enumerated crimes of burglary, arson, extortion, or use of explosives”) (quoting Begay, 553 U.S. at 143, 128 S.Ct. 1581); Zuniga, 553 F.3d at 1334 (concluding that offense is " 'roughly similar, in kind as well as in degree of risk posed,’ to burglary, arson, extortion, or crimes involving explosives”) (quoting Begay, 553 U.S. at 143, 128 S.Ct. 1581).
. Zuniga, 553 F.3d at 1335.
. Id.
. Id.
. Polk, 577 F.3d at 520 ("While we understand [the Tenth Circuit’s] desire to continue treating possession of a weapon in prison as a 'crime of violence,’ we cannot agree with its reasoning that the likelihood of potential for violent and aggressive behavior to come about as a result of the offense is sufficient for qualification in light of Begay").
. Id. at 519.
. Id.
. 602 F.3d 669 (5th Cir. 2010).
. 18 U.S.C. § 751(a).
. Hughes, 602 F.3d at 675.
. Id. at 677.
. United States v. Harrimon, 568 F.3d 531, 534-35 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, — U.S.-, 130 S.Ct. 1015, 175 L.Ed.2d 621 (2009).
. United States v. Bryant, 312 Fed.Appx. 698, 703 (5th Cir. 2009) (unpublished) (per curiam).
. United States v. Mohr, 554 F.3d 604, 609-10 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, -U.S. -, 130 S.Ct. 56, 175 L.Ed.2d 45 (2009).
. United States v. Moore, 326 Fed.Appx. 794, 794-95 (5th Cir.) (unpublished) (per curiam), cert. denied,-U.S.-, 130 S.Ct. 337, 175 L.Ed.2d 223 (2009). The commentary to U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2 specifically states that unlawfully possessing the type of firearm that Moore possessed is a crime of violence. Id. at 795.
. United States v. Johnson, 286 Fed.Appx. 155, 157-58 (5th Cir. 2008) (unpublished) (per curiam).
. United States v. Mitchell, 624 F.3d 1023, 2010 WL 4105220 (9th Cir. 2010).
. Cal.Penal Code § 4574(a).
. Mitchell, 624 F.3d at 1026-27, 2010 WL 4105220 at *2.
. 990 F.2d 469 (9th Cir. 1993).
. Mitchell, 624 F.3d at 1026-27, 2010 WL 4105220 at *2.
. 577 F.3d 515 (3d Cir. 2009).
. Post at 227 (quoting Polk, 577 F.3d at 519) (emphasis omitted).
. James v. United States, 550 U.S. 192, 203, 127 S.Ct. 1586, 167 L.Ed.2d 532 (2007).
. Post at 227-28 (quoting United States v. Templeton, 543 F.3d 378, 383-84 (7th Cir. 2008) (holding that some escapes from prison are crimes of violence while others are not)).
. See, e.g., post at 231 ("And a simple, makeshift club does not necessarily serve only aggressive and violent purposes. Marquez could have possessed the weapon for the purpose of deterring others from attacking him.”).
Reference
- Full Case Name
- UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Francisco Javier MARQUEZ, Defendant-Appellant
- Cited By
- 16 cases
- Status
- Published