United States v. Jody Goldsberry
Opinion
Jody Goldsberry pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of
I. BACKGROUND
On January 29, 2013, law enforcement officers responded to a 911 call at the residence of Jody Goldsberry's mother. Goldsberry's mother had been shot in the left arm. Goldsberry was not present when officers arrived at the house, but they suspected Goldsberry had fired the .45 caliber gun that injured her.
During a search of the residence, officers located six firearms, several boxes of ammunition, and a spent .45 caliber shell casing on the kitchen floor. The firearms discovered were: a .22 caliber revolver in plain view on top of the refrigerator; four long guns, including a .22 caliber rifle and scope with Goldsberry's fingerprints, under the bed in the master bedroom; and a .50 caliber homemade rifle standing in the corner of the second bedroom.
The district court held evidentiary hearings related to two primary sentencing issues raised by the parties: (1) Goldsberry's claim that he did not reside at his mother's house at the time of the shooting; and (2) Goldsberry's assertion that the only firearm that could be used to enhance his sentence under the sentencing guidelines was the .22 caliber rifle bearing his fingerprint. The court determined that Goldsberry resided at his mother's house at the time of the shooting and that he was the person who shot his mother. With regard to the firearms found inside the house, the court found that Goldsberry had constructive possession of at least three firearms and had actual possession of the unrecovered .45 caliber firearm used to shoot Goldsberry's mother.
At sentencing, the court found that Goldsberry's second-degree Missouri burglary conviction was not a qualifying predicate offense under
Based on these findings, the court determined that Goldsberry's base offense level was 24 under U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(a)(2), which was adjusted to level 26 after adding the 2-level enhancement under U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(1)(A) for an offense involving between three and seven firearms. A person in criminal history category VI with an offense level of 26 faced an advisory sentencing guideline range of 120 to 150 months. The statutory maximum sentence was 120 months. The court sentenced Goldsberry to a term of 120 months' imprisonment.
Goldsberry challenges the district court's application of U.S.S.G. §§ 2K2.1(a)(2) and 2K2.1(b)(1)(A). The government challenges the district court's determination that Goldsberry's second-degree Missouri burglary conviction is not a qualifying offense under the Armed Career Criminal Act.
II. DISCUSSION
With regard to sentencing guideline decisions, "we review the district court's factual findings for clear error and its application or interpretation of guidelines provisions
de novo
."
United States v. Petruk
,
A. U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(1)(A)
Goldsberry argues that the district court erred in applying a 2-level enhancement under Guidelines § 2K2.1(b)(1)(A). Goldsberry concedes that he possessed the .22 caliber rifle found with his fingerprint on it, but he argues there was insufficient evidence to connect him with any of the other firearms.
"A defendant's possession of firearms may be actual or constructive, sole or joint."
United States v. Vega
,
Along with testimony that mail was found at the home with Goldsberry's name on it, neighbors and family members testified that Goldsberry lived at the house with his mother. In addition, Goldsberry used his mother's address when he was booked into custody. Goldsberry's knowledge
of the firearms and dominion over the residence were sufficient to establish his constructive possession of the firearms found inside the house. Goldsberry argues that his mother's ownership of the .22 caliber revolver found on the refrigerator precluded his constructive possession. This argument is unavailing. Possession may be "sole or joint."
Vega
,
B. U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(a)(2)
Goldsberry has two prior Missouri convictions for assault on a law enforcement officer. Only the 2009 conviction was contested on appeal. The district court noted the inconsistency with the complaint charging Goldsberry, which referenced
We need not address the substance of Goldsberry's claim because the district court specifically noted that it would not have changed the overall sentence even had the second assault conviction been a non-qualifying offense under U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(a)(2).
See
United States v. Martinez
,
C. Missouri Second-Degree Burglary Conviction
The United States has cross-appealed the district court's conclusion that Goldsberry's second-degree burglary conviction from Missouri is not a qualifying predicate offense under the Armed Career Criminal Act. The government's argument is foreclosed by our recent decision in
United States v. Naylor
,
III. CONCLUSION
For the reasons stated above, we affirm.
The Honorable Audrey G. Fleissig, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee v. Jody GOLDSBERRY, Defendant-Appellant United States of America, Plaintiff-Appellant v. Jody Goldsberry, Defendant-Appellee
- Cited By
- 5 cases
- Status
- Published