United States v. Matthews , 54 F. App'x 143 ( 2002 )

UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 02-4589
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
versus
DAVID FLOYD MATTHEWS, JR., a/k/a Junior,
Defendant - Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle
District of North Carolina, at Durham. James A. Beaty, Jr.,
District Judge. (CR-01-348)
Submitted: December 19, 2002 Decided: December 31, 2002
Before WILKINS and KING, Circuit Judges, and HAMILTON, Senior
Circuit Judge.
Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
Louis C. Allen, III, Federal Public Defender, William C. Ingram,
Assistant Federal Public Defender, Greensboro, North Carolina, for
Appellant. Anna Mills Wagoner, United States Attorney, L. Patrick
Auld, Assistant United States Attorney, Rami Madan, Third-Year Law
Student, Greensboro, North Carolina, for Appellee.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
See Local Rule 36(c).
PER CURIAM:
David Floyd Matthews, Jr., pled guilty to possession of a
firearm by a convicted felon in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)
(2000). He contests the 82-month sentence he received, arguing
that the district court erred by enhancing his base offense level
by two levels because the firearm was stolen when that fact was not
alleged in the indictment. See U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual
§ 2K2.1(b)(4) (2001). We affirm.
Matthews contends that, under Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S.
466, 490 (2000), facts that increase the sentencing guideline range
must be charged in the indictment and proved beyond a reasonable
doubt. However, Apprendi is not implicated when the sentencing
court makes factual findings that increase the sentencing guideline
range but the sentence does not exceed the statutory maximum.
Harris v. United States, 122 S. Ct. 2406, 2418 (2002).
Because the issue raised by Matthews lacks merit, we affirm
the sentence imposed by the district court. We dispense with oral
argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately
presented in the materials before the court and argument would not
aid the decisional process.
AFFIRMED