United States v. Robinson ( 2006 )


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  •                              UNPUBLISHED
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
    No. 04-5003
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
    Plaintiff - Appellee,
    versus
    RICHARD B. ROBINSON, JR.,
    Defendant - Appellant.
    No. 04-7863
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
    Plaintiff - Appellee,
    versus
    RICHARD ROBINSON,
    Defendant - Appellant.
    Appeals from the United States District Court for the District of
    South Carolina, at Columbia.    Cameron McGowan Currie, District
    Judge. (CR-03-105; CA-04-1702-3)
    Submitted:   March 3, 2006                 Decided:   March 31, 2006
    Before KING, SHEDD, and DUNCAN, Circuit Judges.
    No. 04-5003 affirmed; No. 04-7863 dismissed by unpublished per
    curiam opinion.
    Joshua Snow Kendrick, JOSHUA SNOW KENDRICK, PC, Columbia, South
    Carolina, for Appellant.     Jonathan S. Gasser, United States
    Attorney, Deborah B. Barbier, Assistant United States Attorney,
    Columbia, South Carolina, for Appellee.
    Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
    See Local Rule 36(c).
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    PER CURIAM:
    Richard    B.   Robinson,   Jr.,   pled   guilty   to   being   a
    convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in
    violation of 
    18 U.S.C. §§ 922
    (g)(1), 924(e) (2000).                  He was
    sentenced to the statutory mandatory minimum term as an armed
    career criminal, under 
    18 U.S.C. § 924
    (e)(1) (2000), of 180 months
    of imprisonment.      Robinson did not file a direct appeal.        He filed
    a motion to vacate, set aside or correct sentence under 
    28 U.S.C. § 2255
     (2000), alleging ineffective assistance of counsel and that
    he was incorrectly classified and sentenced as an armed career
    criminal.
    The district court denied the motion in part as to the
    ineffective assistance of counsel claim, but granted it as to
    Robinson’s challenge to his armed career criminal status, and
    vacated Robinson’s sentence, finding that Robinson correctly argued
    that a prior state conviction for mere possession of a firearm
    should not have been counted as a violent felony, and hence a
    qualifying predicate offense, under the armed career criminal
    provisions. At resentencing, the district court, relying on United
    States v. Letterlough, 
    63 F.3d 332
     (4th Cir. 1995), found that
    Robinson was appropriately classified as an armed career criminal
    based on his seven prior drug convictions.             The district court
    resentenced Robinson to 180 months of imprisonment.
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    Robinson appeals from the amended judgment (No. 04-5003),
    and from the district court’s denial of his § 2255 ineffective
    assistance of counsel claim (No. 04-7863). Robinson first contends
    that the district court erred at resentencing by allowing the
    Government to argue additional evidence--that five of the seven
    counts of drug distribution were separate offenses and thus counted
    as five predicate offenses--in classifying him as an armed career
    criminal.     This court reviews the district court’s application of
    the sentencing enhancements de novo and factual findings with
    respect to sentencing for clear error.             United States v. Bollin,
    
    264 F.3d 391
    , 415 (4th Cir. 2001).            Robinson does not contest that
    five of the seven convictions of cocaine base distribution are
    separate offenses under Letterlough.             Rather he argues that his
    sentence was vacated for insufficient evidence to prove Robinson
    should have been classified as an armed career criminal, and thus,
    under United States v. Parker, 
    30 F.3d 542
     (4th Cir. 1994), the
    Government    is     barred    from   presenting    additional    evidence       on
    resentencing.
    Robinson’s reliance on Parker is misplaced.               In Parker,
    we   found   there    was     insufficient    evidence    to   prove    beyond    a
    reasonable doubt that Parker’s 
    21 U.S.C. § 841
     (2000) violation
    occurred within 1000 feet of a playground, as defined in 
    21 U.S.C. § 860
     (2000), and thus, he should not have been convicted or
    sentenced    under    §   860,   which   doubled    the   potential     penalty.
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    Parker, 
    30 F.3d at 553
    .         We held that on resentencing, the
    Government should not be afforded a second opportunity to prove
    that the violation occurred within 1000 feet of a playground.
    Parker, 
    30 F.3d at 553-54
    .     Here, contrary to Parker, the evidence
    relied on by the Government to classify Robinson as an armed career
    criminal was contained in the original presentence report, which
    indicated   that   Robinson   had    pled   guilty    to     seven   counts   of
    distribution of crack cocaine that occurred between September 18,
    1991, and October 9, 1991.      Moreover, Parker involved a disputed
    question of fact, which is not the case here because Robinson has
    not disputed any fact contained in his presentence report or
    amended   presentence   report.       We    find     there    was    sufficient
    information inherent in the facts of the prior convictions for the
    district court to impose an armed career criminal sentence without
    additional fact finding.      See United States v. Thompson, 
    421 F.3d 278
    , 282-83 (4th Cir. 2005), cert. denied, __ U.S. __, 
    2006 WL 521274
     (U.S. Mar. 6, 2006) (No. 05-7266).
    Further, “where a sentencing issue was not actually
    litigated and resolved in the original proceeding, and [] the
    failure to so litigate the issue was directly caused by the error
    in the judgment of which the § 2255 petitioner complains, it is
    ‘appropriate’ for the district court to resolve the issue in
    correcting the petitioner’s sentence.”         United States v. Hillary,
    
    106 F.3d 1170
    , 1173 (4th Cir. 1997).          There was no need for the
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    Government to initially consider Robinson’s multiple prior drug
    convictions separately because it believed the conviction for
    possession of a firearm was enough to establish the three required
    predicate offenses.      On resentencing it was appropriate for the
    district court to consider and resolve the issue as to whether
    Robinson’s prior convictions qualified as predicate offenses for
    his classification as an armed career criminal, because failure to
    previously resolve the issue was directly caused by the error in
    the judgment that Robinson successfully challenged in his § 2255
    motion.   Accordingly, we find the district court did not err in
    resentencing Robinson as an armed career criminal.
    Turning to Robinson’s appeal of the district court’s
    denial of his ineffective assistance of counsel claims in his
    § 2255 motion, an appeal may not be taken from the district court’s
    judgment in a § 2255 proceeding unless the appellant obtains a
    certificate of appealability.          
    28 U.S.C. § 2253
    (c)(1) (2000).        An
    appellant is not entitled to a certificate of appealability unless
    he makes “a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional
    right.”   
    28 U.S.C. § 2253
    (c)(2).         Where a district court rejects
    the   constitutional    claims    on    the   merits,    the   appellant   must
    demonstrate   “that    reasonable      jurists   would    find   the   district
    court’s   assessment   of   the   constitutional        claims   debatable   or
    wrong.”   Slack v. McDaniel, 
    529 U.S. 473
    , 484 (2000).                 Because
    Robinson does not raise the issue of the district court’s denial of
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    his § 2255 motion of his ineffective assistance of counsel claim in
    his brief, we find he has thereby waived it.             See Canady v. Crestar
    Mortgage Corp., 
    109 F.3d 969
    , 973-74 (4th Cir. 1997). We therefore
    deny a certificate of appealability and dismiss appeal No. 04-7863.
    In sum, we affirm Robinson’s conviction and sentence in
    No. 04-5003 and deny a certificate of appealability and dismiss
    appeal No. 04-7863.          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.
    No. 04-5003 AFFIRMED
    No. 04-7863 DISMISSED
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