United States v. Tracey Brown ( 2022 )


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  •                            NOT FOR PUBLICATION                           FILED
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS                       MAY 31 2022
    MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
    U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,                       Nos. 21-10116
    21-15028
    Plaintiff-Appellee,
    v.                                             D.C. Nos.
    2:18-cv-02146-APG
    TRACEY L. BROWN,                                2:11-cr-00334-APG-GWF-1
    Defendant-Appellant.            MEMORANDUM*
    Appeal from the United States District Court
    for the District of Nevada
    Andrew P. Gordon, District Judge, Presiding
    Submitted May 17, 2022**
    Before:      CANBY, TASHIMA, and NGUYEN, Circuit Judges.
    In these consolidated appeals, Tracey L. Brown appeals from the district
    court’s orders denying his 
    28 U.S.C. § 2255
     motion to vacate, set aside, or correct
    his sentence, and his motion to amend his § 2255 motion. We have jurisdiction
    under 
    28 U.S.C. § 2253
    . We review de novo, see United States v. Hill, 915 F.3d
    *
    This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent
    except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.
    **
    The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision
    without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2).
    669, 673 (9th Cir. 2019), and we affirm.
    Brown contends that his conviction and sentence for brandishing a firearm
    under 
    18 U.S.C. § 924
    (c) must be vacated because Hobbs Act robbery is not a
    qualifying predicate offense. As Brown acknowledges, we recently reaffirmed that
    Hobbs Act robbery is a crime of violence under § 924(c)(3)(A). See United States
    v. Dominguez, 
    954 F.3d 1251
    , 1261 (9th Cir. 2020). Contrary to Brown’s
    contention, Dominguez controls because Brown has not shown that it is “clearly
    irreconcilable” with intervening higher authority. See Miller v. Gammie, 
    335 F.3d 889
    , 900 (9th Cir. 2003) (en banc).
    Brown also challenges the district court’s denial of his motion to amend his
    § 2255 motion to add a claim that, under Amendment 798 to the Guidelines, he is
    entitled to resentencing without the career offender enhancement. The district
    court treated this claim as a motion for a sentence reduction under 
    18 U.S.C. § 3582
    (c)(2) and denied amendment as futile. We agree that Brown is not entitled
    to relief under § 3582(c)(2). Amendment 798 had no impact on the 2014
    Guidelines under which Brown was sentenced. See United States v. Bankston, 
    901 F.3d 1100
    , 1103-04 (9th Cir. 2018). Brown’s argument that the district court
    should have used a later version of the Guidelines is beyond the scope of a
    § 3582(c)(2) motion. See U.S.S.G. § 1B1.10(b)(1); Dillon v. United States, 
    560 U.S. 817
    , 825-26, 831 (2010) (district court considering a § 3582(c)(2) motion may
    2                        21-15028 & 21-10116
    not consider any guideline application question beyond the change made by the
    amendment).
    We treat Brown’s additional arguments as a motion to expand the certificate
    of appealability. So treated, the motion is denied. See 9th Cir. R. 22-1(e); Hiivala
    v. Wood, 
    195 F.3d 1098
    , 1104-05 (9th Cir. 1999).
    AFFIRMED.
    3                          21-15028 & 21-10116