USA v. Christoval Reece

Filing

Opinion issued by court as to Appellant Christoval A. Reece. Decision: Affirmed. Opinion type: Non-Published. Opinion method: Per Curiam. The opinion is also available through the Court's Opinions page at this link http://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions.

Case: 15-14386

Date Filed: 06/27/2016

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[DO NOT PUBLISH]

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
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No. 15-14386
Non-Argument Calendar
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D.C. Docket No. 1:15-cr-20318-JEM-1

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
versus
CHRISTOVAL A. REECE,
Defendant-Appellant.
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Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Southern District of Florida
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(June 27, 2016)
Before MARTIN, JULIE CARNES, and ANDERSON, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:

Case: 15-14386

Date Filed: 06/27/2016

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Defendant Christoval Reece appeals his 46-month sentence imposed after
pleading guilty to one count of illegal reentry after deportation subsequent to an
aggravated felony conviction, in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a), (b)(2). On
appeal, Defendant asserts that his sentence was unconstitutionally enhanced based
on a prior conviction for drug trafficking that was not charged in the indictment or
found by the jury. Because Defendant’s argument is foreclosed by binding
precedent, we affirm.
I. BACKGROUND
In 2007, Defendant was convicted in Massachusetts state court of five
counts of “possession to distribute” a Class B substance, and sentenced to 2 years
of home confinement and 222 days of jail. The investigation into those charges
revealed that Defendant had been deported in 1996, and as a result, he was later
charged and convicted of illegal reentry of a deported alien, in violation of 8
U.S.C. § 1326. He was subsequently removed to Jamaica in 2013.
Then, in 2015, the U.S. Coast Guard stopped a suspect vessel heading
toward Miami, Florida, which had 13 people on board, including Defendant.
Officials with the U.S. Border Patrol determined that Defendant had been
previously removed, and did not have permission to reenter the United States.
Defendant was later charged and pleaded guilty to the present offense of illegal

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reentry after deportation subsequent to a conviction for an aggravated felony, in
violation of § 1326(a), (b)(2).
In anticipation of sentencing, the probation officer prepared a Presentence
Investigation Report (“PSR”). The PSR assigned Defendant a base offense level of
eight, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2L1.2(a). Defendant received a 12-level
enhancement under § 2L1.2(b)(1)(B) because he had been previously deported and
had a conviction for a drug trafficking offense for which the sentence imposed was
13 months or less. After a three-level reduction for acceptance of responsibility
under U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1(a), (b), Defendant’s total offense level was 17. Based on a
total offense level of 17 and a criminal history category of V, the PSR calculated a
guideline range of 46 to 57 months’ imprisonment. The PSR stated that the
statutory maximum for his offense was 20 years’ imprisonment.
Of relevance, Defendant objected to the constitutionality of an enhancement
based on the finding that his qualifying prior conviction was an aggravated felony
because it was not alleged in the indictment or proved to the jury beyond a
reasonable doubt. At sentencing, Defendant conceded that his objection was
foreclosed by binding precedent and, consequently, the district court sentenced him
to 46 months’ imprisonment.

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II. DISCUSSION
We review issues related to the constitutionality of a sentence de novo.
United States v. Steed, 548 F.3d 961, 978 (11th Cir. 2008).
A conviction for illegal reentry into the United States under § 1326(a)
carries a two-year maximum sentence. 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a). However, if an alien’s
initial removal was subsequent to an aggravated-felony conviction, the applicable
maximum sentence is 20 years’ imprisonment. Id. § 1326(b)(2).
In Almendarez-Torres v. United States, the Supreme Court held that, in the
context of § 1326(b)(2)’s penalty provision, a defendant’s prior aggravated-felony
conviction is merely a sentencing factor that need not be charged in an indictment
or proven to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. 523 U.S. 224, 226–27 (1998).
Later, in Apprendi v. New Jersey, the Supreme Court held that “[o]ther than the
fact of a prior conviction, any fact that increases the penalty for a crime beyond the
prescribed statutory maximum must be submitted to a jury, and proved beyond a
reasonable doubt.” 530 U.S. 466, 489–90 (2000).
More recently, the Supreme Court held in Alleyne v. United States that
“[a]ny fact that, by law, increases the penalty for a crime is an ‘element’ that must
be submitted to the jury and found beyond a reasonable doubt.” 133 S. Ct. 2151,
2155 (2013). In doing so, the Supreme Court specifically stated that it was not
revisiting the holding of Almendarez-Torres. Id. at 2160 n.1.
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While we have recognized that there is some discord between Alleyne and
Apprendi on the one hand and Almendarez-Torres on the other, we have stated that
“[n]othing in the facts or holding of Alleyne indicates that it eliminated Apprendi’s
exception for judicial findings of prior convictions that increase a criminal
penalty.” United States v. Harris, 741 F.3d 1245, 1249–50 (11th Cir. 2014). And
we have explicitly stated that Almendarez-Torres remains binding precedent unless
and until the Supreme Court overrules it. Id. at 1250.
Though conceding that his argument is foreclosed by binding precedent,
Defendant asserts that the district court’s finding that his qualifying prior
conviction was an aggravated felony enhanced his statutory maximum sentence,
but was not alleged in the indictment or found by a jury as required by the Fifth
and Sixth Amendments. Defendant’s sole argument on appeal is foreclosed by
Almendarez-Torres. See Almendarez-Torres, 523 U.S. at 226–27. As noted, we
are bound by the holding of Almendarez-Torres unless and until it is overruled by
the Supreme Court. See Harris, 741 F.3d at 1250. Accordingly, Defendant’s
sentence is AFFIRMED.

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