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Section 16(a) of Title 18, United States Code, requires that the offense have “as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force . . . .”[116]
[116] 18 U.S.C. § 16(a) (emphasis supplied).
AGGRAVATED FELONY - CRIME OF VIOLENCE
United States v. Mosley, 575 F.3d 603 (6th Cir. Jul. 23, 2009) (Michigan conviction of resisting and obstructing a police officer, under Mich. Comp. Laws 750.81d(1) ("assaults, batters, wounds, resists, obstructs, opposes, or endangers a person whom the individual knows or has reason to know is performing his or her duties."), is not a crime of violence for purposes of the Armed Career Criminal Act, since obstructing does not contain an element of force or create a substantial risk that force will be used in committing the offense).
First Circuit
AGGRAVATED FELONY - CRIME OF VIOLENCE - ASSAULT - VEHICULAR
United States v. Earle, 488 F.3d 537 (1st Cir. Jun. 6, 2007) (Massachusetts conviction of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a motor vehicle, in violation of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 265, 15A(b), constituted a crime of violence, for illegal re-entry sentencing purposes, since the elements of the statute require the use of force against the person of another).
Second Circuit
AGGRAVATED FELONY - CRIME OF VIOLENCE - POSSESSION OF A WEAPON
United States v. Gamez, 577 F.3d 394 (2d Cir. Aug. 20, 2009) (New York conviction for violation of Penal Law 265.03, second degree possession of a weapon, is not a crime of violence for illegal re-entry sentencing purposes).
Third Circuit
AGGRAVATED FELONY - CRIME OF VIOLENCE - SIMPLE ASSAULT
United States v. Otero, __ F.3d __ 2007 WL 2610412 (3d Cir. Sept. 12, 2007) (Pennsylvania conviction of simple assault, in violation of 18 Pa. Cons.Stat. Ann. 2701(a) (2003), is not necessarily a crime of violence for illegal re-entry sentencing purposes since the offense does not necessarily require proof of the use of force when causing "bodily injury."), applying reasoning of Popal v. Gonzales, 416 F.3d 249, 254 (3d Cir. 2005) (same statute is not necessarily an aggravated felony crime of violence) to the sentencing context.
Fifth Circuit
AGGRAVATED FELONY - CRIME OF VIOLENCE
United States v. Williams, 610 F.3d 271 (5th Cir. Jun. 24, 2010) (leaving aliens locked in truck trailer without air conditioning did not establish intent required for "act of violence" sufficient to warrant imposition of life sentence for death of immigrants, since act did not involve use of force).