Updates to criminal defense

DIVISIBLE STATUTE ANALYSIS - RECORD OF CONVICTION - DOCUMENTS EXCLUDED - APPELLATE COURT DECISION

Sharashidze v. Gonzales, ___ F.3d ___, 2007 WL 777666 (7th Cir. March 16, 2007) ("Because we agree with the BIA that the complaint provided sufficient evidence that Sharashidze targeted a minor, we need not address whether the INA's definition of "record of conviction" encompasses appellate court decisions.").

jurisdiction: 
Seventh Circuit

AGGRAVATED FELONY - CRIME OF VIOLENCE - VEHICULAR HOMICIDE

United States v. Garcia-Espana, ___ F.Supp.2d ___, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15696
(E.D. Wash. March 6, 2007) (defendant may not be convicted of illegal reentry after deportation, where INS erred in concluding that he was deportable because of his vehicular homicide conviction, which in turn, invalidated his deportation order, which violated his due process rights and therefore cannot serve as a predicate element of his 1326 conviction).

jurisdiction: 
Lower Courts of Ninth Circuit

AGGRAVATED FELONY - CRIME OF VIOLENCE - 18 U.S.C. 16(b) - FELONY -- MASSACHUSETTS MISDEMEANOR CONVICTION OF ASSAULT ON OFFICER CONSTITUTED FELONY UNDER FEDERAL DEFINITION OF FELONY SINCE MAXIMUM TERM OF IMPRISONMENT EXCEEDED ONE YEAR

Blake v. Gonzales, ___ F.3d ___, ___, 2007 WL 914865 (2d Cir. March 28, 2007) (Massachusetts conviction of assault on police officer, under Massachusetts General Laws chapter 265, section 13D, with suspended two-year sentence to imprisonment, constituted felony for purposes of being a crime of violence aggravated felony, as defined under 18 U.S.C. 16(b), since the court applied the federal definition of felony, 18 U.S.C.

jurisdiction: 
Second Circuit

IMMIGRATION OFFENSES - POSSESSION OF FIREARM OR AMMUNITION BY NONCITIZEN UNLAWFULLY IN UNITED STATES OR ADMITTED TO UNITED STATES UNDER NONIMMIGRANT VISA

United States v. Latu, ___ F.3d ___ (9th Cir. March 19, 2007) (federal conviction affirmed for being noncitizen illegally present in the United States [i.e., not in valid immigrant, nonimmigrant or parole status] in possession of firearms or ammunition, and removable, since 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(5)(A) is constitutional under the Commerce Clause and was properly applied in defendant's case, despite noncitizen having filed an application for adjustment of status based on U.S. citizen spouse).
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/circs/9th/0510815p.pdf

jurisdiction: 
Ninth Circuit

AGGRAVATED FELONY - SEXUAL ABUSE OF A MINOR - SOLICITATION OF INDECENT SEX ACT

Sharashidze v. Gonzales, ___ F.3d ___, 2007 WL 777666 (7th Cir. March 16, 2007) (Illinois conviction of misdemeanor indecent solicitation of a sex act, under 720 ILCS 5/11-14.1 ["offers a person not his or her spouse any money, property, token, object, or article or anything of value to perform any act of sexual penetration as defined in Section 12-12 of this Code, or any touching, or fondling of the sex organs of one person by another person for the purpose of sexual arousal or gratification]," constituted sexual abuse of a minor aggravated felony under INA 101(a)(43)(A), 8 U.S.C.

jurisdiction: 
Seventh Circuit

AGGRAVATED FELONY - DRUG TRAFFICKING - IDENTIFICATION OF DRUG CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES - IDENTIFICATION OF DRUG

More Drugs Apparently Not Listed on Federal Schedules: Difenoxin (CA- Schedule I; 11054(b)(15)), Propiram (CA-Schedule I; 11054(b)(41)), Tilidine (CA-Schedule I; 11054(b)(43)), Drotebanol (CA-Schedule I; 11054(c)(9)), Alfentany (CA-Schedule II; 11055(c)(1)), Bulk dextropropoxyphene (CA- Schedule II; 11055(c)(5)), and Sufentanyl (CA-Schedule II; 11055(c)(25)).
Thanks to Lisa Weissman-Ward.

jurisdiction: 
Other

INADMISSIBILITY - ADMISSIONS OF CONDUCT

Garcia-Lopez v. Ashcroft, 334 F.3d 840 n.4 (9th Cir. June 26, 2003) (respondent's representative cannot in proceedings concede a conviction that is not a conviction: "The INS also contends that Garcia-Lopez "admitted" that he was convicted of a felony because, in support of the initial application, Garcia-Lopez's accredited representative stated that Garcia-Lopez had received a felony sentence. As an initial matter, the representative's statement was patently inaccurate, as Garcia-Lopez was never actually sentenced.

jurisdiction: 
Ninth Circuit

RECORD OF CONVICTION - DOCUMENTS EXCLUDED - ADMISSION OF RESPONDENT IN PROCEEDINGS

Garcia-Lopez v. Ashcroft, 334 F.3d 840 n.4 (9th Cir. June 26, 2003) (respondent's representative cannot in proceedings concede a conviction that is not a conviction: "The INS also contends that Garcia-Lopez "admitted" that he was convicted of a felony because, in support of the initial application, Garcia-Lopez's accredited representative stated that Garcia-Lopez had received a felony sentence. As an initial matter, the representative's statement was patently inaccurate, as Garcia-Lopez was never actually sentenced.

jurisdiction: 
Ninth Circuit

CONVICTION - NATURE OF CONVICTION - ELEMENTS OF OFFENSE OF CONVICTION - STATE JUDICIAL DECISIONS INCLUDE INTERMEDIATE APPELLATE COURTS AS WELL AS STATE SUPREME COURT

Blake v. Gonzales, ___ F.3d ___, ___, n.3, 2007 WL 914865 (2d Cir. March 28, 2007) (in determining the elements of the offense of conviction under state law, "we are bound to apply the law as interpreted by a state's intermediate appellate courts unless we find persuasive evidence that the state's highest court, which has not ruled on this issue, would reach a different conclusion. See Pahuta v. Massey-Ferguson, Inc., 170 F.3d 125, 134 (2d Cir.1999).").

jurisdiction: 
Second Circuit

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