United States v. Victor Michael, United States of America v. Shane Skillings, 986 F.2d 1416, 4th Cir. (1993)
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Scribd Government DocsUnited States v. Victor Michael, United States of America v. Shane Skillings, 986 F.2d 1416, 4th Cir. (1993)
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Scribd Government Docs986 F.
2d 1416
NOTICE: Fourth Circuit I.O.P. 36.6 states that citation of
unpublished dispositions is disfavored except for establishing
res judicata, estoppel, or the law of the case and requires
service of copies of cited unpublished dispositions of the Fourth
Circuit.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Victor MICHAEL, Defendant-Appellant.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Shane SKILLINGS, Defendant-Appellant.
Nos. 92-5331, 92-5342.
United States Court of Appeals,
Fourth Circuit.
Submitted: December 14, 1992
Decided: February 18, 1993
Appeals from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of
Virginia, at Richmond. Robert R. Merhige, Jr., Senior District Judge.
(CR-91-140-R)
Gregory W. Franklin, Richmond, Virginia, for Appellant Michael; Robert
P. Geary, Richmond, Virginia, for Appellant Skillings.
Richard Cullen, United States Attorney, Stephen W. Miller, Assistant
United States Attorney, Terry T. Hughes, Third Year Law Student,
Richmond, Virginia, for Appellee.
E.D.Va.
AFFIRMED.
Before WILKINS, NIEMEYER, and LUTTIG, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
After a day of trial, Victor Michael and Shane Skillings each entered a guilty
plea to a charge of conspiracy to obtain firearms through false statements (18
U.S.C. 371 (1988)). Each challenges the sentence he received, alleging that
the district court erred in departing upward. We affirm.
Skillings and Michael were participants in a conspiracy which purchased a
large number of firearms in Virginia through straw purchasers and resold the
guns in New York City. Over two hundred guns were involved. The district
court decided that the large number of guns warranted an upward departure.
Skillings's guideline range was eighteen to twenty-four months; the court
departed to sixty months. Michael's guideline range was fifteen to twenty-one
months; the court departed to fifty months. Appellants contend here as they did
at sentencing that because the number of guns is a factor which was adequately
taken into account in the guideline, no departure was warranted. United States
Sentencing Commission, Guidelines Manual, 2K2.2(b)(1)(F) (Nov. 1990).
Under the test set out in United States v. Summers, 898 F.2d 63 (4th Cir. 1990),
we review de novo the district court's determination that a relevant factor was
not adequately considered by the Sentencing Commission in formulating the
guidelines. In this case, the question is easily answered because the
commentary to the guideline itself suggests that a departure may be appropriate
if there are more than fifty guns involved. U.S.S.G. 2K2.2, comment. (n.2)
(Nov. 1990). The district court thus was not in error when it decided that a
departure could be made for this reason.*
We therefore affirm the judgment of the district court. 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. 92-5331-AFFIRMED No. 92-5342-AFFIRMED
Appellants do not contend that the departure fails to meet the other
requirements of the Summers test. We find no plain error in the district court's
decision to depart or in the extent of the departure
