Public Defense

In this case, the court again holds that a New York youthful offender adjudication (a ?y.o.?) - here, it was for attempted burglary in the second degree - must be included in the defendant?s criminal history score under the sentencing guidelines and, where applicable, can trigger the ?career offender? enhancement.

There is nothing new or surprising about this. What is interesting about this case is its strong dicta that a y.o is not a predicate under the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA). Indeed, the circuit cites with approval United States v. Fernandez, 390 F. Supp.2d 277 (S.D.N.Y. 2005) (litigated and won by this very blogger), which so held, and notes that, here, the district court followed Fernandez in declining to sentence Parnell under ACCA, a sentence, not incidentally, that the government did not appeal.

Full post as published by Second Circuit Blog on May 02, 2008 (boomark / email).