United States v. Isidro Moreno-Hernandez

Once more, we are asked to determine whether a federal defendant’s previous state-law conviction is for a “felony that is ... a crime of violence” under section 2L1.2(b)(l)(A)(ii) of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines (“Guidelines”). See, e.g., United States v. Lopez-Patino, 391 F.3d 1034, 1036-38 (9th Cir.2004) (per curiam); United State s v. Contreras-Salas, 387 F.3d 1095, 1097 (9th Cir.2004); United States v. Hernandez-Hernandez, 387 F.3d 799, 804-06 (9th Cir.2004); United States v. Grajeda-Ramirez, 348 F.3d 1123, 1124-25 (9th Cir.2003), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 125 S.Ct. 863 , 160 L.Ed.2d 781 (2005).

Under Oregon law, assault in the fourth degree (“Assault IV”), normally a “Class A misdemeanor” punishable by no more than one year in prison, is a “Class C felony” punishable by up to five years in prison when committed, inter alia, in the presence of the victim’s minor child. See Or. Rev. Stat. § lOS-WO^Kc). At issue in this ap peal is whether the presence of the victim’s minor child should be considered in ascertaining whether the Oregon statute defines a “felony” for purposes of the Guidelines.

Sentencing factors based on some aspect of the defendant’s legal history, such as…