Bland v. United States

Glickman, Associate Judge:

Charles Bland appeals the enhancement of his sentence for unlawful possession of a firearm (UPF) under a statutory provision requiring a mandatory minimum prison term of three years instead of one year if the offender has a prior conviction for a “crime of violence other than conspiracy.”1 Bland argues that his constitutional rights under the Fifth and Sixth Amendments were violated because the finding that he had qualifying prior convictions for armed robbery and assault with a dangerous weapon (ADW) was made by the trial judge rather than by the jury that found him…