United States v. Cruz-Gramajo

Opinion by Judge HALL; Partial Concurrence and Partial Dissent by Judge PREGERSON.

These consolidated cases concern the Sentencing Guidelines applicable to illegal reentry into the United States in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326. The facts in each case are similar. Defendants are foreign citizens who were deported and then returned to this country without permission. After their illegal reentries—but before immigration authorities discovered them—Defendants committed and were convicted for various state law offenses, including burglary, driving under the influence, and evading police. At sentencing for their § 1326 offenses, the district courts held that Defendants’ intervening state law crimes constituted “criminal history” for purposes of calculating their Guidelines ranges.

Defendants attack these holdings. They note that the Guidelines exclude from “criminal history” acts that are del fined as “relevant conduct” to the conviction offense. Relevant conduct, they argue, includes conduct occurring “during” the conviction offense. Illegal reentry is a continuing offense that lasts from reentry until the violator is found by immigration authorities. Therefore, Defendants argue, the state law crimes they committed after returning to this country were still “during” their § 1326 offenses and thus do not constitute “criminal history.” Defendants’ argument ignores the context, structure and purpose of the Guidelines. We affirm the district courts’ decisions to include Defendants’ intervening state law crimes in the criminal history calculation.

*1165Defendants Gustavo Cruz-Gramajo (“Cruz-Gramajo”) and Ray Aguilar-Rodriguez (“Aguilar-Rodriguez”) raise an additional issue. In addition to calculating criminal history points for the intervening crimes themselves, the district courts gave them points for violating § 1326 while under a criminal justice sentence. CruzGramajo and Aguilar-Rodriguez argue these rulings were erroneous, because the sentences at issue were for.crimes they committed after illegally returning. We affirm the district court’s ruling as to Aguilar-Rodriguez, and need not decide the issue raised by Cruz-Gramajo, as any potential error is harmless.

I. Background

A. Cruz-Gramajo

Cruz-Gramajo is a citizen of Mexico. In January 2000, he was convicted of possessing marijuana with intent to sell, in violation of Cal. Health, & Safety Code § 11359. After serving prison time for the drug offense, Cruz-Gramajo was deported in April 2003 and then again in September 2004. Cruz-Gramajo returned yet again, apparently at some point in 2006. In March 2006, he committed grand theft and burglary, in violation of CaLPenal Code §§ 487 and 459, respectively. For each offense, Cruz-Gramajo was sentenced to approximately one year in jail and three years probation. On February 23, 2007, while still incarcerated in Los Angeles County Jail, Cruz-Gramajo came to the attention of immigration officials. He was then charged with being an alien found in the United States after having been deported, in violation of § 1326.1 The district court found Cruz-Gramajo guilty after a one-day bench trial.

At sentencing, and over Cruz-Gramajo’s objection, the district court held that the grand theft and burglary convictions constituted “criminal history,” each resulting in two criminal history points pursuant to U.S.S.G. §§ 4Al.l(b) and 4A1.2(e)(2). Also over Cruz-Gramajo’s objection, the district court added two criminal history points under U.S.S.G. § 4Al.l(d) for committing the illegal reentry while under a criminal justice sentence. Together with the three criminal history points for the drug possession charge, the court found that Cruz-Gramajo had a total of nine criminal history points, which resulted in a criminal history category of IV. The court also calculated a total offense level of twenty-one (resulting from a base offense level of eight, a sixteen-level enhancement because the marijuana conviction was a drug trafficking offense, and a three-point reduction for acceptance of responsibility). This resulted in a Guidelines range of fifty-*1166seven to seventy-one months. The court imposed a fifty-seven-month sentence. ' ■

B. Aguilar-Rodriguez

Aguilar-Rodriguez also appeals his sentence for violating § 1326. A citizen of Mexico, Aguilar-Rodriguez was convicted on September 15, 1997, for possession of a controlled substance for sale in violation of Cal. Health & Safety Code § 11351(a). Aguilar-Rodriguez was deported from the United States in October 1998, and reentered on or about May 1, 2005. After he returned, Aguilar-Rodriguez was twice convicted for driving under the influence in violation of Cal. Vehicle Code § 23152(b), once in 2005 and again in 2007.2 Apparently due to the second DUI, Aguilar-Rodriguez was found in Los Angeles by immigration officials on or about July 10, 2007.

Aguilar-Rodriguez’s § 1326 case received “fast track” treatment, and his binding plea agreement was entered pursuant to Rule 11(c)(1)(C) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.3 The parties agreed to a sentence at the low end of the Guideline range, determined by an offense level of seventeen and the criminal history the district court calculated.

Over Aguilar-Rodriguez’s objection, the district court treated the DUIs as criminal history, each worth two criminal history points. Additionally, in a ruling that Aguilar-Rodriguez did not dispute below, the court added two criminal history points under U.S.S.G. § 4Al.l(d) on the ground that Aguilar-Rodriguez committed § 1326 offense while on probation for the DUI convictions. Together with five points that are not in dispute, the district court ruled that Aguilar-Rodriguez had eleven criminal history points, resulting in a criminal history category of V. This resulted in a Guideline range of forty-six to fifty-seven months. The district court sentenced Aguilar-Rodriguez to forty-six months in prison.

C. Pulido

Ernesto Pulido also appeals his § 1326 sentence. In February 2001, Pulido was convicted of cultivating marijuana in violation of Cal. Health & Safety Code § 11358. He was deported from the United States on or about March 2, 2006, and returned shortly thereafter. About three weeks later, on March 21, 2006, Pulido violated Cal. Vehicle Code § 2800.2 by evading a police officer during a traffic stop. Immigration officials became aware of Pulido that same day.

Pulido was charged with violating § 1326. Like Aguilar-Rodriguez, his case received “fast track” treatment, and he entered a binding plea, agreement under Rule 11(c)(1)(C) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. The agreement stipulated that Pulido’s total offense level was *1167seventeen and provided that the appropriate sentence would be the low end of the Guidelines range in light of the criminal history calculated by the district court.

Over Pulido’s objection, the district court treated the 2006 conviction for evading police as criminal history, which resulted in a criminal history category of VI and a Guideline range of fifty-one to sixty-one months. The court sentenced Pulido to fifty-one months in prison.

II. Standard of Review

We review de novo the district court’s application of the Guidelines, including whether a prior conviction may be used for sentencing purposes. See United States v. Rodriguez-Rodriguez, 393 F.3d 849, 856 (9th Cir.2005). We review “the district court’s interpretation of the Sentencing Guidelines de novo, the district court’s application of the Sentencing Guidelines to the facts of this case for abuse of discretion, and the district court’s factual findings for clear error.” United States v. Kimbrew, 406 F.3d 1149, 1151 (9th Cir.2005). “Remand is not necessary if ‘the reviewing court concludes, on the record as a whole, that the error was harmless, i.e., that the error did not affect the district court’s selection of the sentence imposed.’” United States v. Rutledge, 28 F.3d 998, 1003 (9th Cir.1994) (quoting Williams v. United States, 503 U.S. 193, 203, 112 S.Ct. 1112, 117 L.Ed.2d 341 (1992)).

III. Discussion

A. Criminal History Calculation

When interpreting the Sentencing Guidelines, we apply “ ‘The rules of statutory construction.’ ” United States v. Valenzuela, 495 F.3d 1127, 1133 (9th Cir.2007) (quoting United States v. Robinson, 94 F.3d 1325, 1328 (9th Cir.1996)). Under these rules, “[t]he plain meaning of unambiguous language in a guideline provision controls.” Id. While the “starting point is always the language of the statute itself,” Jeffries v. Wood, 114 F.3d 1484, 1495 (9th Cir.1997), “[rjather than focusing just on the word or phrase at issue, this court looks to the entire statute to determine ... intent.” Sanchez v. Pacific Powder Co., 147 F.3d 1097, 1099 (9th Cir.1998) (citing Duffield v. Robertson Stephens Co., 144 F.3d 1182, 1192-93 (9th Cir.1998) (“When examining the language of the governing statute, we must not be guided by a single sentence ..., but look to the provisions of the whole law, and to its object and policy.”) (citations omitted)). “Thus, the structure and purpose of a statute may also provide guidance in determining the plain meaning of its provisions.” The Wilderness Society v. United States Fish & Wildlife Srv., 353 F.3d 1051, 1060-1061 (9th Cir.2003) (en banc) (citing United States v. Lewis, 67 F.3d 225, 228-29 (9th Cir.1995) (“Particular phrases must be construed in light of the overall purpose and structure of the whole statutory scheme.”)). Using these principles to evaluate the purpose, structure, and interactions of Guidelines §§ 4A1.2, 1B1.3 and 2L1.2, in light of the overarching goals in sentencing, we hold that § 4A1.2 does not preclude the district court from assigning criminal history points for sentences received after an illegal entry, but before an alien is found by immigration authorities.

The Guidelines determine sentencing ranges by computing an “offense level” and a “criminal history” category. Defendants receive criminal history points for certain “prior sentences.” See U.S.S.G. §§ 4A1.1, 4A1.2. “The term ‘prior sentence’ means any sentence previously imposed upon adjudication of guilt ... for conduct not part of the instant offense.” U.S.S.G. § 4A1.2(a)(l) (emphasis added). Under this definition, conduct that was “part of the instant offense” cannot receive criminal history points. See id. The com*1168mentary associated with section 4A1.2 further elaborates on what is meant by the term prior sentence.

“Prior sentence” means a sentence imposed prior to sentencing on the instant offense, other than a sentence for conduct that is part of the instant offense. A sentence imposed after the defendant’s commencement of the instant offense, but prior to sentencing on the instant offense, is a prior sentence if it was for conduct other than conduct that was part of the instant offense. Conduct that is part of the instant offense means conduct that is relevant conduct to the instant offense under the provisions of § 1B1.3 (Relevant Conduct).

U.S.S.G. § 4A1.2, cmt. n. I.4 (emphasis added) (internal citations omitted).

Defendants argue that because a violation of § 1326 is considered a continuing offense that extends from the moment of illegal reentry until discovery by immigration officials, see, e.g., United States v. Reyes-Pacheco, 248 F.3d 942, 946 (9th Cir.2001), their state law offenses should be considered relevant conduct to their unlawful reentry. Defendants rely on the description of relevant conduct in § 1B1.3 which includes “all acts and omissions committed ... by the defendant ... that occurred during the commission of the offense of conviction, in preparation for that offense, or in the course of attempting to avoid detection or responsibility for that offense.... ” (emphasis added).5 Thus, they argue that their intervening state offenses occurred “during” their § 1326 offenses as a temporal matter,6 and that this temporal relationship is sufficient to deem the state offenses “relevant conduct,” thereby precluding the district court from *1169considering the convictions as part of their criminal history calculation.

The government contests the Defendants’ interpretation of the word “during.” The government does not dispute that illegal reentry is a continuing offense, or that the state offenses at issue occurred during the illegal reentries as a temporal matter. Instead, the government contends that a temporal relationship is not enough. The government reads the “during” provision as only encompassing conduct that was both “during” and “in connection with” the conviction offense. In other words, the government contends that to constitute “relevant conduct” under § lB1.3’s “during” provision, other offenses must also be logically related to the offense for which a sentence is being imposed, and that such a logical relationship is absent here.

Both Defendants and the government cite precedent interpreting the phrase “during the commission of the offense of conviction” in § IB 1.3 to support their respective positions. The Defendants rely upon United States v. Johnson, 187 F.3d 1129 (9th Cir.1999), and United States v. Stoterau, 524 F.3d 988 (9th Cir.2008) as implicitly holding that a temporal relationship was sufficient to include acts commitr ted by defendants under relevant conduct. Both cases, however, reviewed the application of an enhancement for acts committed by the defendant “during the commission of the offense of conviction” that were also related logically to the offense. The cases did not decide what conduct the district court was precluded from considering as part of criminal history, but rather what conduct the district court was permitted to include in its consideration of relevant conduct. The government’s reliance on precedent from other circuits, though helpful in illustrating what results may follow from interpreting “during” to require only a temporal nexus to the offense,7 also do not address the precise issue in this case.

The government correctly notes that the context of the phrase and the structure and purpose of the Guidelines are relevant in determining the plain meaning of terms ■within a particular Guideline, rather than simply the definition of the language used. But both parties’ reliance upon the meaning of the phrase “during the commission of the offense,” is misplaced. We need not decide the general scope of relevant conduct a court is permitted to evaluate as a broad proposition. What we instead decide today is the more narrow issue of whether § 4A1.2 precludes a district court from assigning any criminal history points for a sentence imposed prior to a defendant being “found” by immigration authorities, by defining that conduct as “part of the instant offense.”

1. § 4A1.2

We begin our analysis by examining § 4A1.2(a)(l), and application note 1, with the principles of statutory construction in mind. We note first that the purpose of § 4A1.2 is “ ‘to reflect the seriousness of a defendant’s criminal history,’ while, at the *1170same time, avoiding ‘overstating] the seriousness of the defendant’s criminal conduct.’ ” United States v. Marler, 527 F.3d 874, 879 (9th Cir.2008)- (quoting United States v. Asberry, 394 F.3d 712, 719 (9th Cir.2005)). The “ultimate goal remains finding a sentence that accurately reflects both the seriousness of the underlying federal offense and the extent and nature of the defendant’s criminal past.” Asberry, 394 F.3d at 719.

Section 4A1.2 uses two means of ensuring that a defendant’s criminal history is not overstated. The first, at issue in this case, is the limitation that a “prior sentence” should incorporate only conduct “not part of the instant offense.” The application note, however, expressly-contemplates a situation in which a defendant’s instant offense may be contemporaneous with conduct forming the basis of another sentence, and yet not be considered relevant conduct: “[a] sentence imposed after the defendant’s commencement of the instant offense, but prior to sentencing on the instant offense, is a prior sentence if it was for conduct other than conduct that was part of the instant offense.” § 4A1.2, cmt. n. 1 (emphasis- added). The Sentencing Commission did not limit the definition of prior sentences to extend only to conduct committed entirely before or after the conduct constituting the instant offense. Contrary to Defendant’s interpretation, the use of the word “commencement” indicates that another offense can be committed and counted as a prior sentence, though committed “during the commission of the offense of conviction.” As written, this sentence of the application note provides that Defendants’ state law convictions may not be part of the instant offense, even if the sentences were imposed after Defendants- commenced their § 1326 violations by illegally reentering the country. The application note goes on to explain that to be excluded as a prior sentence, the conduct must be relevant conduct: 1) to the instant offense, 2) under the provisions of § 1B1.3 (Relevant Conduct). Id. Therefore, deciding whether Defendants’ state law convictions constitute relevant conduct requires applying all of the provisions of § 1B1.3 in light of the instant offense, a violation of § 1326, a task we undertake in the next section.

The second means of preventing overstating, or double-counting of a defendant’s criminal history is the limitation in § 4A1.2(a)(2), requiring: “[p]rior sentences imposed in related cases ... to be treated as one sentence.... ” Application note 3 clarifies that if the two prior sentences are not separated by an intervening arrest, they “are considered related if they resulted from sentences that (A) occurred on the same occasion,8 (B) were part of a single common scheme or plan, or (C) were consolidated for trial or sentencing.” Thus, § 4A1.2 limits the number of points that can be assigned in criminal history by first ensuring that the prior sentence has not actually been calculated as “part of the instant offense,” and secondly, by ensuring that prior cases, related to each other, do not count twice.

2. § 1B1.3

The purpose of § IB 1.3 of the Guidelines, Relevant Conduct, is to “capture the real offense behavior” involved in defendant’s conduct. United States v. Romero, 293 F.3d 1120, 1124 (9th Cir.2002). The *1171Sentencing Commission accomplished this task by formulating a relevant conduct guideline which “identified the categories of misconduct that the sentencing judge could examine in determining whether to make ... adjustments to the base offense level,” specific offense characteristics, cross references, and adjustments and enhancements. United States v. Kim, 896 F.2d 678, 682 (2d Cir.1990) (emphasis added); see also § lB1.3(a). The provisions of § 1B1.3 are written broadly to provide sentencing judges maximum discretion, allowing flexibility in their application to a variety of crimes and circumstances. It is the provisions’ interactions with numerous other guidelines, however, that determine what conduct is “relevant” to each specific guideline, as indicated by the title “Relevant Conduct.” See Singh v. Gonzales, 499 F.3d 969, 977 (9th Cir.2007) (noting title “may be instructive in putting the statute in context”) (citing Almendarez-Torres v. United States, 523 U.S. 224, 234, 118 S.Ct. 1219, 140 L.Ed.2d 350 (1998)).

Applying the relevant conduct guideline can facilitate a district court’s consideration of germane uncharged conduct occurring before, during, or after the charge-offense. United States v. Ritsema, 31 F.3d 559, 567 (7th Cir.1994). Conversely, the relevant conduct guideline can also limit the sentencing judge’s discretion to consider conduct independently where it “involve[s] a pattern of misconduct that cannot readily be broken into discrete, identifiable units that are meaningful for purposes of sentencing.” § 1B1.3 (background). Thus, § lB1.3(a)(2) of the relevant conduct guideline, in conjunction with U.S.S.G. § 3D1.2(d), provides that when conduct involves the same course of conduct or common scheme or plan, and the offense behavior and applicable guideline contemplate the total amount of harm or loss, or the involvement of continuous behavior, the conduct is considered “relevant conduct” for guidelines calculation purposes.9 “The reference to § 3D1.2(d), which provides for grouping of multiple counts arising out of a continuing offense, when the offense guideline takes the continuing nature into account, also prevents double counting.” § 1B1.3 (background). But § 3D1.2 does not include the offense guideline applicable to illegal reentry violations, U.S.S.G. § 2L1.2, within its coverage, as the offense of being “found” does not contemplate continuous related harm or loss.

An application note applicable to § lB1.3(a)(2) explicitly cross-references § 4A1.2(a)(l), providing an example and explanation of the Sentencing Commission’s intent regarding the interaction of the relevant conduct and prior sentence provisions. In application note 8, the example is given of a defendant engaging in two drug sales as part of the same course of conduct, facing conviction for one sale in state court and the second in federal court. In these circumstances, § 1B1.3 makes clear that the state law conviction constitutes relevant conduct, and not a prior sentence under § 4A1.2(a)(l). § 1B1.3, cmt. n. 8. In this case, Defendants do not argue that their state law convictions were *1172pursuant to the same course of conduct as their illegal reentry, or that § IB 1.3(a)(2) is even applicable. Instead, they rely solely on the temporal link between the two offenses, caused by the continuous nature of an illegal reentry offense.

Defendants’ reliance on a mere temporal link to require the district court to consider the state law sentences relevant conduct, and therefore not prior criminal history, is insufficient. Section IB 1.3 does not create a scope of relevant conduct that has independent significance. Rather it merely defines the scope of conduct considered in determining the base offense level, specific offense characteristics, cross references, and adjustments involved. See § 1B1.3 (background) (“Subsection (a) establishes a rule of construction by specifying, in the absence of more explicit instructions in the context of a specific guideline, the range of conduct that is relevant to determining the applicable offense level.”) (emphasis added); see also U.S.S.G. § 1B1.2, cmt. n. 2 (“Section lB1.2(b) directs the court, once it has determined the applicable guideline ... to determine any applicable specific offense characteristics (under that guideline), and any other applicable sentencing factors pursuant to the relevant conduct definition in § 1B1.3.”) (emphasis added). Thus, because Defendants’ state law offenses do not fall within the scope of § lB1.3(a)(2), they fall within relevant conduct for purposes of § 4A1.2 only if they were incorporated in the guidelines calculation of the base offense level under § 2L1.2, specific offense characteristics, cross references, or adjustments to the instant offense of illegal reentry. An evaluation of § 2L1.2 shows that Defendants’ convictions after unlawfully reentering the country are not incorporated in the offense level calculation.

3. § 2L1.2

Unlike continuous offenses included in § 3D1.2(d) (Groups of Closely Related Counts), the total amount of harm involved in illegal reentry does not vary based on the continuous nature of the offense. In United States v. Carrasco, 313 F.3d 750, 755-756 (2d. Cir.2002), the Second Circuit concisely stated the harm involved in an illegal reentry offense. Regardless of the motive: “the ‘harm’ remains the illegal reentry.” Id. The harm contemplated by the statute, then, is completed at the time the defendant completes the actus reus of the offense, the voluntary illegal reentry without permission. See United States v. Ayala, 35 F.3d 423, 426 (9th Cir.1994). Section 2L1.2 provides only one base offense level for unlawful entering or remaining in the United States. Under the Specific Offense Characteristics, however, the offense level is increased if the defendant reentered the country following deportation for certain crimes. The increase in punishment is not dependent on the purpose for the reentry, but “to reflect the greater culpability of an alien who illegally reenters after committing” previous crimes in this country. Carrasco, 313 F.3d at 756. For purposes of calculating the offense level, it is irrelevant what conduct the alien engages in after reentry, as the harm is already complete.10 See- United States v. *1173Rivera-Ventura, 72 F.3d 277, 281 (2d Cir.1995) (noting that a § 1326 violation is “ordinarily complete as soon as the entry or attempt is made”); cf. United States v. Marler, 527 F.3d 874, 879 (9th Cir.2008) (holding that “for criminal history calculation purposes, the escape was complete, even though [the defendant] continued to be on escape status”). Defendants’ state law offenses, therefore, were not included in the calculation of the base offense level or specific offense characteristics. Because Defendants’ state law offenses were not incorporated into the offense level calculation, and were not required 'to be considered relevant conduct under § IB 1.3(a)(2), the state law offenses were not “relevant conduct to the instant offense under the provisions of § 1B1.3.” See § 4A1.2, cmt. n. 1.

Our determination is consistent with the structure and interactions of the Guidelines, as well as the policy goal of avoiding overstating a defendant’s criminal history. There is no overstatement involved in including Defendants’ prior sentences in criminal history, as they were not included in the calculation of the offense level, based on properly applied guidelines. The application note contemplated the possibility that an offense could occur contemporaneously with the instant federal offense without necessarily falling under relevant conduct. Moreover, including Defendants’ state convictions in the criminal history calculation preserves “the second fundamental element of the Guidelines calculus ... based on an offender characteristic, namely criminal history.” United States v. Allen, 488 F.3d 1244, 1256 (10th Cir.2007) (noting that “prior acts that are not related to the offense of conviction may be considered because a ‘defendant’s prior record of past criminal conduct is directly relevant to’ the purposes of sentencing set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)(2)” (quoting U.S.S.G. § 4A intro cmt.)).11 We affirm the district courts’ assignment of criminal history points to Defendants’ state law convictions.

Our decision is also consistent with the Fifth Circuit’s approach in United States v. Vargas-Garcia, 434 F.3d 345 (5th Cir.2005). Vargas-Garcia interpreted the same application note at issue here and held, under plain error review, that the continuing nature of a § 1326 violation did not preclude the district court from including other sentences in criminal history. Id. at 352. :Vargas-Garcia focused on “the concept of separable prior offenses ... based on ‘different criminal conduct that harmed different societal interests.’ ” Id. at 350 (quoting United States v. Beddow, 957 F.2d 1330, 1339 (6th Cir.1992)). The court did not want “the concealed and extended nature of [illegal reentry to] shield multiple and severable instances of unlawful conduct from their appropriate *1174consequences at sentencing.” Id. at 349 (internal citations omitted). This reasoning tracks the purpose of §§ lB1.3(a)(2) and 3D1.2(d), outlined above. Where there is no difficulty identifying severable harms caused by multiple offenses, the goal of § 4A1.2 in preventing overstating a defendant’s criminal history is not offended. For crimes committed after an alien unlawfully reenters, but before he or she is “found,” there is no “pattern of misconduct that cannot readily be broken into discrete, identifiable units that are meaningful for purposes of sentencing” merely because the crimes were technically contemporaneous. § 1B1.3 (background); see also Marler, 527 F.3d at 881 (holding that because the defendant “[did] not point to any evidence that his possession of [a] firearm occurred in conjunction with [his] robbery conspiracy,” the district court did not err in including the sentence as part 'of criminal history rather than relevant conduct).

B. § 4Al.l(d) Assignment of Points

The district courts also assigned Cruz-Gramajo and Aguilar-Rodriguez points under U.S.S.G. § 4Al.l(d) for violating § 1326 while under a criminal justice sentence. Cruz-Gramajo and Aguilar-Rodriguez argue these rulings were erroneous because they were not under any sentences when they stepped across the border; instead, the sentences at issue were for crimes committed after they reentered. Section 4Al.l(d) directs a district court to add two criminal history points “if the defendant committed the instant offense while under any criminal justice sentence, including probation, parole, supervised release, imprisonment, work release, or escape status.” An application note equates “the instant offense” with “any relevant conduct.” See id. emt. n. 4. Therefore, the question is whether CruzGramajo and Aguilar-Rodriguez committed any “relevant conduct” to the § 1326 offense while under the sentences they received for committing crimes after illegally reentering.

Cruz-Gramajo' preserved the issue at the district court and so we review the district court’s determination de novo. United States v. Grissom, 525 F.3d 691, 696 (9th Cir.2008). We review only for plain error in Aguilar-Rodriguez’s case because he did not raise the issue below. See United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725, 732, 113 S.Ct. 1770, 123 L.Ed.2d 508 (1993).

Even assuming the district court erred in assigning two criminal history points to Cruz-Gramajo under § 4Al.l(d), we need not reach the issue. Cruz-Gramajo had seven criminal history points assigned based on his prior sentences; the district court’s addition of the two § 4Al.l(d) points brought his total criminal history points to nine. Both seven and nine points result in a criminal history category of IV, see U.S.S.G. Ch.5, Pt. A, resulting in the same Guideline range even assuming error. Therefore, if any error was committed, which we do not decide, it was harmless. See United States v. Rutledge, 28 F.3d 998; 1003-1004 & n. 7 (9th Cir.1994).

We hold that the district court did not err,’ much less plainly err, in its assignment of two criminal history points under § 4Al.l(d) to Aguilar-Rodriguez. In Ayala, we noted that “[t]o avoid being ‘found in’ the United States, a deported alien can either not re-enter the United States, or, if he has already re-entered the United States, he can leave.” 35 F.3d at 425. Here, Aguilar-Rodriguez committed two separate DUI offenses before he was “found” in the United States. Aguilar-Rodriguez’s first DUI conviction was received in August 2005, after his unlawful reentry. In October 2005, his probation was revoked and a bench warrant was issued. According to § 4Al.l(d), cmt., n. 4, “[a] defendant who commits the instant *1175offense while a violation warrant from a prior sentence is outstanding (e.g., a probation, parole, or supervised release violation warrant) shall be deemed to be under a criminal justice sentence for the ■ purposes of this provision.... ” Thus, while under a criminal justice sentence for the first DUI, Aguilar-Rodriguez did not leave the country to avoid being “found.” The district court did not plainly err in assigning the § 4Al.l(d) points to Aguilar-Rodriguez.

AFFIRMED.