In United States v. Harrison, No. 21-14514 (Jan. 10,
2023) (Wilson, Jill Pryor, Ruiz), the Court held, on a government
appeal, that Georgia’s robbery statute is divisible, and that Georgia robbery
by intimidation is a “crime of violence” under the Guidelines.
First, the Court held that, under Mathis, Georgia’s robbery statute was divisible into three separate crimes: robbery by force, robbery by intimidation, and robbery by sudden snatching. The Court reached that conclusion based on the text of the armed robbery statute, Georgia case law, and the Georgia jury instructions. The Court rejected the Fourth Circuit’s contrary conclusion based on its reading of the jury instructions. Having determined that the defendant was convicted of robbery by intimidation, the Court held that it was a “crime of violence” under the enumerated offense clause of the Guidelines because Georgia robbery by intimidation satisfied the “generic” definition of robbery.
