Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-91-04000/USCOURTS-ca10-91-04000-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 510
Nature of Suit: Prisoner Petitions - Vacate Sentence
Cause of Action: 

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UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS 

TENTH CIRCUIT 

GARY BARNETT, 

Plaintiff-Appellant, 

FI LED 

Uniwd Suues Court of Appeals 

Ttirtth Cirruit 

JUN 'l 1991 

ROBERT L. HOECKER 

Clerk 

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No. 91-4000 

v. 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

Defendant-Appellee. 

(D.C. No. 90-C-1027-J) 

(D. Utah) 

ORDER AND JUDGMENT* 

Before McKAY, SEYMOUR, and EBEL, Circuit Judges. 

After examining the briefs, this panel has determined 

unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist the 

determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a); 10th 

Cir. R. 34.1.9. Therefore, the case is ordered submitted without 

oral argument. 

Appellant brought a motion under 28 u.s.c. S 2255 claiming 

that the imposition of the special parole term of his sentence was 

illegal. The district court denied the motion. We affirm. 

Appellant was convicted under 21 u.s.c. S 841(a). Part of the 

indictment charged "posses[sion) with intent to distribute 

approximately one (1) kilogram of a mixture containing cocaine." 

* This order and judgment has no precedential value and shall not 

be cited, or used by any court within the Tenth Circuit, except 

for purposes of establishing the doctrines of the law of the case, 

res judicata, or collateral estoppel. 10th Cir. R. 36.3. 

Appellate Case: 91-4000 Document: 010110118850 Date Filed: 06/07/1991 Page: 1 
-,,. \,, 

On that count, appellant was found guilty and sentenced to six 

years in prison and a special parole term of three years. The 

court did not indicate whether the sentence was entered pursuant 

to§ 841(b)(l)(A) which calls for enhanced sentences of up to 20 

years for convictions involving "1 kilogram or more" of cocaine 

and does not provide for special parole terms, or pursuant to 

§ 841 (b)(l)(B) which is non-enhanced, carries a maximum of only 

15 years, and does provides for special parole terms. Appellant 

contends that he was sentenced under§ 841(b)(l)(A), and therefore 

the special parole term was illegal. The government disagrees, 

claiming that the leniency of appellant's sentence and the lack of 

a specific finding that the cocaine amounted to one kilogram or 

more, indicate that the sentence was under§ 84l(b)(l)(B), and 

therefore the special parole term was proper. 

We agree with the government. Although the appellant is 

correct that "after October 12, 1984, special parole terms ... 

were not authorized for sentences under subsection 841(b)(l)(A)," 

United States v. Garcia, 879 F.2d 803, 805 (10th Cir. 1989), the 

"essential element[s of statutory crimes] must be both alleged and 

proved before the greater penalty may be imposed." United States 

v. Crockett, 812 F.2d 626, 629 (10th Cir. 1987). There is no 

doubt that§ 841(b)(l)(A) is the enhanced, or greater, penalty. 

Thus, because it was not otherwise demonstrated, we must presume 

that because the exact amount of cocaine was not shown to be one 

kilogram or more, appellant legally could not have been, and that 

he was not, sentenced under§ 841(b)(l)(A). Therefore, the 

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Appellate Case: 91-4000 Document: 010110118850 Date Filed: 06/07/1991 Page: 2 
special parole term was appropriate and the district court is 

AFFIRMED. The mandate shall issue forthwith. 

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Entered for the Court, 

David M. Ebel 

Circuit Judge 

Appellate Case: 91-4000 Document: 010110118850 Date Filed: 06/07/1991 Page: 3