Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-06-03190/USCOURTS-ca8-06-03190-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Jerome R. Johnson
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

1

The Honorable Gary A. Fenner, United States District Judge for the Western

District of Missouri.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 06-3190

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the

* Western District of Missouri.

Jerome R. Johnson, * 

* [UNPUBLISHED]

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: October 17, 2007

Filed: February 14, 2008

___________

Before BYE, BOWMAN, and SMITH, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Jerome R. Johnson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute MDMA (ecstasy)

in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and was sentenced to seventy months of

imprisonment. In calculating the advisory guideline range, the district court1

 included

a four-level enhancement under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines (U.S.S.G.) § 3B1.1(a)

based on Johnson's role as a leader or organizer in the conspiracy. Johnson appeals

contending the government breached the parties' plea agreement by advocating for the

role enhancement because the agreement said Johnson "may" be eligible for safety

Appellate Case: 06-3190 Page: 1 Date Filed: 02/14/2008 Entry ID: 3402706
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valve relief under U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(b)(7) (2005), and application of a role

enhancement automatically negated safety valve relief. See U.S.S.G. § 5C1.2(a)(4)

(precluding safety valve relief when the defendant is "an organizer, leader, manager,

or supervisor of others in the offense"). The government argues it did not breach the

agreement, and moves to dismiss the appeal based upon an appeal waiver contained

in the plea agreement. We enforce the appeal waiver and dismiss the appeal.

Johnson contends because the government agreed he "may" be eligible for

safety valve relief, the government was barred from advocating any position that

would negate the mere possibility represented by the word "may." The plea

agreement provided, however, "there are no agreements between the parties with

respect to any Sentencing Guidelines issues other than those specifically listed."

Johnson's role in the offense was not one of the guideline issues listed in the plea

agreement. With respect to non-listed issues, the plea agreement indicated "the parties

are free to advocate their respective positions at the sentencing hearing."

As a consequence, we do not believe the plea agreement's mere use of the word

"may" can bear the weight Johnson asks us to assign to it. The plea agreement

indicated Johnson "may" be eligible for safety valve relief if he provided a truthful

statement pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 5C1.2(a)(5), but the government did not promise he

"will" be eligible by doing so. Use of the word "may" implicitly recognized Johnson

"may not" be eligible for safety valve relief even if he provided a truthful statement,

because provision of a truthful statement is just one of five conditions a defendant

must satisfy to obtain safety valve relief. See U.S.S.G. § 5C1.2(a) (setting forth five

separate conditions which must be met before a defendant is eligible for safety valve

relief). By using the word "may," the plea agreement does not create an obligation on

the part of the government, but merely sets forth a correct statement of the law, as was

done in other clauses of the same paragraph of the plea agreement (e.g., "[t]he Court

may impose a sentence that is either above or below the defendant's applicable

Guidelines range, provided the sentence imposed is not 'unreasonable.'").

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An appeal waiver in a plea agreement does not bar an appeal of a sentence if

there is a breach of the agreement. United States v. Wilkerson, 179 F.3d 1083, 1084

n.2 (8th Cir. 1999). In the absence of a breach, however, we will enforce the appeal

waiver. See United States v. Greger, 98 F.3d 1080, 1081 (8th Cir. 1996) ("So long

as the sentence is not in conflict with the negotiated agreement, a knowing and

voluntary waiver of the right to appeal from a sentence will be enforced."). Because

the government did not breach the plea agreement by advocating for a role

enhancement, we enforce the appeal waiver and grant the government's motion to

dismiss.

_____________________________

Appellate Case: 06-3190 Page: 3 Date Filed: 02/14/2008 Entry ID: 3402706