Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-06-01589/USCOURTS-ca8-06-01589-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Lucas Hardaway
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

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The Honorable George Howard, Jr., United States District Judge for the

Eastern District of Arkansas.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

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No. 06-1589

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United States of America,

Appellee,

v.

Lucas Hardaway,

Appellant.

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Appeal from the United States

District Court for the

Eastern District of Arkansas.

 [UNPUBLISHED]

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Submitted: March 16, 2007

 Filed: March 22, 2007

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Before COLLOTON, HANSEN, and GRUENDER, Circuit Judges. 

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PER CURIAM. 

 Lucas Hardaway pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute a mixture

or substance containing more than 50 grams of cocaine base, a violation of 21 U.S.C.

§§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A). The district court1

sentenced Hardaway to 135 months

of imprisonment. Hardaway appeals his sentence, and after careful review, we affirm.

Appellate Case: 06-1589 Page: 1 Date Filed: 03/22/2007 Entry ID: 3290773
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Hardaway was indicted by a grand jury on one count of possession with intent

to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base and pleaded guilty pursuant to a plea

agreement with the Government. A Presentence Investigation Report (PSR) was

prepared prior to sentencing and included a finding that Hardaway was responsible for

156.6 grams of cocaine base. This was based upon measurements taken on September

20, 2004, shortly after the drugs were seized. Hardaway objected to the drug quantity

contained within the PSR, contending that the weight of the drugs was incorrect and

that the amount should be 148.8 grams, the weight of the drugs when weighed on

December 28, 2005. After receiving evidence from the Government, the district court

found that the correct weight of the drugs was the initial weight taken near the time

the narcotics were seized, and it overruled Hardaway's objection. After adopting the

PSR, the court determined that Hardaway's base offense level was 34 and that he was

eligible for a three-level adjustment for acceptance of responsibility, producing an

adjusted offense level of 31. That, combined with Hardaway's category III criminal

history, set the advisory Guidelines sentencing range at 135 to 168 months of

imprisonment. The district court then sentenced Hardaway to the low end of the

Guidelines range. 

Hardaway contests the district court's factual finding that the weight of the

drugs attributed to Hardaway was 156.6 grams. He contends that the district court

erred in its finding regarding drug quantity and that the error produced an incorrect

advisory range. Hardaway argues that the advisory range should have been based

upon a base offense level of 32, not 34, which would have produced an adjusted

advisory Guidelines range of 120 to 135 months (after taking into consideration the

applicable statutory minimum sentence of 120 months, see 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)).

A district court's application of the Guidelines is reviewed de novo, while its factfindings are reviewed for clear error. United States v. Tjaden, 473 F.3d 877, 879 (8th

Cir. 2007). If the defendant objects to statements contained within the PSR, "[t]he

government must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the disputed facts .

. . are accurate." United States v. Urbina-Mejia, 450 F.3d 838, 839 (8th Cir. 2006).

Appellate Case: 06-1589 Page: 2 Date Filed: 03/22/2007 Entry ID: 3290773
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At the sentencing hearing, the Government produced several pieces of evidence

to support the PSR finding that the drug quantity was over 150 grams. One was the

original laboratory report from September 2004, showing that the cocaine base

weighed 156.6 grams. The Government then submitted the supplemental lab report

from December 2005. That report from the chemist noted that the reserve weight

from the 2004 test was 155.1 grams, that the evidentiary seals were intact when the

narcotics were re-weighed in December 2005, and that some weight loss may have

occurred between September 2004 and December 2005 due to moisture loss. No

objections were made to either report, and Hardaway did not provide any testimony

to contradict the Government's evidence or rationale regarding moisture loss. He

argues on appeal that the evidence put forth by the Government was insufficient to

meet its burden of proof, and that the chemist's statement regarding moisture loss was

not a definitive statement as to why the weight was lower in December 2005.

"'A court may consider any evidence in its sentencing determination that has

sufficient indicia of reliability to support its probable accuracy.'" Id. at 840 (quoting

United States v. Marshall, 411 F.3d 891, 894 (8th Cir. 2005)). The lab reports from

the state laboratory and the memorandum from the chemist constitute sufficiently

reliable evidence. The district court reviewed the reports and determined that the

chemist's conclusions regarding moisture loss, as well as common sense, supported

a finding that Hardaway was responsible for 156.6 grams of cocaine base. After

reviewing the record, we hold that the district court did not clearly err in overruling

Hardaway's objection to the PSR quantity findings, as the district court's factual

findings regarding the drug quantity were supported by a preponderance of the

evidence.

Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s judgment. 

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Appellate Case: 06-1589 Page: 3 Date Filed: 03/22/2007 Entry ID: 3290773