Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-89-02225/USCOURTS-ca10-89-02225-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Eleseo Sepulveda-Martinez
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

FI LED 

Uoited States Court of Appeals 

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Tenth Circuit 

TENTH CIRCUIT 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 

Plaintiff-Appellee, 

v. 

ELESEO SEPULVEDA-MARTINEZ, 

Defendant-Appellant. 

ORDER AND JUDGMENT * 

OCT - 2 1990 

&OBERT L. HOECKER 

Clerk 

No. 89-2225 

(D.C. No. 89-170JB-01) 

(D. New Mexico) 

Before LOGAN and EBEL, Circuit Judges, and BROWN, District 

Judge.** 

After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel 

has agreed unanimously to honor both parties' request for a 

decision on the briefs. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(f); 10th Cir. R. 

34.1.9. The case is therefore ordered submitted without oral 

argument. 

Defendant Eleseo Sepulveda-Martinez appeals his sentence 

imposed following a plea of guilty to possession with intent to 

distribute more than fifty kilograms of marijuana in violation of 

* 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. 

** The Honorable Wesley E. Brown, Senior United States District 

Judge for the District of Kansas, sitting by designation. 

Appellate Case: 89-2225 Document: 010110053465 Date Filed: 10/02/1990 Page: 1 
21 u.s.c. § 841(a)(l) and 84l(b)(l)(C). He contends that the 

district court erred in refusing to give him a two-point offense 

level reduction because he was a "minor participant" under section 

3Bl.2 of the Sentencing Guidelines. 

Defendant contends that the facts of this case indicate that 

he was a "mere mule," warranting a two-point reduction in base 

offense level. He asserts that he was to be paid $500 plus $200 

expense money for driving 159 pounds of marijuana from Mexico to 

the United States, and acted only as a courier for other 

individuals more culpable than him. 

Defendant is correct in asserting that culpability rather 

than status or position is the key determination under u.s.s.G. 

§ 3Bl.2, see United States v. Calderon-Perros, No. 89-2170, slip 

op. at 5-6 (10th Cir. Aug. 21, 1990); United States v. PelayoMunoz, 905 F.2d 1429 (10th Cir. 1990); but we cannot hold that the 

district court erred in finding that he was not a minor 

participant. The culpability determination under S 3Bl.2 is a 

finding of fact which we will reverse only if clearly erroneous. 

United States v. Lord, 907 F.2d 1028, 1031 (10th Cir. 1990). In 

the instant case, on the basis of the evidence, the district court 

could find, as it did, that defendant was not a minor participant. 

Defendant was the sole occupant of a vehicle carrying 159 pounds 

of marijuana; he was apprehended near the border between Mexico 

and the United States on a known smuggling route. Other than his 

own assertions, there was no evidence of any other participants. 

Reviewing these facts, we cannot say that the district court's 

findings were clearly erroneous. 

-2-

Appellate Case: 89-2225 Document: 010110053465 Date Filed: 10/02/1990 Page: 2 
AFFIRMED. 

The mandate shall issue forthwith. 

-3-

Entered for the Court 

James K. Logan 

Circuit Judge 

Appellate Case: 89-2225 Document: 010110053465 Date Filed: 10/02/1990 Page: 3