Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca7-15-03161/USCOURTS-ca7-15-03161-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Willie J. Hill
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

NONPRECEDENTIAL DISPOSITION

To be cited only in accordance with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1

United States Court of Appeals

For the Seventh Circuit

Chicago, Illinois 60604

Submitted July 18, 2016*

Decided July 28, 2016

Before

DIANE P. WOOD, Chief Judge

FRANK H. EASTERBROOK, Circuit Judge

KENNETH F. RIPPLE, Circuit Judge

No. 15-3161

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

v.

WILLIE J. HILL,

Defendant-Appellant.

Appeal from the United 

States District Court for the 

Southern District of Indiana, 

Indianapolis Division.

No. 1:93-cr-00148-LJM-KPF

Larry J. McKinney, Judge.

Order

Willie Hill is serving a term of 500 months’ imprisonment, imposed more 

than 20 years ago, for distributing substantial quantities of both crack and 

powder cocaine. See United States v. Duff, 76 F.3d 122 (7th Cir. 1996).

 *

 This successive appeal has been submitted to the original panel under Operating Procedure 6(b). 

After examining the briefs and the record, we have concluded that oral argument is unnecessary. 

See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a); Cir. R. 34(f).

Case: 15-3161 Document: 34 Filed: 07/28/2016 Pages: 2
No. 15-3161 Page 2

The Sentencing Commission has several times reduced the Guideline range 

for crack-cocaine convictions and made those reductions retroactive, but these 

changes did not affect persons such as Hill who distributed powder cocaine. The 

most recent set of retroactive reductions, however, is a two-level decrease for 

most drug offenses. See Amendment 782 (adopted November 2014). Hill asked 

the district court to cut his sentence under Amendment 782. The court declined, 

however, observing that although Amendment 782 changes Hill’s offense level it 

does not affect his recommended Guideline range—and under 18 U.S.C. 

§3582(c)(2) only a defendant whose “sentencing range” has been reduced may 

benefit from a retroactive amendment.

When sentencing Hill, the district court calculated his offense level as 42. The 

court started with 38 based on the quantity of drugs distributed and added 2 for 

use of firearms and 2 more for Hill’s managerial role in the enterprise. When

combined with his criminal history category of V, this produced a sentencing 

range of 360 months to life. Recalculated under Amendment 782, and giving Hill 

credit for other changes made before Amendment 782, his offense level is now 

38, made up of 34 for drug quantity, 2 for firearms, and 2 for his managerial role. 

The recommended range today for someone with an offense level of 38 and a 

criminal history of V remains 360 months to life. Because Hill’s sentencing range 

has not decreased—even though his offense level is down by 4—§3582(c)(2) does 

not permit the district court to reduce his sentence.

Hill maintains that he should have been held accountable for only 1.5 

kilograms of crack and 1.5 kilograms of powder cocaine, and that changing his 

relevant conduct in this fashion would substantially cut his sentencing range. But 

§3582(c)(2) does not authorize full resentencing. Dillon v. United States, 560 U.S. 

817 (2010). It requires the district court to make modifications specified by the 

retroactive change while taking other calculations as given. United States v. Wren, 

706 F.3d 861 (7th Cir. 2013); U.S.S.G. §1B1.10(b)(1) & Application Note 2. Under 

that approach, Hill’s sentencing range remains 360 months to life, and his request 

for a lower sentence was properly denied.

AFFIRMED

Case: 15-3161 Document: 34 Filed: 07/28/2016 Pages: 2