Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-10-01011/USCOURTS-ca8-10-01011-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Anthony Walter Chandler
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

1

The Honorable Susan Webber Wright, United States District Judge for the

Eastern District of Arkansas.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 10-1011

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the

* Eastern District of Arkansas.

Anthony Walter Chandler, *

* [UNPUBLISHED]

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: May 7, 2010

Filed: May 12, 2010

___________

Before LOKEN, BYE, and SHEPHERD, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Anthony Chandler appeals the judgment of the district court1

 entered after he

pled guilty to possession of a machine gun in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime,

in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(B)(ii), and was sentenced by the district court

to 30 years in prison and 5 years of supervised release. His counsel has moved to

withdraw, and has filed a brief under Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967),

suggesting that the district court erred in imposing the 30-year term of imprisonment.

Appellate Case: 10-1011 Page: 1 Date Filed: 05/12/2010 Entry ID: 3663734
-2-

Upon careful review, we conclude that the district court did not err in

sentencing Chandler to 30 years in prison, as the court did not have the authority to

sentence him below the statutory minimum. The government had not filed a motion

for a sentence reduction based on substantial assistance, and Chandler did not qualify

for safety-valve relief. See 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(B)(ii) (if firearm possessed by

person convicted of violation of this subsection is machine gun, that person “shall be

sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than 30 years”); United States v.

Chacon, 330 F.3d 1065, 1066 (8th Cir. 2003) (only authority for district court to

depart below statutorily mandated minimum sentence is found in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(e)

and (f), which apply only when government files motion based on substantial

assistance or when defendant qualifies for safety-valve relief); see also 18 U.S.C.

§ 3553(e) (upon motion of government, court shall have authority to impose sentence

below statutory minimum so as to reflect defendant’s substantial assistance), (f)

(setting forth requirements for safety-valve relief, including, inter alia, that defendant

did not possess firearm or other dangerous weapon in connection with offense).

Having reviewed the record independently under Penson v. Ohio, 488 U.S. 75,

80 (1988), we have found no non-frivolous issue. Accordingly, we grant counsel’s

motion to withdraw, and we affirm the judgment of the district court.

______________________________

Appellate Case: 10-1011 Page: 2 Date Filed: 05/12/2010 Entry ID: 3663734