1 NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

______________ N o. 09- 2333

______________ UNI T E D S T AT E S OF AM E RI CA

v. S HAW N SYL VES TE R,

A ppel l ant

______________ APP EAL F ROM THE UNI TE D ST ATE S DI S TRI CT C OURT F O R T H E M ID D L E D IS T R IC T O F P E N N S Y L V A N IA

( D . C . C r i m . A ct i on N o. 02- 0250) D istric t Ju d g e : H o n o ra b le T h o m a s I. V a n a sk ie

______________ Subm i tt ed U nderT hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

J ul y15, 2010

______________ B efor e: R E N D E L L , J O R D A N , and G R E E N A W A Y , J R . , C i r cui tJ udges

( O pi ni on Fi l ed: A ugus t20, 2010)

______________ OP I NI ON G R E E N A W A Y , J R . , C i r cui tJ udge A ppel l antShaw n Sy l ves t er( “Sy l ves t er ”) appea l s fr om an or derof the U ni t ed2

S tat es D istri ct C o u rtfo r th e M idd le D istri ct of P en n sy lvan ia de n y ing h is m o ti o n fo r a re d u c tio n o f

se n ten c e , p u rsu a n t to 1 8 U .S .C . § 3 5 8 2 (c )(2 ). F o r th e re a so n s s e t f o rth b e l o w, we wi l l a f

f i rm. I . BA CKGROUND W e w ri te s o le ly f

o r th e b e n e f

it o f th e p a rt ie s a n dre c o u n t o n ly th e e s s e n tia l f a c ts . O n A pr i l 1, 2003, Sy l ves t erent er ed a gui l typl ea, pur s uantt o a bi ndi ng pl ea a g re e m e n t u n d e r R u le 1 1 (c )( 1 )( C ) o f th e F e d e ra l R u le s o f

C ri m in a l P ro c e d u re . S p e c if ica lly , S y lv e ste r p led g u iltyto C o u n t II o f a th re e -c o u n t In d ictm e n t, ch a rg in g h im w i th di s tr i but i ng and pos s es s i ng w i th i nt entt o di s tr i but e 1. 5 ki l ogr ams orm or e of c r ack cocaine. T he p l ea agreem ent s t i pu l at ed a p ri son term of 2 40 m on ths. T he Pr obat i on O ffi ce pr epar ed a Pr es ent ence I nves t i gat i on R eport( “PSR ”) that cal cul at ed a U ni t ed St at es Sent enci ng G ui del i nes ( “G ui del i nes ”) r ange of 292 t o 365 m onths . T he PSR al s o not ed thatthe bi ndi ng pl ea a gr eement ’ s s t i pul at ed s ent ence w as the maxi m um s t atut oryt erm of 240 m onths . Sy l ves t erl odged no obj ect i ons t o the c a l c u l a t i o n o f

h i s s e n t e n c e , a s i tap p e a r e di n th e P S R. I n J ul y2003, the D i s tr i ctC ourtadopt ed the fa ctual fi ndi ngs and the G ui del i nes cal cul at i ons of the PSR , and, cons i s t entw i th the pl ea a gr eement , s ent ence d Sy l ves t ert o a pri son term of 2 40 m on ths. I n 2007, the G ui del i nes w er e amended t o decr eas e the off ens e l evel s forcr ackA m en d m en t 70 6 o f th e U . S . S en tenc ing G u idelines , § 2 D 1 . 1 (20 0 7 ). 1 3 coca i ne off

ens es . I n r es pons e t o the amendm ent s , on N ovember10, 2008, Sy l ves t erfi l ed

1 a mot i on fors ent ence r educt i on, pur s uantt o 18 U . S. C . § 3582( c) ( 2) . Sect i on 3582( c) ( 2) p rov ides in relev an t part: “[ i] n the c ase o f a d ef en d an t w h o h as b ee n sen tenc ed to a term of i m pr i s onm entbas ed on a s ent enci ng r ange thathas s ubs equent l ybeen l ow er ed bythe S e n te n c in g C o m m is s io n ... th e c o u rtm a yre d u c e th e te rm o f im p ri s o n m e n t ....” T he D i s tr i ctC ourtdeni ed Sy l ves t er ’ s m ot i on on A pr i l 20, 2009, fi ndi ng Sy l ves t er w as i nel i gi bl e forr el i ef be caus e he ha d ent er ed i nt o a bi ndi ng pl ea a gr eement . T he D istri ct C o u rtreli ed o n U n it ed S tat es v . S an ch ez , 5 6 2 F . 3 d2 7 5 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 9 ), to su p p o rt i t s conclus i on. S y lv e s te r f

ile da tim e ly n o tic e o f

ap p e a l. I I . J UR I S DI CT I ON T he D i stri ctC ou rthad j uri sdi ct i on , pu rs uan tt o 1 8 U . S . C . § 3 23 1. W e exerci se j ur i s di ct i on, pur s uantt o 28 U . S. C . § 1291. I I I . S TANDA RD O F REVI EW I n gener al , ourr evi ew of a di s tr i ctcourt ’ s or derdeny i ng a def endant ’ s m ot i on for s ent ence r educt i on i s forabus e of di s cr et i on. U ni t ed St at es v. M at eo, 560 F. 3d 152, 154 (3 dC ir. 2 0 0 9 ). W h e re -a s is th e c a se h e re -a d istric t co u rt ru les th a t itlac k s th e a u th o rityto order a r edu ct i on , ho w ever, ou r r eview of the l egal quest i on i s de novo . U ni t ed St at es v. Sanchez , 562 F. 3d at279- 88.S y lv e ste r c o n c e d e s, a s h e m u st, th a t, 2 [thi s ] C ourthas r ej ect ed [hi s ] ar gum enthol di ng that§ 3582( c) ( 2) s ent ence re d u c tio n m o tio n s a re n o t av a ilab le w h e re th e d e f e n d a n t en ter e din to a R u le 1 1 b ind ing p lea a g ree m en t. U n it ed S tat es v . S an ch ez , 5 6 2 F . 3 d2 7 5 (3d C ir . 2009) . N everthel es s , forthe purpos es of pr es ervi ng thi s i s s ue forfutur e p r o c e e d i n g s , i f

a n y , S y l v e s t e rs e t s f

o rth h i s a r g u me n tb e l o w. A ppel l ant ’ s B r . 8. N o tab ly , S a n c h e z w a s d e c id e da f terD e w s, a n de x p licitlyre jec ted th e m a

jo rity 3 pos i t i on i n thatdeci s i on i n favorof the di s s ent . 562 F. 3d at282 n. 7. 4 IV . A N A L Y S IS Sy l ves t ercont ends , s ol el yforpurpos es of i s s ue pr es ervat i on , thatthe D i s tr i ct 2 C o u rte rr e db yd e n y in g h is m o tio n f o r a re d u c tio n o f

s e n te n c e , p u rs u a n t to 1 8 U .S .C . § 3582( c) ( 2) . H e as s ert s thatthi s C ourts houl d adoptthe r eas oni ng of U ni t ed St at es v. D ew s , 551 F. 3d 204 ( 4th C i r . 2008) , i n w hi ch the U ni t ed St at es C ourtof A ppeal s forthe Fourth C i r cui tperm i tt ed a di s tr i ctcourtt o cons i dera Sect i on 3582 s ent ence r educt i on m o ti o n d esp it e the ex ist en ce o f a R u le 11 (c)(1)(C ) bin d ing p lea a g ree m en t. A p p ell an t’ s B r . 9. T his C ou rt ’s decis i on i n U nit ed S t at es v. S anch ez, forecl oses Sy l vest er’ s r equ est forr el i ef. Sect i on 3582( c) ( 2) r el i ef i s notavai l abl e fora def endantw ho has been 3 s ent ence d, pur s uantt o a R ul e 11( c) ( 1) ( C ) bi ndi ng pl ea a gr eement . Sanchez , 562 F. 3d at 282 n. 7. H er e, Sy l ves t ers t i pul at ed t o the s ent ence i m pos ed i n a bi ndi ng pl ea a gr eement underFed. R . C r i m . P. 11( c) ( 1) ( C ) , the val i di tyof w hi ch i s undi s put ed.5 V. CO NC L US I ON B as ed on the for egoi ng, w e w i l l A FFIRM the or derof the D i s tr i ctC ourtdeny i ng Sy l ves t er ’ s m ot i on fors ent ence r educt i on.