FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEVEN T HC IRC UIT JUNE 22 , 2006 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 05- 15607 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C. D o c k e tN o . 0 5 - 0 0 0 8 6 - CR- CG U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , P la in tif f - A p p e lle e , v ersu s R O B I N W I L S O N H O R T O N , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e So u th e rn D i s tr i c to f A l ab a ma

_________________________ ( Ju n e 22, 2006) B efo re T JO F L A T , A N D E R S O N an d B A R K E T T , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: R o b in W ils o n H o rto n ap p e a ls h is s e n te n c e f o llo w in g h is g u iltyp le ato di s tr i but i on a nd pos s e s s i on w i th the i nt e ntt o di s tr i but e f ourounc e s of2

m e th a m p h e ta m in e , in v io la tio n o f 2 1 U .S .C . § 8 4 1 ( a ) ( 1 ) a n d ( b ) ( 1 ) ( B ) . O n appe a l , H ort on a r gue s tha tthe di s tr i c tc ourti nc orr e c t l yappl i e d the r e l e va ntc onduc ts t a nda r d of U . S . S . G . § 1B 1. 3( a ) ( 2) i n hol di ng hi m r e s pons i bl e f or b e tw e e n 2 0 0 a n d 3 5 0 g r a m s o f m e th a m p h e ta m in e b e c au s e th e c o u rt s h o u ldo n ly h a v e c o n s id e r e d th e o f

f e n s e to w h ic h h e p le a d e d g u ilty . W e r e v ie w th e d is tr ic t c o u rt’s d ru g - qu a n tityd e te rm in a tio n f o rc le a re rr o r . U n ite d S ta te s v . Z ap a ta , 1 3 9 F .3 d 1 3 5 5 , 1 3 5 7 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 9 8 ) .

“ T he gui de l i ne s pl a c e c e rt a i n r e s tr i c t i ons on w ha te vi de nc e i s r e l e va ntf or gui de l i ne s e nt e nc i ng purpos e s . ” U ni t e d S t a t e s v. S c r oggi ns , 880 F . 2d 1204, 1210 n .1 3 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 8 9 ) . U n d e rth e g u id e lin e s , ad e f e n d a n t’s o f

f e n s e le v e l is det erm i ned o n the basi s of

a l l a c t s a nd om i s s i ons c om m i tt e d, a i de d, abe tt e d, c o u n s e le d , c o m m a n d e d , in d u c e d , p r o c u r e d , o rw illf u lly c au s e d b yth e d e f

e n d a n t; a n d . . . in th e c a s e o f ajo in tly u n d e rta k e n c r im in a l a c tiv ity , a ll r e a s o n ab lyf o r e s e e ab le a c ts a n d o m is s io n s o f

o th e r s in f

u rth e r a n c e o f

th e jo in tly u n d ert ak en cri m i n al act i v i ty. U . S . S . G . § 1 B 1. 3(a) (1). F urtherm ore, for off ense s “ of a c hara ct erfor w hi ch § 3 D 1 .2 ( d ) w o u ld r e q u ir e g r o u p in g o f m u ltip le c o u n ts ,” th e d e f e n d a n t is a c c o u n t ab l e f

o ra l l a c t s a n d o mi s s i o n s d e s c r i b e d ab o v e th a tw e r e “ p a rto f th e s a me c o u r s e o f c o n d u c t o rc o m m o n s c h e m e o rp la n a s th e o f f e n s e o f c o n v ic tio n .” U .S .S .G . § 1 B 1 .3 ( a ) ( 2 ) . O f f e n s e s o f ac h ar a c te rf

o rw h ic h § 3 D 1 .2 ( d ) w o u ld3

r e qui r e gr oupi ng i nc l ude thos e w he r e the of f e ns e l e ve l i s de t e rm i ne d l a r ge l yon the basi s of the t ot al harm or l oss, the qu ant i ty of asubst ance i nv ol ved, or som e other m ea sure of aggregat e harm , i ncl ud i ng tho se offe nses covered by, i nt eral i a, § 2 D 1 .1 ( o f

f e n s e s in v o lv in g d ru g s ) . U .S .S .G . § 3 D 1 .2 ( d ) . “O f f e n s e s f o rm th e s a m e c o u r s e o f

c o n d u c t ‘if

th e ya r e s u f

f ic ie n tly c onne c t e d orr e l a t e d t o e a c h othe ra s t o w a rr a ntthe c onc l us i on tha tthe ya r e pa rtof as i ngl e e pi s ode , s pr e e , orongoi ng s e r i e s of of f e ns e s . ’ ” U ni t e d S t a t e s v. B l a nc , 146 F .3 d 8 4 7 , 8 5 2 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 9 8 ) ( q u o tin g U .S .S .G . § 1 B 1 .3 , c o m m e n t. ( n .9 ( B ) ) ) . “S im ila r ly , o f

f e n s e s q u a lif

ya s ac o m m o n s c h e m e o rp la n if th e ya r e ‘s u b s ta n tia lly co n n ect ed t o each o th er b y atl easto n e co m m o n fact o r, su ch as co m m o n v i ct i m s, c om m on a c c om pl i c e s , c om m on purpos e , ors i m i l a rm odus ope r a ndi . ’ ” I d. ( quot i ng U . S . S . G . § 1 B 1. 3, com m ent . (n. 9(A )) ). “ In det erm i ni ng w hether tw o o r m ore of f e ns e s m e e tthe s e t e s t s , the s e nt e nc i ng c ourts houl d c ons i de r‘ the de gr e e of s i mi l a r i tyo f

th e o f f e n s e s , th e r e g u l a r i ty( r e p e t i t i o n s ) o f th e o f f e n s e s , a n d th e t i me i nt e rva l be tw e e n the of

f e ns e s . ’ ” I d. ( quot i ng U ni t e d S t a t e s v. F ue nt e s , 107 F . 3d 15 15 , 15 25 (11th C i r. 19 97 )) . “ [S ] ec t i on 1B 1. 3 i s des i gn ed t o t ake a cc ou ntof a p a tte rn o f

m is c o n d u c t th a t c a n n o t r e a d ilyb e b r o k e n in to d is c r e te id e n tif iab le u n its thatar e m eani ng ful for purpo se s of s ent enci ng . T hu s, w hen i l l egal cond uctdo es e xi s ti n di s c r e t e , i de nt i f i abl e uni t s apa rtf

r om the of

f e ns e of c onvi c t i on, the4

G ui de l i ne s a nt i c i pa t e as e pa r a t e c ha r ge f ors uc h c onduc t . ” I d. ( i nt e rna l quot a t i ons a n d c ita tio n s o m itte d ) . T h e s e n te n c in g c o u rt m a yc o n s id e rc o n d u c t n o t c o n ta in e d in th e in d ic tm e n t, i nc l udi ng drug qua nt i t i e s f orw hi c h the de f

e nda ntw a s notc ha r ge d, a s r e l e va nt c o n d u c t. U n ite d S ta te s v . I g n a c io M u n io , 9 0 9 F .2 d 4 3 6 , 4 3 9 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 9 0 ) . W e have hel d thatthe t es t i m on y by c od ef endant s of adefe nd ant ’ s i nv ol vem enti n o ther d ru g d i s tr i b u t i o n s w a s s u f f i c i e n te v i d e n c e o f

s u c h d ru g s b e i n g p a rto f th e “ s a me c our s e of c onduc torpa rtof

ac om m on s c he m e orpl a n a s the c ountof c onvi c t i on” t o pr ope r l yi nc r e a s e the ba s e of f e ns e l e ve l pur s ua ntt o § 1B 1. 3. U ni t e d S t a t e s v. W i l son, 88 4 F . 2d 13 55 , 13 57 (11th C i r. 19 89 ). In th i s case, th e d i stri ctco u rtd i d n o tcl earl y err i n assi g n i n g H o rt o n a b ase offe nse l evel of 28 base d o n i t s f i nd i ng thathi s r el evantcond ucti ncl ud ed betw ee n 2 0 0 a n d 3 5 0 g r a m s o f

m e th a m p h e ta m in e b e c au s e th e d ru g tr a n s a c tio n s c h a r g e d in th e i n d i ctm en tw ere su ffi ci en t l y co n n ect ed t o b e co n si d ered p arto f th e sam e co u rse o f c o n d u c to rac o mmo n s c h e me o rp l a n . I n a d d i t i o n , a tl e a s tf o u ro u n c e s f

r o m un char ged d rug sal es can b e a ttri bu t ed t o H ort on because the ci rc um st ance s surr ou nd i ng the drug sa l es w er e s i m i l ar . M oreover, H ort on ’ s r el i ance on U ni t ed S t at es v. A m edeo, 37 0 F . 3d 13 05 (11th C i r. 20 04 ), i s m i spl ac ed because i n that ca se , the di stri ctcourti ncorrec t l y c on si dere d con du cti n sent enci ng A m edeo that5

w a s s u f f ic ie n tlyd is tin c t f

r o m th e o f

f e n s e o f c o n v ic tio n th a t it w a rr a n te d as e p a r a te c h a r g e . O n appe a l , H ort on a l s o a r gue s tha tthe di s tr i c tc ourte rr e d i n i m pos i ng atw ol ev el sen t en ci n g en h an cem en tfo r p o ssessi o n o f a fi rearm d u ri n g th e d ru g o ffen se a s s e rt i ng tha ti tw a s notr e l a t e d t o hi s drug s a l e s , butr a the rus e d f orpr ot e c t i on f r o m a n in d iv id u a l w h o h a d th r e a te n e d h im . W e r e v ie w f

o rc le a re rr o rth e d is tr ic t c o u rt’s f in d in g s o f

f a c t w h e n it e nha nc e s ade f

e nda nt ’ s s e nt e nc e i n c a s e s i nvol vi ng U . S . S . G . § 2D 1. 1( b) ( 1) , a nd r e vi e w the appl i c a t i on of the s e nt e nc i ng gui de l i ne s de novo. U ni t e d S t a t e s v. G al l o, 19 5 F . 3d 12 78 , 12 80 (11th C i r. 19 99 ). S e c t i on 2D 1. 1( b) ( 1) pr ovi de s atw o- l e ve l e nha nc e m e nt“ [ i ] f ada nge r ous w e apon ( i nc l udi ng af

i r e a rm ) w a s pos s e s s e d. ” U . S . S . G . § 2D 1. 1( b) ( 1) . “ T he e n h a n c e m e n t s h o u ld b e ap p lie d if th e w e ap o n w a s p r e s e n t, u n le s s it is c le a r ly i m pr obabl e tha tthe w e apon w a s c onne c t e d w i th the of f e ns e . ” U . S . S . G . § 2D 1. 1, c om m e nt . ( n. 3) . O nc e the gove rnm e ntha s s how n tha taf i r e a rm w a s pr e s e nta tthe s i t e of the c ha r ge d c onduc t , “ the e vi de nt i a rybur de n s hi f t s t o the de f

e nda ntt o s how th a t ac o n n e c tio n b e tw e e n th e f ir e a rm a n dth e o f

f e n s e is c le a r lyim p r o b ab le .” U ni t e d S t a t e s v. F i e l ds , 408 F . 3d 1356, 1358 ( 11th C i r . 2005) , c e rt . de ni e d, 126 S .C t. 2 2 1 ( 2 0 0 5 ) ( q u o tin g U n ite d S ta te s v . H a ll, 4 6 F .3 d 6 2 , 6 3 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 9 5 ) ) .6

H ort on f a i l e d t o e s t abl i s h tha tthe c onne c t i on be tw e e n the f i r e a rm a nd the o f f e n s e w a s c le a r lyim p r o b ab le b e c au s e th e f ir e a rm w a s f

o u n d in a n e a s ily ac ce ss i bl e l ocat i on i n the vehi cl e w here he cond uct ed drug sa l es , and the i nd i vi du al w h o th r e a te n e dh im w a s in c a r c e r a te d . A c c o r d in g ly , th e d is tr ic t c o u rt d idn o t e rrin i m pos i ng atw o- l e ve l e nha nc e m e ntf orpos s e s s i on of

af i r e a rm dur i ng the drug tr a ns a c t i on. U p o n rev i ew o f th e reco rd o n ap p eal an d co n si d erat i o n o f th e p art i es’ b ri efs, w e f in d n o r e v e r s ib le e rr o r . A F F I R M E D .