FI LED U. S . COURT OF AP PE ALS E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT A ugus t 29, 2005 T HOM AS K. KAHN CL E RK [ 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- 11140 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C. D o c k e tN o . 0 2 - 6 0 1 5 2 - CR- W PD 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 K E L V I N G I B S 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 orthe S outhe rn D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( A ugus t29, 2005) B efo re H U L L , M A R C U S an d W IL S O N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: K e lv in G ib s o n , p r o c e e d in g p r o s e , ap p e a ls th e d is tr ic t c o u r t’s d e n ia l o f h is

“ m ot i on t o r e que s ts pe c i f i c pe r f orm a nc e of

the govern m en t t o gr a ntr e duc t i on of se nt ence pu rs uantt o R ul e 35(b). ” O n app ea l , G i bson ar gu es thatthe di stri ctcourt2

erre d b y denyi ng hi s m ot i on and n otconsi deri n g “th e d u e p roce ss vi ol at i on w hen the go vernm entfa i l ed t o fi l e aR ul e 35 m ot i on base d o n the appel l ant ’ s s ub st ant i al a s s i s t a n c e t o th e g o v e rn m e n t . ” W e r e vi e w de no vo w he t he r t he go ve r nme ntca n be c om pe l l e d t o m ak e a s ubs t a nt i a l a s s i s t a nc e m ot i on. S e e U ni t e d S t a t e s v. F orney, 9 F . 3d 14 92 , 14 98 (11th C i r. 19 98 ). A ft ertho roug h rev i ew of the re cord a n d c a r e f u l c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f

th e p a r t i e s ’ b r i e f

s , w e a f f i rm. G i bs on pl e d gui l ty , pur s ua ntt o aw r i tt e n pl e aa gr e e m e nt , t o one c ountof ba n k r o b b e ry , i n v i o l a t i o n o f 1 8 U . S. C. § 2 1 1 3 ( a ) , ( d ) ( Co u n t 1 ) , a n d one c ountof know i ngl y carryi n g a f i r e a rm dur i ng ac r i m e of vi ol e nc e ( C ount2) , i n vi ol a t i on of 1 8 U .S .C . § 9 2 4 ( c ) . I n t h e w r i t t e n p le aa g r e e m e n t, th e g o v e rn m e n t a g r e e d to r e c om m e nd a ts e nt e nc i ng a3- l e ve l r e duc t i on f orG i bs on’ s t i m e l y a c c e pt a nc e of r e s pons i bi l i ty , pur s ua ntt o U . S . S . G . § 3E 1. 1. T h e w ri t t e n pl e aa gr e e m e ntdi d not co n tain any provi si on s r el at i ng t o a m ot i on for s ub st ant i al as si st ance , ei ther pu rs uantt o F ed. C ri m . P . 35 (b) or U . S .S .G . § 5 K 1 .1. T he di stri ctcourtse nt ence d G i bs on t o at ot a l of

154 m onths ’ i m pr i s onm e nt : 70 m onths a s t o C ount1 a nd 84 m o n th s a s to C o u n t 2 , to ru n c o n s e c u tiv e ly . A l m osttw o yea rs af

t erhe w as se nt ence d, G i bson , p ro ceedi ng pro se, fi l ed the i nst antm ot i on . In h is m ot i on , G i bson cl ai m ed thathe prov i ded sub st ant i al a s s i s t a nc e t o the U ni t e d S t a t e s A tt orne y ’ s O f f i c e fo r the N or the rn D i s tr i c tof3

F lo r id aa n d th e S ta te D is tr ic t A tto r n e y i n T a llah a s s e e , F lo r id a . G ib s o n s ta te d th a t, in r e tu rn , h e w as p ro m ised a r ec o m m en d atio n to th e U n it ed S tates A tt o rn ey ’s O ff i c e f orthe Southe rn D i s tr i c tof Fl or i datha the r e c e i ve as ub s t a nt i a l a s s i s t a nce r e duc t i o n i n h i s s e nt e nc e . G i bs on f ur the ra r gue d tha thi s w r i tt e n pl e aa gr e e m e nt c ont a i ne d apr ovi s i on pr ovi di ng tha t t h e gove rnm e ntw oul d r e c om m e nd a s ubs t a nt i a l - a s s i s t a nc e r e duc t i on. T he di stri ctcourtdeni ed hi s m ot i on , st at i ng thatG i bson fa i l ed t o “m ake a subs t a nt i a l s ho w i ng of

pr os e c ut or i a l di s c r i mi na t i on , ba d f a i th o ri rr a t i on a l cond uct s o a s t o e nt i t l e hi m t o a n e vi de nt i ary he a r i ng. ” M or e ove r , the c our tnot e d, G i bson ’ s w ri tt en pl eaagre em entcont ai ned n o p rovi si on abou tsubst ant i al as si st ance or any i nd i ca t i on thathe w ou l d re ce ive are du ct i on i n h i s s ent ence base d o n s u b s ta n tia l a s s is ta n c e . R ul e 35 al l ow s the go vernm entt o m ov e t o reduc e adefe nd ant ’ s s ent ence a f t e r sen t en ci ng w he n the de f e nda ntpr ovi de s s ubs t a nt i a l a s s i s t a nc e i n i nve s t i ga t i ng orpr os e c ut i ng a nothe rpe r s on. S e e F e d. R . C r i m . P . 35( b) . M or e ove r , c ons trui ng U . S . S . G . § 5 K 1. 1, the S up re m e C ou rth as h eld thatthe go vernm enthas the po w er , butnotthe duty , t o f i l e am ot i on t o r e duc e ade fen d a nt ’ s s e nt e nc e w he n the d e f e n d a n th a s p r o v i de d s ubs t a n t i a l a s s i s t a n c e . W a d e v . U n i t e d St a t e s , 5 0 4 U . S. 18 1, 18 5, 11 2 S . C t . 18 40 , 18 43 , 11 8 L . E d. 2d 52 4 (1 9 9 2 ). T he S up re m e C ou rt4

a ls o s ta te d th a t fe dera l di stri ctcourt s have autho ri ty t o revi ew a prose cut or’ s r ef usal t o fi l e asu b stan t i al -a ss i st ance m ot i on and t o g ra nta r em edy i f they f in d th a t th e r e f

u s a l w a s b a s e d o n a n u n c o n s ti tu tio n a l m o tiv e . T h u s , a defe nd an t w ou l d b e e nt i t l ed t o rel i ef i f aprosec ut or re fuse d t o fi l e a s ubs t a nt i a l - a s s i s t a nc e m ot i on, s a y, be c a us e of the de f e nda nt ’ s r a c e or re l i gi on . . . . [A ] cl ai m thata def endantm er el y provi ded sub st an ti al a s s is ta n c e w ill n o t e n title ad e f e n d a n t to ar e m e d y o re v e n to di s c ove ry o r an e vi de nt i a ry he a r i ng. N orw oul d a ddi t i ona l but general i ze d al l egat i on s of i m prop erm ot i ve. I d . a t 1 8 5 - 1 8 6 , 1 1 2 S .C t. a t 1 8 4 3 - 1 8 4 4 . B a s e d o n o u rc a r e f

u l r e v ie w o f

th e p le aa g r e e m e n t, w e , lik e th e d is tr ic t c o u r t, h a v e f o u n d n o m e n tio n o f

s u b s ta n tia l a s s is ta n c e o ra p r o m is e b y th e g o v e rn m e n t to f ile as u b s ta n tia l- a s s is ta n c e m o tio n s h o u ld G ib s o n p r o v id e a u th o r itie s w ith s u b s ta n tia l a s s is ta n c e . M o r e o v e r , G ib s o n ’s a r g u m e n ts c o n c e r n in g a lle g e d b a d f a ith i n the gove rnm e nt ’ s de c i s i on nott o f i l e aR ul e 35 m ot i on do noti ndi c a t e th atthe deci si on w as base d o n an u ncon st i tut i on al m ot i ve such as ra ce o r r el i gi on , as e num e r a t e d i n W a d e . A c c o r d i n g l y , th e d i s tr i c tc o u r td i d n o te rrb y de ny i ng G i bs on’ s m ot i on. AF F I RME D.