2009 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 11-17-2009 

# U SA v . D o P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 08-1128

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Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e and ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

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w Di git al Reposit ory

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " U SA v . D o " (2009). 2009 D e cisio n s . P ape r 249. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

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v . T I M OT HY DO,

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____________________________________ O n A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt f o r th e E a ste rn D istric t o f P e n n sy lv a n ia ( D . C . C r i m i nal N o. 07- cr - 00026) D i s t r i ctJ udge: H onor abl e Law r ence F. St engel

____________________________________ Subm i tt ed Pur s uantt o T hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

Sept ember29, 2009 B efor e: M cK E E , C H A G A R E S, and N Y G A A R D , C i r cui tJ udges

( O pi ni on fi l ed: N ovember17, 2009)

_________ OP I NI ON

_________ M c K E E , C i r cui tJudge T im o th yD o a p p e a ls th e se n ten c e th a t w a s im p o se d a f ter h e p led g u iltyto di s t r i but i ng and pos s es s i ng m ethy l enedi oxym ethamphet ami ne ( “ec s t as y ”) i n vi ol at i on of 2 1 U .S .C . § 8 4 1 (a )( 1 ). See Sent enci ng H ear i ng T r ans cr i pt s , 45 ( J an. 3, 2008) . H e ar guesWe r e v i e w th e d i s t r i c tc o u r t ’ s c o n c l u s i o n s o f l a w d e n o v o , and af

for d cl earerr or 1 re v ie w to th e d is tr ic t c o u rt ’s f a c tu a l f in d in g s . U

n itedS ta tes v . Sa b ir , 117 F. 3d 750, 752 (3 d C ir . 1 9 9 7 ). T he fi ve r equi r ement s ar e: “( 1) t he def endantdoes nothave mor e than 1 cr i m i nal 2 his t orypo i nt, as det erm i ned un der the sentenci ng gu i deli nes; (2) the d efen dan tdid not use vi ol ence orcr edi bl e thr eat s of vi ol ence orpos s es s a fi r earm orot herdanger ous w eapon (o r in d u c e a n o th e r p a rticip a n t to d o so ) in c o n n e c tio n w ith th e o f f e n se ; (3 ) th e o f

f e n se d id notr es ul ti n death ors er i ous bodi l yi nj uryt o anyper s on; ( 4) the def endantw as notan or gani zer , l eade r , m anage r , ors upervi s orof other s i n t he off ens e, as det erm i ned undert he s ent enci ng gui del i nes and w as notengage d i n a cont i nui ng cr i m i nal ent erpr i s e, as defi ned i n s ect i on 408 of the C ont r ol l ed Subs t ance A ct ; and ( 5) notl at erthan the t i m e of the s ent ence hear i ng, t he def endanthas truthful l ypr ovi ded t o t he G overnm ental l i nform at i on and evi dence t he def

endanthas conce r ni ng the off ens e oroffe ns es thatw er e partof the s ame cour s e of c onductorof a c om m on s cheme orpl an, butthe fa ctthatthe def endant has no r el evantorus eful ot heri nform at i on t o pr ovi de orthatthe G overnm enti s al r eady aw ar e of the i nform at i on s hal l notpr ecl ude a de t erm i nat i on bythe courtthatthe d e f e n d a n t h a s c o m p lied w ith th is re q u ire m e n t.” 1 8 U .S .C . § 3 5 5 3 (f ); s ee al s o U .S .S .G . § 5 C 1 . 2 (ad o p ti n g iden ti ca l l an g u ag e). 2 th a t th e d is tr ic t c o u rt e rr e d in f a ilin g to a p p ly 1 8 U .S .C . § 3 5 5 3 (f ) a n d U .S .S .G . § 5 C 1 .2 (th e “ sa f e tyv a lv e ” p ro v isio n ) to re d u c e h is s e n ten c e , an d th a t th e c o u rt e rro n e o u sly i ncl uded an a ddi t i onal 8, 000 ecs t as ypi l l s i n t he gui del i ne ca l cul at i on. Forthe r eas ons s et f o r t h b e l o w, we wi l l a f

f i r m. 1 II. A s w e w r i t e pr i m ar i l yfort he part i es w ho ar e fa m i l i arw i t h t he fa ct s of thi s cas e, w e n e e d n o t r e c ite th e f a c tu a l o r p ro c e d u ra l h is to ry in d e ta il. U ndert he s afe t yval ve pr ovi s i on of the U ni t ed St at es C ode and the U ni t ed St at es S e n ten c in g G u id e lin e s, a d istric t co u rt m a yd e p a rt f ro m a n o th e rw ise a p p lica b le m a n d a to ry m in im u m s e n te n c e if f iv e s ta tu to ry re q u ir e m e n ts a re s a tis f ie d . 1 8 U .S .C . § 23

3553( f) ; and U . S. S. G . § 5C 1. 2. A defe ndantm us tpr ove thathe/ s he s at i s fi es eac h of th o s e f iv e re q u ir e m e n ts b ya p re p o n d e ra n c e o f th e e v id e n c e . Sa b ir , 117 F. 3d at754; U ni t ed Stat es v. W

i l s on , 1 0 6 F . 3 d 1 1 4 0 , 1 1 4 1 (3d C ir . 1 9 9 7 ). H ere , the d istri ct co u rt f o u n d th a t D o h a d n o t e s ta b lis h e d th a t h e h a d p ro v id e d “ a ll in f o rm a tio n a n d e v id e n c e . . . c o n c e rn in g th e o f

f e n s e . . .,” a s re q u ir e d b yth e f if th e le m e n t. 1 8 U .S .C . § 3 5 5 3 (f )( 5 ). See Sa b ir , 1 1 7 F .3 d a t 7 5 4 . W e re ject D o ’s arg u m en t th at th e this w as c lear erro r be ca u se th e d istri ct co u rt ’s concl us i on i s , ata mi ni m um , “pl aus i bl e i n l i ghtof the r ecor d. ” A nders on v. C i t y of B e ss e m e r C ity , 4 7 0 U. S . 5 6 4 , 5 7 3 - 7 4 ( 1 9 8 5 ) . Al t h o u g h th e r e c o r d e s t a b l i s h e d th a tDo w as i nvol ved i n drug t r aff i cki ng dur i ng the s i x- m onths he l i ved i n Phi l adel phi a, he cl ai m ed thathe di d notknow t he l as tname oraddr es s of hi s s uppl i er s orcus t om er s and f a ile d to s u c c e s s f

u lly c o n ta c t th e m a f

te r h is a rr e s t. M o reo v er, D o ’s ac co u n ts of h is dru g inv o lvem en t w ere inco n sist en t and co n tr ary t o t he r ecor d. H i s phone r ecor ds and bor dercr os s i ng r ecor ds s ugges t ed thathi s true s u p p l i e rwa s i n Ca n a d a . Ye t , Do i n s i s t e d o n c l a i mi n g th a th i s s u p p l i e rwa s l o c a l . Do s t at ed thathe w as gi ven the 15, 000 ecs t as ypi l l s on cons i gnm enti n Phi l adel phi a on D e c e m b e r 1 9 , 2 0 0 6 . A lth o u g h h e o w e d th e su p p lier $ 5 0 ,0 0 0 f o r th o se p ill s, D o ’s c a lls to t he al l eged l ocal s uppl i erw entunans w er ed. M eanw hi l e, D o’ s phone r ecor ds i ndi cat ed t hathe ca l l ed a Tor ont o phone numberover37 t i m es i n D ece m berof 2006. B or der c ro ss in g re c o rd s s h o w e d th a t D o c ro ss e d in to C a n a d a o n D e c e m b e r 1 7 , 2 0 0 6 . A f ter h isB ot h par t i es agr ee thatD o’ s s econd a r gum enti s r el evantonl yi f w e r ever s e the 3 d is tr ic t c o u rt ’s c o n c lu s io n a s to th e a p p lic a b ility o f th e s a f e ty v a lv e p ro v is io n . See A p p e lla n t B r. a t 1 9 n .7 ; A p p e lle e B r. a t 3 1 -3 2 . 4 a rre st, D o re c e iv e d m u lti p le c a lls f ro m th e sa m e T o ro n to p h o n e n u m b e r h e c a lled in D e c e m b e r. Y e t, D o o f

f e re d n o e v id e n c e p e rta in in g to a T o ro n to c o n n e c tio n e x c e p t to s t at e thatt he numberhe had c al l ed bel onged t o hi s cous i n. T h e d is tr ic t c o u rt ’s c o n c lu s io n th a t D o ’s in f o rm a tio n w a s “ le s s th a n f o rt h c o m in g ,”

“ n o t cr e d ib le,” a n d “ in c o n sis ten t,” A p p . at 9 5 -9 6 , is th e re f o re to tallyc o n sis ten t w ith th is r ecor d, and w e agr ee thatD o fai l ed t o m eethi s bur den of pr ovi ng thathe qual i fi ed fort he appl i cat i on of the s afe t yval ve pr ovi s i on. III . D o al s o ar gues t hatt he di s t r i ctcour tcomm i t t ed cl earerr orbyi ncl udi ng an addi t i onal 8, 000 ecs t as ypi l l s i n i t s gui del i ne ca l cul at i ons . H ow ever , s i nce the di s t r i ct cour tcorr ect l yr efus ed t o appl yt he s afe t yval ve pr ovi s i on of the gui del i nes , w e nee d not r eac h t hati s s ue. T he s t atut or i l ypr es cr i bed mandat orym i ni m um s ent ence of 120 m ont hs 3 im p ri s o n m e n t a p p lie d a n d th e c o u rt h a d n o a u th o ri ty to im p o s e a le s s e r s e n te n c e . T h u s , a l es s erdrug quant i t yw oul d nothave r educe d hi s s ent ence . I V. Fort he for egoi ng r eas ons , w e w i l l aff i r m the s ent enci ng j udgm entof the di s t r i ct c o u rt.