FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEV EN T HC IRC U IT DEC 27, 2007 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. 07- 11318 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C. D o c k e tN o . 0 6 - 0 0 0 8 0 - CR- CB 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 T Y R O N E L A T R O Y S P R A T T , a .k .a . D e u c e , 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

_________________________ ( D e c e m b e r 27, 2007) B efo re T JO F L A T , B IR C H an d D U B IN A , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: T yro n e S p rattap p eal s h i s co n v i ct i o n an d sen t en ce fo r co n sp i racy t o p o ssess2

w i th i n t e n tt o d i s tr i b u t e mo r e th a n 5 0 0 g r a ms o f c o c a i n e i n v i o l a t i o n o f

2 1 U . S. C. § 8 46 . H e c hal l enges hi s c on vi ct i on on tw o g roun ds: (1) the evi dence w as in s u f f ic ie n t to e s tab lis h th e c h a r g e d o f f e n s e , a n d ( 2 ) th e d is tr ic t c o u r t e rr e d in r e f us i ng t o i nc l ude i n i t s c ha r ge t o the j ury a n i ns truc t i on t o the e f f e c ttha ta pe r s on w ho on l y purchas es drug s f or pers on al use does notthere by becom e am em ber of a d ru g tr a f f ic k in g c o n s p ir a c y . H e c h a lle n g e s h is s e n te n c e o n tw o g r o u n d s a s w e ll: ( 1) the c our te rr e d i n f

i ndi ng the c oc a i ne a ttr i but abl e t o hi m ba s e d on a pr e ponde r a nc e of

the e vi de nc e , a nd ( 2) hi s s e nt e nc e i s unr e a s onabl e be c a us e the c o u r t d id n o t lim it th e c o c a in e it a ttr ib u te d to th e q u a n tity f o u n d b y th e ju ry . W e a d d r e s s th e s e c h a lle n g e s in o r d e r . S prattcont ends thatthe evi dence w as i nsuffi ci entt o con vi ctbecause a l l that i tes t abl i shed w as thathe agree d w i th i nd i vi du al bu ye rs t o eng age i n i sol at ed b u y e r - s e lle rtr a n s a c tio n s a n d d id n o t r e v e a l ajo in t o b je c tiv e to d is tr ib u te c o c a in e . T h e e v id e n c e s h o w e d m u c h m o r e th a n is o la te d b u y e r - s e lle rtr a n s a c tio n s . S p r a tt prop er l y c on ce des thatthe evi dence w as thathe sol d l ar ge qu ant i t i es of drug s over a n e xt e nde d pe r i od of

t i m e . I n a ddi t i on, i n a r e c or de d t e l e phone c onve r s a t i on, he i ndi c a t e d tha the s pl i tpr of i t s f r om s e l l i ng drugs w i th othe rpe opl e a nd tha the a nd a nothe ri ndi vi dua l w e r e goi ng t o s pl i tthe pr of i t s f r om s e l l i ng drugs . T hi s a l one w a s e n o u g h to a u th o r iz e th e ju ry to c o n v ic t. I n s u m , th e e v id e n c e w a s s u f f ic ie n t to3

c o n v ic t. A di stri ctcourt ’ s f

ai l ure t o g i ve a r equest ed j ury i nstruct i on i s a n abuse of di sc re t i on i f the re qu es t ed i nstruct i on (1) w as corr ec t , (2) w as n o t s u b s ta n tia lly c o v e r e d b y th e c h a r g e a c tu a lly g iv e n , a n d ( 3 ) d e a lt w i th s om e poi nti n the tr i a l s o i m por t a nttha tf a i l ur e t o gi ve the r e q u e s te d in s tru c tio n s e r io u s ly im p a ir e d th e d e f e n d a n t’s ab ility to cond ucthi s def

ense . U ni t e d S t a t e s v. B r ow ne , N o. 05- 11137, m a nus c r i ptop. a t86 ( 11th C i r . O c t . 25, 2 0 0 7 ) ( q u o tati o n o m itted ). In U n it ed S tates v . L iv ely, w e h eld th at th e d ef en d an t’ s r e que s t e d i ns truc t i on – tha ta buy e r/ s e l l e rr e l a t i ons hi p i s i ns uf f i c i e nts t a ndi ng a l one to e s tab lis h a c o n s p ir a c y –w a s a d e q u a te ly a d d r e s s e d b y th e c o u r t’s in s tru c tio n th a t, t o est abl i sh a c on spi ra cy , (1) tw o o r m ore peopl e m ustcom e t o a m utual u n d e r s ta n d in g to try to a c c o m p lis h th e u n la w f u l c o n d u c t c h a r g e d in th e in d ic tm e n t, (2) the defendantm ustkn ow i ng l y a nd w i l l ful l y j oi n such a conspi ra cy , and (3) a pers on w ho has no k no w l edge of a conspi ra cy , bu tw ho happ ens t o acti n a w ay w hi c h a dva nc e s s om e purpos e of one , doe s notthe r e by be c om e a c ons pi r a t or . 803 F .2 d 1 1 2 4 , 1 1 2 8 - 2 9 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 8 6 ) . I n thi s c a s e , a s i n L i ve l y , the c our ti ns truc t e d the j ury tha tt o e s t abl i s h a c o n s p ir a c y , ( 1 ) tw o o rm o r e p e o p le m u s t c o m e to a m u tu a l u n d e r s ta n d in g to try to acco m p l i sh th e u n l aw fu l co n d u ctch arg ed i n th e i n d i ctm en t , (2 ) th e d efen d an tm u st know i ngl y a nd w i l l f

ul l y j oi n s uc h a c ons pi r a c y , a nd ( 3) tha ta pe r s on w ho ha s no k n o w l e d g e o f

a c o n s p i r a c y , b u tw h o h ap p e n s t o a c ti n a w a y w h i c h a d v a n c e s s o me4

pu rpose of one, do es no tthere by becom e aconspi ra t or. S ee L i vel y, 80 3 F . 3d at 1 1 2 8 - 2 9 . T h e c o u r t c o m m itte d n o e rr o rh e r e , m u c h le s s a n ab u s e o f d is c r e tio n , be c a us e the j ury c ha r ge “ a de qua t e l y a nd c orr e c t l y c ove r [ e d] the s ubs t a nc e of the r e que s t e d i ns truc t i on. ” I d. a t1128. A d d r e s s in g h is s e n te n c e , S p r a tt a r g u e s th a t th e c o u r t v io la te d h is S ix th A m e ndm e ntr i ghtt o a j ury tr i a l by f a s hi oni ng aG ui de l i ne s s e nt e nc e ba s e d on the drug qua nt i ty i tf

ound, r a the rtha n the drug qua nt i ty the j ury f ound. H i s a r gum e nt i s m er i t l es s bec ause the courttre at ed the G ui del i nes a s a dv i sory , ra ther than m andat ory. U ni t ed S t at es v. C hau, 42 6 F . 3d 13 18 , 13 24 (11th C i r. 20 05 ); U ni t ed S t a t e s v. D unc a n, 400 F . 3d 1297, 1304- 05 ( 11th C i r . 2005) ( hol di ng tha tthe di stri ctcourtw as perm i tt ed t o fi nd cond uctthathad b ee n acqui tt ed by the j ury w he n de t e rm i ni ng the de f e nda nt ’ s s e nt e nc e ) ; s e e a l s o U ni t e d S t a t e s v. T hom a s , 446 F . 3d 1348, 1355 ( 11th C i r . 2006) ( hol di ng tha tthe r e i s no F i f th A m e ndm e ntr i ght t o ha ve a l l f

a c t s us e d t o e nha nc e a de f e nda nt ’ s G ui de l i ne s r a nge c ha r ge d i n the in d ic tm e n t) . H a vi ng f ound no c ons t i tut i ona l vi ol a t i on, w e turn now t o the que s t i on of w hether S pratt ’ s s ent ence i s unrea sonabl e. A s pre sc ri bed b y 18 U . S . C . § 3 55 3(a) , a m o n g th e f

a c to r s a s e n te n c in g c o u r t m u s t c o n s id e rin a rr iv in g a t ar e a s o n ab le s e nt e nc e a r e ( 1) the na tur e a nd c i r c um s t a nc e s of the of f e ns e ; ( 2) the hi s t ory a nd5

c ha r a c t e r i s t i c s of

the de f e nda nt ; ( 3) the ne e d t o r e f l e c tthe s e r i ous ne s s of

the of f e ns e , t o pr om ot e r e s pe c tf orthe l a w , a nd t o pr ovi de j us tpuni s hm e ntf orthe of f e ns e ; ( 4) the ne e d f

orde t e rr e nc e ; ( 5) the ne e d t o pr ot e c tthe publ i c ; ( 6) the s e nt e nc i ng gui de l i ne s r a nge ; a nd ( 7) the ne e d t o a voi d unw a nt e d s e nt e nc i ng di spar i t i es . In hi s bri ef

, S prattappears t o b e c hal l engi ng the procedural r e a s onabl e ne s s of

hi s s e nt e nc e be c a us e he c l a i m s tha tthe c our te rr e d by not a c c ount i ng f

orthe j ury ’ s f

i ndi ngs a s t o the qua nt i ty of c oc a i ne i nvol ve d i n the of f e ns e . T he c our te xpl i c i t l y t ook the s e f a c t or s i nt o c ons i de r a t i on i n f a s hi oni ng S pr a tt ’ s s e nt e nc e . S e c t i on § 3553( a ) doe s notr e qui r e the c our tt o “ a c c ount ” f orthe ju ry ’s f in d in g s ; th u s , h is p r o c e d u r a l a r g u m e n t f a ils . H is c o n te n tio n th a t h is se nt ence i s s ub st ant i vel y unrea sonabl e a l so fa i l s: no thi ng i n o ur prece dentre nd er s a w i thi n- G ui de l i ne s s e nt e nc e unr e a s onabl e be c a us e the c our the l d the de f e nda nt a c c ount abl e f

ora gr e a t e rqua nt i ty of

drugs tha n the j ury f

ound. I n s hor t , i n l i ghtof th e co u rt ’ s p ro p er an d ex p l i ci tco n si d erat i o n o f th e § 3 5 5 3 (a) sen t en ci n g fact o rs, w e do n otdi sturb S pratt ’ s s ent ence . AF F I R ME D.