# U ni te d S ta te s Co ur t of A pp ea ls For the Eig hth Circu it

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No. 1 3- 15 99

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Uni te d S ta te s o f Am eri ca

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Pla in ti

ff - App el le e

v.

Cl au de Duk es , Jr.

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Defe nd

an t - Ap pe ll an t

__ __ __ __ __ __ App eal fro m

Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t fo r th e Eas te rn Dis tri ct of Ark an sa s - Li tt le Ro ck

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Su bm it te d: Sep te m

be r 23 , 20 13 Fil ed : No ve m

be r 5, 2 01 3 [Un pu bl is he d]

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Befo re LOKEN, COLLO TON, and BENTON, Circu it Ju dg es

.

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PER CURI AM.

Le ss th an two week s aft er he co m pl et ed se rv in g a fif

te en -y ear se nt en ce f

o r

arm ed ro bb e r y in Ju ly 20 08
, Cl au de Duk es , Jr
., joi ne d an on go in g co ns pi racy to di st rib ut e co cai ne ba se (cra ck co cai ne ) in th e East e r n D is tri ct of Ark an sa s. Duk es

an d ni ne ot he rs were ch arg ed wit h co ns pi racy to po ss es s wit h in te nt to di st rib ut e an d
di st rib ut e m or e th an 50 gr am s of co cai ne ba se in vi ol at io n of 21 U.S.C. §§ 84 1( a)(1 )an d 84 6. Duk e s p l e a d e d g u i lt y to th at ch arg e on e week be fo re tri al

. In th e Pl ea

Agr eem en t, th e pa rti es ag reed th at th e co ns pi racy ex is te d fro m Mar ch 20 08 th ro ug h
Octo be r 20 09
, t h at Duk es kn owi ng ly joi ne d th e co ns pi racy “ at th e ti m e it was fir st

reac he d or at so m e ti m e la te r whi le it was st il l in effe ct , ” a n d “t h a t th e am ou nt of

co nt ro ll ed su bs ta nc e is be twee n 28 gr am s bu t le ss th an 11 2 gr am s of co cai ne ba se .”
The st ip ul at ed am ou nt pr od uc ed a ba se of fen se le ve l of 26
, se e U.S.S.G. § 2D1 .1(c )(7 ), an d a m an da to ry m in im um se nt en c e o f f

i v e y ears in pr is on , se e 21 U.S.C. § 8 41 (b )(1 )(B) (ii i).

The di st ric t cou rt se nt en ced Duk es to 63 m on th s in pr is on , th e bo tt om of hi s 1
ad vi so ry gu id el in es ran ge of 63 to 78 m on th s. Duk es ap pe al s th e se nt en ce, argu in g th e co ur t co m

m it te d cl ear pr oc ed ur al erro r in de nyin g a fo ur - or two -le ve l red uc ti on be cau se he was a m in im al or m in or pa rti ci pa nt in th e co ns pi racy of fen se

. See
U.S.S.G

. § 3 B1 .2(a ) an d (b ). Duk es arg ue s he is en ti tl ed to a ro le -in -th e-o ffen se red uc ti on be cau se he di d n o t or ga ni ze or m an ag e th e co ns pi racy, was in carc erat ed
whe n th e co ns pi racy b e g a n, di d no t pr oc ur e th e crac k, an d on ly p art ic ip at ed in two

sa le s d ur in g t he co ns pi racy’ s en ti re 1 9- m on th du rat io n.

At th e c h a n ge -o f-p le a he ari ng , Du ke s ag reed wit h th e pr os ecu to r’s su m m ary of wha t th e go ve rn m en t co ul d pr ov e at tri al
, in cl ud in g Duk es ’s di rect pa rti ci pa ti on in two crac k co cai ne sa le s to co n f id en ti al in fo rm an ts : On Ju ly 18
, 20 08
, whe n an in fo rm an t wen t t o c on sp ira to r Jo e Bra nd on ’s res id en ce to c om pl et e th e p ur ch as e o f

on e ou nc e of cra c k c o c a i n e fo r $7 00
, Bran do n was no t pr es en t. Duk es ha nd ed th e in fo rm an t 28 .1 gr am s of crac k a n d r e c e i v ed th e pu rch as e m on ey in ex ch an ge

. The

se co nd sa le oc cu rr e d i n N ov em be r 20 08
, whe n Bran do n di rect ed an in fo rm an t to

co nt act D uk es to bu y crac k. Duk es refe rred th e in fo rm an t to co ns pi rat or Fred eri ck Tay lo r, who co nf

irmed he ha d sp ok en wit h Duk es an d th en so ld t h e in fo rm an t on e

The Hon or ab le Bri an S. Mi ll er, Ch ie f Ju dg e of th e Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Co ur t 1 fo r th e Eas te rn Dis tri ct of Ark an sa s.

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-ou nc e of crac k (2 7.5 gr am s) fo r $7 50

. At se nt en ci ng , whe n Duk es co m pl ai ne d to th e

co ur t th at he was be in g he ld res po ns ib le fo r m or e th an hi s ro le in th e co ns pi racy, th e
pr os ecu to r ad vi se d th e co ur t th at , if Duk es were acco un ta bl e fo r th e to t a l d r u g
qu an ti ty attr ib ut ab le to Bran do n, t he ba se off en se lev el wou ld be 32

.

A fo ur -le ve l m in im al pa rti ci pa nt re d u c t i o n is pr op er whe n th e de fen da nt

es ta bl is he s th at he was “ pl ai nl y am on g t h e le as t cu lp ab le of th os e in vo lv ed in th e

c o nd uc t of a gr ou p.” U.S.S.G. § 3B 1.2
, co m m en t. (n .4). The two -le ve l m in o r
pa rti ci pa nt red uc ti on is f o r a de fen da nt “ who is le ss cu lp ab le th an m os t ot he r
pa rti ci pa nt s, bu t who se ro le co ul d no t be de sc rib ed as m in im al .” Id
., co m m en t. (n .5).
W e rev ie w th e di st ric t co ur t’s ro le -in -th e-o ffen se de te rm in at ion fo r cl ear erro r; Duk es be ars th e bu rd en of pr ov in g th at he was a m in im al or m in or pa rti ci pa nt

. Uni te d St at es v. Pi nk in , 67 5 F .3d 10 88 , 10 90 (8t h C ir. 2 01 2)

.

“ W he n a de fen da nt is pa rt of joi nt ly un de rta ke n cri m in al act iv it y wit h ot he rs , th e se nt en ci ng co ur t m

us t de te rm in e wha t th e de fen da nt ’s rel ev an t co nd uc t was

. . . . [ T] ha t sa m e rel ev an t co nd uc t is us ed no t on ly in de te rm in in g th e de fen da nt ’s b a s e of fen se le ve l, bu t al so fo r an y ro le in th e of fen se ad jus tm en ts

. . . .” Uni te d St at es v. McC art hy, 97 F.3 d 15 62
, 15 74 (8 th Ci r. 19 96 ), cert

. de ni ed
, 51 9 U.S. 11 39 an d 52 0
U.S. 11 33 (1 99 7)

. Here, as in Uni te d St at es v. Sp el le r, Duk es be ne fit te d whe n th e di st ric t co ur t in cl ud ed as rel ev an t co nd uc t on ly th e two sa le s in whi ch he pe rs on al ly

pa rti ci pa te d in de te rm in in g hi s ba se of fen se le ve l, “ an d th en as ks th e co ur t to co ns id er al l th e ot he r dr ug s in vo lv ed in th e co ns pi racy in de te rm in in g [h is ] ro le in th e of fen se ,”
in effe ct , a “ do ub le red uc ti on .” 35 6 F.3 d 90 4, 90 7 (8 th Ci r. 20 04 ). The di st ric t co ur t

co m m it te d n o c le ar er ro r in de nyin g Du ke s a r ol e-i n- th e-o ffen se red uc ti on

.

The jud gm en t o f th e d is tri ct co ur t i s af fir m ed

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