NOT RE CO M M E NDE D F OR F UL L
- T E XT P UB L I CA T I ON Fi l e N ame: 08a0045n. 06 Fi l ed: J anuary14, 2008 N o. 07- 3034 UNI TED S TATES CO URT O F AP PEALS F O R T H E S IX T H C IR C U IT
UNI T E D S T AT E S OF AM E RI CA , Pl ai nt i ff- A ppel l ee,
v. F RA NK VE L OT T A, D e f e n d a n t-A p p e llan t. O n A ppeal fr om t he U ni t ed St at es D i s t r i ctC our tfort he E as t er n D i s t r i ctof K entucky

/ B efore: G U Y , G IL M A N , an d M cK E A G U E , C i rcu i t Jud ges. P ER CURI AM
. D efe ndantFr ank V el ot t a appeal s fr om hi s pl ea- bas ed convi ct i on of ei ghtT i t l e 21 drug vi ol at i ons t hat t ook pl ace over a fi ve m ont h per i od. H e w as s ent ence d t o 1 2 0 mon t h s ’ i n c a r c e r a t i o n u n d e r 2 1 U. S. C. § 8 4 1 ( b ) ( 1 ) ( B) , s p e c i f i c a l l y t h e pr ovi s i on i mp o s i n g a mi n i mu m t e r m of 1 0 y e a r s f o ra p e r s o n ( 1 ) r e s p o n s i b l e f o rmo r e t h a n 5 0 0 g r a ms of coc ai ne and ( 2) havi ng pr i orconvi ct i ons forfel onydrug offe ns es . V el ot t a’ s cl ai m on
a p p e a l is th a t th e d istric t co u rt im p ro p e rlya g g re g a te d th e a m o u n ts o f c o c a in e in v o lv e d in count s t hr ee th rou g h ei ghtt o t ot al m or e t han 500 gr ams, r es ul t i ng i n a s t atut or ym i ni m um
s ent ence w el l above the appl i cabl e advi s or ygui del i ne r ange, i n vi ol at i on of U ni t ed St at es v. W i ns t on , 37 F. 3d 235 ( 6t h C i r . 1994)
. B eca us e t he gover nm ent conce des t hatt he aggr egat i onNo. 07-3034 2

The n inthc ount , d is mis se d by th e co urt o n th e g ov er nment’ s m oti on, cha rg ed Ve lo tt a w ith 1 distribution

of Diaz epam

and O xy codo ne w ithin 1 000 feet of a sch ool, in v iolation of 2 1 U .S. C. § 860. forpurpos es of s ent enci ng w as i m pr oper , V el ot t a’ s s ent ence w i l l be vac at ed and the mat t er
r emanded forr es ent enci ng. I. V el ot t a w as char ged w i t h ni ne drug vi ol at i ons i n an i ndi ct m entfi l ed M ar ch 7, 2006. 1 T hes e w er e ( 1) di s t r i but i on of 4. 54 gr ams of D i aze pam, i n vi ol at i on of 21 U
. S. C
. §§ 8 4 1 (a )(1 ) a n d (b )(1 )(D ) (C o u n t o n e ); (2 ) d istrib u tio n o f 1 2 6 .0 5 g r a m s o f

O x y c o d o n e , in vi ol at i on of 21 U
. S. C
. §§ 841(a)(1) an d (b)( 1) ( C ) ( C ountt w o) ; and ( 3) di s t r i but i on of
var i ous amount s of coc ai ne hy dr ochl or i de on s i x di ffe r entdat es i n O ct ober
- D ece m ber2005, al l i n vi ol at i on of 21 U
. S. C
. §§ 841( a) ( 1) and (b) ( 1) ( C ) ( C ount s t hr ee t hr ough ei ght )
. O f t he si x co cai ne co un t s, t he m axim um am ou nt char ged on anyon e occa si on w as 136
. 4 g ram s. T h e g o v ernm ent fi l ed an i nfo rm at i on on M arch 21 , 20 06 , no t i fy i ng V el ott a t hat i t i nt ended t o s eek a s ent ence enhanc ed by 21 U
. S. C
. § 841( b) ( 1) ( B ) bas ed on V el ot t a’ s pr i or fel onydrug convi ct i on:

T he U ni t ed St at es al l eges t hatt he def endanthas been convi ct ed of a t l eas tone pr i or“fe l onydrug offe ns e. ” The penal t y enhanc ement pr ovi s i ons of Ti t l e 2 1 , § 8 4 1 ( b ) ( 1 ) ( B) , Un i t e d S t a t e s Co d e ( r e l a t i n g t o mo r e t h a n 5 0 0 g r a ms of coc ai ne) , r equi r e, among ot hert hi ngs , a s ent ence t o a t erm of i m pr i s onm ent w hi ch maynotbe l es s than 1 0 y ear s and notm or e t han l i fe i m pr i s onm ent and/ ora fi ne not t o exce ed $4, 000, 000, and 8 y ear s of s uper vi s ed r el eas e i f t he d e f e n d a n t h a s b e e n c o n v ic te d o f a p ri o r “ f

e lo n yd ru g o f

f e n s e .” V e lo tta e n ter e d in to a w ritten p lea a g re e m e n t o n Ju ly 6 , 2 0 0 6 . H e p lea d e d g u iltyto
c o u n t s o n e t h r o u g h e i g h t , a n d s e n t e n c i n g was h e l d o n Nov e mbe r 2 7 , 2 0 0 6
. Des pi t e an
a d v isor yS entenci ng G uidel i nes range o f 70 -87 m on t hs, t he co urti m po sed 12 0 m on t hs’No. 07-3034 3

i m pr i s onm ent , i nvoki ng t he t en y earm andat or ym i ni m um s t atut or ypenal t yfound at21 U
. S. C
. § 841( b) ( 1) ( B )
. T hi s per i od w as t o be fol l ow ed by ei ght y ear s of s uper vi s ed r el eas e. V el ot t a w as also req u i r ed t o payan $800 s peci al as s es s m ent . V el ot t a’ s t i m el yappea l w as fi l ed D ece m ber4, 2006. II. B eca us e t her e w er e no obj ect i ons m ade t o the i ntend ed p en alt yei t herpr i ort o t he
sen tenc e o r at the sen tenc e, w e rev iew fo r p lai n erro r. U n d er this stan d ard o f re v iew , “b ef o re
a n a p p e llate c o u rt c a n c o rre c t an e rro r n o t ra ise d a t trial, th e re m u st be (1 ) ‘err o r,’ (2 ) th a t is

‘ pl ai n, ’ and ( 3) t hat ‘ aff ect [s ] s ubs t ant i al r i ght s . ’ ” Johns on v. U ni t ed Stat es , 520 U
. S. 461, 466- 67 ( 1997) ( quot i ng U
. S. v. O l ano , 5 0 7 U
. S
. 7 2 5 , 7 3 2 (19 9 3 )). T he governm entconce des t hi s er r ori n i t s br i ef. I t s s um m ar yof t he ar gum ents t at es t hat , pur s uantt o W

i ns t on , a s t atut or ym andat or ym i ni m um s ent ence of 120 m ont hs i m pr i s onm ent , under 21 U
. S. C
. § 841( b) ( 1) ( B ) , does notappl yi n t hi s cas e and, as s uch, s houl d not have be en r el i ed upon byt he di s t r i ctcour tats ent enci ng. A ccor di ngl y , t he gover nm ent conce des t hat t hi s C our t s houl d vaca t e V el ot t a’ s s ent ence a nd rem an d this case to the d istri ct co u rtfo r resen tenc ing u n d e r t h e a d v isory S entenci ng G uidel i nes. A ccordi ng l y , t he sentence i s VAC ATED and t he m at t er i s REM AND ED to the d istri ct co u rt forr es ent enci ng.