# 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 5- 26 49

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ 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.

Ja m es Pau l Hu bb el l,

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 So ut he rn Dis tri ct of I owa - Dav en po rt

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Su bm it te d: Apri l 1 5, 2 01 6 Fil ed : Au gu st 9, 2 01 6 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re COLLOTON an d SHEPHERD, Ci rcu it Ju dg es , an d MO O D Y
, Dis tri ct Ju dg e. 1

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PER CURI AM.

Ja m es Pau l Hub be ll pl ead ed gu il ty to on e co un t of co ns pi racy to di st rib ut e

m et ha m ph et am in e, in vi ol at io n of 21 U.S.C. §§ 84 1( a)(1 ), (b )(1 )(C) , a nd 84 6. The

The Hon or ab le Ja m es M. Mo od y, J r

. , Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e 1 East ern Dis tri ct of Ark an sa s, s it ti ng by des ig na ti on

.di st ric t co ur t se nt en ced Hub be ll to 14 0 m on th s’ im pr is on m en t. On ap pe al
, Hub be ll 2

arg ue s th at th e co ur t erre d in de nyin g a do wnwar d ad jus tm en t u n d e r t he ad vi so ry
gu id el in es fo r a m it ig at in g ro le in th e of fen se

. He al so co nt en ds th at hi s se nt en ce is

su bs ta nt iv el y

un reas on ab le . W e aff

irm.

Beg in ni ng aro un d Ju ne 20 14 , Hub be ll ag reed wit h Mic ha el Jo sl in an d ot he rs
to di st rib ut e m et ha m

ph et am in e in bo th Ri ve rs id e an d Io wa Ci ty, Io wa. Bet ween Aug us t 20 14 an d Decem be r 20 14
, an un de rco ve r of fic er an d a co nf

id en ti al so ur ce

m ad e m ul ti pl e co nt ro ll ed p u r c ha se s of pu rp or te d or act ua l m et ha m ph et am in e fro m Hub be ll

. Dur in g a tra ns act io n in Decem be r, la w en fo rcem en t of

fic ers to ok Hub be ll in to cu st od y

. Afte r of

fic ers ad vi se d Hub be ll of hi s rig ht s, he ad m it te d to di st rib ut in g

m et ha m ph et am in e fo r ap pr ox im at e l y si x m on th s an d st at ed th at hi s m ai n so ur ce of

su pp ly w as Jo sl in

.

A gr an d jury c h a r g e d Hub be ll wit h on e co un t of co ns pi racy to di st rib ut e

m et ha m ph et am in e. Hub be ll en te red in to a pl ea ag reem en t wit h th e go ve rn m en t, an d pl ead ed gu il ty to th at co un t. Hub be ll ad mitt ed to ob ta in in g, pu rch as in g, an d di st rib ut in g at le as t 10 0 gr am s of act ua l m et ha m ph et am in e

. His cri m in al hi st or y in cl ud ed two pr io r co nv ic ti on s fo r dr ug tra ffi ck in g, as well as co nv ic ti on s fo r dr un k dr iv in g, po ss es si on of m ari juan a (th ric e), do m es ti c ab us e as sa ul t, do m es ti c a s s au lt

cau si ng in

jury w hi le di sp la y in g a da ng ero us weap on , tre sp as s (t wice ), an d t he ft.

At se nt en ci ng , th e di st ric t co ur t fo un d t ha t Hub be ll was res po ns ib le fo r a
qu an ti ty of dr ug s th at res ul te d in a ba se o ffen se le ve l of 30 un de r th e ad vi so ry
gu id el in e. The co ur t al so fo un d th at Hub be ll qu al ifi ed as a care er of fen de r ba se d on th e two p r i o r dr ug -tr affi ck in g co nv ic ti on s. Bec au se th e care er-o ffen de r gu id el in e

The Hon or ab le Ja m es E. Grit zn er, Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e 2 So ut he rn Dis tri ct of I owa

.
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-pr ov id ed for a hi gh er o ffen se lev el of 3 2, th e co ur t ap pl ie d th at le ve l in acco rd an ce

wit h USS G § 4 B1 .1(b ).

Hub be ll as se rte d th at he was en ti tl ed to a do wnwar d ad jus tm en t un de r USSG § 3B 1.2 fo r pl ay in g a m in or ro le in th e c on sp ira cy

. The di st ric t co ur t, aft er no ti ng th at i t mi g h t b e “ an acad em ic qu es ti on ,” fo un d th at th e reco rd di d no t su pp or t a do wnwar d a dju st m en t fo r a m it ig at in g ro le in th e o ffen se

.

Afte r su bt ract in g th ree of fen se le ve ls fo r acce pt an ce of res po ns ib il it y fro m th e

care er-o ffe n d e r o f

f en se le ve l of 32
, th e co ur t arri ve d at a to ta l of fen se le ve l of 29

. The co ur t th en co nc lu de d t h at cri m in al hi st or y cat eg or y VI, whi ch ap pl ie d be cau se of Hub be ll ’s care er-o ffen de r st at us , ov ers ta te d Hub be ll ’s hi st or y , an d de pa rte d do wnwar d to cat eg or y V. Tha t res ul te d in a se nt en ci ng ran ge of 14 0 to 17 5 m on th s’ im pr is on m en t. The co ur t se nt en ced Hub be ll to 14 0 m on th s in pr is on an d th ree y ears of su pe rv is ed rel eas e.

Hub be ll ch al le ng es th e se nt en ce im po se d by t h e d i s tri ct co ur t. Hub be ll fir st

co nt en ds th at th e di st ric t co ur t pr oc ed ur al ly erre d in de nyin g a do wnwar d ad jus tm en t

un de r th e ad vi so ry gu id el in es fo r a m it ig at in g ro le in th e of fen se

. Se e USSG § 3B 1.2

. Bu t as th e di st ric t co ur t su gg es te d, th e ap pl ic ab il it y of th e ad jus tm en t is an acad em ic

qu es ti on

. W he n a de fen da nt is se nt en ced as a care er of fen de r, ad jus tm en ts fo r ro le in th e of fen se un de r Ch ap te r Thre e, Part B do no t ap pl y

. Se e USSG § 4B 1.1 ; Uni te d
St a t e s v

. War re n , 36 1 F.3 d 10 55
, 10 58 (8 th Ci r. 20 04 ). W he th er or no t Hub be ll

qu al ifi ed fo r a m it ig at in g ro le ad jus tm en t, hi s of

fen se le v el (b efo re co ns id eri ng

acce pt an ce of res po ns ib il it y ) was se t a t 3 2 b y th e care er-o ffen de r gu id el in e. It is th eref or e u nn eces sa ry

to ad dr es s Hu bb el l’s cl ai m of p ro ced ur al erro r.

Hub be ll al so co nt en ds th at hi s se nt en ce is su bs ta nt iv el y un reas on ab le be cau se th e di st ric t co ur t im

pr o p e r l y weig he d hi s pr io r cri m in al hi st or y , hi s cu lp ab il it y rel at iv e to Jo sl in
, an d th e li ke li ho od th at Hub be ll wou ld co m m it fu rth er cri m es

. Se e

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-18 U.S.C. § 35 53 (a). Hub be ll as se rts th at hi s pr io r co nv ic ti on s in vo lv ed sm al l-s cal e

d r ug de al in g an d th at he sh ou ld no t be tre at ed as a care er of fen de r. We r e v i e w t h e

su bs ta nt iv e reas on ab le ne ss of a s e n t e nc e un de r a “ de fere nt ia l ab us e-o f-d is cret io n
st an da rd .” Gal l v. Uni te d St at es , 55 2 U.S. 38
, 41 (2 00 7)

. W e pr es um e th at a se nt en ce wit hi n th e ad vi so ry gu id el in e ran ge is reas on ab le

. Uni te d St at es v. Rue la s- Men de z , 55 6 F.3 d 65 5, 65 7 (8 th Ci r. 20 09 ) ; s e e Ri t a v. Uni te d St at es , 55 1 U.S. 33 8, 34 7 (2 00 7)

.

The di st ric t co ur t di d no t ab us e it s di sc ret io n. The co ur t “ ha s wid e la ti tu de to weig h th e § 35 53 (a) fact or s in each cas e an d as si gn so m e fact or s gr eat er weig ht th an
ot he rs in de te rm in in g a n a pp ro pr ia te sen te nc e.” Uni te d St at es v. Bri dg es , 5 69 F.3 d
37 4, 37 9 (8 th Ci r. 20 09 ). The co ur t he ard an d co ns id ered Hub be ll ’s arg um en ts ab ou t hi s pr io r co nv ic ti on s, hi s rel at iv e cu lp a b i l i t y, an d th e as se rte d un li ke li ho od of reci di vi sm

. The co ur t to ok in to acco un t th e na tu re of Hub be ll ’s cri m in al hi st or y by de pa rti ng do wnwar d, bu t al so pr op erl y c o n s i de red th e ne ed to av oi d un warra nt ed

se nt en ci ng di sp ari ti es am on g si m il arl y si tu at ed de fen da nt s. Se e 18 U.S.C. § 35 53 (a)( 6)

. The co ur t rea s o n a b l y co nc lu de d th at a se nt en ce at th e bo tt om of th e
po st -d ep art ur e gu id el in e ran ge was ap pr op ria te , g iv en th e se rio us ne ss of Hub be ll ’s of fen se an d h is cri m in al hi st or y

.

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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