FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEV EN T HC IRC U IT APRIL23, 2008 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- 13005 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D. C . Do c k e tNo . 0 6 - 2 0 5 5 6 - C R - P AS 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 G E O V A N N Y Z A M B R A N O , 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 orthe S outhe rn D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( A p r i l23, 2008) B efo re A N D E R S O N , H U L L an d M A R C U S , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: G e o v a n n y Z a m b r a n o ap p e a ls h is 4 6 - m o n th s e n te n c e f o rc o n s p ir a c y to p o s s e s s w i th i n t e n tt o d i s tr i b u t e , a n d p o s s e s s i o n w i th i n t e n tt o d i s tr i b u t e , 1 0 0 g r a ms o rm o r e o f

h e r o i n , v i o l a t i o n s o f

2 1 U. S . C . § 8 4 6 a n d 2 1 U. S. C. § 8 4 1 ( 1 ) ( a ) . On2

ap p e a l, Z a m b r a n o a r g u e s th a t th e d is tr ic t c o u r t e rr e d b y d e n y in g h im a m in o r - r o le r e duc t i on. I n s uppo rt o f thi s a r gum e nt , Z a m br a no i de nt i f i e s othe ri ndi vi dua l s w ho pa r t i c i pa t e d i n the sm u g gl i ng c ons pi r a c y , a s w e l l a s unna m e d ha ndl e r s a nd s uppl i e rs i n E cu adora nd the ul t i m a t e buy e ri n N e w Y or k C i ty , a s di s c e rnabl e , a nd m or e c ul pabl e , m e m be r s of the c ons pi r a c y . Z a m br a no a l s o hi ghl i ght s tha tthe part i cul ar s of the ent i re tra nsac t i on w er e i n th e hands of others , and thathe ac t ed w i t h o u t a n y d is c r e tio n . H e lik e n s h is in v o lv e m e n t in th e s m u g g lin g c o n s p ir a c y to a “ l o c a l d ru g c o u r i e r ” a c t i n g a s a “ c o n d u i t . ” A f t e rc a r e f u l r e v i e w , w e a f

f i rm. T he di stri ctcourt ’ s det erm i nat i on as t o w hether adefe nd antqu al i fi es for a mi no r - r ol e a dj us tme nt i s a f i nd i ng of f

a c t tha t w e r e vi e w f

or c l e a r e rr or. U ni t ed S t a t e s v. D e V a r on, 175 F . 3d 930, 934 ( 11th C i r . 1999) ( e n ba nc ) . T he p ro pone nt o f th e d o w n w a r d a d

ju s tm e n t a lw a y s b e a r s th e b u r d e n o f p r o v in g th e m itig a tin g r o le in th e o f f e n s e b y a p r e p o n d e r a n c e o f th e e v id e n c e . I d . a t 9 3 9 . T he S ent enci ng G ui del i nes provi de thata c ou rtshou l d d ec re as e a de f e nda n t ’ s o f

f e n s e l e v e l b y tw o i f

th e c o u r tf

i n d s th a tth e d e f

e n d a n tw a s a “ mi n or p art i ci p an t ” i n the c r i m i na l a c t i vi ty . U . S . S . G . § 3B 1. 2. A de f e nda nti s a m i nor pa r t i c i pa nti f

h e i s o n e w h o i s “ l e s s c u l p ab l e th a n mo s to th e rp a r t i c i p a n t s , but w h o s e r o le c o u ld n o t b e d e s c r ib e d a s m in im a l.” U .S .S .G . § 3 B 1 .2 , c o m m e n t. ( n .5 ) .3

In det erm i ni ng w hether am i no r- rol e a dj ustm entappl ies, the di stri ctcourt s houl d c ons i de rthe f

ol l ow i ng tw o pr i nci p l es : “ f i r s t , the de f

e nda nt ’ s r ol e i n the r e l e v a n tc o n d u c tf

o rw h i c h [ h e ] h a s b e e n h e l d a c c o u n t ab l e a ts e n t e n c i n g , a nd, s e c ond, [h i s ] r ol e a s c om pa r e d t o tha tof othe rpa r t i c i pa nt s i n [ hi s ] r e l e va nt c onduc t . ” D e V a r on, 175 F . 3d a t940. O n the f i r s tD e V aro n p ro n g , w e ha ve e x p la in e d th a t, “[ o ]n ly if th e d e f e n d a n t c a n e s t a b lis h th a t [ h e ] p la y e d a r e la tiv e ly m in o rr o le in t h e c o n d u c t f o rw h ic h [ h e ] h a s a lr e a d y b e e n h e ld a c c o u n tab le - - n o t a m in o rr o le in a n y la r g e rc r i m i n a l c o n s p ir a c y - - s h o u ld th e d is tr ic t c o u r t g r a n t a dow nw a r d a dj us tm e ntf orm i norr ol e i n the of

f e ns e . ” Id . at944. A s f orthe s e c ond D e V ar on pron g, w e have dete rm i ned thata di stri ctcourtshou l d l oo k t o o ther pa r t i c i pa nt s onl y t o the e xt e nttha tthe y ( 1) “ a r e i de nt i f i abl e ordi s c e rnabl e f

r om the e vi de nc e , ” a nd ( 2) “ w e r e i nvol ve d i n the r e l e va ntc onduc t at tr i but e d t o the d e f e n d a n t . ” I d . We h a v e r e c o g n i z e d , h o we v e r , t h a tth e f i r s tp r o n g s e tf

o r th i n De V ar o n m ay , i n m an y c as es , b e d isp o sitiv e. Id . at 9 4 5 . In d isce rn in g a d ef en d an t’ s c u lp ab ility in th e o f

f e n s e , s o m e r e le v a n t f

a c to r s in c lu d e : th e a m o u n t a n d f a ir m a r ke tva l ue of

the of drugs , the a m ountof

m one y t o b e p ai d t o the c our i e r , the e q u ity in te r e s t in th e d ru g s , th e r o le in p la n n in g th e c r i m in a l s c h e m e , a n d th e r o le i n the di s tr i but i on. I d.4

H e r e , Z a m br a no w a s he l d a c c ount abl e o n l y fo r hi s ow n c onduc ti n the c o n s p ir a c y : e x c h a n g i n g m o n e y f o r6 9 8 .9 g r a m s o f

h e r o in a n d in te n d in g to di stri bu t e the heroi n i n exch an g e fo r m ore m on ey . A cc ordi ng t o the P re se nt ence In v est i g a tio n R ep o rt(“ P S I”), Z am b ran o : (1 ) p ro v i d ed h i s o w n fu n d s t o p u rch ase 70 pe l l e t s of

he r oi n; a nd ( 2) pl an n ed t o m a ke a $5, 000 pr of i tf r om the s ubs e que nt sa l e of the heroi n. B ec au se Z am brano’ s s i gn i fi ca ntac tual cond uctw as the sa m e a s the c onduc tf

orw hi c h he w a s he l d a c c ount abl e a t sen t en ci n g, unde rthe f i r s tpr ong of the D e V a r on a na l y s i s , he w a s note nt i t l e d t o a m i nor - r ol e r e duc t i on. T urni ng t o the s e c ond pr i nc i pl e of D e V aron, the di s tr i c tc our tc om m i tt e d no cl ea r e rr or err by f

i nd i ng thatZ am brano d id n o t p lay a m i no r r ol e w hen com pare d to th e o th e rp a r tic ip a n ts . W e a r e u n p e r s u a d e d b y Z a m b r a n o ’s a s s e r tio n s th a t h e d id n o t c o o r d in a te th e s m u g g l i n g v e n tu r e , d id n o t r e c ru it o th e rc o n s p ir a to r s to s m u g g le the heroi n, and d i d n o t in structany per son i n the U ni t ed S t at es . E ven i f the re cord s u p p o r ts a ll o f

th e s e f a c tu a l a s s e r tio n s - - a n is s u e w e n e e d n o t r e a c h - - th o s e f a c ts do no tsugg es tthatZ am b ra n o p layed a m i no r r ol e i n the cond uctfor w hi ch he w as he l d a c c ount abl e , butr a the r , t e nd t o s how tha tZ am b ran o w a s noti nvol ve d i n the l a r ge rdrug c ons pi r a c y . I n s hor t , th at a l one i s note nough t o s uppor ta m i t i ga t i ng r ol e a dj us tm e nt . S e e D e V aro n , 175 F . 3d a t944. A c c or di ng t o the P S I , Z a m br a no pr ovi de d hi s ow n f

unds t o pur c ha s e the he r oi n a nd p l an n e d t o m a ke a pr of i tf r om5

t he s a l e of

th e h e r o i n . H e l o c a t e d a b u y e r , “ Co y o t e , ” f o rth e h e r o i n h i ms e l f

, a nd th e n c o n ta c te d th e c o n f id e n tia l in f

o rm a n t to s e t u p a s a le o f th e h e r o i n . I n s h o r t, th e s e f a c ts , w h ic h w e r e c ite d b y th e d is tr ic t c o u r t, a ll s u p p o r t th e c o u r t’s u ltim a te f in d in g , o n t h e s e c o n d D e V a r o n p r o n g , th a t Z a m b r a n o d id n o t p la y a m in o rr o le c o m p a r e d t o o th e r s i n th e o f f e n s e f o rwh i c h h e wa s h e l d a c c o u n t ab l e . S e e De V a r o n , 1 7 5 F .3 d a t 9 4 5 . O n thi s r ec ord, the di stri ctcourtdi d n otcom m i tcl ea r e rr or w hen i tdeni ed Z a m b r a n o ’s r e q u e s t f

o ra m in o r - r o le r e d u c tio n . AF F I RME D.