2006 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 8-4-2006 

# U SA v . H ar t P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 05-2192

F o llow thi s and a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2006

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e and ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2006 D e c i sion s b y an author i z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " U SA v . H ar t " (2006). 2006 D e cisio n s . P ape r 614. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2006/6141 NOT PRECEDENTIAL UN TI ED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT N o: 05- 2192

UNI TE D ST ATE S OF AM ERI CA

v. J AV I ER H AR T, A ppel l ant A p p ea l from the U n ti ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt f o r th e E a ste rn D istric t o f P e n n sy lv a n ia D i s t r i ctC our tN o: 03- cr - 00827 D istric t Ju d g e : M a ryA . M c L a u g h lin Subm i tt ed Pur s uantt o T hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

J ul y14, 2006 B efor e: SL O V I T E R , M cK E E and R E N D E L L , C i r cui tJ udges

OP I NI ON

M cK E E , C i r cui tJ udge Jav ier H art ap p ea ls from the ju d g m en t of co n v ict ion that w as e n tered af ter a jury2

convi ct ed hi m of s ever al char ges r el at ed t o hi s di s t r i but i on of “c r ack” coca i ne. Forthe r e a s o n s t h a tf

o l l o w, we wi l l a f

f i r m. I . . Si nce w e ar e w r i t i ng pr i m ar i l yforthe part i es w ho ar e fa m i l i arw i t h t hi s di s put e, w e nee d onl ys etfor t h t he pr ocedur al orfac tual backgr ound of thi s appea l . W e r evi ew t he di s t r i ctcour t ’ s fi ndi ngs of fa ctdur i ng t he s uppr es s i on hear i ng forcl earerr or . O urr evi ew o f th e c o u rt ’s ap p li ca ti o n o f leg al princ iples is plen ary . U ni t ed Stat es v. P er ez , 280 F. 3d 3 1 8 , 3 8 6 (3 d C ir. 2 0 0 2 ); U ni t ed Stat es v. N

olan- C ooper , 1 5 5 F . 3 d 2 2 1 , 2 2 9 (3d C ir . 1 9 9 8 ). H artfi rs tcl ai m s that the d i stri ctcou rterr ed in den y i ng his m oti on t o sup press e v id e n c e o b tain e d f

ro m 7 0 1 2 E m e rso n A v e n u e , in U p p e r D a rb y . W e re jec t th a t cla im s ubs t ant i al l yfort he r eas ons s etfor th bythe di s t r i ctcour ti n i t s w el l r eas oned and de t ai l ed M em o ran d u m an d O rde r, d ated O ctob er 1 8 , 2 0 0 4 . T h e d istri ct co u rtag ree d that there w as no pr obabl e ca us e t o s ear ch thatr es i dence , butal l ow ed the phy s i cal evi dence that w as s ei zed t o be i nt r oduced a tt r i al pur s uantt o t he “good f ai t h exce pt i on” fi r s tannounce d i n U ni t ed Stat es v. Leon , 4 6 8 U .S .8 9 7 (1 8 8 4 ). A c c o rd in g ly , o u r in q u iryis lim ited to det erm i ni ng w hetheri tw as obj ect i vel yr eas onabl e forthe pol i ce of fi cer s exec ut i ng that s e a rc h to re ly u p o n th e a u th o ri ty o f th e s e a rc h w a rr a n t. Un i t e d S ta t e s v . Ni n e t

y - two T h o u s a n d Fo u rHu n dr e d

T we n t y - two , D o lla rs a n d

F ift y -S e v e n C e n ts , 307 F. 3d 137 ( 3d C ir. 2 0 0 2 ). T h e d istric t co u rt e x p lain s w h yth e c o n d u c t o f th o se o f f ice rs w a s o b

jec tiv e ly3

re a s o n a b le e v e n th o u g h p ro b a b le c a u s e d id n o t e x is t to s e a rc h 7 0 1 2 E m e rs o n A v e n u e . M oreove r, al t ho ug h the w arr ant w as not s up po rt ed b yprobab l e cause, i tw as not “s o lac k in g in in d icia o f

p ro b a b le c a u se a s to re n d e r o f f icia l b e lief

in its e x iste n c e e n tirely unr eas onabl e. ” Id . , at146. A ccor di ngl y , the di s t r i ctcour tdi d noterri n concl udi ng that t he off i cer s act ed i n good fai t h i n s ear chi ng thatr es i dence , and the evi dence theys ei zed w a s p ro p e rl ya d m itte d a t tr ia l. II H ar tal s o ar gues t hatt he di s t r i ctcour terr ed i n deny i ng hi s m ot i on t o s t r i ke the amended i nform at i on t he governm entfi l ed bef or e tr i al char gi ng s ever al pr i ordrug offe ns es pur s uantt o 21 U . S. C . § 851. T hatfi l i ng s ubj ect ed hi m t o a mandat orym i ni m um s ent ence of l i fe i m pr i s onm entunder21 U . S. C . § 841 ( b) ( 1) ( A ) . H artcl ai m s thatthe governm entfi l ed the amended i nform at i on t o puni s h hi m foras s ert i ng hi s cons t i tut i onal r i ghtt o go t o t r i al and r efus i ng t o pl ead gui l t y . H ow ever , the governm entar gues w i t hout contr adi ct i on t hati ti ni t i al l yfi l ed an i nform at i on cont ai ni ng onl yone pr i orfel onydrug o f f e n s e b e c a u s e th a t w a s p a rt o f th e p le a a g re e m e n t H a rt in itia lly a g re e d to a c c e p t. See A p p e llee ’s B r. at 3 5 . P u rsu a n t to th o se p lea n e g o tiatio n s, th e g o v e rn m e n t h a d a g re e d to r el yupon onl yone of H ar t ’ s pr i orfel onydrug offe ns es ther ebyr educi ng hi s expos ur e t o a m an d atorym inim u m sen tenc e o f 2 5 y ea rs i m p ri so n m en t r athe r th an the m an d atory m in im u m o f

lif e im p ri s o n m e n t th a t w o u ld o th e rw is e h a v e a p p lie d . See 21 U . S. C . §§ 8 4 1 (b )( 1 )( A ) a n d 9 2 4 (c ).4

I n an ana l ogous cont ext , t he Supr eme C our thas expl ai ned: “[s ] o l ong as the pr os ecut orhas pr obabl e ca us e t o bel i eve thatthe ac cus ed comm i t t ed an of fens e def i ned bys t atut e, t he dec i s i on w hetherornott o pr os ecut e, and w hatchar ges t o fi l e orbr i ng befor e a j ur y , gener al l yr es t s i n hi s [/her ] di s cr et i on. ” B or denki r cherv. H ayes , 43 4 U. S. 357, 364 ( 1978) . A ccor di ngl y , w e r ej ectH art ’ s at t empt t o ar gue thatthe t i m i ng of the f ili n g o f th e a m e n d e d n o tice so m e h o w su g g e sts th e p ro se c u to r’s b a d f a ith . It su g g e sts o n lyth a t H a rt lo st o n e o f th e a d v a n tag e s a n e g o tiate d p lea w o u ld h a v e g iv e n h im . “W h ile confr ont i ng a def

endantw i t h t he r i s k of m or e s ever e puni s hm entcl ear l ym ayhave a di s cour agi ng eff

ecton t he def

endant ' s as s ert i on of hi s tr i al r i ght s , . . . the i m pos i t i on of th e se d if f icu lt ch o ice s [ is] a n in e v itab le- -a n d p e rm iss ib le- -a ttribu te o f a n yleg iti m a te s y s t em w hi ch t ol er at es and enc our ages the negot i at i on of pl eas . ” U ni t ed Stat es v. H

odge , 4 1 2 F . 3 d 4 7 0 (3d . C ir . 2 0 0 5 ) (i n terna l qu o tat ion m ark s o m itted, bra ck ets i n o ri g inal). III . H art also c lai m s 2 1 U . S . C . § 8 4 1 is fac ial lyu n co n sti tuti o n al. H o w ev er, as H art hi m s el f r ecogni zes , t hatcl ai m i s for ecl os ed byourhol di ng i n U n itedS ta tes v . Ke lly , 272 F .3 d 6 2 2 (3 d C ir. 2 0 0 1 ). S im ilarly , H a rt’s a rg u m e n t th a t th e p rio r o f f e n se s u se d to e n h a n c e h is s e n ten c e m u st b e e sta b lish e d b ya ju ryb a se d u p o n p ro o f b e y o n d a re a so n a b le doubtfol l ow i ng t he dec i s i ons i n Appr endiv. N ew Jer s ey , 530 U . S. 466 ( 2000) , and U ni t ed Stat es v. B ooker , 5 4 3 U .S . 2 2 0 (2 0 0 5 ) i s a ls o f o re c lo s e d b yo u r j u ri s p ru d e n c e . SeeW e re c o g n ize th a t H a rt’s a rg u m e n ts a re p a rtlyin ten d e d m e re lyto p re se rv e h is * B ookera rg u m e n t in th e e v e n t th a t th e S u p re m e C o u rt o v e rru les its d e c isio n in A lm endar ez - Torr es v. U ni t ed Stat es , 5 2 3 U . S . 2 2 4 (19 9 8 ).

5 U ni t ed Stat es v. O r daz , 3 9 8 F . 3 d 2 3 6 (3d . C ir . 2 0 0 5 ). * I V. Foral l t he above r eas ons , w e w i l l aff i r m the j udgm entof s ent ence .