FI LED U.S. COURT OF APPEALS ELEV ENT H CI RCUI T OCT OBER 21, 2011 J OHN LEY CLERK [DO NOT PUBLISH] IN THE U

NITED STATE S COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE ELE VENTH CIRCUIT

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ No. 1 1- 10 83 1 Non -Arg um en t Ca le nd ar

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ D.C. Dock etNo. 4 :1 0- cr-0 00 70 -RH-WCS-2 UNITED STAT ES OF AMERIC A, ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll Pl ai nt iff -Ap pe ll ee, ve rs us MARC US KNIGHT, ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll D efen da nt -Ap pe ll an t.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ App eal fro m

th e Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co urt forth e North ernDis tri ctof F lo rid a

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (Oct ob er 2 1, 2 01 1) Befo re EDMONDSON, CARNES, an d KRAVITC H, Circ ui t J ud ge s. PER CURI AM: Mar cu s Kn ig htap pe al s h is 12 0- m on th sen te nc e, im po se d at the bo tt om

of hi s ap pl ic ab le gu id el in e ran ge , aft er a jury fou ndhi m

gu il ty of on e co un t o fco ns pi racy to d is tri bu te co cai ne . Kni gh t co nt en ds th atth e d is tri ctco urt cl earl y

erre d i n n otgra nt in g h im a two -le ve l re du ct io n fo r acc ep tanc e o f res po ns ib il it y .

I. Kni gh t was arre st edaft er a Dru g En fo rcem en t Adm in is tra ti on in fo rm an t arra ng edto pu rch as e co cai ne fro m so m eo ne els e th ro ug h Kn ig ht . After b ei ng advi se d o f hi s M ira nd a ri gh ts , Kni gh t ad mitte d t ha t h e h addo ne “ atlea sta hu nd red ” si m il ar d eal s o ve r a p eri odof f iv e y ears . Kni gh t was in di ct edfor co ns pi racy to d is tri bu te , andpo ss es s wi th in te ntto di st rib ut e, 50 0 o r m or e g ram s of co cai ne . Whi le Kni gh t d idno t co nc ed e g ui ltat t ria l, h e p res en te d n o d efen se an d g en eral ly con te st edon ly the am ou ntof dru gs . A j ury was u nabl e to de te rm in e whe th er h e was res po ns ib le forth atam ou ntof c oc ai ne , andhe was c on vi ct edof a le ss er i nc lu de d o ffen se . See 2 1 U.S.C. § 84 1( b) (1 )(C) . The pre se nt en ce i nv es ti ga ti on rep ort as si gn edKni gh t a b as e o ffen se lev el of 28 un de r U.S.S.G. § 2 D1.1 (a)( 5) , (c)(6 ) an d d idno t ap pl y a two -le ve l re du ct io n fo r acce pt an ce o f res po ns ib il ity un de r § 3 E1.1 . Kni gh t o bjec te d t o t he ba se off en se le ve l ca lc ul at io n a ndto th e d en ia l o f a reduc ti on foracce pt an ce o f res po ns ib il it y . At the sen te nc e h eari ng , th e d is tri ctco urt ag reedth atth e PSR in co rrec tl y cal cu la te d t he am ou ntof dru gs in vo lv edan d re du cedth e b as e o ffen se lev el to 26 un de r § 2 D1.1 (c)( 7) . 2Als o a t the sen te nc e h eari ng , Kni gh t s ta te d, “ I was n’t tha t p ic tu re the y

pa in te d o f m e b ei ng a drug de al er. I was jus t a dru g u se r.” He al so su gg es te d a reco rd in g o f hi s s ta te m en t “ wou ldha ve m ad e a b ig di ffer en ce,” b ecau se th e DEA was “ba si cal ly tell in g ali e.” The di stric t co urt d en ie d t he acce pt an ce o f res po ns ib il it y

reduc ti on . It ex pl ai ne d t ha t Kn ig ht ’s st at em en ts were i nc on si st en t with a ccep ta nc e o f res po ns ib il it y be cau se he st il l d en ie d b ei ng a drug de al er. Kni gh t’s o ffen se lev el of 2 6 andhi s cr im in al hi st ory cat eg ory of VI r es ul te d i n a gu id el in es ran ge of 1 20 to 15 0 m on th s, an d t he co urt s en te nc edhi m to 12 0 m on th s im pr is on m en t. II.

“ W e rev ie w a de ni al of areduc ti on of s en te nc e fo r anacce pt an ce o f res po ns ib il it y

forcle ar erro r, an d t ha t fi nd in g i s en ti tl edto gre atde fere nc e o n rev ie w andsh ou ldno t b e d is tu rb edun le ss itis witho utfou nd at io n.” Uni te d S ta te s v. Kn ig ht , 56 2 F .3d13 14 , 13 22 (11 th Cir . 20 09 ) (quo tati on m ark s o m it te d) . The di st ric t co urt d en ie d t he § 3 E1.1 reduc ti on ba se d o n Kn ig ht ’s ownst at em en ts at th e se nt en ce h eari ng . In l ig htof t ho se st at em en ts , we can no t s ay th e co urt erred , m uc h l es s cl earl y

erre d. AFFIRMED .

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