Source: http://ut.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.20170829_0000617.DUT.htm/qx
Timestamp: 2020-02-20 11:03:27
Document Index: 358586803

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 3582', '§ 3582', '§ 3582', '§ 3582', '§ 2', '§ 841', '§ 1957', '§ 3553']

FindACase™ | United States v. Burr
WAYNE LEROY BURR, Defendant.
Defendant Wayne Leroy Burr seeks a reduction of his sentence pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2) based on Amendment 782 to the United States Sentencing Guidelines, [1] which “provides a retroactive two-offense-level reduction for certain drug offenses.”[2]
Because Mr. Burr's sentence was not based on a guideline range which was subsequently lowered by Amendment 782, Mr. Burr's is ineligible for relief under § 3582(c)(2), and his Motion[3] is DISMISSED for lack of jurisdiction.
Mr. Burr's Motion fails to overcome the first hurdle for obtaining a reduction of his sentence under § 3582(c)(2). Mr. Burr argues he is entitled to a reduction of his sentence under § 3582(c)(2) based on the Sentencing Commission's Amendment 782.[13] Amendment 782 “modified U.S.S.G § 2D1.1(c)'s Drug Quantity table” by reducing “the base offense levels for many federal drug trafficking crimes by two levels.”[14] Amendment 782 became effective on November 1, 2014, and was made retroactive by the Sentencing Commission's Amendment 788.[15]
Mr. Burr pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin, a violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), and one count of money laundering, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1957.[16] He was sentenced on June 29, 2016, [17] after the effective date of Amendment 782.[18] Mr. Burr's presentence report identified his guideline range of imprisonment as 151 months to 188 months based on a total offense level of 32 and a criminal history category of III.[19] And used the 2015 Sentencing Guidelines Manual, incorporating all guideline amendments-including Amendment 782-to determine his offense level.[20] Therefore, because Amendment 782 was used to determine Mr. Burr's guideline range, his guideline range was not subsequently lowered by Amendment 782.
Additionally, Mr. Burr was sentenced to a stipulated 96-month term of imprisonment.[21]Mr. Burr's Plea Agreement expressly provides that “[p]ursuant to Rule 11(c)(1)(C) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the sentence imposed by the Court will be 96 months imprisonment, which I agree is a reasonable sentence.”[22]
Under precedent established by Justice Sotomayor's concurrence in Freeman v. United States[23] and the Tenth Circuit in United States v. Graham, [24] the “two situations in which a [R]ule 11(c)(1)(C) plea agreement is based on a [g]uidelines sentencing range [are]: (1) when the agreement calls for the defendant to be sentenced within a particular [g]uidelines sentencing range, or (2) when the plea agreement provides for a specific term of imprisonment but also makes clear that the basis for the specific term is a [g]uidelines sentencing range applicable to the offense to which the defendant pleaded guilty.”[25] “In the second situation, the sentencing range that forms the basis of the specified term should be evident from the agreement itself.”[26]
Mr. Burr's sentence does not fall into either of these situations. Mr. Burr's Plea Agreement does not call for him to be sentenced within a particular guideline sentencing range.It calls for a specific 96-month term of imprisonment.[27] The Plea Agreement also makes no reference to Mr. Burr's guideline range being the basis for the 96-month term of imprisonment. The only reference to the sentencing guidelines in the Plea Agreement reads:
I know that the sentencing procedures in this case and the ultimate sentence will be determined pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a), and that the Court must consider, but is not bound by, the United States Sentencing Guidelines, in determining my sentence. I have discussed these procedures with my attorney. I also know that the final calculation of my sentence by the Court may differ from any calculation the United States, my attorney, or I may have made, and I will not be able to withdraw my plea if this occurs. However, because my plea of guilty is being entered pursuant to Rule 11(c)(1)(C), as explained below, I know that I will be able to withdraw my plea if the Court does not accept the terms of this agreement.[28]
Therefore, Mr. Burr's sentence was based on his agreement with the government, not a guideline sentencing range.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Because Mr. Burr&#39;s sentence was not based on a guideline range which Amendment 782 subsequently lowered, Mr. Burr is ineligible for a sentencing reduction under &sect; 3582(c)(2).[29]Therefor ...