Opinion ID: 3001741
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Nekeya Patton’s Sentencing

Text: Patton was sentenced 11 days after Green. The district court started with the same base offense level, 34, but “reduced” it to 32 in anticipation of the lower level that would apply to the same quantity of crack after the amendment to U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1 took effect about three months later. (Patton did not seek and the district court did not consider an even lower sentence based on the crack‐powder ratio.) The court added two levels based on the firearms found in the apartment, U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(b)(1), and subtracted three levels for acceptance of responsibility, id. § 3E1.1(a). This yielded a total offense level of 31, which combined with Pattonʹs lack of criminal convictions led to a range of 108 to 135 months. The court agreed with the government that a below‐range sentence was warranted based on Pattonʹs substantial assistance, see U.S.S.G. § 5K1.1, and concluded that Patton’s cooperation deserved the equivalent of a three‐level reduction in offense level, which would yield an imprisonment range of 78 to 97 months. The court then imposed a sentence in the middle of that range, 84 months. Nos. 07‐2875 & 07‐3017 Page 4