Opinion ID: 779593
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Preponderance of the evidence standard at sentencing.

Text: 67 Lowe alleges that the trial court improperly applied the preponderance of evidence standard when determining the applicable amount of drugs under the Sentencing Guidelines. Lowe argues that a more demanding evidentiary standard was warranted because the district court's relevant conduct determination drastically increased his sentence beyond what he would have received if his sentence had been calculated using the smaller quantity of drugs found by the jury. Further, Lowe claims that Apprendi limits the trial court to finding the amount of drugs specified by the jury in the special verdict. When reviewing sentencing determinations under the Guidelines, we review the district court's legal conclusions de novo and its findings of fact for clear error. United States v. Parolin, 239 F.3d 922, 927-28 (7th Cir.2001). 68 At the outset, we note that Lowe conflates the jury's factfinding role during trial with the district court's factfinding role during sentencing. To put it simply, the two fact finders make separate findings of fact for two distinct purposes. The adjudication of guilt is concluded once the jury finds the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Then, during the sentencing phase, the judge assesses the facts under the relevant provisions of the Sentencing Guidelines and employs a preponderance of the evidence standard. United States v. Zehm, 217 F.3d 506, 511 (7th Cir.2000); Talbott v. Indiana, 226 F.3d 866, 869 (7th Cir.2000); U.S.S.G. § 6A1.3, cmt. (discussing preponderance of the evidence as the recommended standard). Here, Lowe claims that there were special circumstances that required the district court to depart from this usual framework. First, Lowe argues that a more exacting standard than preponderance must be applied when the court's factual findings as to drug amount markedly exceed the findings of the jury, thereby producing a much more severe sentence under the Sentencing Guidelines. Second, Lowe contends that Apprendi effectively caps the district court's findings as to the drug amount at the level determined by the jury. 69 Here, the jury found, by special verdict, that Lowe conspired to possess and distribute 50 to 100 kilograms of marijuana. Under U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1, this amount would produce a base offense level of 24. 5 Under a preponderance of the evidence standard, the district court found that Lowe conspired to possess and distribute 528 kilograms of marijuana, setting the base offense level at 28. U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(6). Both of these base offense levels would then be increased by adding 8 points relating to several adjustments, including presence of a firearm, obstruction of justice and Lowe's leadership role. 6 The smaller quantity of drugs (the jury determination) therefore results in a 32 offense level, which in turn produces a sentencing range of 151 to 188 months, given Lowe's Category III criminal history. 7 However, the district court relied on the larger drug amount to reach a 36 offense level, which produced a sentence of 240 months. 70 Lowe claims that the district court must apply a clear and convincing standard of proof when its findings of fact lead to a disproportionately large increase in a defendant's sentence (in this case, 52 months). To support his argument, Lowe directs our attention to United States v. Rodriguez, 67 F.3d 1312 (7th Cir.1995), where we stated in dicta that a case might require a higher standard of proof when the finding at sentencing becomes `the tail that wags the dog of the substantive offense.' Id. at 1322 (quoting McMillan v. Pennsylvania, 477 U.S. 79, 84, 106 S.Ct. 2411, 91 L.Ed.2d 67 (1986)); see also United States v. Hardin, 209 F.3d 652, 654 (7th Cir.2000) (stating in dicta that perhaps in extreme circumstances ... clear and convincing evidence would be the standard of proof for sentencing factors), vacated, Sallis v. United States, 531 U.S. 1135, 121 S.Ct. 1071, 148 L.Ed.2d 948 (2001). However, in the seven years since we decided Rodriguez, we have yet to find a sentencing disparity that warrants this heightened evidentiary standard. And certainly, there is nothing about Lowe's sentence that would cause us to break new ground today. See, e.g., Rodriguez, 67 F.3d at 1322-23 (finding preponderance of evidence appropriate for relevant conduct determination that extends sentence from 51-63 months to life in prison); United States v. Masters, 978 F.2d 281, 283-85 (same for sentence increase from 33-41 months to 40 years). Thus, although the principle of Rodriguez remains viable, it has no application to the case before us. 71 Lowe's Apprendi argument is also meritless. Under Apprendi, when a sentence was increased above the statutory maximum, the facts underlying it had to be submitted to the jury and proven beyond a reasonable doubt. 530 U.S. at 490, 120 S.Ct. 2348; United States v. Wallace, 276 F.3d 360, 369 (7th Cir.2002) ([T]o the extent that a drug quantity affects a defendant's statutory maximum sentence, it is an aspect of the crime that ... must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt) (emphasis added); Brough, 243 F.3d at 1079-80 (same); United States v. Nance, 236 F.3d 820, 825 (7th Cir.2000) (same). Here, through the use of the special verdict form, the jury unanimously determined that Lowe conspired to distribute 50-100 kilograms of marijuana. Under § 841(b)(1)(C), the statutory maximum for that quantity of drugs is 20 years, which is the precise sentence (240 months) imposed here by the district court. Therefore, since the drug amount as determined by the district court did not push the sentence beyond the statutory maximum, the district court correctly relied upon a preponderance of the evidence standard when making its sentencing determinations. 72