Opinion ID: 726625
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Calculation of Quantity of Drugs

Text: 24 Robinson also challenges the district court's calculation of the quantity of cocaine base involved in the conspiracy. Robinson was indicted under 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a) and 846 for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base, i.e., crack cocaine. Thus his base offense level at sentencing was determined according to the Drug Quantity Table in § 2D1.1 of the Sentencing Guidelines. The district court found that Robinson's drug trafficking activities involved between 150 and 500 grams of cocaine base, 10 giving him a base offense level of 34 on his conspiracy conviction. U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(c)(3). The sentencing court determines the quantities of drugs involved in an offense by a preponderance of evidence; and we review such findings only for clear error. United States v. Berchiolly, 67 F.3d 634, 639 (7th Cir.1995). Hence we will reverse the court's calculation of the amount of drugs involved in an offense only if we are left with a firm and definite conviction that a mistake has been made. Id. (quoting United States v. Corral-Ibarra, 25 F.3d 430, 437 (7th Cir.1994)). 25 By the time of the sentencing hearing, the district court had before it all the trial testimony, a presentence investigation report prepared by a probation officer, and a chart and report prepared by F.B.I. Special Agent Gregory Holston. Holston conducted interviews with seven persons and summarized these interviews in chart form, outlining the quantity of drugs that each witness attributed to Corey Robinson, Michael Scott, and Andre Monroe, respectively, based on his or her interactions with and observations of the men. 11 The government submitted both Holston's chart and his comprehensive summaries of the interviews to the district court at sentencing. At the sentencing hearing, Robinson's counsel acknowledged that Holston's report was a culmination of previous information ... provided in discovery and does track the information listed in the presentence report. 26 Holston's chart included the following information in regard to Corey Robinson: 1) 50 buys by Charlene Branch, usually of three $20 rocks, which was estimated to be equivalent to 15 grams of crack; 2) Timothy Robinson's estimate that Corey Robinson sold approximately 5 ounces (over 140 grams) of crack during the period Robinson was seen working with Michael Scott 12 ; 3) 4 buys of $20 rocks by Mark Sherrill; 4) 7 buys of $20 rocks and one buy of 1/16 ounce by Lyle M. Bulliner; 5) Martin Alexander's observation of three golf-ball size crack rocks in Robinson's possession 13 ; and 6) Carl Blackmon's observations of Robinson selling one-half to one ounce quantities of crack, which was (conservatively) estimated to amount to one-half to one ounce of crack (about 14-28 grams). As noted earlier, Charlene Branch, Timothy Robinson, and Martin Alexander were witnesses at trial, giving the district court the opportunity to observe their testimony and evaluate their credibility. In addition, Gregory Holston attended the sentencing hearing and was available for questioning, but defense counsel declined to cross examine him about the contents of his interview memoranda and summary chart. 27 Robinson's fundamental argument, both at the sentencing hearing and here on appeal, has been that the people providing the drug quantity information are patently unbelievable and that these individuals did not provide adequate information regarding the dates, times, and places where the alleged transactions occurred. After hearing the arguments of counsel at sentencing, the court noted that the quick verdict, which it described as one of the quickest verdicts this Court's presided over, guilty or not guilty, indicated that the jury must have found the witnesses credible. The court continued, And this Court, hearing their testimony, too, believed them to be credible witnesses. Regarding Robinson's criticism of the lack of specific details regarding dates of sales, drug amounts, etc., the court noted that it was not in the nature of this illegal business to keep records. The court also spoke of being impressed by the certainty with which the witnesses testified about the amounts of drugs involved. As we have regularly recognized, such credibility judgments are best left to the sound discretion of the district court, which has the advantage of having observed the demeanor of the witnesses as they testified. United States v. Campbell, 985 F.2d 341, 347 (7th Cir.1993). 28 The district court was certainly entitled to conclude, based on the evidence presented at trial and brought before it at sentencing, that Robinson's involvement in the drug conspiracy made him responsible for at least 150 grams of cocaine base. The statements of Timothy Robinson and Charlene Branch alone, both of whom the court observed at trial, could place Corey Robinson in the 150-500 gram range. The court's calculation of the amount of crack cocaine attributable to Corey Robinson was not clearly erroneous.