Opinion ID: 773283
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Denial of Safety Valve Reduction

Text: 84 Salgado also challenges the trial court's decision finding that his case did not warrant the application of the so-called safety valve provision found in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f), as incorporated into U.S.S.G. § 5C1.2. Under this provision, a defendant who is found by the court to meet the criteria set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f)(1)-(5) is sentenced within the guideline range applicable to his case even if that range falls below an otherwise mandatory statutory minimum sentence. In this case, the trial court found that the defendant did not meet the requirement found in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f)(5), which provides that 85 not later than the time of the sentencing hearing, the defendant has truthfully provided to the Government all information and evidence the defendant has concerning the offense or offenses that were part of the same course of conduct or of a common scheme or plan, but the fact that the defendant has no relevant or useful other information to provide or that the Government is already aware of the information shall not preclude a determination by the court that the defendant has complied with this requirement. 86 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f)(5); see also U.S.S.G. § 5C1.2(5). 87 The defendant, as the party seeking a downward departure, has the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that he is entitled to the safety valve reduction. United States v. Adu, 82 F.3d 119, 123-24 (6th Cir. 1996). The defendant is required to provide complete information regarding not only the offense of conviction, but also any relevant conduct, including disclosure of information regarding the participation of other people in the offense. United States v. Maduka, 104 F.3d 891, 894 (6th Cir. 1997). The trial court's refusal to apply § 5C1.2 is a factual finding which we review for clear error. Adu, 82 F.3d at 124. 88 At sentencing, Salgado relied on a statement which he made to officers on the date of his arrest. The government disputed the defendant's entitlement to the application of §5C1.2 on the basis of that statement, arguing that some of Salgado's statements to the police were not truthful. Counsel for the government stated at the sentencing hearing that Salgado told theauthorities that he left from Miami, Florida, but that later the defense claimed that he left from Tampa. Government counsel further argued that Salgado's statements that he drove a rental car from Florida (despite evidence to the contrary that he drove Garcia's Mustang), that he did not recall the make or model of the vehicle which he had driven for 1,200 miles, the person who gave him the car, or the restaurant where he met Portuondo-Gonzales, and that he did not know where the rental vehicle could be located, were not credible. 89 Salgado took the position that he is not guilty of the offenses in this case. He contends that he was not required to meet the criteria for acceptance of responsibility under U.S.S.G. 3E1.1 in order to benefit from the safety valve provision, citing United States v. Real-Hernandez, 90 F.3d 356, 361 (9th Cir. 1996). However, the court in that case noted that, while a defendant need not meet the requirements for acceptance of responsibility, he must truthfully supply details of his own culpability. Id. Here, there is no evidence that Salgado did so; in fact, the record supports the government's position that Salgado did not provide a complete statement of his knowledge of the offense. 90 The trial court concluded at the sentencing hearing that I cannot find that Mr. Salgado has truthfully provided all information that he has. The court further stated that there are just so many missing pieces that I believe Mr. Salgado has knowledge of that his abbreviated statements are simply not enough to get him this fifth element in the safety valve.... [H]is statements do not appear to be fulsome to this court. Id. p. 473. 91 Where the government challenges a defendant's claim of complete and timely disclosure and the defendant does not produce evidence that demonstrates such disclosure, a district court's denial of a request to apply § 3553(f) and § 5C1.2(5) is not clearly erroneous. Adu, 82 F.3d at 125. Here, the trial court did not commit clear error in concluding that Salgado failed to provide the government with a completely forthright account of his own involvement in the offense. Id. The trial court properly decided that § 5C1.2 was not applicable. 92