Opinion ID: 201586
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Attack on Sentence

Text: 35 Finally, Pacheco-Diaz attacks his sentence, arguing he was subjected to sentencing entrapment and manipulation, because the five kilograms of cocaine he purportedly transported was a fictional amount of cocaine designated by the government. He cites United States v. Connell, 960 F.2d 191 (1st Cir.1992), which provides him no support. In dicta in Connell, we stated that there is a potential for sentencing entrapment or manipulation where exploitative manipulation of sentencing factors by government agents might overbear the will of a person predisposed only to commit a lesser crime. Id. at 196. However, we further stated that sting operations are designed to tempt the criminally inclined, and a well-constructed sting is often sculpted to test the limit of the target's criminal inclinations. Id. There is simply no evidence that Pacheco-Diaz was inclined to commit a crime of trafficking less than five kilograms, but some misconduct by the government over-bore his will and forced him to transport more than five kilograms. On the contrary, the evidence was overwhelming, in the form of uncontested testimony by the government's witness and audio and video tape evidence, that Pacheco-Diaz voluntarily agreed to protect the transport of five kilograms of cocaine. 36 We affirm the convictions and sentences of both Pacheco-Diaz and Vázquez, except for that portion of the sentences pertaining to supervised release, and on remand direct the district court to correct the terms of supervised release as to Vázquez, and as to Pacheco-Diaz only if he did not receive adequate notice, in a manner consistent with this opinion. 37 So ordered.