Opinion ID: 783095
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: 2 Nguyen contends he adequately accepted responsibility to qualify for a reduced sentence. The facts show otherwise. The government first arraigned and detained Nguyen on March 31, 2000, in the Northern District of Iowa. Following a second detention hearing, the court released him on electronic monitoring, subject to home detention. The court set trial for November 20, 2000. Just under a month before trial, Nguyen absconded. 3 According to his own account, Nguyen stayed on the run for over fifteen months. On January 18, 2002, police arrested Nguyen in Sioux City, Iowa, on an unrelated misdemeanor charge. Nguyen did not reveal his identity to the police, but instead used his brother's name and identification information when the police booked him. Unaware of Nguyen's true identity, the Sioux City police released him. Five days later, Kansas highway patrolmen stopped and arrested Nguyen. Nguyen again used his brother's name and identification information, but the officers soon discovered his true identity. 4 Following Nguyen's arrest in Kansas, the Iowa federal district court rescheduled trial for April 29, 2002. The government prepared for trial. However, with only four days remaining before trial, Nguyen pleaded guilty. The district court accepted his plea. 5 At sentencing, the only disputed issue was whether Nguyen qualified for an offense-level reduction for acceptance of responsibility. Nguyen gave a safety-valve debriefing in an attempt to qualify for the judicial safety-valve reduction under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f) (2000). The presentence investigation report did not provide for an adjustment for acceptance of responsibility. In fact, the government recommended a two-level upward adjustment for obstruction of justice because Nguyen absconded while on pretrial release. Task Force Officer Dave Drew testified that he thought Nguyen had been honest in his debriefing, but that Nguyen had not provided the officers with any new or useful information. Nguyen was unable to persuade the district court that his case merited a reduction. The district court found that Nguyen engaged in an ongoing effort to obstruct justice and did not voluntarily surrender after absconding while on pretrial release. The district court sentenced Nguyen to 188 months' imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release. Nguyen now appeals the denial of the reduction for acceptance of responsibility.