Opinion ID: 750120
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Sentencing Departures

Text: 50 Appellants Judy McCarroll and Samir Hameen ask us to review the district court's refusal to downwardly adjust their sentences on various grounds. Judy McCarroll argues that the district court should have downwardly departed both under USSG § 4A1.3 because her criminal history category overstated the seriousness of her prior conduct and under § 5H1.4 because of her medical problems. Both Judy McCarroll and Hameen claim that they should have received a reduced sentence because they were less culpable than the other members of the conspiracy. None of these claims is compelling. 51 We can dispose of Judy McCarroll's individual claims in short order. Under the Sentencing Guidelines, a sentencing court may exercise its discretion to reduce a defendant's sentence through a number of different downward departures. Judy McCarroll asked the district court for a reduced sentence pursuant to two such Guidelines: § 4A1.3, which permits downward departure if the defendant's criminal history misrepresents the seriousness of a defendant's past criminal conduct, and § 5H1.4, which allows a downward departure if a defendant's extraordinary physical impairment mitigates in favor of a shorter prison sentence than that commanded by the defendant's base offense level and criminal history category. Judge Coar refused to exercise his discretion to reduce Judy McCarroll's sentence on these two grounds. We have no jurisdiction to review such a refusal unless it resulted from the sentencing court's erroneous belief that it lacked statutory authority to depart. See United States v. Larkins, 83 F.3d 162, 168 (7th Cir.1996); United States v. Poff, 926 F.2d 588, 590 (7th Cir.) (en banc), cert. denied, 502 U.S. 827, 112 S.Ct. 96, 116 L.Ed.2d 67 (1991). In this case, Judge Coar did not deem himself without authority to depart; rather, he simply did not credit Judy McCarroll's proffered justifications for the departures. Thus, our review of the matter is finished. 52 Both Judy McCarroll and Hameen argue that they are entitled to downward adjustments as minor or minimal participants in the conspiracy. Section 3B1.2 of the Guidelines allows a reduction of two to four levels when the defendant was a minor or minimal participant in the charged criminal activity. The application notes to this section state that this adjustment should be used infrequently and only for defendants who are plainly among the least culpable of those involved in a group's criminal activity. See USSG § 3B1.2, comment. (n. 1 & 2). We will only reverse a clearly erroneous denial of a downward adjustment under this section. United States v. Bolin, 35 F.3d 306, 310 (7th Cir.1994). Our previous discussions of these appellants' crucial roles and substantial involvement in the conspiracy's operations adequately explains our conclusion that they are not entitled to a reduction under § 3B1.2. Even assuming arguendo that Judy McCarroll and Hameen were indeed less culpable participants, we would still deny their request for a downward adjustment because they both played an integral role in the conspiracy--Judy as bookkeeper and primary money launderer, and Hameen as the conspiracy's sole buyer of wholesale, high-purity heroin. See United States v. Smith, 80 F.3d 215, 222 (7th Cir.1996) ([A] denial of a reduction [under § 3B1.2] will be upheld even in the case of a less culpable person when that less culpable person played an integral part in a conspiracy.) (citing United States v. Osborne, 931 F.2d 1139, 1159 (7th Cir.1991)). 53 The district court, therefore, properly denied Judy McCarroll and Samir Hameen's requests for downward departures from their Guideline-mandated sentences.