Opinion ID: 1042062
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Prior History

Text: Rosario-Otero was a member of the Los Dementes drug trafficking organization operating in the municipalities of Cataño and Guaynabo in Puerto Rico. The government charged him and other members of the organization with various conspiracy and drug counts. A jury convicted Rosario-Otero of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, see 21 U.S.C. § 846, and possession with intent to distribute both cocaine and crack cocaine, see id. § -2- 841(a)(1). The jury made specific drug quantity findings for the possession offenses: at least 150 grams of crack cocaine and at least 5 kilograms of cocaine. The district court, based on the jury's finding as to drug quantity, sentenced him to 151 months' incarceration and 10 years' supervised release. Rosario-Otero challenged his convictions in a Rule 29 motion, which the district court denied. On appeal, we upheld Rosario-Otero's convictions both for participating in the drug conspiracy and for the substantive possession offenses. We also concluded, however, that the evidence was insufficient to support a finding, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Rosario was responsible for the elevated drug quantities of which he was convicted, i.e., at least one hundred fifty grams of crack-cocaine and five kilograms of cocaine. Fernández-Hernández, 652 F.3d at 70. Consequently, we vacated Rosario-Otero's sentence and remanded for resentencing. In doing so, we express[ed] no view as to the [drug] quantities the sentencing court may properly attribute to Rosario when the standard, unlike the standard for conviction, is preponderance of the evidence. Id. at 71 n.14.