Opinion ID: 763531
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: facts

Text: 2 Following his guilty plea, Barragan was sentenced on May 29, 1997 to a term of twenty-seven months. This sentence represented a substantial downward departure from the sixty-month minimum sentence mandated by 21 U.S.C. § 841(B). The court premised this downward departure on U.S.S.G. § 5K2.13, which it believed provided authority to depart from the statutory minimum because of Barragan's diminished mental capacity. 3 On June 3, 1997, five days after sentencing, the government filed a Motion to Reconsider Sentence with the district court, contending that the court did not have authority to reduce Barragan's sentence under § 5K2.13 for diminished mental capacity. The court held a hearing on the motion to reconsider on July 31, 1997, two months after Barragan was sentenced. At this hearing, the court conceded that it had made a mistake, but expressed concern over whether it still had authority to correct the error under Rule 35(c), because far more than seven days had passed since the original imposition of sentence. Attorneys for both sides assured the court that, because the motion for reconsideration was filed within seven days, the court retained authority to consider the motion. After an evidentiary hearing, the court ruled that there was no basis for departure and sentenced Barragan to sixty months of incarceration. This amended judgment was entered on August 1, 1997. 4 That evening, Barragan's attorney faxed the court a letter dated July 31, 1997, claiming that, upon reflection, he now was of the opinion that the court did not have jurisdiction to reconsider Barragan's sentence under Rule 35(c). On August 6, 1997, Barragan filed his own Rule 35(c) motion to correct his amended sentence, arguing that the court had acted without jurisdiction. The court took no action on this motion, and Barragan filed his notice of appeal on August 18, 1997.