Opinion ID: 857975
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Douglas’s 2009 Arrest and Prosecution

Text: From 2006 to 2009, Cameron Douglas distributed methamphetamine and cocaine on behalf of suppliers in California. During that time, he was addicted to heroin and relied on the proceeds of his illegal activity to satisfy his habit. Douglas was arrested for his part in the distribution ring on July 28, 2009. After his arrest, he was taken to a hospital and treated for heroin intoxication before being taken to prison. Shortly after his arrest, Douglas agreed to cooperate with the government by testifying against his suppliers, Eduardo and David Escalera. After he agreed to cooperate, Douglas was released from custody and placed under house arrest. While on 3 home detention, he convinced his girlfriend, Kelly Sott, to bring him heroin hidden inside an electric toothbrush. When the heroin was found, Douglas’s bail was revoked and he was remanded to the Metropolitan Correctional Center (“MCC”) in New York. Douglas pled guilty to a two-count superseding information on January 27, 2010. The information charged him with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(b)(1)(A), which carried a ten-year mandatory minimum sentence, and with misdemeanor possession of heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 844 and 18 U.S.C. § 3147, for the incident that occurred while he was on pretrial release. Because the government believed that the Escaleras might have left the country when news of Douglas’s arrest was made public by an online publication, the prosecutors agreed to allow Douglas to be sentenced before he testified against his suppliers. The guidelines sentencing range for Douglas’s conduct was 151 to 188 months’ imprisonment. In his sentencing memorandum, Douglas described his struggles with drug addiction and his privileged but troubled upbringing. In view of his addiction, Douglas asked the court to impose a sentence of time served or, alternatively, a sentence of forty-two months’ imprisonment, which would have allowed Douglas to enter the Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”) Residential Drug Abuse Program (“RDAP”) immediately.1 1 The Ninth Circuit has helpfully described the RDAP program. See Close v. Thomas, 653 F.3d 970, 972 (9th Cir. 2011); Reeb v. Thomas, 636 F.3d 1224, 1225 (9th 4 The government characterized Douglas’s cooperation as “tremendously valuable” and stated its intention to file a motion pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3553(e) and U.S.S.G. § 5K1.1 to authorize the district court to depart downward from the mandatory minimum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment. Douglas appeared for sentencing on April 20, 2010. At sentencing, the government did not recommend any particular sentence, but it did file the departure motion. The district court (Richard M. Berman, Judge) discussed the many letters submitted by Douglas’s parents, former teachers, friends, and supporters expressing the view that Douglas had finally “bottomed out,” and was resolved to overcome his addiction and disregard for legal constraints. The district judge noted that he thought “this case and this sentencing may well be [Douglas’s] last chance to make it.” April 20, 2010, Sentencing Tr. at 9. The district court imposed a sixty-month sentence of incarceration followed by a five-year period of supervised release. Cir. 2011). Additional information can be found on the BOP website. See Federal Bureau of Prisons, Substance Abuse Treatment, http://www.bop.gov/inmate_programs/substance.jsp (last visited April 4, 2013). 5