Opinion ID: 196927
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Fernandez' Sentence

Text: 111 At sentencing, the court granted Fernandez a downward adjustment for being a minor participant in the conspiracy. See U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2(b). The government now argues on cross-appeal that the facts of the case do not support that adjustment. We review the district court's factual determinations for clear error, granting due deference to the trial court's application of the guideline to the facts. See United States v. Graciani, 61 F.3d 70, 75 (1st Cir.1995); United States v. Thompson, 32 F.3d 1, 4 (1st Cir.1994). 112 Section 3B1.2(b) offers a reduction to any participant who is less culpable than most other participants, but whose role could not be described as minimal. U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2 (comment. n. 3). Of course, the mere fact that Fernandez may be less culpable than others involved in the conspiracy does not automatically entitle him to a reduction. See United States v. Daniel, 962 F.2d 100, 103 (1st Cir.1992). Role-in-the-offense adjustments depend ... not only on the comparative conduct of persons jointly engaged in criminal activity, but also on comparing each offender's actions and relative culpability with the elements of the offense. United States v. Ocasio, 914 F.2d 330, 333 (1st Cir.1990). 113 The district court granted the adjustment on the basis that Fernandez' role was limited in essence to looking the other way ... while his company was used to transport the narcotics, and that he played a part in the overall conspiracy that makes him less culpable than that of the average participant. Sentencing Hearing at 29-30. The court made no more detailed findings. 114 The government contends that the evidence does not support the district court's findings. It points out that the evidence indicated that Fernandez joined the conspiracy, secured a large payment from Sardinas and Loredo at the outset, and received additional payment for the transportation of the cocaine, albeit a payment smaller than Sardinas'. According to the witnesses, he attended meetings, made his employees available to help, bribed a gatekeeper, and personally handled shipments. Additionally, Frame's testimony was that Fernandez acted as liaison to Sardinas with respect to marijuana and cocaine shipments. All this, topped with the district court's failure to make specific factual findings, the government contends, demonstrates that the court clearly erred in finding that Fernandez was entitled to the minor role adjustment. Finally, the argument concludes, the fact that the court made no specific findings as to witness credibility or Fernandez' role precludes reliance on cases upholding a district court's credibility determination at sentencing, see, e.g., United States v. Webster, 54 F.3d 1, 5 (1st Cir.1995), or Fernandez' argument that a plausible view of the evidence supports the district court's minor role determination. 115 The district court's failure to find more than the basic facts at sentencing lends a certain awkwardness to this case. Nonetheless, we disagree with the government's argument that the evidence presented at trial precludes granting the adjustment. Fernandez went to meetings, accepted money, and, if the witnesses' testimony is credible, knew what was going on. However, there was no evidence that he was in contact with the suppliers and receivers of the cocaine that the Sardinas organization transported, either in the New York area or in Memphis, or that he negotiated those deals or instructed the workers. Bruno testified that Fernandez attended a series of meetings, but did not testify that Fernandez ran those meetings, told Bruno what to do, or otherwise served as the organizer of the conspiracy. While we do not think that Fernandez' entitlement to the downward adjustment was a foregone conclusion, we cannot, on this record, find that it was plain error for the lower court to apply it. The district court found that Fernandez established that he was less culpable than most other participants in the conspiracy, and so was entitled to the adjustment. In this instance, it would be foolhardy to second-guess the sentencing judge, given his superior coign of vantage. Ocasio, 914 F.2d at 333.