Opinion ID: 615992
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Taylor's Waived Arguments

Text: In his post-remand re-sentencing brief, Taylor raised new arguments that the district court dismissed as waived. He asked that the court sentence him based on a drug quantity of 25 grams or fewer or, alternately, of two to three-and-a-half kilograms. He argued that these reduced amounts were appropriate given the fictitious nature of the drugs involved, the government's control over the amount of drugs in the fake shipment, and his smaller role in the conspiracy. As an initial matter, the district court rejected these arguments because they d[id] not appear to have been . . . raised on appeal, and the Court of Appeals did not explicitly discuss [them]. However, the court also noted that [e]ven if [the arguments] were proper to address on remand because [they] related to the drug quantity, the [c]ourt would not find [them] to have any merit. In particular, the court found that the government established, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver cocaine involved, at least, between five and fifteen kilograms of cocaine. As it did with Barnes, the district court viewed Taylor's arguments as waived and beyond the scope of remand. Both Barnes and Taylor appeal their sentences.