Opinion ID: 764743
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Carver

Text: 29 The Sentencing Guidelines provide that, in calculating relevant conduct, a sentencing court must consider, among other things: 30 (A) all acts and omissions committed, aided, abetted, counseled, commanded, induced, procured, or willfully caused by the defendant; and 31 (B) in the case of a jointly undertaken criminal activity (a criminal plan, scheme, endeavor, or enterprise undertaken by the defendant in concert with others, whether or not charged as a conspiracy), all reasonably foreseeable acts and omissions of others in furtherance of the jointly undertaken criminal activity. 32 U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3(a)(1). The Guideline notes further explain that, in a conspiracy situation, a defendant is accountable for the conduct of others if the conduct was (i) in furtherance of the jointly undertaken criminal activity; and (ii) reasonably foreseeable in connection with that criminal activity. U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3(a)(1), Application Note 2. 33 At Carver's sentencing hearing, the judge noted that Carver had stipulated that the $30,000 he was carrying when he was arrested at General Mitchell International Airport was enough to purchase 2 kilos of cocaine. The judge extrapolated from this figure, and concluded that given Carver's three and a half to five year participation in the conspiracy, he could reasonably have foreseen the distribution of 15-50 kilograms of cocaine. 34 Carver takes a different tack. He calculates that the incidents at 2550 North 23rd Street, 2622A West Medford Avenue, and the General Mitchell International Airport account for no more than 3 kilograms of cocaine. He argues that this number should be minimally increased to 3.5-5 kilograms to account for his long involvement in the conspiracy. But he contends that anything more than 5 kilograms is not warranted given his minor role in the conspiracy. This argument is unpersuasive. Carver does not dispute the presentence report's finding that the conspiracy was responsible for the importation and distribution of 300-400 kilograms of powder cocaine. The sentencing judge found that, given Carver's involvement in the conspiracy, 15-50 kilograms of this total was reasonably foreseeable by Carver. This finding was not clear error.