Opinion ID: 665876
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Denial of Departure Under U.S.S.G. Sec. 5K2.10

Text: 43 Defendants argue that the district court erred in declining to grant them a downward departure pursuant to U.S.S.G. Sec. 5K2.10, which authorizes a district court to reduce a defendant's sentence below the guideline range [i]f the victim's wrongful conduct contributed significantly to provoking the offense behavior.... The government correctly responds that a defendant may not appeal a district court's refusal to make a downward departure from a guideline sentencing range. 40 In this appeal, however, defendants do not argue the merits of the court's refusal to depart, that is, that the court should have departed because the victims' conduct was wrongful; rather, defendants contend that the district court believed that it was without statutory authority to grant a downward departure under Sec. 5K2.10. While such a challenge does present a cognizable claim on appeal, 41 our review of the record indicates that the district court was aware that it had the power to depart from the guideline range. The district court declined to grant a downward departure under Sec. 5K2.10 because it concluded that the facts of defendants' case did not warrant it. 42 Accordingly, defendants' argument is without merit. 44