Opinion ID: 709030
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Darden's Sentencing Arguments

Text: 144
145 Carlton Darden 15 contends that the District Court erred by finding that he was accountable for at least 213 kilograms of cocaine. 16 The particular 213 kilograms of cocaine for which Darden was held accountable were supplied to the JLO by Juan Alfaro Gonzales from 1987 to 1991. Darden contends that the evidence does not support a finding that he directly participated in the distribution of the total amount. We conclude that the evidence supports the District Court's finding that the distribution of at least 213 kilograms of cocaine was the reasonably foreseeable act of Darden's co-conspirators in furtherance of a jointly undertaken criminal activity, for which he is accountable under U.S.S.G. Sec. 1B1.3(a)(1)(B). 146 The Sentencing Guidelines provide that in the case of a jointly undertaken criminal activity, a defendant may be sentenced for all reasonably foreseeable acts and omissions of others in furtherance of the jointly undertaken criminal activity, that occurred during the commission of the offense of conviction. U.S.S.G. Sec. 1B1.3(a)(1)(B). Section 1B1.3 applies to a ... participant who understands the full extent of the conspiracy. Ramey v. United States, 8 F.3d 1313, 1315 (8th Cir.1993). This Court has held that a defendant need not participate directly in the distribution of all the drugs for which he is held accountable; what is required is that the total amount be reasonably foreseeable to him. See United States v. Olderbak, 961 F.2d 756, 763-64 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 506 U.S. 959, 113 S.Ct. 422, 121 L.Ed.2d 344 (1992); United States v. Rice, 49 F.3d 378, 382-83 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 115 S.Ct. 2630, 132 L.Ed.2d 870 (1995). Actual knowledge of the total drug amount is not required. United States v. Adipietro, 983 F.2d 1468, 1476 (8th Cir.1993); Rice, 49 F.3d at 383. A relevant factor in determining whether the total drug amount was reasonably foreseeable to a defendant is whether the defendant demonstrated a substantial level of commitment to the conspiracy. Rice, 49 F.3d at 383. 147 The evidence supports the District Court's finding that the distribution of at least 213 kilograms of cocaine was the reasonably foreseeable act of Darden's co-conspirators in furtherance of their jointly undertaken criminal activity. Michael Lewis, Rudy Weaver, and Ronnie Thomas all testified that Darden played a leading role in the JLO's drug trafficking operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Lewis stated that Carlton Darden-Bey and Raymond Amerson-Bey distributed the majority of T's and blues for my brother Jerry. March 15, 1993 Tr. vol. at 61-62. Darden's role diminished over time, but no evidence indicates that he ever withdrew from the conspiracy. Indeed, Earl Parnell testified that in 1985 or 1986 Darden participated in a meeting to discuss the JLO's cocaine trade. Michael Lewis testified that Darden sold the JLO's cocaine from 1987 to 1989, years during which the trafficking of Gonzales's 213 kilograms occurred. Weaver, who was directly involved in the distribution of the 213 kilograms in question, testified that he sold Darden some of that cocaine several times during 1987 and 1988, and that Darden told him that he planned to resell it for a profit. 148 The evidence also establishes that Darden demonstrated his substantial commitment to this drug conspiracy by twice committing attempted murder on its behalf. Earl Parnell, George Noel, and Rochelle Bartlett testified that on April 16, 1980, Darden shot Bartlett at Jerry Lewis's behest because Bartlett had expressed suspicion that Lewis was informing on the drug trafficking business. Ronnie Thomas testified that on June 5, 1981, Darden helped hunt down rival drug dealer Lidell Bud Green, who Amerson subsequently attempted to kill. Michael Lewis testified that Darden knew of his co-conspirators' use of violence to further the interests of the JLO. In sum, considerable evidence establishes Darden's active participation in and understanding of the scope of this conspiracy. 149 The jury found beyond a reasonable doubt that Darden was part of the drug and murder enterprise and the narcotics conspiracy, and that he committed the two attempted murders as well as two separate drug offenses, including possession of cocaine with intent to distribute in 1987 and 1989. In light of the substantial evidence supporting these findings, we conclude that the District Court did not clearly err in finding by a preponderance of the evidence that the distribution of at least 213 kilograms of cocaine was foreseeable to Darden. Even if Darden did not directly engage in the distribution of the total amount, it was the reasonably foreseeable act of others in furtherance of a jointly undertaken criminal activity, for which he is accountable under U.S.S.G. Sec. 1B1.3(a)(1)(B).
150 The District Court applied a two level enhancement to Darden's aggregated drug offenses for the possession of a weapon. Darden contends that the enhancement was improper because he was not present at the drug trafficking for which he was held accountable and thus his weapons could not have been present either. 151 Under U.S.S.G. Sec. 2D1.1(b)(1), a drug offense is enhanced two levels [i]f a dangerous weapon (including a firearm) was possessed. An application note to this section states that the adjustment should be applied if the weapon was present, unless it is clearly improbable that the weapon was connected with the offense. U.S.S.G. Sec. 2D1.1(b)(1), comment. (n. 3). We have repeatedly held that this language establishes the basic standard for determining whether the enhancement should be applied. United States v. McMurray, 34 F.3d 1405, 1416 (8th Cir.1994), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 115 S.Ct. 1164, 130 L.Ed.2d 1119 (1995); United States v. Maxwell, 25 F.3d 1389, 1399 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 115 S.Ct. 610, 130 L.Ed.2d 519 (1994). Thus a district court must find by a preponderance of the evidence that it is not clearly improbable that the weapon had a nexus with the criminal activity. United States v. Richmond, 37 F.3d 418, 419 (8th Cir.1994), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 115 S.Ct. 1163, 130 L.Ed.2d 1119 (1995). 152 As discussed supra pp. 1545-46, Darden is accountable for at least 213 kilograms of cocaine because he participated in the drug-related activities of the JLO in a variety of ways such that the total amount was foreseeable to him. The enhancement for possession of a weapon is proper because the evidence supports the District Court's finding that he participated in those activities while possessing guns. Michael Lewis testified that Darden regularly carried a pistol while selling drugs for the enterprise. Officer Saitz testified that on January 31, 1981, he found a loaded gun and numerous drugs underneath the seat of the car that Darden was driving. Officer Clifton testified that a loaded revolver was found in the car Darden was driving on December 8, 1982; a search revealed that Darden was carrying $893 in cash at that time. Earl Parnell, George Noel and Rochelle Bartlett testified that on April 16, 1980, Darden shot Bartlett at Jerry Lewis's behest because Bartlett had expressed suspicion that Lewis was informing on the drug trafficking business. The evidence thus establishes that Darden regularly possessed and used weapons in connection with his drug offenses. 153 [T]he enhancement for weapon possession reflects the increased danger of violence when drug traffickers possess weapons. U.S.S.G. Sec. 2D1.1, comment. (n. 3). The attempted murder that Darden committed in furtherance of the JLO's drug trafficking activities is thus precisely the kind of act that this provision was designed to deter. We conclude that the District Court did not clearly err by finding that it is not clearly improbable that Darden's possession of weapons had a connection to his drug offenses.
154 Pursuant to U.S.S.G. Sec. 3C1.1, the District Court applied a two-level enhancement for obstruction of justice to Darden's base offense level for both his aggregated drug offenses and his attempted murders. Darden contends that the evidence is insufficient to support the enhancements. We disagree. 155 Section 3C1.1 provides that if the defendant willfully obstructed or impeded, or attempted to obstruct or impede, the administration of justice during the investigation, prosecution, or sentencing of the instant offense, [the court should] increase the offense by 2 levels. Application note 3(b) to this section states that committing, suborning, or attempting to suborn perjury, is conduct to which the enhancement applies. This provision is not intended to punish a defendant for the exercise of a constitutional right, U.S.S.G. Sec. 3C1.1, comment. (n. 1), and the enhancement should not be applied simply because the jury disbelieved the defendant's testimony. United States v. Patel, 32 F.3d 340, 345 (8th Cir.1994). Nevertheless, [a] defendant is subject to an obstruction enhancement under U.S.S.G. Sec. 3C1.1 if he testifies falsely under oath in regard to a material matter and does so willfully rather than out of confusion or mistake. United States v. Chadwick, 44 F.3d 713, 715 (8th Cir.1995) (per curiam); see also United States v. Dunnigan, 507 U.S. 87, 93-94, 113 S.Ct. 1111, 1116, 122 L.Ed.2d 445 (1993). We give due regard to the district court's observations and express finding that a defendant lied to the jury. United States v. McCormick, 29 F.3d 352, 357 (8th Cir.1994). 156 The District Court found that Darden committed perjury at the trial when he denied any involvement in the attempted murder of Rochelle Bartlett. Darden argues that because other evidence arguably corroborates his testimony, the evidence does not support this finding. We disagree. Earl Parnell, George Noel and Rochelle Bartlett all testified that Darden shot Bartlett on April 16, 1980. Both Bartlett and Noel were eyewitnesses to the shooting, and Parnell testified that Darden himself described his role in the crime to Parnell. The jury found that the government had proven Darden's attempt to murder Bartlett beyond a reasonable doubt. After hearing all the evidence, the court also chose to credit the testimony of these three witnesses rather than Darden's. The court explicitly stated that I'm not penalizing him for asserting his right to testify, but found that in this instance there is a preponderance of the evidence to show that Mr. Darden-Bey did not tell the truth as he testified, based on evidence, specific testimony of Shelly Bartlett Troupe and of George Noel. Sent.Tr. at 146, 145. In determining that Darden falsely asserted his innocence of this crime, the court found by a preponderance of the evidence exactly what the jury found beyond a reasonable doubt. We cannot say that this finding is clearly erroneous. 157 In United States v. Briggs, 969 F.2d 689 (8th Cir.1992), which also involved a conflict between the defendant's testimony and that of another witness, this Court stated that Briggs' testimony that he never sold heroin to Berg directly contradicts Berg's, and is inconsistent with the jury verdict. This testimony alone provides the basis for the court's upward adjustment. Id. at 691-92. Because the evidence establishes that Darden committed this attempted murder on behalf of the drug conspiracy, see supra p. 1546, his perjury justifies the enhancements applied to both Bartlett's attempted murder and the aggregated drug offenses. 17
158 Finally, Darden contends that the District Court should have granted him a downward departure from the applicable sentencing range under the guidelines because of his allegedly minor role in the enterprise. A district court's failure to grant a defendant a downward departure is not reviewable on appeal if the court was aware of its authority to grant a departure. United States v. Evidente, 894 F.2d 1000, 1003-05 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 495 U.S. 922, 110 S.Ct. 1956, 109 L.Ed.2d 318 (1990). Darden does not contend that the District Court was unaware of its authority to grant him a departure, and the record reveals that the court was in fact aware of this authority. This issue is therefore not reviewable by this Court. 159 In sum, we conclude that Darden's life sentence was properly imposed.