Opinion ID: 2998531
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: On November 19, 2003, a grand jury in the Northern District of Illinois returned an indictment against Maurice Harrison. Count One of the indictment alleged that on July 17, 2002, Harrison distributed 50 or more grams of crack cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). Count Two alleged that on August 15, 2002, Harrison again distributed 50 or more grams of crack cocaine in violation of the same statute. The case was tried before a jury. At trial, Harrison and the government stipulated to the following facts. First, the parties agreed that on July 17th and August 15th, 2002, in the area of 5424 Cornell in Chicago, Harrison distributed 63.4 and 62.3 grams of crack cocaine, respectively, to the government’s informant, Christopher Lyons. The parties agreed that Harrison received $1,500 on each occasion. The parties also stipulated that Harrison knew that the substance he distributed to Lyons was crack cocaine. The parties also agreed that Harrison used a cellular telephone to complete these sales, and phone records were admitted into evidence showing that the telephone number was registered in the name of another individual. No. 04-1953 3 In the government’s case in chief, it called three agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).1 The agents testified that Lyons identified Harrison to them as a drug dealer. As a result, the DEA attempted to set up controlled drug buys using Lyons as the buyer. The agents testified that on July 17th and August 15th, the DEA conducted controlled purchases of crack cocaine through Lyons. According to the agents’ testimony, the first transaction was set up by a phone call from Lyons to Harrison. The district court admitted into evidence telephone records showing calls made from Lyons to Harrison. The district court also admitted into evidence certain recorded conversations between Harrison and Lyons to set up the drug transactions. These conversations were played at trial, and the transcripts of these conversations were also admitted into evidence. The DEA agents followed Harrison after the July 17th transaction to a Bank One branch, where they observed him depositing money. The DEA agents also testified that the only time they set up a plan to buy drugs from Harrison was on July 17th. The phone records admitted into evidence show that the next phone call between Lyons and Harrison after the July 17th transaction did not occur until July 25th, when Harrison called Lyons to set up another purchase. Harrison presented an entrapment defense and was the sole witness to testify on his behalf. Harrison testified that he made his living as a painter and had never sold drugs before. Harrison testified that he had known Lyons since childhood, and that they grew up in the same neighborhood. According to Harrison’s testimony, prior to the July 17th transaction, he had several conversations with Lyons. In the first two conversations, Lyons asked Harrison for drugs which Lyons said he needed to pay off a debt, and Harrison said “no.” Harrison testified that he 1 The government’s informant, Christopher Lyons, did not testify. 4 No. 04-1953 had a third and fourth conversation with Lyons, where Lyons again asked for drugs. Again, according to Harrison, Lyons stated that he needed these drugs to pay off a street gang, and once again, according to Harrison, he told Lyons “no.” Harrison testified that in a fifth conversation Harrison said that he knew Collins Goodson, a supposed drug dealer in the neighborhood. Harrison told Lyons that Goodson, known as “Sonny”, would not sell drugs directly to Lyons but would sell the drugs to Harrison. With that understanding, according to Harrison, he and Lyons arranged the first sale on July 17th. According to Harrison, he did not get any money from the two deals but rather gave the proceeds from the transactions to Sonny. Harrison also testified that the $700 he deposited in his Bank One account after the July 17th transaction was cash he received from a painting job and not from the drug sale. He also recounted that after the first deal, he spoke with Lyons, who said that the street gang that he was indebted to liked the drugs he gave them and wanted more. Harrison testified that he initially refused to give Lyons more drugs, but decided to do so out of fear for Lyons’s safety. In rebuttal, the government called David Irving. Irving testified that he knew Harrison and had purchased crack cocaine from him five times, in 63 gram quantities, prior to 2003. Irving said that he stopped talking to Harrison after they had arranged to buy half a kilogram of cocaine together and Harrison took the money and never provided the drugs. At the conclusion of the trial, the jury acquitted Harrison of Count One, but convicted him of Count Two. At sentencing, the district judge imposed a two-level upward ad- justment for obstruction of justice. In doing so, it determined that Harrison willfully provided materially false testimony when he denied having sold drugs prior to the two controlled purchases. The district court found Harrison’s testimony to be false based on the slang that Harrison No. 04-1953 5 used, and was familiar with, in conducting the drug sales.2 The district court also found that the speed with which Harrison was able to secure a large amount of crack cocaine was indicative of prior dealings. Finally, the district court also found that Harrison willfully provided false testimony when he testified that he had been solicited repeatedly by Lyons before engaging in the first charged drug sale. Based on the district court’s finding that Harrison had obstructed justice, it refused to grant Harrison a two-level downward adjustment for acceptance of responsibility, and denied Harrison’s request for safety valve relief under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f). The district court then sentenced Harrison to 151 months of imprisonment. Harrison appeals his conviction and sentence.