Opinion ID: 4528546
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Holloway’s Initial Conviction and Sentencing

Text: On September 24, 2008, Holloway was charged in a three-count indictment. As relevant to this appeal, he pled guilty on January 9, 2009, to Count One, which charged him with possessing “with the intent to distribute fifty (50) grams of more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base,” in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A). In his plea agreement, Holloway conceded that he possessed more than 50 but less than 150 grams of cocaine base, and that the government had seized 66.33 grams of cocaine base from him in February 2008. Holloway also conceded two prior convictions, which the government and Holloway agreed rendered him a career offender under U.S.S.G. § 4B1.1. Additionally, the government filed an information pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 851 establishing a prior felony drug conviction. The parties accordingly agreed to a Guidelines range of 262–327 months of imprisonment and ten years of supervised release. Finally, the agreement contained 5 terms of cooperation, by which the government would seek a departure under U.S.S.G. § 5K1.1 and 18 U.S.C. § 3553(e). The Probation Office then prepared a Presentence Investigation Report (PSR) agreeing with the parties’ Guidelines calculations, and the government ultimately moved for a four-level downward departure per the terms of cooperation, leading to a recommended sentencing range of 168–210 months of imprisonment. The sentencing took place on June 22, 2010. The district court accepted the PSR calculations, granted the government’s motion for a departure, and sentenced Holloway to 168 months in prison followed by ten years of supervised release.