Opinion ID: 756510
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Griffin's Role in the Offense

Text: 23 Griffin asserts that he was entitled to a reduction in his offense level under U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2 because he merely transported the drugs, i.e., that he had a minor role in the drug conspiracy. However, Griffin was neither charged nor convicted of a conspiracy offense and was the only participant in the crime. In determining the applicability of § 3B1.2, the relevant inquiry is whether the defendant was a minor participant in the crime for which he was convicted, not whether he was a minor participant in some broader conspiracy that may have surrounded it. United States v. Brown, 136 F.3d 1176, 1185-86 (7th Cir.1998). The trial court held Griffin accountable for the specific conduct in which he was engaged, i.e., the amount of drugs he had carried in his vehicle. As such, he was not a minor participant in the crime, he was the only participant and it makes no sense to claim that one is a minor participant in one's own conduct. United States v. Lampkins, 47 F.3d 175, 181 (7th Cir.1995). The facts of the case as set forth in this record made clear that Griffin was not a minor participant. We are of the opinion that the district court did not clearly err by refusing to reduce Griffin's offense level under § 3B1.2. See Brown, 136 F.3d at 1185.