Opinion ID: 199008
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Upward Adjustment for Supervisor / Manager Role

Text: 17 Section 3B1.1(b) of the United States Sentencing Guidelines calls for a three point increase to the base offense level [i]f the defendant was a manager or supervisor (but not an organizer or leader) and the criminal activity involved five or more participants or was otherwise extensive. U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1(b); see also United States v. Joyce, 70 F.3d 679, 682 (1st Cir. 1995). Hernandez claims that the district court erred in ordering a two level upward adjustment pursuant to §3B1.1(b) because he was not a manager or supervisor. Since the determination of whether a defendant played this aggravated role is fact intensive, we will reverse a trial court's determination only if it is clearly erroneous. See United States v. Shrader, 56 F.3d 288, 293 (1st Cir. 1995); United States v. Morillo, 8 F.3d 864, 871 (1st Cir. 1993). 18 As the district court noted at the sentencing hearing, Masso testified thatHernandez was second in command at the drug point. Moreover, Hernandez played a leadership role in arranging with Masso to use her apartment for drug packaging. Thus, there was sufficient evidence for the district court to conclude that the defendant, in committing the crime, exercised control over, or was otherwise responsible for overseeing the activities of, at least one other person. United States v. Cali, 87 F.3d 571, 578 (1st Cir. 1996)(quoting United States v. Savoie, 985 F.2d 612, 616 (1st Cir. 1993)). As such, the imposition of supervisory liability under § 3B1.1(b) was not clearly erroneous. 19 There is one other issue related to the § 3B1.1(b) determination. Although the court found that § 3B1.1(b) applied, it decided to give [Hernandez] a break on this one and increase the offense by only two levels rather than the three called for by the guideline. This was error. As we noted in United States v.Rostoff, 53 F.3d 398, 412-14 (1st Cir. 1995), § 3 B1.1 sets forth a precise adjustment scheme 3 that cannot be modified by the district court. The Sentencing Commission did not provide for a partial upward adjustment under § 3B1.1, in contrast to other provisions where the Commission authorized the sentencing judge to select an intermediate adjustment. See, e.g., U.S.S.G. § 2A2.2(b)(3)(D), (E) (intermediate adjustment allowed for injuries considered to be between specified categories of injuries); § 3B1.2 (intermediate adjustment allowed for mitigating role falling between minimal and minor participation). Therefore, a court may not forgo the three-level increase called for by U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1(b) and instead impose a two-level increase when it finds mitigating circumstances. United States v. Cotto, 979 F.2d 921, 922 (2d Cir. 1992); see also United States v. Kirkeby, 11 F.3d 777, 778-79 (8th Cir. 1993) (A trial court's only options in cases involving a criminal activity with five or more participants are, therefore, a four-level enhancement under § 3B1.1(a), a three-level enhancement under § 3B1.1(b), or no enhancement at all . . . .). 20 Although the district court erred in adjusting Hernandez's offense by two levels rather than three, the government did not cross-appeal. We therefore deem the issue waived and affirm the sentence. See generally United States v. Zannino, 895 F.2d 1, 17 (1st Cir. 1990). 21