Opinion ID: 148581
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: In April 2007, Quesada was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances (count one), one count of distribution of controlled substances (count ten), one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition (count fifteen), and one count of possession of controlled substances with the intent to distribute the same (count sixteen). He was one of nine defendants charged in the indictment. And like his codefendants, Quesada entered into plea negotiations with the government. As a part of these negotiations, Quesada agreed to meet with the government for a proffer. The government set forth the terms of the proffer in a letter to Quesada's attorney. This letter provided that Quesada was to make a complete and truthful statement of his knowledge of (and role in) the matters under investigation, and to fully and truthfully answer all questions. The letter further stated that, [e]xcept as otherwise specified in this letter, no statement made by [Quesada] during this proffer discussion will be offered against [Quesada] in the government's case-in-chief in any criminal prosecution of [Quesada] for the matters currently under investigation. One permissible use of the proffer by the government, however, was to rebut any evidence offered by [Quesada] that is inconsistent with the statements made during this discussion. Quesada provided a proffer to the government under the terms of the letter, but the parties were unable to reach a plea agreement at that time. The court set Quesada's case for trial on January 8, 2008. On that date, Quesada pled guilty to counts ten, fifteen, and sixteen of the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement. The court warned Quesada that, because there was no plea agreement, [t]he Government is promising nothing and the sentencing is up to [the court] in the case. Quesada acknowledged this state of affairs and further testified that he had not been promised or assured anything in exchange for his plea of guilty. The court then accepted Quesada's pleas of guilty on counts ten, fifteen, and sixteen of the indictment. A trial on the sole remaining countconspiracy to distribute controlled substances (count one)was postponed. In March 2008, Quesada pled guilty to count one of the indictment, this time with a written plea agreement. The plea agreement included a provision stating that the agreement superseded all other understandings between the parties and that no prior oral or written promises were binding except as explicitly incorporated into the agreement. No mention of the proffer letter was made in the agreement, nor were its terms incorporated therein. In exchange for Quesada's plea of guilty, the government agreed to withdraw its notice to enhance his sentence pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 851, which would have had the effect of increasing the mandatory minimum sentence that Quesada was facing to 240 months of imprisonment in light of his prior felony drug conviction. See 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A). The withdrawal of the § 851 notice reduced Quesada's mandatory minimum sentence to 120 months of imprisonment. See 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A). During his plea hearing on count one, Quesada testified that he had not been offered anything other than the terms set forth in the plea agreement in exchange for his plea of guilty. The court further asked: Has anyone promised you anything else about sentencing in this case? Quesada responded: No. The court then accepted Quesada's plea of guilty on count one of the indictment. Before sentencing, Quesada objected to his Presentence Report (PSR), arguing that the Probation Office improperly applied sentencing enhancements for his possession of a dangerous weapon, for his being the organizer or leader of a criminal activity involving five or more persons, and for his use of minors to commit the offense. The government responded that these enhancements were appropriate and, because Quesada's objections included factual statements contradicting those made during his earlier proffer, the government would be using his proffer statement to establish the facts underlying the enhancements. Quesada replied that his objections were intended to hold the government to its burden of proof and were not intended to be affirmative factual representations. Based on this argument, Quesada contended that the information obtained from his proffer could not be used to prove the sentencing enhancements. The district court ruled against Quesada, concluding that his objections to the PSR opened the door to allow the government to introduce his proffer statement as evidence at sentencing. In addition, the court noted that Quesada's proffer effectively summarizes information that came from co-defendants in the case. The court then concluded that this evidence proved the propriety of the sentencing enhancements listed in Quesada's PSR. After determining that the appropriate criminal history category for Quesada was III, the court calculated Quesada's U.S. Sentencing Guidelines (U.S.S.G.) range as 235 to 293 months of imprisonment. The court then accepted the plea agreement and granted the government's motion to withdraw its 21 U.S.C. § 851 notice. Finally, the court sentenced Quesada to 240 months of imprisonment on counts one, ten, and sixteen of the indictment, and a concurrent 120 months of imprisonment on count fifteen. Quesada now appeals his conviction and sentence.