Opinion ID: 530889
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: pattern of criminal conduct from which defendant derived

Text: 16 A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF HIS INCOME--SECTION 4B1.3 OF U.S. SENTENCING GUIDELINES 17 Section 4B1.3, captioned Criminal Livelihood, provides that [i]f the defendant committed an offense as part of a pattern of criminal conduct from which he derived a substantial portion of his income, his offense level shall be not less than 13, unless Sec. 3E1.1 (Acceptance of Responsibility) applies ... The Commentary to Sec. 4B1.3 defines pattern of criminal conduct as planned criminal acts occurring over a substantial period of time which may involve a single course of conduct or independent offenses. Section 4B1.3, Application Note 1. Avery appeals the District Court's finding that he derived a substantial portion of his income from his criminal conduct. 18 At the sentencing hearing, Avery testified that he had been working as a mechanic at an automobile repair shop. Avery, however, failed to introduce any corroborating proof as to his employment status. 19 From this evidence, the District Court found that Avery had no legitimate source of income during the four-month period in question. Applying the clearly erroneous standard set forth in Archer as it applies to 18 U.S.C. Sec. 3742(e), the District Court's failure to find that Defendant had a legitimate source of income does not leave this Court with the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed. Archer, 853 F.2d at 499. 20 Avery also alleges that there was insufficient proof of his income requirements submitted to the District Court from which the court could make a quantitative analysis as to the substantial portion requirement of Sec. 4B1.3. Proof of the substantial portion requirement, however, can be extracted from the record. First, the evidence adduced at trial plainly suggests that Avery had very little income. His payments on the land contract and utilities for 4002 Trumbull were made with rent checks from the Department of Social Services, paid on behalf of his tenant, Undine Richardson. While Avery alleges that he was employed as a mechanic, he offered no proof to verify his claim. The cocaine sales made by Avery to the confidential informant amounted to between $100 and $135 for each sale. The four firearms, 75 plastic bags, three triple-beam scales and other drug paraphernalia found in 4002 Trumbull the day the search warrant was executed clearly support a finding that sales to the confidential informant were merely a small part of a much larger cocaine sales operation. Based on this evidence, the District Court's determination that Avery's firearm possession was part of a pattern of illegal cocaine sales from which Avery derived a substantial portion of his income is not clearly erroneous. See Archer, 853 F.2d at 499; 18 U.S.C. Sec. 3742(e). 21 Accordingly, the District Court's sentencing determination is AFFIRMED.