Opinion ID: 583628
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Offense Level Based on 20 Kilograms

Text: 9 Mitchell first argues that the district court erred in accepting the PSR's recommendation that the sentence be based on the 20 kilogram shipment obtained by Cook on April 1. He does not suggest that he should be sentenced based on the two ounces he sought to purchase from Cook; rather, he contends that the proper quantity was the amount greater than 500 grams listed in the superseding information. Thus, he again urges that the proper base offense level was 26, so that with a two-level reduction for acceptance of responsibility the sentencing range would be 92-115 months. 10 The district court's findings about the quantity of drugs on which a sentence should be based are factual findings which we review for clear error. United States v. Rivera, 898 F.2d 442, 445 (5th Cir.1990). A finding will not satisfy this deferential standard  'when, although there is evidence to support it, the reviewing court on the entire evidence is left with the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed.'  Anderson v. City of Bessemer City, 470 U.S. 564, 573, 105 S.Ct. 1504, 1511, 84 L.Ed.2d 518 (1985) (quoting United States v. United States Gypsum Co., 333 U.S. 364, 395, 68 S.Ct. 525, 541-42, 92 L.Ed. 746 (1948)); see also United States v. Sanders, 942 F.2d 894, 897 (5th Cir.1991) (a factual finding is not clearly erroneous as long as it is plausible in light of the record read as a whole). The district court is not limited to considering the amount of drugs seized or specified in the charging instrument, United States v. Sarasti, 869 F.2d 805, 806 (5th Cir.1989), but may consider amounts that were part of a common plan or scheme to distribute. United States v. Ponce, 917 F.2d 841, 844 (5th Cir.1990) (per curiam), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 111 S.Ct. 1398, 113 L.Ed.2d 453 (1991); United States v. Byrd, 898 F.2d 450, 452 (5th Cir.1990). The ultimate sentence will be upheld so long as it results from a correct application of the Guidelines to factual findings that are not clearly erroneous. Rivera, 898 F.2d at 445; United States v. Buenrostro, 868 F.2d 135, 136-37 (5th Cir.1989), cert. denied, 495 U.S. 923, 110 S.Ct. 1957, 109 L.Ed.2d 319 (1990). 11 The district court clearly was not limited to considering the two ounces Mitchell sought to purchase or the amount greater than 500 grams charged in the superseding information. On the other hand, the court could not simply presume that Mitchell, to whom the evidence did not link more than the two ounces, was a participant in a conspiracy to distribute 20 kilograms of cocaine. The Guidelines, of course, provide the starting point for determining the appropriate quantity in this case. Mitchell pled guilty to a conspiracy involving a controlled substance, so, under § 2D1.4, he must be sentenced as if the object of the conspiracy had been achieved. Thus, the offense level derives from § 2D1.1(a)(3) (Drug Quantity Table). Where, as here, the Guidelines specify more than one base offense level, the conduct relevant to determining the offense level is governed by § 1B1.3(a). That section provides that the base offense level shall be determined on the basis of, inter alia: 12 (1) all acts and omissions committed or aided and abetted by the defendant, or for which the defendant would be otherwise accountable, that occurred during the commission of the offense of conviction, in preparation for that offense, or in the course of attempting to avoid detection or responsibility for that offense, or that otherwise were in furtherance of that offense; .... 13 Application Note 1 to § 1B1.3 explains relevant conduct in the case of a conspiracy: 14 In the case of criminal activity undertaken in concert with others, whether or not charged as a conspiracy, the conduct for which the defendant would be otherwise accountable also includes conduct of others in furtherance of the execution of the jointly-undertaken criminal activity that was reasonably foreseeable by the defendant. Because a count may be broadly worded and include the conduct of many participants over a substantial period of time, the scope of the jointly-undertaken criminal activity, and hence relevant conduct, is not necessarily the same for every participant. Where it is established that the conduct was neither within the scope of the defendant's agreement, nor was reasonably foreseeable in connection with the criminal activity the defendant agreed to jointly undertake, such conduct is not included in establishing the defendant's offense level under this guideline. 6 15 It is well established that district courts must consider the extent to which a larger drug enterprise is reasonably foreseeable to defendants involved in small or isolated transactions. See, e.g., United States v. Mickens, 926 F.2d 1323, 1332 (2d Cir.1991), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 940, 117 L.Ed.2d 111 (1992); United States v. Edwards, 945 F.2d 1387, 1394 (7th Cir.1991), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 1590, 118 L.Ed.2d 308 (1992); United States v. North, 900 F.2d 131, 134 (8th Cir.1990); cf. United States v. Miranda-Ortiz, 926 F.2d 172, 178 (2d Cir.) (late-entering coconspirators may be sentenced only on basis of amounts they reasonably could have foreseen conspiracy distributed before they entered), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 347, 116 L.Ed.2d 287 (1991); United States v. Matthews, 942 F.2d 779 (10th Cir.1991) (same). 16 We have dealt with the foreseeability of a larger drug operation on several occasions. In United States v. Warters, 885 F.2d 1266 (5th Cir.1989), the defendant pled guilty to misprision of a felony, admitting that he knew of a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 20 pounds of marijuana. An earlier indictment had charged the defendant and others with a conspiracy involving more than 100 kilograms of marijuana. As directed by the Guidelines, the PSR initially turned to the guideline governing the underlying offense (conspiracy), which in turn resulted in application of § 2D1.1(a)(3) (Drug Quantity Table). The PSR calculated the base offense level according to a conspiracy involving 500 pounds (about 227 kilograms). The PSR's recitation of the facts indicated that the defendant was a key player in the conspiracy. He and Hailey (a coconspirator) met with the undercover DEA agent who was to supply 500 pounds of marijuana, showed a portion of the money, and assisted in the delivery arrangement. The defendant objected to use of the full 500 pounds, arguing that he had intended to purchase only 20 pounds from Hailey and distribute it, but the district court accepted the PSR's recommended offense level. We remanded because the district court did not resolve the disputed question of quantity on the record. Id. at 1272. We pointed out that the district court was required to make a finding of the amount the defendant knew or should or have known or foreseen was involved. Id. at 1273; see also United States v. Thompson, 944 F.2d 1331, 1343-44 (7th Cir.1991) (district court must make a determination of amounts that were reasonably foreseeable to defendants), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 1177, 117 L.Ed.2d 422 (1992). However, we observed that the record (presumably the factual scenario outlined in the PSR) would support a finding that the defendant knew or should have known of a conspiracy involving more than 100 kilograms. Warters, 885 F.2d at 1273. 17 We also remanded in Rivera, a case very much like the instant one, but we expressed the view there that the record would not support a finding of reasonable foreseeability. Rivera pled guilty to distributing .28 grams of heroin. As had several other persons, Rivera purchased from a single large supplier operating out of a house in Fort Worth. The factual resume accompanying the guilty plea discussed the amounts other persons had purchased from the supplier, but it mentioned Rivera only once: the supplier had made heroin available to Rivera and Rivera distributed a total of .37 grams to police officers on two occasions. Only one other person was mentioned as having obtained heroin on the same date as Rivera. 898 F.2d at 444. Although the district court accepted the PSR's use of the total amount of heroin in the indictment (224.47 grams) in reaching a base offense level for Rivera, we held that the established facts could not support a conclusion that Rivera conspired with other persons to distribute heroin or knew or could have foreseen the amount distributed from the house. Id. at 445. We thus remanded to allow the district court to determine whether Rivera knew or reasonably could have foreseen the extent of the operation. Id. at 446. We distinguished Rivera in Ponce, holding that a defendant who sold one ounce (approximately 26 grams) of cocaine could be sentenced on the basis of the 231.3 grams implicated in transactions involving Ponce's coconspirators. In Ponce, the district court had made explicit findings (unlike in Rivera ), and those findings indicated that (1) Ponce was indicted for conspiracy; (2) the cocaine sales documented by the PSR took place in a restaurant allegedly owned by a coconspirator; and (3) one of the sales took place with the aid of a coconspirator. 917 F.2d at 845-46. Although we considered the district court's findings somewhat sparse, the record supported the court's conclusion that Ponce could be sentenced based on the full amount of cocaine. 18 In the case before us, the district court made what we consider, following Ponce, a finding concerning the disputed question of quantity. Thus, we do not face the purely mechanical problem, as in Warters and Rivera, of a lack of any basis for imputing the total amount of drugs involved in the conspiracy to a lesser participant. The court stated at Mitchell's sentencing: 19 The delivery that took place that night, there was 20 kilograms transported from Florida to Dallas. It is absolutely correct that [Mitchell] made a transaction involving a small amount of cocaine. It's my understanding that he also admits that he had done that on other occasions with Mr. Weber or the other fellow whose name I've forgotten now, who was much more involved. But I have rejected [other defendants' challenges to using the 20 kilograms], as I will this one. 20 I think that under the 5th Circuit case, when someone even though they're buying smaller amounts concede that they have been buying on a number of occasions, that it is certainly reasonably foreseeable to realize that the person who's distributing the cocaine is dealing in more than just 4 or 5 ounces of cocaine each time or 500 grams of cocaine. 21 As in Rivera, however, we cannot conclude that on the facts established in the record the full extent of the conspiracy to distribute 20 kilograms was reasonably foreseeable to Mitchell. 22 The Government asserts that [i]t is apparent from the evidence as a whole that the appellant knew the conspiracy was distributing much more cocaine and involved many more people than just himself and the cocaine which he was distributing. The Government can only support this theory, however, by extrapolating from the facts. First, the Government asserts that because Mitchell knew a new shipment had arrived and because of his persistence in attempting to obtain cocaine from Cook he was aware of the amount involved in the conspiracy. The PSR indicated, however, that Cook notified customers of the new shipment and solicited their business. Moreover, it cannot be inferred from Mitchell's persistence in attempting to purchase on April 2 that he had entered into a wide-ranging conspiracy or should have been aware of one. It merely signified his strong desire to obtain cocaine, a desire that is consistent with the history of drug problems outlined in the PSR. Second, and somewhat more substantially, the Government points to the statement in the PSR that Mitchell admitted introducing Weber to other customers. This fact may be probative of Mitchell's knowledge of the extent of the conspiracy. Cf. United States v. Boyer, 931 F.2d 1201, 1205-06 (7th Cir.) (defendant who introduced purchaser to supplier for purpose of three kilogram purchase could foresee transaction of that amount, and so could be sentenced on basis of three kilograms despite fact that actual transaction involved one kilogram), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 209, 116 L.Ed.2d 167 (1991). But while it is reasonable to infer that Mitchell knew Cook and Weber were dealing in amounts larger than a few ounces--particularly since Mitchell admitted to a conspiracy to distribute over 500 grams--it is quite a leap from one-half a kilogram to 20 kilograms. 23 The Government also relies on the proposition that a longtime relationship with suppliers indicates knowledge of the scope of a drug distribution operation. We recognized that this could be true in United States v. Devine, 934 F.2d 1325 (5th Cir.1991), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, ----, 112 S.Ct. 349, 911, 116 L.Ed.2d 288, 811 --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 952, 117 L.Ed.2d 120 (1992), but in that case the evidence clearly showed an association lasting several years between the kingpin (Robinette) and the two lower-echelon defendants who disputed their sentences (Barker and Martinez). Martinez was Robinette's girlfriend, and had purchased several expensive automobiles over the years with cash from an unknown source. And both Barker and Martinez wore a necklace signifying membership in the inner circle of the conspiracy. Id. at 1337. On the basis of this evidence, we considered the case easily distinguishable from Rivera and upheld sentences based on amounts larger than Barker and Martinez distributed. Id. at 1338. 24 Here, by contrast, there is only the barest evidence that Mitchell had a relationship Cook and Weber, and there is no indication of the regularity of his purchases, the amounts he purchased, or the length of time he had been associated with his suppliers. Moreover, as in Rivera, there is no indication that Mitchell was aware of the other members of the conspiracy or the extent of their purchases. See North, 900 F.2d at 134 (where defendant was unaware of amounts of other persons' purchases from supplier, he could not be sentenced on basis of supplier's entire distribution). Indeed, the district court stated that, of all the persons charged, Mitchell was down at the bottom because there were people out buying seven kilos or five kilos. While Mitchell may have purchased small amounts on several occasions, nothing suggests that he was dealing in the range of 20 kilograms. Compare United States v. Thomas, 963 F.2d 63, 64 (5th Cir.1992) (evidence of drug trade ledgers assigning defendant a code number and of substantial cocaine purchases over period of time justified imputing knowledge of larger conspiracy to defendant); United States v. Sergio, 934 F.2d 875, 879 (7th Cir.1991) (continuous involvement with conspiracy raises inference that defendant was aware of and involved in conspiracy to greater extent than isolated transaction); United States v. Christopher, 923 F.2d 1545, 1555 (11th Cir.1991) (sentencing court properly attributed large quantity to defendant, where physical evidence seized in search of home and testimony of witness connected him with large quantity). On the evidence in this record, we are left with the definite and firm conviction that it was a mistake to find the full 20 kilogram conspiracy reasonably foreseeable to Mitchell. Accordingly, we must remand for reconsideration of Mitchell's sentence. 25