Opinion ID: 2790697
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Argument at Sentencing

Text: Rangel next contends that his trial counsel provided ineffective assistance at sentencing by failing to challenge the district court’s drug weight finding and the resulting guideline range. For our purposes, it is sufficient to assume deficient performance and to turn again directly to the prejudice prong. In doing so, we conclude that Rangel suffered no prejudice; there is not a reasonable probability that he would have received a more favorable outcome had his counsel challenged the drug weight. As explained above, the district court found Rangel responsible for 1,000 kg based on the evidence at trial, 22 the probation officer’s unchallenged representations, and the evidence presented in the presentence report. We need not speculate as to what the district court would have found, as it wrote unequivocally that it found 1,000 kg attributable to Rangel by a preponderance of the evidence, irrespective of the jury’s finding. The guideline range and ultimate sentence flow directly from the district court’s drug weight finding. Rangel points to no argument or factor that his counsel should have raised that the district court failed to consider and which might have changed its view. He accordingly fails to establish prejudice to support his claim that his trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance at sentencing by failing to object to the drug weight finding.