Opinion ID: 566915
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Sentencing Consideration

Text: 22 The Government seeks to hold Matthews accountable for approximately one kilogram of crack cocaine that the conspiracy distributed before Matthews joined it. 4 The Government contends that the Guidelines' relevant conduct provisions, U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3(a)(2), make Matthews responsible for all prior conduct of the conspiracy. We must agree with Matthews, however, that the relevant conduct provisions do not reach this far. 23 The Government bears the burden of proving uncharged conduct by a preponderance of the evidence. United States v. Russell, 905 F.2d 1439, 1441 (10th Cir.1990). As a late-entering co-conspirator, Matthews can be sentenced only for past quantities that he knew or should have known the conspiracy distributed. United States v. Miranda-Ortiz, 926 F.2d 172, 178 (2d Cir.1991); see also United States v. Sanders, 929 F.2d 1466, 1475 (10th Cir.) (drug quantity limited to time of marriage for wife who joined husband's heroin conspiracy), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 143, --- L.Ed.2d ---- (1991); United States v. Willard, 909 F.2d 780, 781 (4th Cir.1990) (defendant responsible only for known or reasonably foreseeable criminal conduct in furtherance of conspiracy); cf. United States v. Wood, 924 F.2d 399, 404-05 (1st Cir.1991) (conspiracy defendant's status as after-the-fact beneficiary does not turn wife's independent drug transaction into relevant conduct). In addition, the foreseeability of past misconduct must be evaluated in connection with the criminal activity Matthews agreed to undertake. See U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3(a)(2), comment. (n. 1). 24 After a thorough review, we see no indication that Matthews received information on the conspiracy's prior drug dealings. Moreover, the evidence strongly suggests that the scope of Matthews' agreement was narrow. He came into town to make a fast buck by selling two to three ounces of crack cocaine. Nothing in the record shows that the parties contemplated any more extensive relationship than this. We think it implausible that a person who undertakes a one-time drug deal in concert with others thereby assumes responsibility for the entire past misdeeds of his or her co-conspirators. Accord United States v. North, 900 F.2d 131, 133-34 (8th Cir.1990) (where conspiracy has limited objective, defendant not responsible for co-conspirator's independent drug activities); U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3, comment. (n. 1(e)). 25 Accordingly, Matthews may be sentenced only for the two or three ounces he agreed to distribute and not the amounts sold without Matthews' knowledge or agreement prior to his entry into the conspiracy. In view of our holding on this point, we need not address Matthews' remaining points of contention with the district court's drug quantity calculation.