Opinion ID: 2994935
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Amount of Drugs

Text: Noble argues that the court committed three errors in determining the amount of drugs by: (1) committing a mathematical error when it aggregated the quantity of drugs in counts one and two; (2) double counting the drugs found in Noble’s garage by including them in both counts; and (3) basing its determination of drug quantity on unreliable evidence. Noble correctly charges clear error in his first two contentions. First, when adding the quantity of drugs found in counts one and two, the district court mistakenly arrived at a total of 1,390.064 kilograms; the correct total is 1068.40 kilograms. Second, Noble and the government agree that the judge impermissibly double counted the 37.04 kilograms of drugs found in Burke’s car. The drug quantity must therefore be reduced by that amount to a total of 1031.36 kilograms. Noble next argues that the court erred by basing its findings on the unreliable testimony of Spaeth, Jobe, Ackley, and Groff. We accord great deference to the district court’s sentencing determinations, including drug quantity, and we will not overturn its findings of fact unless they are clearly erroneous. See United States v. Berthiaume, 233 F.3d 1000, 1002 (7th Cir. 2000) (citations omitted). However, there are limits to our deference. The court’s sentence determinations must be based on reliable evidence, not speculation or unfounded allegations. See United States v. Pigee, 197 F.3d 879, 889 (7th Cir. 1999) (citation omitted); United States v. Howard, 80 F.3d 1194, 1204 (7th Cir. 1996) (Estimates of the drug quantities attributable to the defendant are permissible, of course, so long as they are based on evidence possessing sufficient indicia of reliability and not ’nebulous eyeballing.’). The government bears the burden to prove the facts supporting the sentence by a preponderance of the evidence. See Johnson, 227 F.3d at 813. We address Noble’s most serious challenge first. Noble urges us to reverse the district court’s decision to attribute 100 ounces of cocaine to him based on Spaeth’s testimony. Spaeth’s inconsistent estimation of drug quantity, 50 ounces in a police interview and 100 ounces under oath, required the district court to undertake a ’sufficiently searching inquiry into the government’s evidence to insure its probable accuracy.’ United States v. Galbraith, 200 F.3d 1006, 1012 (7th Cir. 2000) (citation omitted). In this case, the district court’s inquiry was rather cursory. Combined with Spaeth’s poor memory, no doubt caused by his extensive history of drug use, the district court’s treatment of the discrepancy makes Noble’s charge of error a close call. Our question about the adequacy of the district court’s inquiry is heightened by its failure to designate the source of 5 ounces of cocaine which it attributed to Noble, and which we discuss below. The district court credited Spaeth’s testimony under oath, justifying its decision by noting that it was consistent with the rest of Spaeth’s testimony. Spaeth explained the discrepancy between his estimates as follows: getting more to being kept on record, when I admitted 50, it was a discussion with the officers. When it came time to have it written down legally, I realized it was more. Further, Spaeth provided the court with particulars that bolstered this 100 ounce estimate. Spaeth testified that he purchased cocaine from Noble for roughly two years. Initially he bought small amounts approximating 1/16 of an ounce, but his purchases increased, culminating in a 7 ounce buy. Spaeth estimated that on average, he purchased between 1 and 2 ounces of cocaine from Noble per week. Noble maligns Spaeth’s credibility because Spaeth has a self-admitted poor memory and had a lengthy history of drug abuse. However, the district court is entitled to credit a broad range of testimony. See United States v. McEntire, 153 F.3d 424, 436 (7th Cir. 1998) (stating that the court may credit testimony that is totally uncorroborated and comes from an admitted liar, convicted felon, large scale drug-dealing, paid government informant.). We have qualms about the district court’s adoption of Spaeth’s 100 ounce estimate. However, the burden at sentencing is merely a preponderance of the evidence, and our review of the district court’s fact-finding and credibility determinations is highly deferential. A reading of the whole sentencing record reveals that this experienced judge was mindful of Spaeth’s memory lapses. Ultimately, we conclude that the testimony and the judge’s inquiry were sufficient to ensure the reliability of the 100 ounce estimate. Next, Noble challenges as speculative and unreliable Jobe’s testimony establishing that Noble possessed 65 ounces of cocaine. Jobe’s testimony is partly based on firsthand knowledge. He accompanied Noble to strip clubs for the purpose of selling cocaine, and on each occasion, he watched Noble sell between 1/2 and 1 ounce of cocaine. Jobe also testified that Noble admitted to selling cocaine at the strip clubs five nights a week for over a year. The district court is entitled to estimate drug quantity using testimony about the frequency of dealing and the amount dealt over a specified period of time. See United States v. Durham, 211 F.3d 437, 444 (7th Cir. 2000) (affirming district court’s estimate of quantity by considering testimony of the frequency of dealing and a conservative estimate of the amount dealt per transaction over a two year period). In calculating Noble’s quantity, the district court conservatively assumed that Noble sold 1/2 ounce of cocaine five nights a week for a year, resulting in a total of 130 ounces. The district court cautiously divided the 130 ounces figure in half, arriving at a total of 65 ounces of cocaine. Noble charges that Jobe was not a credible witness because he is a convicted felon and admitted drug user/ dealer. Noble’s challenge falls short. The district court is entitled to credit testimony from people with Jobe’s credentials. See McEntire, 153 F.3d at 436. In the absence of inconsistency in a witness’s story, we defer to the district court’s determination of witness credibility, which can virtually never be clear error. Anderson v. City of Bessemer City, North Carolina, 470 U.S. 564, 575 (1985). The detail in Jobe’s testimony is consistent and sufficient to demonstrate its reliability. Further, Jobe is not speculating about the frequency of Noble’s dealing. Noble himself provided Jobe with this information. Noble protests that such evidence is hearsay, however, we believe this statement by Noble against his interest was admissible. Even if it is hearsay, [h]earsay evidence is permissible at sentencing where the rules of evidence do not apply. Berthiaume, 233 F.3d at 1003 (citing United States v. Morrison, 207 F.3d 962, 967 (7th Cir. 2000)). The district court did not err when it attributed 65 ounces of cocaine to Noble. Noble challenges the inclusion of what he calls the mysterious five ounces. Although the district court did not explicitly state the source of the cocaine, the record clearly shows the source. Jobe testified that he assisted Noble in selling between 5 and 10 ounces of cocaine at strip clubs. The district court was entirely justified in relying on testimony based on Jobe’s firsthand experience, and in choosing to attribute a conservative 5 ounces of cocaine to Noble. Noble urges that the judge has committed clear error by engaging in calculations to determine the amount of drugs Ackley and Groff distributed for Noble when the witnesses themselves offered lower estimates of the absolute amounts. The district court rejected Ackley’s estimate that he received 40 pounds of marijuana from Noble, and attributed 50 pounds instead. The court calculated that Noble distributed 17.5 pounds of marijuana through Groff, rather than the 14 pounds Groff estimated. The government argues, and we agree, that if error occurred here, it was harmless. Even if the district court accepted the witness’s lower estimates, they, by themselves, would not decrease the drug quantity below 1000 kilograms.