Opinion ID: 562667
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: sentencing (jackson)

Text: 55 Mandell Jackson challenges the district court's determination that he was a manager in a drug conspiracy which involved five or more participants. This finding increased Davis' offense level by three levels, see U.S.S.G. Sec. 3B1.1(b), leading to a total score of 37 and a sentencing range of 210 to 262 months. Jackson argues that there was no evidence supporting the district court's conclusion that he was a manager as that term is explained in the Guidelines. Jackson describes himself instead as one of a number of people who took orders from Davis, and contends that he did not supervise others who were involved in Davis' business. 56 A sentencing court's determination concerning a defendant's role in the offense is a finding of fact, subject to a clearly erroneous standard of review on appeal. United States v. Brown, 900 F.2d 1098, 1101 (7th Cir.1990); see, e.g., United States v. Feekes, 929 F.2d 334, 338 (7th Cir.1991); United States v. Spillman, 924 F.2d 721, 723 (7th Cir.1991). The government bears the burden of proving that Jackson was a manager, but it may satisfy this burden by establishing that the preponderance of the evidence supports this conclusion. Spillman, 924 F.2d at 723; United States v. Beaulieu, 893 F.2d 1177, 1181 & n. 7 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 110 S.Ct. 3302, 111 L.Ed.2d 811 (1990). In this case it has more than met its burden. The evidence at trial clearly established that Jackson played a role in Davis' drug operation distinct from that of the numerous other hapless individuals who occupied the Belmont house and were the conspiracy's foot-soldiers. Ernest Jones testified that Davis would frequently hand Jackson cocaine in exchange for money. Tr. at 140. Kimberly Smith testified that it was Jackson who distributed guns to the street dealers, Tr. at 283, and who was one of only three people she ever saw cook cocaine at the Belmont house, the others being Davis and Gines. Tr. at 288. Like Jones, she frequently saw Jackson transfer money to Davis. Id. Keith Flakes testified that after he made sales, he gave the money to Jackson. Tr. at 318. He also described Jackson as directing the work of the numerous street-dealers who operated out of the Belmont house. Tr. at 315. This view of Jackson's role in Davis' operations was joined by Dwayne Scruggs, Tr. at 412, himself the manager of the Wabashaw house. This testimony establishes that Jackson supervised the Belmont house, both preparing cocaine for sale and collecting the proceeds from the sellers to be transferred to Davis. It also establishes that the district court did not err in finding that a preponderance of the evidence established that Jackson participa[ted] in planning and organizing the offense, U.S.S.G. Sec. 3B1.1, Application Note 3, to a far greater degree than others at the Belmont house.