Opinion ID: 1233878
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 19

Heading: The district court's reliance on the jury's special verdict as to drug quantity was proper

Text: Deitz first objects to the district court's determination of his Base Offense Level at 26, which corresponds to the finding attributing at least 50 grams but less than 500 grams of methamphetamine to Deitz. Deitz's argument is without merit. When sentencing a defendant within the statutory ceiling set by the jury's verdict, the district court may consider other facts, including acquitted conduct. United States v. White, 551 F.3d 381, 385 (6th Cir.2008) (en banc). The district court's factual finding regarding drug quantity at sentencing was not clearly erroneous because the special jury verdict attributing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine to Deitz was reasonable under the circumstances. b. The district court properly calculated Deitz's criminal history category Deitz contends that the district court erred by adding eight points to his criminal history for his convictions for misdemeanor offense occurring on September 8, 1988 and September 27, 1988. U.S.S.G. § 4A1.2(e)(2) provides that prior sentences imposed within ten years of the offense at issue are counted in computing the criminal history. The comments to the Guidelines provide that the term `commencement of the instant offense' includes any relevant conduct, see U.S.S.G. § 4A1.2 cmt. 8, where relevant conduct is all reasonably foreseeable acts and omissions of others in furtherance of the jointly undertaken criminal activity, 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.... U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3(a)(1)(B). Because the evidence shows that Deitz began participating in the narcotics conspiracy at least by 1991, the district court properly considered his 1988 convictions in calculating his Criminal History Category. See United States v. Johnson, 553 F.3d 990, 993-94 (6th Cir.2009) (counting defendant's previous convictions within ten years of joining the alleged conspiracy as relevant conduct to calculate defendant's Criminal History Category).