Opinion ID: 1036744
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Santos-Rivera

Text: Unlike his co-defendants, Santos-Rivera challenges only his sentencing, not his conviction. Because Santos-Rivera had a previous conviction for felony drug possession, his conviction under section 841(b)(1)(A) triggered a mandatory minimum sentence of twenty years. While expressing his regret that he lacked the discretion to order a more lenient sentence, the district court reluctantly sentenced Santos-Rivera to 240 months. On appeal, Santos-Rivera asserts that the district court incorrectly -22- calculated his recommended range under the Sentencing Guidelines and that his sentence was unreasonable. Both of Santos-Rivera's arguments, however, are foreclosed. The district court explained that it sentenced Santos-Rivera to the statutory minimum mandated by 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(b) & 851. Unlike sentences imposed under the Guidelines, which are discretionary and require the sentencing judge to impose a sentence that is reasonable, a statutory mandatory minimum sentence is compelled by the text of § 841(b), which is a congressional mandate over which the trial court has no discretion.4 See United States v. Atonakopoulos, 399 F.3d 68, 75 (1st Cir. 2005) (A mandatory minimum sentence imposed as required by a statute based on facts found by a jury or admitted by a defendant is not a candidate for Booker error.). Because the district court had no discretion to impose a sentence less than 240 months, neither of Santos-Rivera's arguments would entitle him to any relief. We have no choice but to affirm his sentence. 4 Under the current Sentencing Guidelines, there are a few exceptions to the general rule that a statutory mandatory minimum applies automatically. See e.g., 28 U.S.C. § 994(n) (mandatory minimums may be waived because of defendant's substantial assistance in a government investigation); U.S.S.G. § 5C1.2 and 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f)(1)-(5)(defendants convicted of certain crimes may avoid mandatory minimums if they meet certain criteria). None of these exceptions is applicable to the instant case. -23-