Opinion ID: 46031
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Drug Quantity Calculation

Text: Severin admitted in the factual basis that his offense involved 500 pills of MDA and MDMA, which according to the drug equivalency table is the equivalent of 62.5 kilograms of marijuana, and produces a base offense level of 22. The PSR erroneously indicated, however, that Severin’s 500 pills were the equivalent of 625 kilograms of marijuana, resulting in a base level of 28. After considering the other sentencing adjustments, the sentencing range for Severin should have been 46 to 57 months of imprisonment as to count one, and 46 to 48 months imprisonment as to count seven. See U.S.S.G. Ch. 5, Pt. A., Sentencing Table. Instead, because of the calculation error, Severin’s sentencing range was 87–108 months as to count one, and 48 months as to count seven. He was sentenced, within that range, to 90 months and 48 months respectively. The government concedes that Severin’s sentence should be remanded to correct the mathematical error. Indeed, the error occurred, was obvious, and affected both Severin’s substantial rights as well as the fairness of the judicial proceedings. We therefore exercise our discretion and vacate and remand as to the calculation error.