Opinion ID: 216980
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Gilbert's Indictment, Conviction, and Sentencing

Text: The indictment of Gilbert in December 1995 included one count of possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute and one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. The government filed a timely 21 U.S.C. § 851 notice of the prior drug convictions that it intended to rely on in seeking an enhanced statutory penalty range under 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A). That notice listed three of Gilbert's prior convictions: his March 1990 conviction for possession of cocaine; his June 1990 conviction for possession of cocaine with intent to sell or distribute; and his January 1992 conviction for possession of marijuana. Given the quantity of crack cocaine that Gilbert was charged with possessing with intent to sell, even without any of his prior convictions he faced a statutory range of ten years to life on that count. See 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A) (1996) (In the case of a violation of subsection (a) of this section involving . . . 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance . . . which contains cocaine base . . . such person shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment which may not be less than 10 years or more than life.) With any two of his three prior convictions listed in the § 851 notice, however, Gilbert faced a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment (without parole) on that count. See id. (If any person commits a violation of this subparagraph. . . after two or more prior convictions for a felony drug offense have become final, such person shall be sentenced to a mandatory term of life imprisonment without release. . . .). On the second count, involving possession with intent to sell marijuana, without any prior convictions Gilbert would have faced a sentence of not more than five years. See 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(D) (1996). With one or more prior convictions for a felony drug offense he faced a sentence of not more than ten years on that count. See id. After Gilbert's motion to suppress was denied, he pleaded guilty in March of 1996. At the plea hearing, Gilbert admitted possessing with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of crack cocaine and more than 100 grams of marijuana. Given the prior drug convictions listed in the § 851 notice, none of which Gilbert ever denied, his guilty plea should have subjected him to a mandatory life sentence. See 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A) (1996). But Gilbert pleaded guilty to the indictment as originally charged without the enhancement, meaning without the [§] 851 enhancement. The government did not object to Gilbert's statement that the statutory enhancement would not be applied, and the non-application of it obviously was part of a plea agreement. [1] Gilbert was sentenced on March 25, 1997. Because the government waived the § 851 notice of prior convictions, his statutory sentencing range was ten years to life imprisonment on the crack distribution count and not more than five years on the marijuana distribution count. See 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(b)(1)(A), (D) (1996). Gilbert's base offense level was 32 because his distribution offense involved at least 50 grams but less than 150 grams of crack. See U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(a)(3), (c)(4) (1995). There were no adjustments for specific characteristics of the offense, characteristics of the victim, the defendant's role in the offense, or obstruction of justice. Gilbert was sentenced as a career offender under § 4B1.1 based on two convictions: his June 1990 conviction for possession of cocaine with intent to sell, which was counted as a controlled substance offense, and his December 1994 conviction for carrying a concealed weapon, which was counted as a crime of violence. See id. § 4B1.1 (1995). Although Gilbert's long criminal record included other drug charges, some of them had resulted in convictions for possession instead of distribution while a few had not resulted in convictions. [2] As a result, Gilbert had only one prior conviction that met the guidelines definition of a controlled substance offense. See id. § 4B1.2(b) (defining controlled substance offense to mean a felony that involves the manufacture, import, export, distribution, or dispensing of a controlled substance or possession with intent to do so). [3] That conviction and the one for carrying a concealed weapon were the two that led to his being treated as a career offender under § 4B1.1. Because he was treated as a career offender, Gilbert's offense level was increased from 32 to 37. See id. § 4B1.1(b)(A) (providing for an offense level of 37 where a career offender's current offense provides a maximum penalty of life imprisonment). [4] Gilbert was given a two-point downward adjustment for acceptance of responsibility, see id. § 3E1.1(a) (1995), bringing his adjusted offense level to 35. His criminal history category would have been V, [5] but the career offender provision raised it to VI because of the § 4B1.1 enhancement. See id. § 4B1.1(b). [6] The result was a guidelines range of 292 to 365 months. If the § 4B1.1 career offender enhancement had not applied, Gilbert's base offense level would have been 32 minus 2 levels for acceptance of responsibility, resulting in an adjusted offense level of 30. His criminal history category would not have been increased from level V, and the guidelines range would have been 151 to 188 months. Gilbert objected on a number of grounds at sentencing, the only relevant one for present purposes being his objection to career offender treatment under the guidelines. He did not dispute that his prior conviction for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute was a controlled substance offense, but he did contend that his prior conviction for carrying a concealed weapon was not a crime of violence. In rebutting his objection, the government relied on United States v. Hall, 77 F.3d 398, 401-02 (11th Cir.1996), which held that a conviction for carrying a concealed weapon was a violent felony for purposes of § 4B1.4 (the armed career criminal enhancement applicable in felon-in-possession cases). See United States v. Oliver, 20 F.3d 415, 418 (11th Cir.1994) (Precisely the same analytical framework applied by the courts in ascertaining the scope of a `crime of violence' [under the career offender guideline] logically obtains with respect to the question of what kind of conduct comprises a `violent felony' [under the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA)].). The district court overruled all of Gilbert's objections and sentenced him on March 25, 1997. Acting under the then-mandatory guidelines system, the district court sentenced Gilbert to 292 months imprisonment on the intent to distribute crack cocaine count after the judge made it abundantly clear that he would have preferred to give Gilbert a shorter term of imprisonment. The court also sentenced Gilbert to 120 months imprisonment on the intent to distribute marijuana count, to run concurrently.