Opinion ID: 531222
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Imposition of the Sentence

Text: 4 The Government charged John W. McDowell, Jr., in two separate indictments: Criminal Action No. 88-26 charged him with three counts of weapons violations under 18 U.S.C. Sec. 922(a)(6) and two counts under 18 U.S.C. Sec. 922(g)(1), and Criminal Action No. 88-28 charged him and others with one count of maintaining a gambling business in violation of 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1955 and one count of conspiracy to conduct an illegal gambling business in violation of 18 U.S.C. Sec. 371. In a pretrial conference pursuant to the first indictment, as part of a plea bargain agreement, McDowell changed his not guilty plea on two of the weapons violations counts to guilty. The court accepted the plea agreement and scheduled a sentencing hearing. Prior to this hearing, the Government filed a motion to disclose grand jury information with respect to the grand jury testimony of McDowell's son, John W. McDowell, III. The court granted this motion. 5 Before his sentencing, McDowell withdrew his guilty plea and a trial was scheduled. On the day of trial, McDowell again requested, and was granted, permission to change his plea on two counts of the first indictment and one count of the second indictment to guilty. The court again scheduled a sentencing hearing. 6 Prior to the sentencing hearing, Senior U.S. Probation Officer Eugene Mayhew compiled a presentence investigation report. Mayhew's report concluded that based upon 7 the apparent contradiction between the statement of Mr. McDowell's son to the investigating agents and his testimony before the grand jury, as well as the statement of the owner of Steele's Gun Shop ... Mr. McDowell's offense level should be increased two levels. More specifically, he appears to have suborned untruthful testimony by his son before the grand jury. 8 Mayhew also asserted that McDowell's offense level should not be adjusted downward for acceptance of responsibility because he had suborned testimony. See Sentencing Guidelines Sec. 3E1.1(c) application note 4. McDowell objected to this report and requested and was granted an evidentiary hearing. At the hearing the court found that McDowell had suborned his son's testimony. 9 At the sentencing hearing Judge Roth determined the base offense level for the weapons charges to be nine for each offense. See Sentencing Guidelines Sec. 2K2.1. She then upwardly adjusted the level for the count of knowingly possessing a firearm in and affecting commerce by two, to eleven, for McDowell's having suborned testimony. See Sentencing Guidelines Sec. 3C1.1 application note 1(c). She determined the base level offense for the gambling violation to be twelve and made no adjustments. See Sentencing Guidelines Sec. 2E3.1. The offenses were then combined, pursuant to Guidelines Sec. 3D1.4, to arrive at an offense level of fifteen. The judge then declined to adjust this to reflect any acceptance of responsibility. Based upon this offense level, the judge sentenced McDowell to a twenty-four month prison term.