Opinion ID: 76518
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Plain Error Review of Leonard Sapp's Sentence

Text: 30 Leonard Sapp makes his reasonable foreseeability argument for the first time on appeal. Before the district court, he neither raised this issue nor voiced any objection to the sentencing court's findings. We therefore subject his claim to plain error review. United States v. Maurice, 69 F.3d 1553, 1557 (11th Cir.1995). We will find plain error only where (1) there is an error; (2) the error is plain or obvious; (3) the error affects the defendant's substantial rights in that it was prejudicial and not harmless; and (4) the error seriously affects the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of a judicial proceeding. United States v. Cromartie, 267 F.3d 1293, 1294-95 (11th Cir.2001). 31 After reviewing the record on appeal and the presentence report, we determine that the district court did not make a factual finding on the quantity of crack cocaine within the conspiracy that was reasonably foreseeable to Leonard Sapp. Because the district court did not make a reasonable foreseeability finding as to Leonard Sapp, as required by USSG § 1B1.3, this was error; in light of Chitty, it was plain. 32 We must then determine if the error affected Leonard Sapp's substantial rights. The district court adopted the factual findings contained in Leonard Sapp's presentence report. (R.23 at 8.) The facts found by the district court support the conclusion that at least 50 grams of crack cocaine were reasonably foreseeable to Leonard Sapp. Leonard Sapp was present at five of the six controlled purchases of crack cocaine; the amount sold by Leonard Sapp in the controlled buys was 48.7 grams. See Presentence Investigation Report, ¶ 10-17, 21. In addition, while executing the search warrant for the house where Leonard Sapp resided, the Government seized 20.8 more grams of crack cocaine. Presentence Investigation Report, ¶ 21. We conclude that it was reasonably foreseeable to Leonard Sapp that the conspiracy encompassed sales of crack cocaine of at least 50 grams. Because the district court's factual findings support reasonable foreseeability, the error committed by the district court did not prejudice Leonard Sapp's substantial rights and the district court did not plainly err. See United States v. Novaton, 271 F.3d 968, 1015 (11th Cir.2001) (holding that the defendants' substantial rights were not affected by a Sentencing Guidelines enhancement, even in the absence of a specific finding by the district court, because the evidence amply supported the enhancement).