Opinion ID: 722434
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Calculation of Defendant's Base Offense Level

Text: 18 Next, defendant challenges the District Court's calculation of a base offense level of 30, claiming that it should have been set at 26. United States Sentencing Guideline § 2D1.1 provides for the enhancement of the defendant's base offense level for quantities of drugs not specified in the counts of conviction but for which the defendant is nonetheless accountable. Commentary note 12 provides in part: 19 Where there is no drug seizure or the amount seized does not reflect the scale of the offense, the court shall approximate the quantity of the controlled substance. In making this determination, the court may consider, for example, the price generally obtained for the controlled substance, financial or other records, similar transactions in controlled substances by the defendant, and the size or capability of any laboratory involved. 20 USSG § 2D1.1 comment. (n.12). 21 The District Court's calculation of the quantity of controlled substances for which a defendant is to be held accountable is a finding of fact that we review for clear error. United States v. Brannon, 7 F.3d 516, 520 (6th Cir.1993). A court may hold a defendant responsible for an amount of drugs only if it finds that it is more likely than not that the defendant actually was responsible for at least that amount. United States v. Ward, 68 F.3d 146, 149 (6th Cir.1995), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 116 S.Ct. 1028, 134 L.Ed.2d 106 (1996). When no controlled substances are seized, the quantity need not be ascertained with exact certainty. Brannon, 7 F.3d at 520. However, that approximation must be supported by competent evidence in the record. Id. The validity of the sentence in a case in which the district court approximates an amount of drugs, therefore, depends on the basis of the court's calculation. Ward, 68 F.3d at 149. 22 Defendant's first assignment of error is that the District Court did not credit his testimony that he purchased and sold only fourteen grams of cocaine. We defer to the District Court's assessment of defendant's credibility unless it is clearly erroneous. See Brannon, 7 F.3d at 520. The District Court did not clearly err when it decided not to credit the statements of the defendant regarding the quantity of drugs he sold. Not only was defendant not under oath when he gave his statement, but also his incentive to minimize his involvement in drug-related activities was quite high. Moreover, the defendant's statement was inconsistent with the District Court's finding that the $6300 in cash found in defendant's car was attributable to narcotics transactions. As such, the District Court's refusal to credit defendant's testimony was not in error. 23 In addition, defendant seems to object to the method by which the District Court arrived at the price of cocaine. He states that he did not actually sell the drugs to Detective Felice, thereby suggesting that the District Court improperly relied upon information of those sales to arrive at a unit price. The testimony of Detective Felice, which the District Court credited, however, established that defendant was a participant to these drug transactions; he approved the sales and supplied the drugs. As these were transactions in controlled substances by the defendant, it was not error for the District Court to rely on these sales to arrive at a price obtained for the drugs and to use that number to calculate the quantity for which defendant would be held accountable. See USSG § 2D1.1 comment. (n.12). 24 Finally, defendant suggests that because no actual controlled substances were found in his possession, the District Court's finding that he had purchased and sold at least thirty-five grams of cocaine base was inappropriate. Defendant fails to recognize that the very purpose of USSG § 2D1.1 is to hold the defendant responsible for drugs even when there is no drug seizure. In that there was $6300 in cash in his car and that defendant had not been employed in almost a year and a half, it was not clearly erroneous for the District Court to conclude that this money represented proceeds of drug-related activities and to arrive at a drug quantity based on that figure and the price at which defendant had been selling the drugs. Accordingly, the District Court's calculation of a base offense level of 30 was not clearly erroneous.