Opinion ID: 687262
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: 2 Ragabeer was arrested on June 3, 1993 after he and two codefendants attempted to sell a kilogram of cocaine to undercover Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents. Ragabeer was charged in a four-count indictment with (1) conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute it, in violation of 21 U.S.C. Sec. 846, (2) possession of cocaine with intent to distribute it, in violation of 21 U.S.C. Sec. 841, (3) using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to the drug offenses set forth in the first two counts, in violation of 18 U.S.C. Sec. 924(c)(1), and (4) possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number, in violation of 18 U.S.C. Sec. 922(k). The section 924(c) count stated: 3 On or about June 3, 1993, within the Eastern District of New York, the defendants Mohanchand Ragabeer and Roopanand Paray, during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, to wit, the crimes charged in Counts One and Two, did use and carry firearms, to wit: a Lorcin .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol, a Ruger 9 millimeter semi-automatic pistol, and a Raven .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol. 4 On October 7, 1993, Ragabeer pleaded guilty to the conspiracy and section 924(c) counts before Magistrate Judge Caden. Before entering his plea, Ragabeer acknowledged that he understood the rights that he was waiving by pleading guilty and that he had consulted with his attorney regarding his plea and the agreement under which it was entered. During the plea allocution, Ragabeer admitted that on June 3, 1994, he and his codefendants drove to a diner in Queens for the purpose of selling one kilogram of cocaine. Ragabeer acknowledged that the cocaine was in the trunk of the car along with three handguns, at least one of which was loaded. He told the court: [I] was taking [the guns] in case there was a problem with the selling of the drugs. I was planning to use them and after everything went okay I was planning to sell them. 5 Prior to his sentencing hearing, Ragabeer moved pro se to dismiss the section 924(c) count on the ground that it failed to expressly allege that he knowingly used and carried a firearm during and in relation to his drug trafficking crime. Defense counsel argued this point at Ragabeer's sentencing hearing before Judge Korman on January 28, 1994. The district court rejected defendant's argument, noting that Ragabeer's admission that he was taking [the guns] in case there was a problem with the selling of the drugs provided an ample factual basis for finding that Ragabeer violated section 924(c) with a sufficiently culpable mental state. In light of defense counsel's contention that Ragabeer had only made that admission in order to have his guilty plea accepted, Judge Korman offered to allow Ragabeer to withdraw his plea and go to trial. After consulting with counsel, Ragabeer refused the court's offer. Ragabeer then was sentenced to 46 months in prison on the conspiracy count, the lowest sentence within his guidelines range, and to the statutorily mandated 60-month consecutive term of imprisonment on the firearms count. This appeal followed.