Opinion ID: 2977502
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Safety Valve Application

Text: Henderson challenges the district court’s finding regarding his eligibility for the “safety valve” provision of the Guidelines. Specifically, Henderson asserts that the district court erroneously denied his request for the application of the “safety valve” provision based on the government’s representations that Henderson did not truthfully disclose all information concerning his offense. The district court’s determination regarding whether a defendant met the requirements for the application of a “safety valve” adjustment is a finding of fact that should be upheld unless clearly erroneous. United States v. Adu, 82 F.3d 119, 123-24 (6th Cir. 1996). Under § 5C1.2 of the Guidelines, a court may sentence a defendant below the statutory minimum where the five criteria enumerated in the provision are satisfied.2 Id. at 121. While the 2 The five criteria set forth in U.S.S.G. § 5C1.2 are as follows: (1) the defendant does not have more than 1 criminal history point, as determined under the sentencing guidelines before application of subsection (b) of 4A1.3 (Departures Based on Inadequacy of Criminal History 25 No. 06-5033 parties agree that four of the five criteria have been met by Henderson, they dispute whether Henderson established the fifth criteria outlined in § 5C1.2. Subsection (a)(5) of § 5C1.2 provides that (a) . . . in the case of an offense under 21 U.S.C. § 841, § 844, § 846, § 960, or § 963, the court shall impose a sentence in accordance with the applicable guidelines without regard to any statutory minimum sentence, if the court finds that the defendant meets the criteria in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f)(1)-(5) set forth below.