Opinion ID: 1288101
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Second Sentencing Proceeding

Text: On remand, the district court determined correctly that Mr. Hollins was entitled to a complete resentencing procedure and that all challenges remained open to him. Mr. Hollins, therefore, disputed the evidence of drug quantities that had formed the basis of his prior sentence and chose, in this second proceeding, to put the Government to its proof. In addition to the original documentary submissions, discussed above, and the evidence produced at trial, the Government, at the district court's direction, called Addison to testify at the resentencing hearing. Although Addison apparently had testified at Wilson's sentencing in 2003 in a manner consistent with her statements in the customs interview, [2] she proved to be a difficult witness in this proceeding. She gave contradictory and confused testimony about her role in the conspiracy. She said that she did not recall her testimony at Wilson's sentencing hearing, and she testified that she had never discussed importing cocaine with Mr. Hollins. However, when the Government walked her through her prior testimony, she admitted that she had worked with Mr. Hollins to smuggle cocaine and gave specific details of several trips and described her role in recruiting and importing. On cross-examination, she admitted to lying under oath at her own trial. She stated again that she had not worked as a recruiter for Mr. Hollins and that she was unsure whether she had made the statements recorded in the customs report. Near the conclusion of her muddled testimony, the court itself pressed her about her truthfulness in this proceeding and at Wilson's sentencing. She testified that, although she did not remember details of the prior proceedings, she remembered that she did not lie. Following her testimony, the district court heard argument from the parties on the issue of drug quantity and the leadership enhancement. The Government contended that Mr. Hollins was responsible for between 5 and 15 kilograms of cocaine. Its calculation was based on: (1) a stipulated amount of 765 grams from the Reynolds trip, of which Mr. Hollins was convicted; (2) a stipulated amount of 1702 grams from the Stewart trip, of which Mr. Hollins was acquitted; (3) 4161 grams from the Addison II trip, based on the forensic amounts of 1387 grams from the bottles of Addison and Butler and attributing an identical amount to Williams who passed through customs undetected; (4) 510 grams from the Addison I trip, the quantity having been determined by the average quantity of the pouches used in the three-person Reynolds trip; and (5) 4161 grams of liquid cocaine from the champagne bottles smuggled during the Clemons trip, based on the forensic evidence of quantity from the Addison II trip, which had used wine bottles. [3] Mr. Hollins objected to the Government's calculation, basing his arguments again on his interpretation of the Supreme Court's holding in Booker and the constitutionality of sentencing a defendant based on facts not proven to the jury. He also contended that the evidence was simply insufficient to hold him criminally responsible for certain of the amounts. The district court ruled that it would consider the 765 grams from the Reynolds trip, 2964 grams from the portions of the Addison II trip that were substantiated by forensic evidence and an identical amount from the Clemons trip. The court specifically ruled that it would not consider the quantities attributed to the acquitted conduct of the Stewart trip, the liquid cocaine that Williams had passed through customs without detection on the Addison II trip or any of the amounts the Government claimed from the Addison I trip. See R.365-4 at 106-07. The court therefore found that Mr. Hollins was responsible for approximately six and a half kilos of cocaine, resulting in a base offense level of 32. The parties also argued about Mr. Hollins' role in the offense enhancement. The Government maintained its position that the evidence showed a wide-ranging conspiracy with Mr. Hollins and Wilson at the helm, sufficient to support a four-level leadership enhancement. Mr. Hollins contended that his role was substantially smaller than Wilson's and that, because Wilson had received only a three-level enhancement, Mr. Hollins' enhancement, if any, certainly should be less than three levels. The district court concluded that, in fairness, Mr. Hollins enhancement should be reduced to match Wilson's. R.365-4 at 111. With a total offense level thus determined to be 35 and a criminal history category of I, the resulting guidelines range was 168 to 210 months. The Government advocated a low-end sentence of 168 months. The court considered the seriousness of the offense and the harm done to the lives of the couriers, many of whom were young women with children. The court, noting that Wilson had received 151 months after pleading guilty, expressed its desire to avoid unwarranted sentencing disparities between the co-defendants. See 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)(6). Accordingly, it imposed a below-guidelines sentence of 151 months' imprisonment for Mr. Hollins as well. Mr. Hollins once again timely appeals his sentence.