Opinion ID: 2718562
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Mockabee

Text: Mockabee pleaded guilty to Count One of the superseding indictment, charging him with the cocaine conspiracy in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846; Count Seven, charging him with possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine in violation of § 841(a)(1); and Count Eight, charging him with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). He was sentenced to 360 months’ imprisonment on each count, to be served concurrently. He challenges his sentence on two grounds.
Mockabee first argues that his sentence violates the Ex Post Facto Clause because the district court sentenced him under the version of the guidelines in effect at the time of sentencing—the 2010 version was in effect when he was sentenced on May 27, 2011—rather than the 2009 version in ef58 Nos. 11-2267, 11-2288, 11-2535 & 11-2687 fect at the time of the offense, which was complete by January 20, 2010. The 2010 version contained three adjustments that were applied to Mockabee at sentencing: the credible threat of violence adjustment in U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(b)(2), the crack house adjustment in U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(b)(12), and the criminal livelihood adjustment in U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(b)(14)(E). These adjustments were added to the guidelines after the charged conspiracy had ended. The government opposed Mockabee’s ex post facto argument in its brief and at sentencing, relying on our decision in United States v. Demaree, 459 F.3d 791, 795–96 (7th Cir. 2006), in which we held that applying the version of the guidelines in effect at the time of sentencing does not violate the Ex Post Facto Clause, even if that version took effect after the defendant committed the offense and even if the version increased the sentencing range. Since then the Supreme Court decided Peugh v. United States, 133 S. Ct. 2072 (2012), overruling Demaree and holding that the Ex Post Facto Clause is violated “when a defendant is sentenced under Guidelines promulgated after he committed his criminal acts and the new version provides a higher applicable Guidelines sentencing range than the version in place at the time of the offense.” Id. at 2078. Because Mockabee was sentenced under a more recent version of the sentencing guidelines, which provides for a higher guideline range than the guidelines in effect at the time of his offense, he must be resentenced.
The second issue Mockabee raises is whether the district court erred in applying a four-level sentence enhancement under U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1(a) based on a finding that he “was a leader or organizer of criminal activity that involved five or Nos. 11-2267, 11-2288, 11-2535 & 11-2687 59 more participants or was otherwise extensive.” Application of this increase along with the other increases unchallenged on appeal, less a reduction for acceptance of responsibility brought Mockabee’s total offense level to 43. This combined with his criminal history category of II yielded a sentencing guideline range of life imprisonment. To the extent that Mockabee challenges the district court’s factual determination that he exercised a leadership role in the charged offense, we review for clear error. United States v. Rosen, 726 F.3d 1017, 1024 (7th Cir. 2013). We review the district court’s interpretation and application of the guidelines de novo. United States v. Walsh, 723 F.3d 802, 807 (7th Cir. 2013). Mockabee does not challenge that the offense involved five or more participants; he contests only whether he was an organizer or leader. He says that he does not challenge the district court’s findings of fact as to his role, but he contests the court’s conclusions from the facts and its application of the guideline to the facts. Mockabee maintains that, although he was a buyer and seller of drugs in a large-scale conspiracy, he did not have any “real or direct influence” over other members in the conspiracy. At Mockabee’s sentencing, Detective Clark testified that Mockabee decided which cocaine source would be approached when the conspiracy needed to resupply. Clark added that Mockabee contacted Poole, who introduced Mockabee to Luter, and eventually Mockabee decided to bypass Poole and purchase directly from Luter. Clark also testified that Mockabee decided to cook the powder cocaine purchased from his suppliers into crack cocaine and decided where to cook the crack (at 781 West 25th Street). He also chose his customers, set the prices for the crack, and decided 60 Nos. 11-2267, 11-2288, 11-2535 & 11-2687 the quantities of crack to be distributed. And Mockabee determined which customers were admitted through the back door and which ones were allowed up into the kitchen at the crack house to purchase cocaine from him, and he decided that only one person would be allowed in at a time. In addition, according to Clark, Mockabee declined to sell to potential purchasers of small quantities, and instead referred them to Lonnie Belmar and Diomoni Small, and Mockabee told Belmar and Small to deal with those small-time customers. The district court found that the evidence demonstrated that Mockabee’s role was that of a leader or organizer, explaining that “in controlling his own behavior, he also controlled and managed and led major aspects of this criminal enterprise.” Mockabee Sent. Tr. 62–63. The district court relied on the facts that Mockabee “located the sources of the cocaine and determined who to deal with in terms of not just his own acquisition of [cocaine], but in terms of supplying his considerable network of buyers and purchases in quantities, by the way, that they were acquiring that suggested clearly that they were distributing it themselves.” The court also found that Mockabee was “the distribution point” for his network, that he decided when his customers would get the cocaine for distribution, how much cocaine they would get, and the price they would pay for it. Id. at 63. In addition, it found that Mockabee’s network of participants involved at least five people who were involved in the conspiracy and that Mockabee oversaw their activities in the conspiracy and the distribution network. Id. at 63–64. And the court looked to the evidence that Mockabee recruited Poole as a source of supply for the cocaine, and then through Poole recruited Luter as a source. The fact that law enforcement seized twice as much money from Mockabee as from Luter, and much Nos. 11-2267, 11-2288, 11-2535 & 11-2687 61 more than anyone else, was also a basis for the court’s finding. “The ‘central concern’ of § 3B1.1 is the defendant’s relative responsibility for the commission of the offense.” Rosen, 726 F.3d at 1024 (quoting United States v. Vasquez, 673 F.3d 680, 685 (7th Cir. 2012)). In determining whether a defendant was an organizer or leader under 3B1.1(a), “we have held that courts may consider the factors outlined in Application Note 4 to § 3B1.1(c), including the degree of control and authority the defendant exercised over others.” United States v. Vaughn, 722 F.3d 918, 935 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 134 S. Ct. 541 (2013). Those factors are “the exercise of decision making authority, the nature of participation in the commission of the offense, the recruitment of accomplices, the claimed right to a larger share of the fruits of the crime, the degree of participation in planning or organizing the offense, the nature and scope of the illegal activity, and the degree of control and authority exercised over others.” U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1 cmt. n.4. We have said that to justify a § 3B1.1(a) adjustment, “’the defendant must have exercised some degree of control over others involved in the commission of the offense or he must have been responsible for organizing others for the purpose of carrying out the crime.’” Rosen, 726 F.3d at 1025 (quoting Vasquez, 673 F.3d at 685). As Mockabee argues, middleman status alone is not sufficient for purposes of § 3B1. See United States v. Brown, 944 F.2d 1377, 1382 (7th Cir. 1991). And it is also true that the fact that a defendant sets the price to be paid for the drugs by the conspiracy’s members alone is not dispositive under the guideline. United States v. Thompson, 944 F.2d 1331, 1349 (7th Cir. 1991). But that is not the only fact that supports the find62 Nos. 11-2267, 11-2288, 11-2535 & 11-2687 ing that Mockabee was an organizer or leader of the conspiracy. Mockabee challenges the district court’s reliance on the fact that more than twice as much money was seized from him than from Luter, yet Mockabee acknowledges that “the claimed right to a larger share of the fruits of the crime” is a factor to be considered in determining a defendant’s role in the offense. See U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1 cmt. n.4. He argues that the district court “teases far too much from limited facts.” Quarreling with the court’s reasonable inference drawn from a fact does not establish clear error. See United States v. Salem, 657 F.3d 560, 563 (7th Cir. 2011) (“The district court may draw reasonable inferences from the record in making its factual findings at sentencing.”). We also reject Mockabee’s argument that the controlling aspects of his conduct were simply examples of him directing his own behavior as a buyer and seller of cocaine. The district court was right: Mockabee controlled, managed, and led the major aspects of the cocaine distribution conspiracy. Mockabee was the center of the conspiracy. He ran the crack distribution center at the 25th Street residence, making key decisions as to supply, including when to cook the cocaine into crack and how much. He controlled access to the house, deciding who was admitted and when, who was allowed to conduct business with him and who was sent to deal with Small or Belmar. It was Mockabee who made the decision to allow only one purchaser into the house at time, further controlling others’ access to the crack house and their access to the cocaine used for further distribution. And when he sent customers to Small or Belmar, Mockabee instructed Small and Belmar to deal with the customers, thus exercising auNos. 11-2267, 11-2288, 11-2535 & 11-2687 63 thority over all these underlings—the low-level cocaine customers, Small, and Belmar. Furthermore, Mockabee recruited Poole and then through Poole recruited Luter into the distribution network. The evidence supports the finding that Mockabee claimed a right to a larger share of the proceeds of the conspiracy. Moreover, there was evidence that Mockabee gave advice to Drake on how to run her part of the business, which further reveals his leadership role. Each of the factors listed in the application note to § 3B1.1 supports the conclusion that Mockabee held an organizational and leadership role in the conspiracy. We find no clear error in the district court’s determination that Mockabee was an organizer or leader of the conspiracy, and the court’s application of the four-level adjustment under § 3B1.1(a) to the facts of Mockabee’s case was appropriate.