Opinion ID: 755629
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Legal Objections

Text: 7 Burke offers several reasons why the district court erred in determining that he was responsible for 683.4 kilograms of marijuana equivalent. 8
9 Burke argues that the district court failed to explain how it reached the conclusion that he was responsible for just under 700 kilograms of marijuana equivalent. Burke argues that failure to set forth specifically how the district court reaches its conclusion is reversible error requiring us to remand his case for resentencing. We disagree. 10 After three partial days of sentencing hearings, the district court announced that this Court adopts the Presentence Investigation Report in its entirety as the findings of this Court with the exception of paragraph 42 in which this Court is taking away the three points for acceptance of responsibility that this Court believes that this defendant does not deserve in any way, shape or form. Sentencing Hr'g at 79-80, United States v. Burke, No. 96-40094 (S.D.Ill. Nov. 10, 1997). To adopt the PSR is to make factual findings. Except for any unresolved objection under subdivision (b)(6)(B), the court may, at the hearing, accept the presentence report as its findings of fact. Fed.R.Crim.P. 32(b)(6)(D).  'Provided that the facts contained in a PSR bear sufficient indicia of reliability to support their probable accuracy, the district court may adopt them as support for its findings and conclusions regarding the quantity of drugs attributable to a defendant.'  United States v. Edwards, 115 F.3d 1322, 1327 (7th Cir.1997) (quoting United States v. Taylor, 72 F.3d 533, 543 (7th Cir.1995)); see also United States v. Taylor, 135 F.3d 478, 483 (7th Cir.1998). For uncontroverted matters, the district court need not make independent factual findings. 11
12 Burke argues that the district court made insufficient findings as to controverted matters, such as how many trips to Arizona he made or how much LSD he dealt. It is true that we require a sentencing court to make specific findings when the defendant objects to the PSR and cannot resolve the difference with the Government before sentencing. See United States v. Cureton, 89 F.3d 469, 472 (7th Cir.1996). In this case the district court made sufficient findings. The Court listened to three days of testimony, reviewed exhibits.... So the Court is very confident that the pieces of the puzzle come together today through the testimony of Mr. Conway, Mr. McRoy and Ms. Johnsen.... The Court finds that the testimony of Mr. Conway was credible. The testimony of Mr. McRoy is credible.... There's a lot of corroboration here in terms of the amount of drugs that was involved.... It will therefore be the finding of this Court that this Court adopts the Presentence Investigation Report in its entirety as the findings of this Court [except for acceptance of responsibility]. Sentencing Hr'g at 77-79. 13 While more detail is always better than less in sentencing findings, we find no error here. When the defendant objects to the PSR, the district court must (1) address[ ] all of the defendant's objections prior to sentencing, and (2) provide[ ] a record of the resolution of the defendant's objections for the appellate court, prison officials, or other authorities that may later rely on the presentencing report. Cureton, 89 F.3d at 473. The district court did as much here. The district court obviously considered the testimony and exhibits and made a calculated decision to adopt the PSR as its findings in all but one respect. A court's reference to the PSR constitutes sufficient findings even as to controverted facts when we are assured that the district court made a decision of design, rather than of convenience, to adopt the PSR. See United States v. McKinney, 98 F.3d 974, 981 (7th Cir.1996), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 117 S.Ct. 1119, 137 L.Ed.2d 319 (1997). The reference to the findings and rationale in the presentence report allows us, as a reviewing court, to evaluate the district court's decision, and that is all that is required. Taylor, 135 F.3d at 483 (citing United States v. Pippen, 115 F.3d 422, 424 (7th Cir.1997)); United States v. Carson, 9 F.3d 576, 584 (7th Cir.1993). 14
15 Burke also discredits the method the district court used to calculate his relevant conduct as to methamphetamine and marijuana. The district court, following the PSR, multiplied the number of times Burke traveled to Arizona by the amount of methamphetamine and marijuana bought on each trip to reach a total. Burke argues that this method of calculation is inherently unreliable. 16 We have approved of this method of calculation so long as the data plugged into the formula are sufficiently reliable. See United States v. James, 113 F.3d 721, 731 (7th Cir.1997); United States v. Acosta, 85 F.3d 275, 282 (7th Cir.1996); United States v. Robinson, 30 F.3d 774, 787 (7th Cir.1994). Burke argues that other circuits have disavowed this method of calculating drug quantities, and he urges us to do the same. See, e.g., United States v. Butler, 41 F.3d 1435, 1447 (11th Cir.1995); United States v. Zimmer, 14 F.3d 286, 289-90 (6th Cir.1994); United States v. Sepulveda, 15 F.3d 1161, 1198-99 (1st Cir.1993); United States v. Shonubi, 998 F.2d 84, 89-90 (2d Cir.1993); United States v. Garcia, 994 F.2d 1499, 1508-09 (10th Cir.1993); United States v. Hewitt, 942 F.2d 1270, 1274 (8th Cir.1991). However, our review of these cases from sister circuits reveals only the requirement that the information inserted into such an equation be reliable, not disapproval of this sort of multiplication generally. We too require reliable data. We have remanded cases for resentencing when the numbers used in such calculations did not bear indicia of reliability. See, e.g., Acosta, 85 F.3d at 282; United States v. Howard, 80 F.3d 1194, 1205 (7th Cir.1996). We see no circuit split, and we decline to disavow this method generally. 17
18 Finally, Burke complains generally that the district court relied on hearsay in making its relevant conduct determinations. For example, Conway's statement and testimony did not reflect personal knowledge of all of Burke's travels and purchases. Rather, most of Conway's information came from a co-conspirator who was unavailable to testify or give a statement. Also, McRoy's testimony regarding the amount of LSD Burke dealt did not come completely from personal knowledge. McRoy gathered quite a bit of information from his cousin, who was Burke's LSD source. Burke argues that this information does not bear the hallmarks of reliability that we require in sentencing determinations. 19 Burke correctly notes that defendants must be sentenced based on reliable information. However, the court may consider relevant information without regard to its admissibility under the rules of evidence applicable at trial, provided that the information has sufficient indicia of reliability to support its probable accuracy. U.S.S.G. § 6A1.3(a) (1995); United States v. Beler, 20 F.3d 1428, 1432 (7th Cir.1994) (District courts are free to consider a wide range of information, including hearsay evidence, that may have been inadmissible at the defendant's trial.). 20 Here, the district court fully addressed any problems of reliability that stem from hearsay by finding the witnesses credible and their testimony corroborated by other evidence. After two partial days of sentencing hearings, the court decided to hear from the key witnesses in person. Conway and McRoy appeared and testified. After hearing their testimony, the court found Conway to be credible and McRoy to be very credible. We will not disturb credibility determinations, which are the unique province of the district court. It is the proper role of the district court to make credibility determinations, and those findings must receive special deference. United States v. Fox, 137 F.3d 527, 531 (7th Cir.1998) (citing Anderson v. City of Bessemer City, 470 U.S. 564, 573-75, 105 S.Ct. 1504, 84 L.Ed.2d 518 (1985)). Beyond finding the witnesses credible, the district court found their hearsay testimony sufficiently corroborated by other witnesses' testimony, statements, and the PSR. We will not disturb the district court's finding here.