Court Opinion

ID: 9404632
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-06-23 18:00:28.429948+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:20:15.975850
License: Public Domain

Case: 22-20483         Document: 00516797606             Page: 1      Date Filed: 06/23/2023

              United States Court of Appeals
                   for the Fifth Circuit
                                      ____________                                United States Court of Appeals
                                                                                           Fifth Circuit

                                       No. 22-20483
                                                                                         FILED
                                                                                      June 23, 2023
                                     Summary Calendar
                                     ____________                                     Lyle W. Cayce
                                                                                           Clerk
   United States of America,

                                                                       Plaintiff—Appellee,

                                             versus

   Jermaine Deshan West,

                                               Defendant—Appellant.
                      ______________________________

                      Appeal from the United States District Court
                          for the Southern District of Texas
                               USDC No. 4:20-CR-355-1
                      ______________________________

   Before King, Higginson, and Willett, Circuit Judges.
   Per Curiam:*
          Jermaine Deshan West pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to
   possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine,
   500 grams or more of cocaine, and hydrocodone and oxycodone; four counts
   of aiding and abetting possession of a mixture and substance containing a
   detectable amount of cocaine, with intent to distribute, within 1000 feet of a

          _____________________
          *
              This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5.
Case: 22-20483      Document: 00516797606          Page: 2      Date Filed: 06/23/2023

                                    No. 22-20483

   high school; one count of possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or
   more of methamphetamine; one count of possessing with intent to distribute
   a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of hydrocodone; and
   three counts of aiding and abetting possession of a mixture and substance
   containing a detectable amount hydrocodone and oxycodone with intent to
   distribute. West received a within-guidelines sentence of a total of 280
   months of imprisonment, to be followed by six years of supervised release.
   On appeal, West argues that the district court incorrectly calculated his
   offense level under the Sentencing Guidelines. He further contends that the
   district court’s reliance on the methamphetamine Guidelines rendered his
   within-guidelines sentence substantively unreasonable.
          West challenges the district court’s application of the four-level
   sentencing enhancement for being a leader or organizer pursuant to U.S.S.G.
   § 3B1.1(a). Because West preserved his challenge in the district court, we
   review de novo the district court’s interpretation or application of the
   Sentencing Guidelines and its factual findings for clear error. See United
   States v. Muniz, 803 F.3d 709, 712 (5th Cir. 2015). We conclude that the
   record supports the application of § 3B1.1(a). See United States v. Sims, 11
   F.4th 315, 325 (5th Cir. 2021), cert. denied, 142 S. Ct. 827 (2022). Despite
   West’s argument that he was not a leader or organizer because he did not
   own or operate any of the clinics or pharmacies involved in the drug
   trafficking, the district court could reasonably infer from the findings in the
   presentence report (PSR) that West was a leader or organizer in the criminal
   activity to support application of a four-level sentencing enhancement. See
   United States v. Caldwell, 448 F.3d 287, 290 (5th Cir. 2006); see also § 3B1.1,
   comment. (n.4). West presented no rebuttal evidence indicating that any of
   the facts in the PSR were inaccurate or materially untrue. See Caldwell, 448
   F.3d at 290. West fails to demonstrate that the district court’s factual finding
   was not “plausible in light of the record as a whole.” Id.

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Case: 22-20483      Document: 00516797606           Page: 3     Date Filed: 06/23/2023

                                     No. 22-20483

          Finally, West preserved his challenge to the substantive
   reasonableness of his sentence, see Holguin-Hernandez v. United States, 140
   S. Ct. 762, 766 (2020), and our review is for abuse of discretion, Gall v. United
   States, 552 U.S. 38, 49-50 (2007). Because West’s sentence of 280 months
   of imprisonment is within the properly calculated guidelines range, it is
   presumptively reasonable. See United States v. Campos-Maldonado, 531 F.3d
   337, 338 (5th Cir. 2008). We have rejected West’s argument that a within-
   guidelines sentence is substantively unreasonable because the applicable
   methamphetamine Guideline lacks an empirical basis. See United States v.
   Lara, 23 F.4th 459, 486 (5th Cir. 2022), cert. denied, 142 S. Ct. 2790 (2022);
   see also United States v. Mondragon-Santiago, 564 F.3d 357, 366-67 (5th Cir.
   2009); United States v. Duarte, 569 F.3d 528, 530-31 (5th Cir. 2009). In
   addition, he fails to rebut the presumption that his sentence is reasonable.
   United States v. Cooks, 589 F.3d 173, 186 (5th Cir. 2009).
          AFFIRMED.

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