Court Opinion

ID: 2964231
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-09-21 21:22:30.926318+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:42:52.836027
License: Public Domain

USCA1 Opinion

	

          July 22, 1996         [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]

                            UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                                FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
                                                     
                                 ____________________

        No. 95-1229

                              UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

                                      Appellee,

                                          v.

                                    ANGEL SANTANA,

                                Defendant, Appellant.

                                                     
                                 ____________________

                     APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

                           FOR THE DISTRICT OF PUERTO RICO

                    [Hon. Jos  Antonio Fust , U.S. District Judge]
                                              ___________________

                                                     
                                 ____________________

                                        Before

                               Torruella, Chief Judge,
                                          ___________

                            Coffin, Senior Circuit Judge,
                                    ____________________

                               and Cyr, Circuit Judge.
                                        _____________

                                                     
                                 ____________________

             Thomas R. Lincoln, with whom Law Offices of Thomas R. Lincoln was
             _________________            ________________________________
        on brief for appellant. 
             Juan A. Pedrosa, Assistant United States Attorney, with whom
             _______________
        Guillermo Gil, United States Attorney, Jos  A. Quiles-Espinosa, Senior
        _____________                          _______________________
        Litigation Counsel, and Nelson P rez-Sosa, Assistant United States
                                _________________
        Attorney, were on brief for appellee.

                                                     
                                 ____________________

                                                     
                                 ____________________

                    Per  Curiam.    Angel   Santana,  one  of  twenty-three
                    Per  Curiam.
                    ___________

          defendants involved  in an extensive drug  trafficking operation,

          claims  that the  government  failed to  comply  with their  plea

          agreement  by  refusing  to  request  a "substantial  assistance"

          departure at  sentencing.  See  18 U.S.C.    3551 and  U.S.S.G.  
                                     ___

          5K1.1.  We find no error.

                    Santana  pled guilty  to  conspiracy  to  possess  with

          intent to distribute in excess of 2,300 kilograms of cocaine. See
                                                                        ___

          21 U.S.C.    841(a)(1), 846.  The plea agreement required Santana

          to   cooperate   in  the   government's  investigation   of  drug

          trafficking,  drug-related  murders,  firearms  trafficking,  and

          other criminal  violations, and to continue  to provide complete,

          truthful  and accurate  information and  testimony on  an ongoing

          basis.   In return, the  government agreed to  request a downward

          departure for "substantial assistance."  

                    Santana contended below that  he complied with the plea

          agreement  by  providing information  which  the  government used

          against his codefendants,  and by  testifying at the  trial of  a

          codefendant.   Thus, he argued, the government acted in bad faith

          by  refusing to  request a  downward departure.   The  government

          responded, and  the district court agreed,  that Santana breached

          the  plea agreement by failing  to disclose, inter  alia, all his
                                                       _____  ____

          knowledge about  the drug-related murders, thereby  relieving the

          government of  its contingent obligation.   See United  States v.
                                                      ___ ______________

          Santiago-Gonzalez, 66 F.3d 3, 7 (1st Cir. 1995); United States v.
          _________________                                _____________

          Tilley,  964  F.2d  66, 70  (1st  Cir.  1992);  United States  v.
          ______                                          _____________

                                          2

          Gonzalez-Sanchez, 825 F.2d 572, 578 (1st Cir.), cert. denied, 484
          ________________                                _____ ______

          U.S. 989 (1987).  

                    We review the  district court's factual findings  under

          the "clear error" standard, United States v. Clark, 55 F.3d 9, 11
                                      _____________    _____

          (1st  Cir.  1995), but  conduct de  novo  review of  its ultimate
                                          __  ____

          finding  that   the  plea  agreement  was  not  breached  by  the

          government.   See  id. at 11;  United States v.  Atwood, 963 F.2d
                        ___  ___         _____________     ______

          476, 478  (1st Cir. 1992).  There is ample record support for the

          district  court ruling  that the  government reasonably  regarded

          Santana's  failure to  disclose  all he  knew about  drug-related

          murders,  among other matters, as a material breach of their plea

          agreement.   As Santana failed  to fulfill  a material  condition

          precedent to the government's  obligation to recommend a downward

          departure for substantial assistance, the government was under no

          obligation to do so. 

                    Affirmed. 
                    Affirmed.
                    ________

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