United States v. Brian Henderson

631 F. App'x 118
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
DecidedNovember 20, 2015
Docket14-4399
StatusUnpublished

This text of 631 F. App'x 118 (United States v. Brian Henderson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Brian Henderson, 631 F. App'x 118 (4th Cir. 2015).

Opinion

PER CURIAM:

A jury convicted Brian Darnell Henderson of (1) conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of cocaine base and at least 5 kilograms of cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846 (2012) (Count 1); (2) possession with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of cocaine base, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a) (2012) (Count 3); (3) using and carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) (2012) (Count 4); and (4) possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1), 924(e) (2006) (Count 5). The district court imposed life sentences on Count 1 and 3, a concurrent 120-month sentence on Count 5, and a consecutive mandatory minimum sentence of 60 months on Count 4. On appeal, we affirmed Henderson’s conviction and sentence. United States v. Henderson, 380 Fed.Appx. 295, 296-97 (4th Cir.2010) (No. 08-5047).

Subsequent to Henderson’s first appeal, we decided United States v. Simmons, holding that a prior conviction qualifies as a felony for sentencing enhancement purposes only if the prior conviction actually exposed that defendant to a term of imprisonment exceeding one year. 649 F.3d 237, 241-45 (4th Cir.2011) (en banc). Henderson filed a 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (2012) motion, seeking relief pursuant to Simmons. The district court granted Henderson relief under Simmons by vacating his conviction in Count 5 and ordering resentencing. At resentencing the district court imposed concurrent terms of 188 months on Count 1 and 3, to be served *120 consecutive to the mandatory minimum term of 60 months on Count 4.

On appeal, Henderson’s counsel has filed a brief pursuant to Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 87 S.Ct. 1396, 18 L.Ed.2d 493 (1967), asserting that there are no meritorious issue for appeal, but questioning whether (1) the district court erred in determining the drug weight attributable to Henderson at sentencing; (2) the district court erred in denying Henderson’s motion to suppress; (3) the question of drug weight for sentencing purposes needed to be submitted to a jury under Alleyne v. United States, — U.S. -, 133 S.Ct. 2151, 186 L.Ed.2d 314 (2013); and (4) Henderson’s sentence is substantively unreasonable in light of the sentences his coconspirators received. Henderson has filed a pro se supplemental brief, raising several issues identified by counsel, as well as asserting that the district court’s instruction to the jury on Count 4 constructively amended the indictment. We affirm in part and dismiss in part.

“For sentencing purposes, the government must prove the drug quantity attributable to a particular defendant by a preponderance of the evidence.” United States v. Bell, 667 F.3d 431, 441 (4th Cir.2011). When determining drug quantity attributable to a defendant, “[wjhere there is no drug seizure or the amount seized does not reflect the scale of the offense, the court shall approximate the quantity of the controlled substance.” U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual, § 2D1.1 cmt. n.5 (2013). While a district court may rely on witness testimony to approximate drug quantity, “when the approximation is based only upon uncertain witness estimates, district courts should sentence at the low end of the range to which the witness[ ] testified.” Bell, 667 F.3d at 441 (internal quotation marks omitted).

As Henderson did not object to the drug quantity determination at resentencing, we review his argument on appeal for plain error. United States v. Strieper, 666 F.3d 288, 292 (4th Cir.2012). To satisfy the plain error standard, Henderson must show (1) an error; (2) that is plain; (3) that affects substantial rights; and (4) that seriously affects the fairness, integrity or public reputation of judicial proceedings. United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725, 731-32, 735-36, 113 S.Ct. 1770, 123 L.Ed.2d 508 (1993).

Under the applicable version of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual, a base offense level of 34 was appropriate if the combined marihuana equivalency of the drugs attributable to Henderson was “[a]t least 3,000 KG but less than 10,000 KG.” USSG § 2Dl.l(c)(3) (drug quantity table). Even discounting testimony disputed by Henderson and relying on the drug quantities stipulated to by the Government with respect to the execution of a search warrant on July 31, 2006, the record contains sufficient evidence to support the conclusion that Henderson possessed an amount of powder cocaine and cocaine base with a marihuana equivalence of at least 3000 KG. See § 2D1.1 cmt. n.8. Accordingly, we conclude that Henderson has not shown any error that affected his substantive rights.

Henderson’s claim regarding his motion to suppress is foreclosed by the law of the case. “The law of the case doctrine posits that when a court decides upon a rule of law, that decision should continue to govern the same issues in subsequent stages in the same case.” United States v. Lentz, 524 F.3d 501, 528 (4th Cir.2008) (internal quotation marks omitted). The doctrine applies to both subsequent proceedings in the trial court and on a later appeal. Id. We addressed and rejected Henderson’s challenge to the district *121 court’s denial of his motion to suppress on his initial appeal, Henderson, 380 Fed.Appx. at 296-97, and we are bound by that ruling.

Next, Henderson argues that the district court’s drug quantity determination at sentencing was invalid because it was not submitted to a jury pursuant to Alleyne v. United States, — U.S. -, 133 S.Ct. 2151, 186 L.Ed.2d 314 (2013). We reject this argument. The district court’s drug quantity determination merely controlled Henderson’s Sentencing Guidelines range, and did not alter the statutory minimum sentenced he faced. See id. at 2163 (acknowledging that Al-leyne’s holding “does not mean that any fact that influences judicial discretion must be found by a jury”).

We review the substantive reasonableness of Henderson’s sentence for plain error. Olano, 507 U.S. at 731-32, 735-36, 113 S.Ct. 1770.

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Related

Anders v. California
386 U.S. 738 (Supreme Court, 1967)
United States v. Olano
507 U.S. 725 (Supreme Court, 1993)
United States v. Henderson
380 F. App'x 295 (Fourth Circuit, 2010)
United States v. Simmons
649 F.3d 237 (Fourth Circuit, 2011)
United States v. Bell
667 F.3d 431 (Fourth Circuit, 2011)
United States v. Strieper
666 F.3d 288 (Fourth Circuit, 2012)
United States v. Susi
674 F.3d 278 (Fourth Circuit, 2012)
Alleyne v. United States
133 S. Ct. 2151 (Supreme Court, 2013)
Doe v. Chao
511 F.3d 461 (Fourth Circuit, 2007)
United States v. Lentz
524 F.3d 501 (Fourth Circuit, 2008)

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Bluebook (online)
631 F. App'x 118, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-brian-henderson-ca4-2015.