United States v. Dahda (Roosevelt)

CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedApril 30, 2021
Docket19-3285
StatusUnpublished

This text of United States v. Dahda (Roosevelt) (United States v. Dahda (Roosevelt)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth 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. Dahda (Roosevelt), (10th Cir. 2021).

Opinion

FILED United States Court of Appeals UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Tenth Circuit

FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT April 30, 2021 _________________________________ Christopher M. Wolpert Clerk of Court UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff - Appellee,

v. No. 19-3285 (D.C. No. 2:12-CR-20083-KHV-2) ROOSEVELT RICO DAHDA, (D. Kan.)

Defendant - Appellant. _________________________________

ORDER AND JUDGMENT* _________________________________

Before MATHESON, BALDOCK, and MORITZ, Circuit Judges. _________________________________

Roosevelt Dahda and 42 others faced criminal charges related to a marijuana-

distribution network between California and Kansas. A jury convicted Roosevelt on

ten counts arising out of this operation.1 The district court sentenced him to a total of

201 months’ imprisonment as follows: 201 months on Counts 1 and 56; 120 months

on Counts 43, 49, and 73; and 48 months on Counts 42, 45, 53, 55, and 70, all to be

served concurrently. The court also ordered forfeiture in the amount of

$16,985,250.00. Roosevelt appealed both his conviction and sentence to this court.

* This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. It may be cited, however, for its persuasive value consistent with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th Cir. R. 32.1. 1 In keeping with this court’s prior opinions, we refer to Roosevelt by his first name. See United States v. Dahda, 852 F.3d 1282, 1287 n.1 (10th Cir. 2017). See Dahda, 852 F.3d at 1287. We affirmed his conviction but remanded for

resentencing “based on the error in calculating the amount of marijuana attributable

to Roosevelt.” Id. at 1298.

On remand, the district court resentenced Roosevelt to a total of 141 months’

imprisonment as follows: 141 months on Counts 1 and 56; 120 months on Counts

43, 49, and 73; and 96 months on Counts 42, 45, 53, 55, and 70, all to run

concurrently. To reach this revised sentence, the district court adopted the

presentence report, which provided the following explanation. First, the PSR

grouped the counts of conviction pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 3D1.2(d). It then attributed

505.8 kilograms of marijuana to Roosevelt, corresponding with a base offense level

of 26. The PSR added three levels because Roosevelt was a manager or supervisor in

the criminal venture, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1(b). Based on a total offense level

of 29 and a criminal history category of 3, the PSR calculated an advisory guideline

range of 108 to 135 months’ imprisonment. The district court varied upward from

the low end of the guideline range by 33 months. Thus, the court imposed a 141-

month sentence on Counts 1 and 56, and the lower statutory maximum sentences on

the remaining counts, all to run concurrently.

This appeal followed. Roosevelt argues the district court erred: (I) by

increasing the statutory maximum sentences on Counts 56, 43, 49, and 73 pursuant to

21 U.S.C. § 851; (II) by sentencing him under 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(C) rather than

§.841(b)(1)(D) on Count 1; (III) in reapplying its 33-month upward variance to the

advisory guideline range; (IV) in calculating the amount of marijuana attributable to

2 him when determining his base offense level; and (V) in pronouncing special

conditions of supervised release without adequate findings to support them.

Exercising jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, we affirm.

I.

We turn first to Roosevelt’s claim that the district court erred in increasing the

statutory maximum sentences on Counts 56, 43, 49, and 73 based on the

Government’s § 851 information. Section 851 permits the Government to seek an

enhanced sentence based on a defendant’s prior convictions if it files an information

prior to trial. 21 U.S.C. §.851. Here, the parties do not dispute that the Government

filed an information prior to trial. But Roosevelt contends that he objected to that §

851 information at his initial sentencing, and given those objections, the Government

withdrew the information. Roosevelt thus argues that the Government should have

been prohibited from relying on the § 851 information to enhance his sentence during

resentencing. We review the legality of a sentence de novo. United States v. Jones,

235 F.3d 1231, 1235 (2000).

To determine whether the Government withdrew the § 851 notice, we must

review what happened at Roosevelt’s initial sentencing. During the proceeding, the

Government explained that it believed Roosevelt could be sentenced under 21 U.S.C.

§ 841(b)(1)(A) on Count 1 (which provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10

years) because he was convicted of conspiracy to distribute more than 1,000

kilograms of marijuana. Roosevelt maintained, however, that he should be sentenced

under §.841(b)(1)(C) because the jury did not make a specific finding about drug

3 quantity. Section 841(b)(1)(C) contains no mandatory minimum. To reduce the

issues for appeal, the Government acquiesced to Roosevelt’s demand that he be

sentenced under §.841(b)(1)(C) on Count 1. Though § 841(b)(1)(C) contains no

mandatory minimum, Roosevelt’s guideline range was still 135 to 168 months—a

sentence over 10 years with which the Government was comfortable. Because the

Government agreed to sentence Roosevelt under § 851(b)(1)(C) on Count 1, so no

mandatory minimum sentence applied, the Government explained that it believed the

§ 851 information had no impact on the sentence for Count 1. Thus, although the

Government believed it was “on firm ground” with the §.851 information, it took the

notice “off the table.”

Contrary to Roosevelt’s argument, the Government did not withdraw the § 851

information altogether. The Government merely acknowledged the § 851

enhancement would be irrelevant as to Count 1 if Roosevelt was sentenced under §

851(b)(1)(C). Roosevelt’s counsel at the initial sentencing seemed to understand the

same. When asked what he thought about the Government’s approach, counsel

responded, “I would agree that (b)(1)(C) is the appropriate provision under section

841.” And when the court asked, “given the Government’s concession of that issue,

then your objection to the enhancement information [is] moot, right[,]” counsel

responded, “Yes, your honor.” It is clear throughout this dialogue that the parties and

the court were discussing the § 851 enhancement as it applied to Count 1.

What’s more, the district court in fact relied on the enhancement when

sentencing Roosevelt on the remaining counts during the initial sentencing. For

4 example, the original judgment reflects that the court sentenced Roosevelt to 201

months’ imprisonment on Count 56—a sentence that could only be achieved as a

result of the § 851 information. To reach a sentence of 201 months, the court had to

rely on the enhanced penalty provisions in § 841(b)(1)(D)—which doubled the 5-year

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