United States v. Dennis Evan Ingham

486 F.3d 1068, 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 11970, 2007 WL 1469954
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedMay 22, 2007
Docket05-50698
StatusPublished
Cited by63 cases

This text of 486 F.3d 1068 (United States v. Dennis Evan Ingham) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth 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. Dennis Evan Ingham, 486 F.3d 1068, 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 11970, 2007 WL 1469954 (9th Cir. 2007).

Opinion

ORDER AMENDING OPINION AND AMENDED OPINION

GOULD, Circuit Judge.

ORDER

The opinion filed on February 7, 2007 and published at 476 F.3d 706 (9th Cir. 2007), is AMENDED as follows.

*1070 The first full paragraph on page 712 currently states:

Our cases have consistently upheld a four-point enhancement for those whose role, like Ingham’s, was that of organizing or leading a drug distribution conspiracy. For example, in United States v. Varela, we affirmed a four-point enhancement where defendant located drug suppliers, negotiated and transacted a series of drug deals, and delivered drugs to undercover officer. 993 F.2d 686, 691 (9th Cir.1993). Similarly, in United States v. Roberts, we held that it was not clear error to impose a four-point enhancement where defendant negotiated sale of chemicals for production of methamphetamine with an undercover agent and gave an order to co-conspirator to make delivery. 5 F.3d 365, 371 (9th Cir.1993). And again in United States v. Ponce, we upheld a four-point enhancement where defendant oversaw procurement and distribution of large quantities of cocaine. 51 F.3d 820, 827 (9th Cir.1995). See also Salcido-Corrales, 249 F.3d at 1154-55 (upholding two-point organizer/leader enhancement in conspiracy involving fewer than five participants where defendant “coordinated the distribution of drugs that he received from out-of-state sources[,] DP ... initiated drug deals with the undercover offieer[,] negotiated the terms of the deals and set their locations and times”).

In the current second sentence, after “For example,” the remainder of the sentence- — -“in United States v. Varela, we affirmed a four-point enhancement where defendant located drug suppliers, negotiated and transacted a series of drug deals, and delivered drugs to undercover officer. 993 F.2d 686, 691 (9th Cir.1993).” — is deleted. “Similarly,” from the current third sentence is also deleted and now replaces “And again” in the current fourth sentence. The paragraph as amended shall now read as follows:

Our cases have consistently upheld a four-point enhancement for those whose role, like Ingham’s, was that of organizing or leading a drug distribution conspiracy. For example, in United States v. Roberts, we held that it was not clear error to impose a four-point enhancement where defendant negotiated sale of chemicals for production of methamphetamine with an undercover agent and gave an order to co-conspirator to make delivery. 5 F.3d 365, 371 (9th Cir.1993). Similarly, in United States v. Ponce, we upheld a four-point enhancement where defendant oversaw procurement and distribution of large quantities of cocaine. 51 F.3d 820, 827 (9th Cir.1995). See also Salcido-Corrales, 249 F.3d at 1154-55 (upholding two-point organizer/leader enhancement in conspiracy involving fewer than five participants where defendant “coordinated the distribution of drugs that he received from out-of-state sourees[,] ... initiated drug deals with the undercover officer[,] negotiated the terms of the deals and set their locations and times”).

No further petitions for rehearing or rehearing en banc will be accepted.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

OPINION

Dennis Evans Ingham entered a plea of guilty on one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana under 21 U.S.C. §§ 841 and 848. In light of a four-point increase in the offense level for Ingham’s aggravating role as organizer/leader under section 3Bl.l(a) of the United States Sentencing Guidelines (“the Guidelines”), the district court imposed a 100-month sentence, which was three months more than the top of the calculated guideline range due to *1071 Ingham’s extensive criminal history. Ing-ham argues that the district court did not reconcile his objection under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32(i)(3) that only a two-point increase in the offense level was proper because the district court did not explicitly address the question of whether Ingham exercised control over his fellow co-conspirators. Ingham also argues that the Presentence Report (“PSR”) that recommended the four-point enhancement in the offense level included unreliable hearsay. Ingham argues additionally that, under United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220, 125 S.Ct. 738, 160 L.Ed.2d 621 (2005); Blakely v. Washington, 542 U.S. 296, 124 S.Ct. 2531, 159 L.Ed.2d 403 (2004); and Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 120 S.Ct. 2348, 147 L.Ed.2d 435 (2000), the facts underpinning the organizer/leader role must be admitted by the defendant or proved by a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. Finally, Ingham contends that the district court’s application of the advisory Guidelines under Booker was contrary to the Ex Post Facto and Due Process Clauses of the United States Constitution. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 and 18 U.S.C. § 3742.

I

On December 21, 2004, an indictment was filed against Ingham, alleging two felony counts for conspiracy to import and distribute marijuana in excess of 100 kilograms. On April 28, 2005, Ingham waived the indictment and was charged on a superseding information with a single count of conspiracy to distribute forty-six kilograms or more of marijuana in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841 and 848. That same day, Ingham entered into a plea agreement acknowledging that he was subject to a maximum statutory sentence of 120 months, a $500,000 fine, and at least four years of supervised release. Under the plea agreement, Ingham also admitted the factual basis of a narcotics smuggling conspiracy that began in February 2004 and ended on June 23, 2004, and that “he acted as a leader and manager of this importation conspiracy.”

On June 27, 2005, a PSR was filed that made the following undisputed factual findings regarding the conspiracy: In August 2003, a special agent with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) learned that Ingham may have been leading an organization involved in smuggling large quantities of narcotics into the United States by boat.

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Bluebook (online)
486 F.3d 1068, 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 11970, 2007 WL 1469954, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-dennis-evan-ingham-ca9-2007.