United States v. Dossie

188 F. App'x 339
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedJuly 17, 2006
Docket04-4058
StatusUnpublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 188 F. App'x 339 (United States v. Dossie) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth 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. Dossie, 188 F. App'x 339 (6th Cir. 2006).

Opinions

[341]*341OPINION

DAVID L. BUNNING, District Judge.

In this direct criminal appeal, Defendant challenges his conviction and sentencing on various grounds. More particularly, Defendant appeals the district court’s denial of his motion to dismiss the indictment. Defendant also appeals his sentence, arguing that the district court improperly calculated his criminal history score. Despite the appellate waiver in his plea agreement, Defendant argues that he is entitled to a re-sentencing pursuant to United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220, 125 S.Ct. 738, 160 L.Ed.2d 621 (2005).

For the reasons set forth below, we affirm the denial of Defendant’s motion to dismiss the indictment, find no plain error in the calculation of Defendant’s criminal history category, and conclude that Defendant is not entitled to a Booker remand.

I. Background

In the fall of 2002, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Akron Police Department Narcotics Unit initiated an investigation of several individuals, including Defendant Barnett Dossie. During that investigation, law enforcement successfully made two controlled drug purchases from Dossie: 13.8 grams of crack cocaine on November 13, 2002, and 27.1 grams of crack cocaine on November 20, 2002.

Based, in part, on information about Dossie’s involvement in these two transactions contained in an affidavit from a DEA agent, on March 7, 2003, law enforcement executed state search warrants on two locations linked to Dossie. The fruits of these searches, including 1,240 grams of crack cocaine seized from 1101 Independence Place, Apartment 116, formed the basis of an initial federal criminal case against Dossie.

On July 9, 2003, the government filed a Criminal Information (Case No. 5:03 CR 0266) charging Dossie with a single count of possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of crack cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a) and (b)(1)(A). On July 29, 2003, Dossie was arraigned on the criminal information and formally waived indictment.

On September 2, 2003, Dossie entered a guilty plea pursuant to a written plea agreement before U.S. District Judge James Gwin. Sentencing was set for November 18, 2003.

On October 31, 2003, Dossie moved to withdraw his guilty plea. On November 18, 2003, and after hearing argument on the motion, Judge Gwin granted Dossie’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea and set the matter for trial on December 11, 2003. In the interim, Dossie filed a motion to suppress evidence, which was denied.

Dossie’s trial commenced on December 11, 2003. During the trial, the government introduced evidence pertaining to Dossie’s crack cocaine sales on November 13 and 20, 2002, pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b). On December 12, 2003, the jury returned a not guilty verdict on the charge of possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of crack cocaine.

On March 3, 2004, Dossie was indicted by the grand jury and charged with two counts of distributing crack cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). These charges involved the same November 13 and 20, 2002, sales of crack cocaine which had been admitted pursuant to Rule 404(b) in Dossie’s earlier trial.

On March 26, 2004, the government moved in limine to prohibit Dossie, his counsel, or any witness from making direct or indirect references during the trial to Dossie’s earlier acquittal in Case No. 5:03 CR 0266.

[342]*342On April 19, 2004, the government filed a Notice of prior convictions pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 851, which advised Dossie that he faced an enhanced minimum mandatory sentence of ten years if convicted.

In response to the government’s motion in limine, Dossie filed a motion to dismiss the indictment on grounds of double jeopardy and collateral estoppel, as well as a response to the government’s motion in limine.

On May 4, 2004, the district court denied Dossie’s motion to dismiss and granted the government’s motion in limine. However, the district court permitted defense counsel “to examine the -witness called in the context of the government’s 404(b) evidence in Case No. 5:03 CR 0266 in an impeachment effort or to refresh the witness’s recollection concerning the prior testimony in Case No. 5:03 CR 0266 by asking the witness, if in a prior proceeding, the witness provided the following testimony, or words to that effect.”

On May 6, 2004, Dossie entered a conditional guilty plea to both counts of the indictment pursuant to a written plea agreement.

In his written plea agreement, Dossie stipulated that the amount of drugs for both statutory and guideline purposes was more than 35 grams but less than 50 grams of cocaine base, which yielded a sentencing guideline base offense level of 30. Dossie also acknowledged he had two prior felony drug convictions which subjected him to an enhanced minimum statutory sentence of not less than 10 years. Dossie further agreed not to seek a downward departure from the applicable guideline imprisonment range.

Because the plea was conditional, Dossie reserved within his plea agreement the right to “have an appellate court review an adverse determination of a specified pretrial motion, that is a motion to dismiss the indictment on double jeopardy and collateral estoppel grounds, filed on or about April 30, 2004, and denied by the district court after oral hearing on May 4, 2004.” Dossie also reserved the right “to appeal the Criminal History Determination and the imposition of any sentence inconsistent with the provisions of [his] plea agreement.” This limited waiver of appeal was extensively discussed by the district judge during the taking of the plea.

Notwithstanding these specific reservations, Dossie’s plea agreement did contain a waiver of other appellate rights. More particularly, Dossie’s plea agreement stated that he “acknowledges having been advised by counsel of his rights, in limited circumstances, to appeal the conviction or sentence ..., including the appeal right conferred by 18 U.S.C. § 3742.... The defendant expressly waives those rights” except as otherwise provided for within his plea agreement.

At sentencing on August 12, 2004, Dossie did not object to the presentence report, which had recommended a total offense level of 28 and a criminal history category IV. The criminal history category was based on 8 criminal history points. Although Dossie was facing a minimum statutory sentence of 10 years and a guideline sentence of 110-137 months, the district court sentenced Dossie to 92 months imprisonment, followed by 4 years of supervised release.2

[343]*343In his appeal, Dossie challenges the district court’s granting of the government’s motion in limine and denial of his motion to dismiss, the calculation of his criminal history score, and argues that remand for re-sentencing is warranted under United States v. Booker.

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Bluebook (online)
188 F. App'x 339, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-dossie-ca6-2006.