United States v. Glover

377 F. Supp. 3d 1346
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedMay 1, 2019
DocketCASE NO. 95-08021-CR-LENARD
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 377 F. Supp. 3d 1346 (United States v. Glover) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Glover, 377 F. Supp. 3d 1346 (S.D. Fla. 2019).

Opinion

JOAN A. LENARD, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

THIS CAUSE is before the Court on Defendant Thomas Randolf Glover's pro se Motion to Reduce Sentence Pursuant to Section 404 of the First Step Act, ("Motion," D.E. 399), filed January 3, 2019. On January 18, 2019, the Government filed a Response opposing the Motion. ("First Response," D.E. 400.) On February 26, 2019, the Court appointed the Federal Public Defender to represent Defendant in these proceedings. (D.E. 401.) On March 12, 2019, Defendant, through appointed counsel, filed a Memorandum in support of his Motion. ("Memorandum," D.E. 404.) The Government filed a Response to the Memorandum on March 18, 2019, ("Second Response," D.E. 405), to which Defendant filed a Reply, on March 19, 2019, ("Reply," D.E. 406). Upon review of the Motion, Memorandum, Responses, Reply, and the record, the Court finds as follows.

I. Background

On March 2, 1995, Defendant was charged by Indictment with conspiracy to distribute a detectable amount of cocaine base-or "crack" cocaine-in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846 (Count 1), possession with intent to distribute a detectable amount of crack cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 2 (Count 2), and distribution of a detectable amount of crack cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 2 (Count 3). (D.E. 10.) The case was originally assigned to United States District Judge William J. Zloch. (See id. )

*1348On April 10, 1995, the Government filed and served upon Defendant an Information pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 851 stating that it intended to seek an enhanced statutory penalty under Section 841 based upon a prior state court conviction for selling cocaine. ("Information," D.E. 37.) The Information-which is titled "INFORMATION CHARGING PRIOR CONVICTION PURSUANT TO TITLE 21, UNITED STATES CODE, SECTION 851"-states in its entirety:

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida charges that defendant THOMAS GLOVER, indicted in the instant case with drug offenses arising under Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 846, has previously been convicted of the following felony drug offense:
On or about November 20, 1991, in the Circuit Court, Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, in and for Palm Beach County, Florida, defendant THOMAS GLOVER was duly convicted of Sale of Cocaine, a felony, in violation of Florida Statute 893.13.
A copy of the Judgment in such action is attached hereto. Furthermore, notice is hereby provided that the United States will rely upon the aforementioned prior felony drug offense convictions to seek an increased punishment for defendant as set forth in Title 21, United States Code, § 841(a)(1).

(Id. ) The Government attached to the Information a copy of the state court's Judgment, which is dated November 20, 1992. (Id. at 3-5.) The Information's Certificate of Service indicates that Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. McMillan, Jr. mailed "a true and correct copy" of the Information to both defense attorneys on April 6, 1995. (Id. at 2.) Defendant never filed a response to the Information.

On April 20, 1995, the Grand Jury returned a Superseding Indictment charging Defendant with the same three counts contained in the original Indictment, and additionally charging Defendant with manufacturing crack cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (2) (Count 4). (Superseding Indictment, D.E. 44).

On March 4, 1996, the case was reassigned to the undersigned judge. (D.E. 156.) On February 13, 1997, trial began. (See D.E. 238.) On February 20, 1997, a jury found Defendant guilty of Counts 1, 2, and 3, and acquitted him of Count 4. (Jury Verdict, D.E. 243).

Prior to sentencing, the United States Probation Office prepared a revised Presentence Investigation Report ("PSR")1 finding that Defendant's offenses of conviction involved 87.98 grams of cocaine base. (PSR ¶ 10.) Based upon the 87.98 grams of cocaine base involved in the offenses, and the 251 grams of cocaine hydrochloride found on his co-defendant which was included in Defendant's relevant conduct, Defendant had a base offense level of 32 under United States Sentencing Guideline ("U.S.S.G.") § 2D1.1.2 (Id. ¶¶ 16-17.) Additionally, *1349based on the application of the Section 851 enhancement, the revised PSR found that Defendant's convictions each carried a statutory penalty of 20 years to life imprisonment under 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A). (Id. ¶ 59.) The revised PSR further found that Defendant met the criteria for "career offender" status under U.S.S.G. § 4B1.1 :

In addition to being older than 18 years at the time of the instant offense and the instant offense of conviction being a controlled substance felony offense, the defendant also has the required two prior felony convictions as reflected in the Criminal History Section of this report to deem him a career criminal. Since the Offense Statutory Maximum for the offense of conviction is life imprisonment, the offense level is 37 as required pursuant to § 4B1.1.

(Id. ¶ 23.) Finally, the revised PSR found that because Defendant is a Career Offender, his criminal history category was VI. (Id. ¶ 35.) Based on a total offense level of 37 and a criminal history category of VI, Defendant's guideline imprisonment range was 360 months to life imprisonment. (Id. ¶ 60.)

Defendant filed written Objections to the revised PSR, asserting only two legal objections. (Obj., D.E. 259 at 1-2.) Defendant did not object to the 87.98-gram quantity of crack cocaine the revised PSR attributed to him; in fact, he acknowledged that he was responsible for 87.98 grams of crack cocaine for sentencing purposes under Section 841. (See id.

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Bluebook (online)
377 F. Supp. 3d 1346, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-glover-flsd-2019.