United States v. James Edward Roederer

11 F.3d 973, 1993 U.S. App. LEXIS 31477, 1993 WL 497385
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedDecember 3, 1993
Docket92-6385
StatusPublished
Cited by179 cases

This text of 11 F.3d 973 (United States v. James Edward Roederer) 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. James Edward Roederer, 11 F.3d 973, 1993 U.S. App. LEXIS 31477, 1993 WL 497385 (10th Cir. 1993).

Opinion

OPINION ON REHEARING

BARRETT, Senior Circuit Judge.

This is a revision of our opinion filed August 10, 1993.

James Edward Roederer was charged in a twelve-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and distribution of cocaine. Roederer appeals from the sentence imposed on him following his guilty pleas to Count 1, charging a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine from 1980 to July of 1987, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846 (pre-Sentencing Guidelines offense), and to Count 11, charging distribution of cocaine on May 20, 1992, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) (Sentencing Guidelines offense).

Count 1 charged:

From on or about 1980, and continuously thereafter until on or about July, 1987 ... James Edward Roederer ... wilfully and knowingly did unlawfully combine, conspire, confederate and agree with Alan Joseph Rockford and Robert Eugene Miles, co-conspirators but not codefendants herein, and with divers[e] other persons ... to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine....
OVERT ACTS
To effect the objects of the conspiracy, the defendant and co-conspirators ... committed diverse overt acts ... among which were the following:
# :Js :{; :ji Hí
*975 4. During approximately 1985 to approximately July, 1987, James Edward Roederer, distributed quantities of cocaine to Paul Seikel.
5. During approximately 1983 to approximately July, 1987, James Edward Roederer, distributed quantities of cocaine to Tommy Joe Hamilton.
All in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846.

(Appellant’s Appendix at 4-6).

Count 11 charged:

On or about May 20, 1992 ... James Edward Roederer, knowingly and intentionally did unlawfully distribute approximately one-fourth (]i) ounce of cocaine ... to Linda Nixon.
All in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1).

(Appellant’s Appendix at 10).

In keeping with a plea agreement, Roederer entered a plea of guilty to Counts 1 and 11 and the government agreed to dismiss the remaining ten counts. Roederer’s presen-tence report set forth a total offense level of 32, reflecting: a base offense level of 30 (predicated on an estimate of 4.248 kilos of cocaine distributed by Roederer between 1984 and 1992); a two-level specific offense characteristic increase (predicated on a firearm found in Roederer’s residence near one-eighth ounce of cocaine); and no adjustment for acceptance of responsibility.

Roederer objected to the presentence report, arguing that: the report failed to inform the court of its sentencing options, i.e., “[the court’s] authority to treat Count 11 (Guidelines count) independently of Count 1 (pre-Guidelines count)_ (Appellant’s Appendix at 31); the quantities of drugs asserted in the report were greatly inflated in violation of his due process rights; he was entitled to a reduction for acceptance of responsibility; and there was no basis for a two-level enhancement for possession of a firearm.

During the sentencing hearing, Roederer argued that: reaching back to the Count 1 conspiracy for conduct unrelated to the Count 11 offense of conviction violated his due process rights and “basically in almost ex post facto fashion [puts] a guideline law requirement on very old conduct,” (Appellant’s Appendix at 72); the court should “sentence him [Roederer] on Count 1 under the old law and sentence him on Count 11 under the guidelines law and not try to take this guidelines law and reach back arbitrarily in time to unrelated conduct.” Id. at 73. Roederer also reiterated that it was improper to add two levels for possessing a firearm, “because the drug felony — the distribution occurred elsewhere,” id. at 81, and that he was entitled to a reduction for acceptance of responsibility.

The court rejected Roederer’s argument that it was improper to add two levels for possession of a firearm. The court did, however, grant a reduction for acceptance of responsibility. On November 9, 1992, the court sentenced Roederer to “110 months as to Count 1 and 110 months as to Count 11 to be served concurrently,” id. at 124, and three years of special parole on Count 1 and three years of supervised release on Count 11, to be served concurrently.

On appeal, Roederer contends that: the district court denied him fundamental fairness by violating the ex post facto and double jeopardy clauses, his due process rights, and the relevant conduct rule of the Sentencing Guidelines in calculating his base offense level; the evidence upon which the court relied in determining relevant conduct lacked sufficient reliability; and the court erred in imposing a two level enhancement for possessing a firearm during the commission of a drug offense.

I.

Roederer asserts that the district court denied him fundamental fairness by violating the ex post facto and double jeopardy clauses, his due process rights, and the relevant conduct rule under the Guidelines when it used drug quantities attributed to Count 1, a conspiracy which terminated prior to the effective date of the Guidelines, to determine the base offense level of the Count 11 cocaine distribution offense. Roederer also contends that the court did not attach its *976 findings and determinations relative to the factual issues raised at sentencing as required under Fed.R.Crim.P. 32(e)(3)(D) and U.S.S.G. § 6A1.3, as construed in United States v. Jimenez, 928 F.2d 356 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 112 S.Ct. 164, 116 L.Ed.2d 129 (1991).

a.

Roederer argues that the court violated the ex post facto clause by including as relevant conduct an offense which occurred prior to the effective date of the Guidelines. We rejected a similar argument in United States v. Haddock, 956 F.2d 1534, 1553-54 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 113 S.Ct. 88, 121 L.Ed.2d 50 (1992):

The Ex Post Facto Clause prohibits “ ‘any statute which punishes as a crime, which was innocent when done; which makes more burdensome the punishment for a crime, after its commission....”’ Collins v. Youngblood, 497 U.S. 37, 42, 110 S.Ct. 2715, 2719, 111 L.Ed.2d 30 (1990) (quoting Beazell v. Ohio, 269 U.S. 167, 169-70, 46 S.Ct. 68, 68-69, 70 L.Ed. 216 (1925)).

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Bluebook (online)
11 F.3d 973, 1993 U.S. App. LEXIS 31477, 1993 WL 497385, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-james-edward-roederer-ca10-1993.