United States v. Jose Antonio Gonzalez-Murillo

852 F.3d 1329, 2017 WL 1229711, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 5793
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
DecidedApril 4, 2017
Docket16-11464
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 852 F.3d 1329 (United States v. Jose Antonio Gonzalez-Murillo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eleventh 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. Jose Antonio Gonzalez-Murillo, 852 F.3d 1329, 2017 WL 1229711, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 5793 (11th Cir. 2017).

Opinions

PER CURIAM:

Two sentencing guidelines diverge in how they treat time spent in state custody on relevant conduct that is accounted for in a defendant’s federal sentence, and that makes all the difference in this case.1 U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual (“U.S.S.G.”) § 5G1.3(b) requires the district court to “adjust” a defendant’s sentence to credit him for time served in state custody on relevant conduct covered by his federal sentence — but only when the defendant has undischarged time remaining on his state sentence. Meanwhile, U.S.S.G. § 5K2.23 allows a district court to exercise discretion to “depart[ ]” from a guidelines sentence to reflect credit for time served in state custody on relevant conduct covered by his federal sentence when the related state sentence is completely discharged at the time of federal sentencing.

Because the guidelines contemplate an “adjustment” under Part G of Chapter 5, when a district court exercises its discretion to reduce a defendant’s sentence under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2) after a guideline amendment, the court must also credit the defendant for .time served on an undischarged state sentence. But since the guidelines envision a “departure” under Part K of Chapter 5, a district court is prohibited in § 3582(c)(2) proceedings from crediting the defendant for time served on a discharged state sentence.

Here, at Defendant-Appellant Jose Antonio Gonzalez-Murillo’s original sentencing, he moved for credit under U.S.S.G. § 5G1.3(b) for thirteen months’ imprisonment he served in Mississippi custody on relevant conduct covered by his federal sentence. Though the district court purported to credit Gonzalez-Murillo under § 5G1.3(b) for that time against his federal sentence, it referred to what it did as a “departure.” So when Gonzalez-Murillo sought a reduced sentence under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2) following a guideline amendment, the district court granted his motion and sentenced him to the low end of the amended guidelines range, but it determined that it lacked the authority to adjust his sentence to reflect credit for time served in Mississippi custody on relevant conduct.

We have independently reviewed the record, and it is not clear to us whether, at the time of Gonzalez-Murillo’s original sentencing, Gonzalez-Murillo’s state sentence of imprisonment was entirely discharged or whether, instead, Gonzalez-Murillo had additional state time remaining to be completed. Since the answer to that question drives the answer to wheth[1332]*1332er, in Gonzalez-Murillo’s § 3582(c)(2) proceeding, the district court was required to credit or prohibited from crediting Gonzalez-Murillo’s Mississippi time, we remand this case to the district court to resolve that question and, if appropriate, modify Gonzalez-Murillo’s reduced sentence accordingly.

I.

A. The Offense Conduct -

The United States began investigating Jose Antonio Gonzalez-Murillo for drug-trafficking activities in 2008. On April 13, 2010, while Gonzalez-Murillo was under federal investigation in Florida, local law-enforcement officers stopped him as he rode through Richland, Mississippi, on his way from California to Florida. In the car, officers found more than 4.6 kilograms of methamphetamine.

Based on this discovery, Mississippi charged González-Murillo with possession of a controlled substance, and he remained in the custody of Mississippi authorities pending resolution of those charges. He pled guilty on April 4, 2011, and, based on the presentence report (“PSR”) in the federal case before us now, was purportedly sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment, with six years suspended.

In the meantime, on December 2, 2010, in the Middle District of Florida, the United States obtained an indictment against Gonzalez-Murillo, stemming in part from his arrest in Mississippi. As relevant here, the indictment charged conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

On April 13, 2011, for the purposes of obtaining Gonzalez-Murillo’s presence at his initial appearance on the federal charge, the United States filed a petition in the Middle District of Florida for a writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum directing the United States Marshal to take custody of Gonzalez-Murillo, who was then confined in the Rankin County Jail in Brandon, Mississippi, into federal custody from the state of Mississippi. The writ was issued on April 14, 2011. In its summary of disposition of the Mississippi conviction, the PSR indicates that Gonzalez-Murillo was “released to United States Marshals Service” on April 19, 2011.

Notwithstanding the earlier issuance of a writ, however, the Middle District of Florida court docket indicates that Gonzalez-Murillo was arrested in the Southern District of Mississippi on April 21, 2011. Gonzalez-Murillo made his initial appearance on the federal charges before a Southern District of Mississippi magistrate judge, pursuant to Fed. R. Crim. P. 5(c)(2). At this proceeding, counsel for the government moved that Gonzalez-Murillo be detained. After Gonzalez-Murillo waived his right to a detention hearing, the magistrate judge remanded the defendant to the Marshal to await transfer to the Middle District of Florida.2

On May 11, 2011, Gonzalez-Murillo was arraigned in the Middle District of Florida on the federal indictment. At this arraignment, the magistrate judge stated that it appeared that Gonzalez-Murillo was potentially eligible for bail, based on an April 19, 2011, federal Pretrial Services report indicating that Gonzalez-Murillo had been released from his Mississippi sentence. The Assistant United States Attorney confirmed his understanding that the Mississippi sentences had “ultimately resulted in [1333]*1333time served” and argued that Gonzalez-Murillo should be detained. Counsel for Gonzalez-Murillo indicated his belief that the court could set reasonable conditions of release but stated that he would make any argument for release by a later motion.

Ultimately, Gonzalez-Murillo entered a guilty plea to the conspiracy count. In his plea agreement, Gonzalez-Murillo admitted, as part of the factual basis for his guilty plea, that he was “in the process of transporting approximately 12 pounds of methamphetamine” on April 13, 2010, when he was arrested in Mississippi.

B. Gonzalez-Murillo’s 2011 Sentencing

At Gonzalez-Murillo’s federal sentencing, the district court used the Sentencing Guidelines Manual in effect as of November 1, 2011, to determine an offense level of 31 and an advisory guidelines range of 108 to 135 months’ imprisonment. In calculating that range, the court held Gonzalez-Murillo responsible for offense conduct involving at least five, but less than fifteen, kilograms of methamphetamine, corresponding to a base offense level of 36 at that time.3 As part of this determination, the district court included the Mississippi events as relevant conduct under U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
852 F.3d 1329, 2017 WL 1229711, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 5793, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-jose-antonio-gonzalez-murillo-ca11-2017.