United States v. Mammedov

304 F. App'x 922
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedDecember 30, 2008
DocketNo. 06-2971-cr
StatusPublished

This text of 304 F. App'x 922 (United States v. Mammedov) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second 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. Mammedov, 304 F. App'x 922 (2d Cir. 2008).

Opinion

[924]*924SUMMARY ORDER

Defendant-Appellant Asker Mammedov (“Mammedov”) pled guilty in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Glasser, J.) to an information charging him with one count of sex trafficking, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1591(a). On appeal, Mammedov contends that the Government breached the plea agreement and that the District Court’s restitution order was improper on several grounds. We assume the parties’ familiarity with the underlying facts, the procedural history, and the issues presented for review.

I. The Plea Agreement

Even where, as here, a defendant waives his right of appeal as part of a plea agreement, the defendant may appeal his sentence if he can show that the government has breached its contractual obligations. United States v. Rosa, 123 F.3d 94, 98 (2d Cir.1997). “We review interpretations of plea agreements de novo and in accordance with principles of contract law.” United States v. Griffin, 510 F.3d 354, 360 (2d Cir.2007) (citation omitted). Any ambiguities in a plea agreement are resolved against the Government. United States v. Altro (In re Grand Jury Witness Altro), 180 F.3d 372, 375 (2d Cir.1999).

Mammedov’s plea agreement estimated that his total adjusted offense level would be 30, and stated that “[t]his level carries a range of imprisonment of 97 to 121 months, assuming that the defendant will be sentenced within Criminal History Category I.” App. 12. This estimate included, inter alia, a two point “vulnerable victim” enhancement. U.S.S.G. § 3A1.1(b)(1). It did not include a “serious bodily injury” enhancement. Id. § 2A3.1(b)(4).

The agreement made clear that “[t]he Guidelines estimate set forth in paragraph 2 is not binding on the [United States Attorney’s] Office, the Probation Department or the Court.” App. 12. Further, it stated that “[i]f the Guidelines offense level advocated by the Office, or determined by the Probation Department or the Court, is different from the estimate, the defendant will not be entitled to withdraw the plea.” Id. Finally, the agreement provided that “based upon information now known to the Office, [the Office] will ... not seek a sentence above the high end of the Guidelines range set forth in paragraph 2 [, i.e., 97 to 121 months].” Id. 14. At the plea proceeding, the District Court emphasized the non-binding nature of the estimate in the plea agreement, calling it an “educated guess” and stating that “I will not know for sure what your sentence will be until after I’ve had an opportunity to study a presentence report.” Id. 30.

The Probation Department’s Guidelines calculation yielded the same total adjusted offense level as the plea agreement estimate, but differed in that Probation (1) declined to apply the two point “vulnerable victim” enhancement, and (2) applied a two level enhancement for “serious bodily injury” to the third victim, which was not included in the plea agreement. The Government objected to the presentence report, arguing that a “vulnerable victim” enhancement was warranted. The Probation Department disagreed and did not add the enhancement.

At sentencing, Mammedov did not object to the presentence report, and the Government did not argue for a “serious bodily injury” enhancement. As contemplated by the plea agreement, however, the Government did seek, over Mammedov’s objection, the application of the “vulnerable victim” enhancement. The District Court found the “vulnerable victim” enhancement appropriate, resulting in a total adjusted offense level of 32, which [925]*925carries a Guidelines range of 121 to 151 months.1 The Government agreed with the increased offense level. The District Court then sentenced Mammedov to a term of imprisonment of 124 months.

Mammedov argues that the Government breached his plea agreement by advocating a “vulnerable victim” enhancement at sentencing, thereby seeking “a higher Guidelines range than the agreed-upon range of the plea agreement.” Appellant’s Br. 11-12. We have already rejected “a broad rule, categorically prohibiting the government from deviating from a Pimentel estimate, [i.e., the Guidelines range estimated by a plea agreement,] absent newly discovered facts.” United States v. Habbas, 527 F.3d 266, 272 (2d Cir.2008) (discussing United States v. Pimentel, 932 F.2d 1029 (2d Cir.1991)). Instead, when determining whether the Government has breached a plea agreement, we have stated that “[e]ach case turns on its facts, and the number of significant variables potentially in play in such an inquiry is enormous.” Id.

In the case at bar, the plea agreement makes clear that the estimated offense level was only the “likely adjusted offense level,” which was “not binding on the Office, the Probation Department or the Court.” App. 11-12 (emphasis added). Though the agreement provides that “based upon information now known to the Office, it will ... not seek a sentence above the high end of the Guidelines range set forth in paragraph 2 [, i.e., 97 to 121 months],” id. 14 (emphasis added), the agreement does not say that the Government cannot seek a higher Guidelines range based upon enhancements expressly contemplated by the plea agreement. Indeed, paragraph 3 unambiguously permits the Government to do so: “If the Guidelines offense level advocated by the Office, or determined by the Probation Department or the Court, is different from the estimate [provided in the plea agreement], the defendant will not be entitled to withdraw the plea.” Id. 12 (emphasis added). By advocating for a “vulnerable victim” enhancement, the Government sought to increase Mammedov’s Guidelines range from 97 to 121 months to a range of 121 to 151 months. At no point, however, did the Government urge the District Court to impose a sentence greater than 121 months. As required by paragraph 5.b of the plea agreement, the Government took no position concerning where within the Guidelines range determined by the District Court the sentence should fall. Thus, the Government did not breach Mammedov’s plea agreement.2

Mammedov’s reliance on United States v. Palladino, 347 F.3d 29 (2d Cir.2003), is misplaced. In that case, we held that “the Government breached the plea agreement by advocating a six-level sentencing enhancement on the basis of information that was known to the Government at the time of the agreement, but was not reflected in the estimated offense level in the plea agreement.” Id. at 34; see also Habbas, 527 F.3d at 272 n. 1 (“The problem in Palladino was ... the combination of the passages of the plea agreement conferring assurance that the government would not advocate for a sentence higher than the [926]

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United States v. Daniel Mortimer
52 F.3d 429 (Second Circuit, 1995)
United States v. Deinner Rosa
123 F.3d 94 (Second Circuit, 1997)
United States v. Samuel Camarillo-Tello
236 F.3d 1024 (Ninth Circuit, 2001)
United States v. Melissa Harris
302 F.3d 72 (Second Circuit, 2002)
United States v. John Palladino, Vincent Guerrieri
347 F.3d 29 (Second Circuit, 2003)
United States v. Valentino Nucci
364 F.3d 419 (Second Circuit, 2004)
United States v. Griffin
510 F.3d 354 (Second Circuit, 2007)
United States v. Habbas
527 F.3d 266 (Second Circuit, 2008)

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304 F. App'x 922, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-mammedov-ca2-2008.